recommended battery charger

[Craig]

could I get some input for a battery charger to charge a 240ah AGM battery bank. I'm thinking 25 - 40 amp charger. I would like some ideas on brand etc.

regards
Craig

[bellett65]

I am going to be bold here. I would recommend a ProMariner. My reasoning is that it is programmable. It is also capable of charging up to 3 banks of batteries at the same time. It also has an internal cooling fan. The negative is that it is not cheap, but very a very good unit.

Peter

[Keith Morris]

"tanks" here Craig----I have one of these, purchased on e-Bay the cost incl fast post was $85.00 for the 40 amp 3-stage charger on the Sprinter. I also have 3 of the 20 amp units which I use for the Jaguar and the Rolls.

NEW ! 12V Battery Charger - 40 Amp for Car Boat Caravan

Look around for the best price -incl post- as they vary with the seller. Some charge more but do'nt incl postage.
T1Terry uses a 40 amp and for that reason I upgraded to the 40 amp.

I figured that running the generator to charge the batteries when on the road it would be better to have a 40 amp to charge the 2 x 100 ah AGM bank.
I was happy with the 20 amp unit, but figured that I would not have to run the generator as long if I was putting in 40 amps as against the 20 amp rate of charge.
I am happy with both sizes and the chargers give me no problems. I have had the 20 amp chargers for well over 1 year, and the 40 amp charger for around 3 months.

You can buy a you-bute charger that does everything but cook the peas---AT A COST---around $300-400, but my $85.00, 3 stage unit does the job for me.
(I think the seller was BitsPlus or something like that). I can look it up on e-bay if you want more info but it is easy enough to do the search yourself.
Keith

[T1 Terry]

I think this is the unit Keith is talking about http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-12V-Batt ... 238wt_1951 I have a few of these, my first one has been through the wars due to neglect and accidently reverse connecting it to a Li battery pack and popping the 2 diodes out of it. 50 cents at Jay car bought 2 new diodes and away it went again. This charger I bought in Feb 2011, it has worked very hard since charging Li battery packs for conditioning so it's over 2 yr old now and still going strong.

[Craig]

Thanks for the comments guys. That ebay item looks like it will do the job.

Craig

[Keith Morris]

"TANKS" HERE
T1-Terry----thanks for the link to the charger on eBay. I have yet to learn just how to do that.
[Page 132 of Computer Skills for Old Farts] p.s. I'm only up to page 17, lesson 5, but I will keep trying.

My chargers [both the new 40 amp and the 3 x 20 amp ones are working fine without any problems.
I'm now glad that I upgraded to the 40 amp - 3 stage unit.

CRAIG---Do yourself a favour and buy TWO --at the price you can't go wrong, and you can charge away
for years to come. The chargers will probably outlast your batteries.
Are you still in WA ?.
Keith.

[Craig]

Hi Keith,

Yes we are still in WA. We are camped up at Niagara Dam still chasing gold. The charger was not for me, it was for a fellow that was trying to charge his 240 ah battery bank with a built in Jayco converter. It basically was supplying his caravan with 13.5 volts at 8 amps. And the solar set up is half of what he needs.

Craig

[Keith Morris]

Hi Keith,

Yes we are still in WA. We are camped up at Niagara Dam still chasing gold. The charger was not for me, it was for a fellow that was trying to charge his 240 ah battery bank with a built in Jayco converter. It basically was supplying his caravan with 13.5 volts at 8 amps. And the solar set up is half of what he needs.

Craig

"tanks" here Craig, 240 ah bank and an 8 amp charger !!!
Perhaps he should also look at a Generator as well as upgrade of charger.
Don't park too close to him
Keith.