Replacement battery charger

[tico]

the antique Newmar/ThreePhase battery charger i'm sure is on its way out.
Takes an age (>3 hours) from switching on to firing up, meaning the fridge doesnt really start for 3-4 hours.

What to replace it with?
Need 3x outputs (Starter, Domestic & Passerelle/generator) 50A.
Sterling ?
Victron ?
Any others?

 

[Andrew M]

I've given up on Newmar, ours is/was a 24v95A version and has gone kaput again , 2 yrs after it going back to the USA and essentially having a nearly complete set of new internals fitted, ths is the 3rd time it's broken. so I looked around and decided on a Victron Skylla I 24V 100A, 3 output version, actually went down to Dartside and fitted it yesterday. Looks to be a nice modern bit of kit, can hvae a few remote acessories plumbed in if wanted, including a helm mounted battery condition readout. I also liked that you can reduce the total A draw from it so if we go anywhere and only have 16A shorepower I can limit the max from the charger and not blow the 16A. It was very easy to fit, Smaller foorprint than the Newmar too which made fitting really easy. So far very impressed, came home last night so haven't stayed on board with it working but it looks to be pretty quiet with fns only kicking in as and when needed rather than 100% on like the Newmar so could well be nicer overnight..

 

[PaulRainbow]

I would fit a Victron, as Andrew did.

 

[Dino]

I had a similar Newmar in my last boat and it was useless. It never fully charged the batteries and then it fried one of my engine batteries leaving the battery bubbling and gassing. I replaced it with the Victron Phoenix IP43 50A 3 outlet charger and it was excellent. Planning to fit the same unit on my new boat

 

[tico]

Thanks for those. Shame about the Sterling ones as they are very near where I live, but I see many negative reviews.
Seems that the Victron chargers are better.
Mastervolt seem pricy!

 

[ChromeDome]

Last time I needed a charger it was for the workshop.

Did a good deal of research and ended up with a Noco Genius 26000. Noted interesting stuff on their page and would check them again, especially for multi bank chargers that manage the charge regime individually for each channel.

NOCO

DATA

 

[PaulRainbow]

Last time I needed a charger it was for the workshop.

Did a good deal of research and ended up with a Noco Genius 26000. Noted interesting stuff on their page and would check them again, especially for multi bank chargers that manage the charge regime individually for each channel.

NOCO

DATA

But only 10a per bank

 

[Momac]

I changed my Newmar (when it became faulty) for a 30A x 3 output Victron Bluesmart .
The Victron is much lighter and smaller with the same output and goes to a higher voltage when charging , compared to the Newmar . All seems good since fitting in spring of 2021.
And not too expensive.

 

[ChromeDome]

But only 10a per bank

Yes. As per common 10% recommendation would be right for 100 aH batteries but depending on usage pattern / demand may fit other (larger) sizes as well.

I have a Xantrex 2 at 20A (total for 3 channels). It was factory fitted for 3x95 aH batteries (3 stage charging) and despite theoretically underrated have performed flawessly since 2004. Willing to replace but need a reason to do so

 

[jrudge]

I am not that brand conscious, but for a battery charger that is on 24/7/365 and that can cook my batteries I would only buy premium makes. - Victron / Mastervolt.

 

[ChromeDome]

I am not that brand conscious, but for a battery charger that is on 24/7/365 and that can cook my batteries I would only buy premium makes. - Victron / Mastervolt.

Agree but open to accepting that there may be very good manufacturers that I personally never heard of.
Xantrex came with the boat, not by my decision. 19 years of performance without any issues builds trust, though.

Xantrex have been there (USA) since 1992, part of Schneider Corp. and since 2018 of Mission Critical Electonics (US) together with several other brands in the industry. Must be doing something right.

BTW their current charger is 120A, configurable to 6 channels.

 

[markc]

Changed my to a Victron a couple of years ago, it's been great.

 

[galeus]

Never experienced a Victron , but have bought a Sterling 20A, 30A, and 40A over the years all have proved capable and the last 2 mentioned had 3 outputs, so you can put Sterling on your list.

 

[swifty]

I agree I have used Sterling products for many years without any problems. And Mr Sterling no longer answers the phone, so customer support has increased greatly.

 

[SC35]

I replaced the charger in the SC35 with a Sterling unit a few years ago when the previous Newmar went bang, literally.
So far, so good.

I bought it because at the time it had what appeared to be the most sophisticated charging logic for various different types of batteries.
The newer Victron products have similar logic now, but that wasn't the case then.
Based on my very limited experience, Newmar chargers belong in the bin.

 

[Moonstruck]

I replaced the charger in the SC35 with a Sterling unit a few years ago when the previous Newmar went bang, literally.
So far, so good.

I bought it because at the time it had what appeared to be the most sophisticated charging logic for various different types of batteries.
The newer Victron products have similar logic now, but that wasn't the case then.
Based on my very limited experience, Newmar chargers belong in the bin.

Plus one for Sterling. Had mine 7 years and no issues so far .

 

[PaulRainbow]

Sterling used to be OK, Victron are miles ahead now.

 

[SC35]

Sterling used to be OK, Victron are miles ahead now.

Out of interest, which charger would you recommend for a boat with:
1 x 95ah Starter Battery
3 x 95ah Domestic and Starter Batteries
1 x 90ah Bow Thruster / Windlass Battery

Current charger has three outputs - each of the above are separate cables.

 

[BB1]

the antique Newmar/ThreePhase battery charger i'm sure is on its way out.
Takes an age (>3 hours) from switching on to firing up, meaning the fridge doesnt really start for 3-4 hours.

What to replace it with?
Need 3x outputs (Starter, Domestic & Passerelle/generator) 50A.
Sterling ?
Victron ?
Any others?

VICTRON

 

[PaulRainbow]

Out of interest, which charger would you recommend for a boat with:
1 x 95ah Starter Battery
3 x 95ah Domestic and Starter Batteries
1 x 90ah Bow Thruster / Windlass Battery

Current charger has three outputs - each of the above are separate cables.

The engine and thruster batteries don't need a great deal of charge, so if you don't hammer the domestic bank a 30a Bluesmart should be fine. If you deplete the domestics and need to charge them a bit faster you'll need to look at something bigger, perhaps a Skylla.