New 12V battery charger - Mastervolt? Recommendations?

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jms28

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Hi all,

After our current 12V battery charger went up in smoke this morning, it's finally time for a replacement!

We currently have two separate 12V battery banks: 1 x 140Ah (Starter) and 2 x 140Ah (Service), separated by an ACR. Considering to add another 140Ah to either Starter or Service bank one day, which I guess should be considered when buying the new charger.

Primary charging sources are the two engines (planning to upgrade either my alternators and maybe add A2Bs one day) and 4 x Solara SM160 solar panels (generating around 5-10 Amps in total, depending on weather). Additionally I have a small external Honda generator as a backup. Boat is currently primarily used as a day cruiser in the Gulf of Corinth in Greece, but planning a trip to the Ioanian next year.

I've heard good things about Mastervolt. Which device would make sense for my battery systems of 420Ah/total? Rule of thumb is 25% of total capacity, right? So charger should be around 100Amp...? Their website states a "Battery capacity range". Is that the total Ah of all batteries or per bank? Couldn't find further guidance in their manuals. Currently don't have a battery monitoring system installed, so a "smart" device with that on board would make sense. Everything as cheap as possible, of course :rolleyes:

Look forward to your recommendations!

Best,
Mike
 
Very happy after a load of years with sterling pro charge ultra 20a on 225ah trojans. Very configurable and Honda eu10 will run it which can be handy if it's cloudy for a few days. Can equalise as well.
 
I currently have a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 30a, if it stopped working i'd replace it with the Victron Blue Smart, the same as PVB in post #2. I've been happy with the Sterling, but the Victron is smaller, quieter and has a better warranty.
 
Despite perhaps being aware of the "better" quality of Victron and mastervolt, I bought a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 60A because it has some functions which are particularly suited to charging from a generator, rather than a shore supply. I think it's now 2 years old, has worked exactly as I'd hoped, and hasn't missed a beat.

I couldnt justify the expense of Mastervolt to myself, so only Victron remained in the frame until I looked closely at the functions of both.
 
You really do not want a 100 amp charger. You currently have 420AH of batteries so if all were at 50% a 100 amp charger would, in theory, be able to get them to full charge in a little over two hours. in practice it would take longer but rapid charging like that is a good way to shorten battery life. With a total battery bank of 435AH I am quite happy with a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 30A charger
 
jms28 said:
I've heard good things about Mastervolt. Which device would make sense for my battery systems of 420Ah/total? Rule of thumb is 25% of total capacity, right? So charger should be around 100Amp...?
Click to expand...

It will be helpful if whatever battery charger you choose can be run from your generator. From memory (please check) the maximum size 12v charger the little Honda generator will power is 40A or perhaps 60A at a pinch.

Some switch mode battery chargers are also very sensitive to quality of the AC input. The slightly dirty output from some petrol generators can upset them. I have heard the Mastervolt chargers are a little more sensitive than most.

The bottom line is I would only consider buying a make and model of charger that someone on the forum can confirm works OK with their (same sized) Honda.
 
noelex said:
It will be helpful if whatever battery charger you choose can be run from your generator. From memory (please check) the maximum size 12v charger the little Honda generator will power is 40A or perhaps 60A at a pinch.

Some switch mode battery chargers are also very sensitive to quality of the AC input. The slightly dirty output from some petrol generators can upset them. I have heard the Mastervolt chargers are a little more sensitive than most.

The bottom line is I would only consider buying a make and model of charger that someone on the forum can confirm works OK with their (same sized) Honda.
Click to expand...

One of the reasons I bought the Sterling was that it can be set to provide lower levels of its' capacity. Off the top of my head, I think it can do 75%, 50%, 25%, so it can effectively be a 45A charger, a 30A charger, or a 15A charger.

I cant remember why I have used this facility because I have a Honda EU20i, but I do recall using a lower setting when I first got it..... perhaps it was the capacity of the wires i was using at the time - my previous charger was a 25A one.

I think people here have said that they have run a 50A charger from the Honda EU10i. So either a 50A or perhaps a 40A should be fine.
 
Richard10002 said:
One of the reasons I bought the Sterling was that it can be set to provide lower levels of its' capacity. Off the top of my head, I think it can do 75%, 50%, 25%, so it can effectively be a 45A charger, a 30A charger, or a 15A charger.
Click to expand...

The 30A Victron I linked to in post 2 can also be set at max 50% output if required.
 
I'll always go for Victron or Mastervolt. Never the modern Sterling stuff as had issues time and time again, as well as customer service that was beyond belief. The old Sterling stuff was great and in fact I have one as a bench charger.

Mastervolt is very nice if using on the network with other Mastervolt, etc products. But Victron is great for warranty, ease of use and they just work. Period.
 
matthewriches said:
Never the modern Sterling stuff as had issues time and time again,
Click to expand...

Before opting for the pro charge ultra I spent quite some time on google searching for problems other people had talked about online. One came up about a fan problem but otherwise it seemed to be very popular, also amongst a few US marine electrical engineers where afaik it's sold under a different brand name. Hasn't missed a beat since fitting a few years ago full time liveaboard.
 
Thanks all. Looks like Victron is the clear favourite here. I am wondering though: isn't 30A a little small for my current total capacity of 420Ah, which I'll possible upgrade one day soon? Maybe the Skylla ID44 would give me a little more room to expand in the future?

Or what's your opinion on maybe getting two of the Blue Smart IP22 chargers with 60A in total? This way I'd also always have a backup in case one fails, my batteries would charge with at least 30A? Thoughts?

Thanks
 
jms28 said:
Thanks all. Looks like Victron is the clear favourite here. I am wondering though: isn't 30A a little small for my current total capacity of 420Ah, which I'll possible upgrade one day soon? Maybe the Skylla ID44 would give me a little more room to expand in the future?

Or what's your opinion on maybe getting two of the Blue Smart IP22 chargers with 60A in total? This way I'd also always have a backup in case one fails, my batteries would charge with at least 30A? Thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The engine batteries require minimal charging, so don't really factor into the equation too much, your 280ah of domestic batteries is what counts, so 30a is about right.

If you add more, 30a might be a little under spec, but you also have solar, so it could be OK. You have a couple of choices, fit the 30a and see how it goes, add another if it isn't enough, or fit a 50a Skylla now. The Skylla is a good charger, but is significantly more expensive than the 30a IP22.
 
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