Sterling 30amp charger (bought this year) anomaly

C

Caladh

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 Oct 2009
Messages
1,541
Location
Out there again and no longer dreaming
Visit site
Boat out of the water and charger permanently connected - ticks over and maintains batteries etc. This charger appears goes in to some sort of standby/sleep mode after a period of time. Today I noticed the current on circuits at 12.6 volts instead of the normally expected 13.4-6 volts. I turned the charger off and back on and the circuits went up to the expected voltage. Should or would the charger come "back to life" if the volts drop significantly lower ? The Sterling also shows a 0.9 amp discharge with everything turned off. Is this just the current drain that displays and runs the charger ?
 
Last edited:
12.6V does seem a bit lower than normal. What does the Sterling manual say that the float voltage is supposed to be? Have you set the charger to the correct battery type?

A 0.9A self-discharge rate is much too high. Are you sure that this is not the current that the Sterling is putting into the batteries? In what sense do the batteries run the charger? :confused:

Richard
 
That sounds OK with the exception that your quoted voltages are a bit low. How are you measuring them?

I'd expect the charger to go through a cycle including equalisation of up to 14.8V (although that figure will depend upon how you've configured the micro switches and won't be suitable for some battery types). It will then trickle charge at a much lower voltage.

What was the 'expected voltage' it went up to when you turned it back on? What sort of current (in Amps) is it putting through the batteries when on trickle charge? I had a duff battery years ago with one cell more or less gone and it was putting through an Amp on trickle charge.

And finally what type is it? The manuals are easy to download. I've found Sterling good but gruff with questions but I wouldn't contact him without reading the manual.
 
Caladh said:
Boat out of the water and charger permanently connected - ticks over and maintains batteries etc. This charger appears goes in to some sort of standby/sleep mode after a period of time. Today I noticed the current on circuits at 12.6 volts instead of the normally expected 13.4-6 volts. I turned the charger off and back on and the circuits went up to the expected voltage. Should or would the charger come "back to life" if the volts drop significantly lower ?
Click to expand...

This is all normal, leave it alone. It sometimes goes into standby, it will wake later.

The Sterling also shows a 0.9 amp discharge with everything turned off. Is this just the current drain that displays and runs the charger ?
Click to expand...

No, this is wrong, you need to find out where the juice is going.
 
GHA said:
Procharge ultra doesn't..
Click to expand...


From https://sterling-power.com/products/pro-charge-ultra

New features on this product surpassing that of standard battery chargers include:
1) 11 pre-programmed battery curves including: Open/Sealed lead acid, AGM, Gel, LiFePO4.
2) 1 custom set, can be set from charger, unlike our competitors there is no need for a computer to do this operation, all can be done from the front panel.
3) 2 x digital meters for current and voltage measurement and a 32 LED information display.
4) 1 x power meter to show what reserve power left in the unit.
5) PFC, active, up to 0.99 PF, ensuring efficient power conversion, up to almost 90% as opposed to about 60% for older, non-PFC technology.
6) % power reduction to allow unit to work with restricted power available (available on local control or remote control panel).
7) De-sulphation auto cycle built in to software.
8) New, low activity, standby mode to increase battery life.
9) Battery health program every 7-10 days .
10) Multiple speed fan control. This reduces unnecessary fan noise experienced by the customer, even though the new extreme efficiency reduces the need for fans. At high ambient temperatures (40-50 deg C), however, fans would still be required to ensure operation.
11) Primary (processor digitally controlled) and an emergency backup secondary (analogue controlled) high voltage trip.
12) 32 LED information panel to ensure maximum information transmitted to owner.
13) Internal scan and systems check to ensure product is okay.
14) Remote control option.
15) Small footprint and light weight.
16) Include battery temperature sensor to give temperature compensation and high temp trip.
17) As with all our marine chargers all metals used are non-ferrous or heavily protected, so no corrosion.
18) New synchronised rectification output as opposed to diode output, giving up to an extra 9% efficiency.
19) Conforms to ABYC drip test, is waterproof from water directly dropped on to the top of the unit (+/ - 17 deg) if installed correctly (vertically).
20) Thermostatically controlled force draft cooling.
21) The printed circuit boards are conformal coated for high humidity and salt air operations.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
GHA said:
Mine never does anyway, not brand new though. We don't even know what charger he has or how old.
Click to expand...

He has a Sterling 30a, bought this year, so it's an Pro Charge Ultra.

It does say the it's a "new" feature, although i bought mine last year.
 
Caladh said:
It's actually a Pro Charge Ultra 40 amp (and not 30 amp as originally stated). I guess that the 0.9 amp charge could just be the float charge ?
Click to expand...

It's very high for no load. I get the impression you're measuring the charger output whereas I measure what goes into the batteries, but when I was getting that sort of current into the batteries at float charge it was the last few months before replacing knackered batteries. How long do your batteries last when not being charged?
 
Caladh said:
It's actually a Pro Charge Ultra 40 amp (and not 30 amp as originally stated). I guess that the 0.9 amp charge could just be the float charge ?
Click to expand...

Is the charger powered by shore power or a generator?

Where are you reading the 12.6V and 0.9A you are concerned about? Is it on the displays on the charger, or on a separate battery monitor... if a battery monitor, what make and model?
 
Caladh said:
It's actually a Pro Charge Ultra 40 amp (and not 30 amp as originally stated). I guess that the 0.9 amp charge could just be the float charge ?
Click to expand...

What voltage is it showing when it displays 0.9A on the charger?

My monitor is showing 0.2A going into the batteries at 13.75V on the terminals, 1.8A from the charger, from memory it's a little more when it's hot. Could there be some little loads still turned on anywhere?
 
Caladh said:
It's actually a Pro Charge Ultra 40 amp (and not 30 amp as originally stated). I guess that the 0.9 amp charge could just be the float charge ?
Click to expand...


30a/40a makes no difference for the purposes of this thread.

Your charger profile will tell you what voltages the various stages will output. Float is usually around 13.4/13.6 depending on the profile. When the charger goes into standby mode it is just that, it will not put anything into the batteries. It will restart as required, by turning the charger on/off you are basically resetting the charger and it's going through the charging cycle. No need to do this.

You previously mentioned a 0.9v discharge. What are you taking that reading from ? A 0.9v discharge with nothing being on is too much, you must have something on.
 
GHA said:
What voltage is it showing when it displays 0.9A on the charger?

My monitor is showing 0.2A going into the batteries at 13.75V on the terminals, 1.8A from the charger, from memory it's a little more when it's hot. Could there be some little loads still turned on anywhere?
Click to expand...


From those figures i'd read that the charger is in float mode, outputting 1.8a, 1.6a are going to some consumer/s and the remaining 0.2a trickling to the battery.
 
PaulRainbow said:
You previously mentioned a 0.9v discharge. What are you taking that reading from ? A 0.9v discharge with nothing being on is too much, you must have something on.
Click to expand...

I have a hunch that if he isolates the batteries at least one will lose voltage quite quickly.
 
PaulRainbow said:
From those figures i'd read that the charger is in float mode, outputting 1.8a, 1.6a are going to some consumer/s and the remaining 0.2a trickling to the battery.
Click to expand...
Exactly, though from memory the current going into the battery might be a tiny bit higher at the same voltage when it's hot. Just below 20DegC today, Brrr ;)
 
Caladh said:
Boat out of the water and charger permanently connected - ticks over and maintains batteries etc. This charger appears goes in to some sort of standby/sleep mode after a period of time. Today I noticed the current on circuits at 12.6 volts instead of the normally expected 13.4-6 volts. I turned the charger off and back on and the circuits went up to the expected voltage. Should or would the charger come "back to life" if the volts drop significantly lower ? The Sterling also shows a 0.9 amp discharge with everything turned off. Is this just the current drain that displays and runs the charger ?
Click to expand...
I have the same charger albeit the 30amp @24v version. The display on the charger shows charging voltage and charging amps. If you have no solar or wind connected, the display should show some current going onto the batteries. This is normal so a figure of 0.9 amps is fine. I dont understand the 12.6v figure though. This would appear to be below your float voltage settings. It might be worth firing off an email to the manufacturer unless this low figure is explained in the instruction manual
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top