Not only do the first two stages charge the battery better, but the float stage will keep it topped up while the boat sits stored.ĭuane Dunn, Allegro wrote:Get a Amp hour meter like the VAH35, which really compares to the Link20 from Xantrex. Single stage automotive ones are not appropriate. Make sure it is a good 3 stage charger if you want any life out of your battery. This also lets you run the 12v loads off the charger when plugged in at the dock. You plug in the boat and the batteries are charging, simple. Who want to mess with a portable one all the time. If you are going to do 120v shore power, I'd definitely do a permanent charger. When I strip a wire to change or add something they are all still bright copper after 35 years in the boat. We still have a 1970 Venture(Mac) in the family wired by Roger with good old lamp cord. I can say from experience that in most cases this is oversold, particularly for a trailer boat. The only reason to switch to the tinned wire is if you are concerned about corrosion. You will find for almost everything on these boat 18 gauge is more than sufficient. Calculate how many amps you are going to pull and use a table like that in the West Marine catalog to select the wire gauge. The 18 gauge wire is perfectly fine for lights which is what it is used on. Use the wire size appropriate for the load. 18 gauge wire is 18 gauge wire whether it is in lamp cord or overpriced tinned marine cable. In regards to the wiring, don't sell the lamp cord short. This one also would be fine in our boats, The VAH30 which is comparable to the Xantrex Link 10 at $199. Get a Amp hour meter like the VAH35, which really compares to the Link20 from Xantrex. Consider adding at least a main AC breaker.ĭon't waste your money on a voltage meter like the V30. this is probably quite dangerous (from what I understand, the GFCI provides no overload/short circuit protection). Depending on your house loads, you may even want to go to 8 or 10 gauge.Īlso, it sounds like your shore power consists of the hook-up connected directly to your interior outlets, with no breaker in between. West Marine has them on sale for $199 (and you can find them even a little cheaper if you scavenge around a bit). basically figuring how much power going into the batter is actually being retained. Also, I'm not sure whether or not the CruzPro has this feature, but the Xantrex units will automatically calculate "charge efficiency factor" (I think that's what it's called). I like the aesthetics more, as well as the at-a-glance "bar graph" display. But still, without knowing any other special features of the CruzPro that might make it a better choice, I think I'd still go with the Link10. The only thing that would steer me towards that unit over the Link10 would be the low amp-hour alarm function. I have a Vector 2/6/10/35 charger anyway, so I probably won't go with a permanent charger for now at least. I will probably also put in the CruzPro VAH35 unit unless there's a reason to go with the Xantrex. I also want to use the 3 on-off switch setup shown in the WM catalog. I plan to replace the lamp cord with better guage wiring. It has AC shore power with a hook-up on the port cabin side just forward of the port cockpit running directly to a GFCI outlet aft next to the galley and another under the forward dining seat. The lights are run via the lamp cord as well from the panel as well as a 12v adapter aft of the galley. There is white lamp cord run from the house battery to the DC panel as well as another 16 guage set of wires. They are connected together via a 50-amp WM combiner. Initially, this causes a list to port as I don't have anything stored starboard. The PO had the stock starter battery under the aft galley seat and a Diehard dual house battery under the forward galley seat. Thanks Moe, that's the url I meant to put up.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |