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1995 ProMariner 30 Battery Charger

Discussion in 'Carver Yacht' started by aldera123, Aug 7, 2024.

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  1. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    Hi,

    I'm going to replace the ProMariner 30 battery charger in my 1995 Carver 325 Aft Cabin. Does anyone have a manual or wiring diagram for this? I uploaded a picture of what I have. It looks like the white wire is the 110V from the AC panel, the black wire is the ground and the 2 red wires in the cable sleeve are to the positive terminals of the 2 batteries. Anyone know what the smaller red wire is?

    Thanks. bcharger1.jpeg bcharger2.jpeg
  2. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Open the cover and look. Probably a third lead to the gen-set battery.
  3. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    You're probably right. I don't have a generator but I imagine they wire it that way anyway. Thanks.
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I would hate to think you have a loose "hot" wire hanging around.
    So, Why are you changing out the charger?
  5. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    I want a smart charger that will charge them, maintain them and then shut off. I leave the boat for days at a time and don't want that old charger overworking the batteries. Right now, I turn off the battery charger breaker when I leave the boat.
  6. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    My kind of boater.
    Where do you need me sell and replace your charger.
    USA is a little vague. :D
  7. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    Grand Haven, MI.

    People buy these old things? I already bought a Norco Genius charger to replace this.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I'm not allowed north of the Mason-Dixon line any more.
    Seems the highway cops have an issue with hardened Florida drivers.
    Something about sings are a guideline vs some speed law.
    Oh, something else about ammonia broadcasting on the side of the road.

    So , keep YF up on your adventures on this and any other projects.
    And, trace where that third red line goes.
  9. boatpoor

    boatpoor Active Member

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    Do you have a separate batttery at the helm for your electronics?
  10. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    No I don't but thanks for the reply.
  11. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    Well, I got my battery charger swapped out. Should have taken the inspection cover off sooner and I could have saved a few minutes wondering how things were wired. That 3rd wire was not connected to the charger at all. It was wrapped in electrical tape and non-functional. I imagine that they build a wire harness with the 3 wires and if there's no generator installed, they just wrap it.

    I installed a Noco Genius with 2 banks at 5A each. I don't feel the need for a larger charging capability. I just want something that will work automatically and keep the batteries topped off without overcharging. I took the bare wires from the AC line and connected a female plug so I could connect the new unit that already had a male plug. Then I connected the ring terminals of each pair of 12V cables together with a small bolt, nut and locknut, heat shrink tubing and electrical tape.

    Everything is working fine. Thanks for all the help everyone. bcharger1.jpeg bcharger2.jpeg
  12. DOCKMASTER

    DOCKMASTER Senior Member

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    What do the batteries serve that you are charging? Is there something else charging them while under load? Like engines, generators, etc? 5 amps is fine for float charging but I hope you have another charging source when the batteries are in use?
  13. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    I'm not a boat person but I assume when the engines are running, the alternator is providing the charging capability. The rest of the time I'm docked and 5 amps should be enough to keep them topped off. Again, I'm not a boat person. What high energy draw is there for a battery other than starting the engines? I'm always docked with 120v available. Thanks.
  14. DOCKMASTER

    DOCKMASTER Senior Member

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    I don’t see where you ever mentioned what the battery banks are for? Are they just for engine starting or are these your house batteries? Or both? If they are house batteries you have lots of things they are servicing that are 12v. If this is your only charger you are going to have issues when on shore power and you only have this 5 amp charger to charge them.
  15. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Where do I start?

    bilge pumps
    Heads
    Fresh water pump
    Lights
    Electronics

    Yes some Of these will not be used when the boat is unattended but if you spend time on board at the dock, you will run your house bank down with only 5amp.

    that is way to little charge.
  16. DOCKMASTER

    DOCKMASTER Senior Member

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    In your first photo of your old charger it appears to be charging at about 8 amps. If that is your normal draw with the boat not in use your 5 amp charger is not enough. My boat has parasitic draw of about 7 amps (12v) just sitting there. Some of this is from my Fireboy system, alarm and monitoring, bilge pumps and float switches, etc.
    if you look on your electric panels, anything on the DC side is battery powered. And then I’m sure you have more that is hard wired in. If you want to know for certain, just take a voltage reading of your batteries with a multi-meter. Come back a day or two after and see where it is then. If it’s lower you are not charging enough. Also, if your new charger is continually charging at full amps as shown on the LED indicator lights, you have too small of a charger.
  17. RER

    RER Senior Member

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    What condition are your batteries in? The photo of your new installation shows one bank dead and the other bank low.
  18. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    Thanks for all the replies. I’ll be monitoring things for the next week or two and see what happens.

    Thanks again for all the input/suggestions. I appreciate it.
  19. aldera123

    aldera123 New Member

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    The batteries are new as of 3/24. Before I put the new charger on, one battery was at 8.5v and the other was at 12.6v. I don’t think the old charger was even charging the low one.
  20. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    New does not mean good. :rolleyes:

    Also, You went from a 30 Amp to a (dual??) 5 amp. With minimal house loads, that 30 may have just been enough.
    Usually Bulk, Absorb and Float are the 3 stages the newer chargers provide.
    The Bulk pours some current into the battery to clear the sulfides. This is how the newer chargers help batteries last longer (or supposed to) vs just set to a float mode (final level).
    IMO, those batteries will never reach a full charge.

    I would consider your dual 5 amper a battery maintainer, like for batteries on a shelf during the winter.

    Were not trying to beat you up, Just trying to help. :D
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2024