Jethro Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 It has suddenly occured to me that I dont have a battery charger for the deep cycle battery in the new boat. The battery is a 105ah Trojan I think I remeber reading somwhere that deep cycle batteries require a better quality battery charger. One with a timer in it where it can full charge for a period of time and trickle charge to top it up........ Is that correct??? I rang a guy at Battery World and he tried to sell me a normal charger with no timer and said it would do the job... So what sort of chargeres are you guys using and what shoudl I expect to pay for one?? Also is it better to run a depp cycle battery right down before recharging or can you top it up after each use?? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantm Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 (edited) GDay Jethro, Mate if you really want a good battery charger then buy a Durst one. Check out their web site here Durst Their not cheap but they are the best and have a charger for every type of situation required. I have used their equipment for many years in a large workshop and I can vouch for their quality. Edited December 7, 2004 by Grantm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 (edited) G'day Jethro The two most important things with a deep cycle, is not to overcharge them, and not to leave them flat. At the very least you need a charger that will bring the battery up to a constant voltage and then maintain the battery at that voltage. This reduces sulphation ( which decreases battery life) and keeps your battery in a "ready to go" state. A cheap trickle charger will not do this, it will just keep running current into the battery, the result being that you start burning off electrolyte and eventually stuffing the battery. If you are electronically minded you can buy a cheap kit from jaycar which builds into a cheap 4 amp charger to make it into a reasonable maintenace charger. Matt Edited December 8, 2004 by macman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted December 9, 2004 Author Share Posted December 9, 2004 Thanks guys Grant - I have sent Durst and email and see what they come back with. Matt - Do you know the name of the kit or the kit number?? Are you using the kit? How long would it take to charge a 105ah with a tricked up 4amp charger??? I have rang a few battery places today and I get a differnt answer from each one. One of them told me that I can use the $30 cheapie that I currently use to charge my prawning lights while another said I need a special charger and they start at $300, an Arlec BC62. I just get more confused after each phone call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Hi Jethro, I recently purchased a Projecta charger for $300. It is so powerful that it can also be used to start a car!!! The reason behind the size of the charger is due to the size of my deep cycle (130 a/h) and I am reliably informed that in order to push the charge back into a high output battery, you need a bigger output charger. The Projecta has 3 settings (Low/Med/Hi), and I use the high setting to push the current back in at maximum amps (can't remember what it is but maybe 18amps). the medium and low settings can be used to maintain the charge if necessary. It comes with a timer to avoid overcharging and can be used on 12V or 24V batteries. If you like give me a call later and I will give you more detaisl when I am at home. Cheers, Byron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozy Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) I have rang a few battery places today and I get a differnt answer from each one.One of them told me that I can use the $30 cheapie that I currently use to charge my prawning lights while another said I need a special charger and they start at $300, an Arlec BC62. I just get more confused after each phone call. 22847[/snapback] I know what you mean, I got exactly the same responses. I did contemplate forking out the big dollars and when the guy from Battery World doesn't want to sell you the U beaut fandangle one then who am I to argue and after going over budget on the new boat I had to cut back somewhere. I ended up getting one from Supercheap Auto for $80, it's a fully automatic 12 amp charger with high and low rate charging that switches off when battery is fully charged and will switch back on to trickle when the voltage drops. Also my last boat had a 75 amp/h battery and only ever charged that with a 6 amp cheapie and had the battery for two and a half years with no problems. Edited December 9, 2004 by Ozy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 G'day Jethro, The one OZY recommends sounds good. I modded my cheapie prawning light charger with the kit as found here http://www1.electusdistribution.com.au/pro...CAT&SUBCATID=59 I think my charger is a projecta or protecta (?), real basic model which is basically just a transformer and two rectifier diodes in a plastic box with a cheapo led voltmeter. The kit was easy to build and had good instructions. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooky. Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 G'day all, I am at a deadset loss as to why people spend such big bucks on battery chargers. Maybe I'm missing something here, if I am, please let me know????? cheers hooky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted December 9, 2004 Author Share Posted December 9, 2004 There is some food for thought there. In reality how long is the battery life going to be extended by using a you beaut charger?? I was going to buy a Ctek 7000 at around $300 but I might have to re-think that. Ozy that charger sounds interesting. Do you know the model No:??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Hi Jethro, Im here to confuse you even more I used an Arlec 6amp charger i bought for $80 with automatic switch off , have been using it for 2 years without any problems to charger or battery, Delkor 100AMP/H. My battery cost me $160, i wasnt going to spend $400 on a charger, i suppose if you have $1000 worth of Gel batteries in your boat and you buy a good charger you might get a good 10yrs out of them if they are looked after. But for a $100-200 battery, i think your $100 chargers are fine. Still confused Stevo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantm Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Hey Jethro You probably don't have to spend a lot really, any decent quality one will do the job. I recommended Durst simply because they can take some abuse and are idiot proof which I need for my application in a large shop. I have to buy good gear for it to last, but for home use they might be a bit much. I dont really think an expensive charger will extent battery life, its simply just a better built charger with addition features which some people like. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozy Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Ozy that charger sounds interesting. Do you know the model No:??? 22973[/snapback] It's called a Pro User MBC 12A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 Stevo - that makes perfect sense. I think my battery was about $300 and I was having a hard time justifying that again for a charger. Ozy - Thanks for that I will have a look next time I am at Supercheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 I had Jeff aboard my boat today. The small talk during the course of the day went toward this particular post. Jeff is an electronics engineer of some sort, and has mentioned that he will post some links to technical data to dispel some of the myths and furphys that seem to abound with the mystisism of 12 Volts. Personally I'm looking forward to reading them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Hi Guys, When not fishing I design electronic equipment. A while ago I did work on a 12V sealed lead-acid charger and learnt a bit about how lead-acid batteries are supposed to be charged for longest life. I'll put something together that explains the basics. In the meantime Macman's advice sums it up perfectly - don't overcharge, don't flatten - both these things kill lead-acid batteries. Cheers, Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 (edited) What about battery fighters they look like a small transformer that plugs into your power point. I believe they are a trickle charge. Would they work on a 105 AH Deep Cycle? Edited December 15, 2004 by Luke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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