Mains To 24v 25A 3 Output Battery Chargers

[nortada]

My ancient Sterling 24v 25A 3 0utput (2 Engine Banks + a Domestic Bank) Battery Charger has given up the ghost so looking for a replacement.

Done an internet trawl to little avail so I would appreciate any thoughts.

 

[PaulRainbow]

My ancient Sterling 24v 25A 3 0utput (2 Engine Banks + a Domestic Bank) Battery Charger has given up the ghost so looking for a replacement.

Done an internet trawl to little avail so I would appreciate any thoughts.

Victron Bluesmart 30a, 3 outlet.

Blue Smart IP22 Charger - Victron Energy

 

[nortada]

Victron Bluesmart 30a, 3 outlet.

Blue Smart IP22 Charger - Victron Energy

Many thanks.

 

[nortada]

For the benefit of others, I rang Sterling Power and the suggested searching their site (www.Sterling-power.com) using PCU 2420. You then get the whole range and a very good description of their capabilities.

One thing that came to light whist speaking with the Sterling engineer was that the rated current output of the charger governs the speed that the batteries can be charged at so if you are in no hurry (who is connected to shore power), it is acceptable to use a fairly low power charger.

He suggested, rather than replace my existing 25A charger with a 30A, a 20A charger would work just as well and couldn’t overload the charger.

 

[VicS]

For the benefit of others, I rang Sterling Power and the suggested searching their site (www.Sterling-power.com) using PCU 2420. You then get the whole range and a very good description of their capabilities.
One thing that came to light whist speaking with the Sterling engineer was that the rated current output of the charger governs the speed that the batteries can be charged at so if you are in no hurry (who is connected to shore power), it is acceptable to use a fairly low power charger.
He suggested, rather than replace my existing 25A charger with a 30A, a 20A charger would work just as well and couldn’t overload the charger.

You don't say the capacities of you battery banks, therefore it is difficult to comment on the choice of charger regarding its maximum output,
I can quess P Rainbow's reaction to any suggestion to fit another Sterling charger.

 

[nortada]

3 banks, 2 engine & 1 domestic. Each bank 2x95ah flooded lead acid batteries.

Had 2 Sterling changers on different boats. Always worked well for me.

Gather from your last line P Rainbow is not a fan of Sterling products.

 

[PaulRainbow]

3 banks, 2 engine & 1 domestic. Each bank 2x95ah flooded lead acid batteries.

Had 2 Sterling changers on different boats. Always worked well for me.

Gather from your last line P Rainbow is not a fan of Sterling products.

Sterling have fallen behind, IMO. You have a total of 570ah of batteries, conventional wisdom states you need 10% of that for charging, which is obviously 57 amps, closest to that is a 60a charger.

I'll disagree with that wisdom for at least a couple of reasons, based on the data you have provided. For one thing, you're on shore power a lot and for another, four of the batteries are engine batteries, so should require little to no charging from shore power. You might get away with a 20 charger, but 30a will certainly be big enough. The difference between a 20 Victron and a 30a model is about £25, why risk it ?

There has been a few battery charger threads on here lately, i've always recommended Victron and no-one has had a bad experience.

No connection with Sterling or Victron.

 

[nortada]

Sterling have fallen behind, IMO. You have a total of 570ah of batteries, conventional wisdom states you need 10% of that for charging, which is obviously 57 amps, closest to that is a 60a charger.

I'll disagree with that wisdom for at least a couple of reasons, based on the data you have provided. For one thing, you're on shore power a lot and for another, four of the batteries are engine batteries, so should require little to no charging from shore power. You might get away with a 20 charger, but 30a will certainly be big enough. The difference between a 20 Victron and a 30a model is about £25, why risk it ?

There has been a few battery charger threads on here lately, i've always recommended Victron and no-one has had a bad experience.

No connection with Sterling or Victron.

Many thanks Paul I agree your reasoning.

From experience the boat has managed well with 25ah charger for 40 years. The case for a higher maximum power output is speed of charge and because of our mode of operations (boat alongside on shore power most of the time), the batteries rarely get far from fully charged.

A further consideration as there are 3 independent outputs should I use cranking batteries for the 2 engine banks but deep cycle batteries for the domestics

Out of interest, why do you favour Victron over Sterling

Oh yes, having spoken with Sterling, because, I would be replacing an old Sterling with a new one , they have offered a 20% discount on list price.

 

[VicS]

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Oh yes, having spoken with Sterling, because, I would be replacing an old Sterling with a new one , they have offered a 20% discount on list price.

A small point in favour of Sterling vs Victron is that you, as the end user, will be able to get support from Sterling ( provided you don't ask dumb questions or ask questions that could be answered by reading the manual )
Victron do not deal directly with the user . You will have to seek any support you need from your supplier.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Many thanks Paul I agree your reasoning.

From experience the boat has managed well with 25ah charger for 40 years. The case for a higher maximum power output is speed of charge and because of our mode of operations (boat alongside on shore power most of the time), the batteries rarely get far from fully charged.

Higher max. output won't give faster charging, That is only the max current that the charger will supply continuously without cutting out. The batteries will only draw the current dictated by the state of charge i.e. fully discharged = high current, fully charged = low current.

 

[nortada]

Higher max. output won't give faster charging, That is only the max current that the charger will supply continuously without cutting out. The batteries will only draw the current dictated by the state of charge i.e. fully discharged = high current, fully charged = low current.

The technicians at Sterling made the statement not me but I think there may be a misunderstanding .

Clearly the charger can only give current to it’s max rating so this is all the batteries will get. If the charger can provide a higher charging current then the batteries will reach full charge earlier.

 

[nortada]

A small point in favour of Sterling vs Victron is that you, as the end user, will be able to get support from Sterling ( provided you don't ask dumb questions or ask questions that could be answered by reading the manual )
Victron do not deal directly with the user . You will have to seek any support you need from your supplier.

So a dealer will tend to favour Victron as it will keep them in the loop.

From my experience over the past 15 years, Sterling have provided after sales service and answered any questions I had. Their supporting documentation was excellent.

Additionally, Sterling have offered me a 20% discount. Any discount possible from a dealer would be down to that dealer.

Following #7, my question is, in technical terms how, have Sterling fallen behind Victron

 

[PaulRainbow]

Pro Charge Ultra LITE 12V | 30A (2 years warranty)

Pro Charge Ultra LITE 12V | 30A (2 years warranty)

Sterling 30a £260 (£208 with a 20% discount) - Victron 30a £206.80

Sterling warranty, 2 years - Victron warranty, 5 years

The Victron charger is quieter and more compact.

The Victron has Bluetooth so you can configure it and monitor it from your phone or tablet. With the Sterling charger you have to spend £104.40 for the clunky remote, that doesn't do half what the Victron will do.

The support comments are a red Herring. Victron dealers are knowledgable and there is an active community forum, not that one should need either for a simple battery charger.

At the end of the day, it makes no difference to me what battery charger someone buys. I fit chargers for a living (amongst other things) and i can choose to fit any brand i want, i choose Victron, as does every other marine electrician that i know.

 

[nortada]

Pro Charge Ultra LITE 12V | 30A (2 years warranty)

Pro Charge Ultra LITE 12V | 30A (2 years warranty)

Sterling 30a £260 (£208 with a 20% discount) - Victron 30a £206.80

Sterling warranty, 2 years - Victron warranty, 5 years

The Victron charger is quieter and more compact.

The Victron has Bluetooth so you can configure it and monitor it from your phone or tablet. With the Sterling charger you have to spend £104.40 for the clunky remote, that doesn't do half what the Victron will do.

The support comments are a red Herring. Victron dealers are knowledgable and there is an active community forum, not that one should need either for a simple battery charger.

At the end of the day, it makes no difference to me what battery charger someone buys. I fit chargers for a living (amongst other things) and i can choose to fit any brand i want, i choose Victron, as does every other marine electrician that i know.

Paul, Many thanks for a detailed and convincing answer.??