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Battery charging question

Discussion in 'Carver Yacht' started by Jnicholas, Jan 3, 2014.

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  1. Jnicholas, Jan 3, 2014
    #1
    Jnicholas

    Jnicholas Member

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    Dec 7, 2013
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    Location:
    Long beach ca
    As I make my way through the mountain of paperwork the po left me I am doing my best to get up to speed on the on board systems. Electrical system is complex and confusing I'm afraid.

    Components on board include C-Charger 5000 units, Freedom Inverter/ charger, multi batter isolators, dedicated thruster battery and charger.

    So I would be lying if I said I know all things about this system. But po and broker are telling me just leave all shore power on and all chargers running while away from boat.

    Tonight reading the Carver owners manual it is warning me not to do this, to monitor the charge state and not to overcharge.

    My current charger in my bayliner 242 does not require this as it will monitor the voltage and not over charge.

    So is the po steering me wrong telling me to leave charging system energized?
  2. timjet, Jan 4, 2014
    #2
    timjet

    timjet Member

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    Depending on your charger you should be able to leave the charger on all the time. If you sprung a leak you would want the batt charger on.
  3. RB480, Jan 4, 2014
    #3
    RB480

    RB480 Senior Member

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    Location:
    New Buffalo, MI
    While my boat is in the water and at the slip my battery charger has been on for the last 19 years and counting.

    Monitor the water in your batteries every other week and you will know the status of your batts.
  4. Pascal, Jan 4, 2014
    #4
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Depends on the exact setup but typically you want your charger to be on 24/7 to keep the batteries charged, especially if the bilge pumps are needed.

    Modern 3 stage chargers will not hurt the batteries. Old ferro chargers woudl require monthly check and topping off the water if using lead acid batteries. What kind of batteries do you have?

    Is the inverter-charger connected to the same bank sas the main charger or doesn't it have a dedicated bank? If it was connected to a bank also charged by th main charger, it could cause some issues where voltage from the inverter will fool the main charger into thinking the banks are charged and shutting down before the other banks are charged. Again, shouldn't be a problem unless someone messed up the installation. Often inverters are added on and not factory installed.
  5. Monepit, Jan 5, 2014
    #5
    Monepit

    Monepit Member

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    I am an electrician and have owned 52 boats and I can tell you for sure always leave the chargers on. That is what they are designed for. You do need to keep the batteries topped off with water monthly and if you see one using more water it is probably going bad. I also always change all batteries in a bank at once because a bad battery will cause the charger to always put out a charge and boil water out of all batteries. Keeping the water above the plated is the life of the battery. Enjoy your boat
  6. Jnicholas, Jan 5, 2014
    #6
    Jnicholas

    Jnicholas Member

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    Location:
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    Thanks for tips. Checked water this weekend. All above plates. Water last added 60 days ago according to po. Inverter is on separate bank as well thruster and starting batteries on separately. I'll keep an eye on and will leave chargers on
  7. Capt J, Jan 6, 2014
    #7
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Many inverters also act as the battery charger for the bank they are on when you're plugged into shorepower so you want to make sure it's on too if that is true.