Sterling charger failed after less than 3years and they want £245 to replace

[pelissima]

Compromise is something we deal with regularly in boating.
Having the small honda for size and weight reasons, the 30A charger was the max I could install. I must add that Victrons can be instructed to limit their output to cope with smaller generators. But In this case you must be ready to start playing with manuals and mini buttons that fail after some time in a boat.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I think we have established that those in the market for a safe shorepower unit, who want anything resembling customer service should not buy from sterling.

No you havent . Inevitable on a forum you only get posts from those with a problem or a moan. Rarely do you get a post from a satisfied customer. I had a Sterling 30 amp battery charger on my previous two boat for a total of 8 years - I moved it from one boat to another. Totally satisfactory and it got some use since I prefer marinas and pontoons. Sure like one or two other marine engineers I can think of, Charles Sterling himself can be both abrupt and dismissive if he thinks he's talking to a technical numptie and I accept that this isnt an ideal response. But I have always had good and responsive service from Sterling as a company and I will continue to buy from them.

Others should not be put off my one persons experience - I've no doubt you could find someone with a bad experience of every firm in the marine industry.

 

[Heckler]

Sterling quotes 13.4 - 13.8, Dolphin 13.2 - 13.8, BZ 14.2 - 14.4, CTek 13.5 - 13.9, Shark 13.7.

If you look at the odd one out it's US - nothing separates us like our common language.

in the u.s they are sh it scared of being sued so they quote a lower charge just in case it goes bang when charging!
Stu

 

[ianj99]

Thanks, I'm a bit better off with 40A, about 9% of domestic bank. However, I'd like to reduce generator running time without knackering the batteries. My own calculations were showing that Trojan were happy with a 60A charger (13% of capacity, but more like 12% when account for losses, parasitic loads etc.).

Another thread initially seemed to indicate that my charge/discharge regime would completely knacker the batteries. However, a little digging soon produced evidence that wasn't the case. All that was meant was that my regime wasn't ideal but it was about as good as I'd get with my current lifestyle. Battery life of 5-6 years seem to be a reason expectation when all factors I'd mentioned were taken into account.

I'm just wondering if this will turn out to be a similar case of "best case" versus "what I can manage" whilst actually achieving reasonable lifespan.

My main problem isn't the number of days at anchor. It's the re-charge bit when having to run a generator back to 85% and then the odd marina day trying to get 100% again. I suspect it's a common problem.

I'm unlikely to buy Sterling though.

Charles Sterling recommends Trojan batteries so he must be confident they can cope with his high current charging regime.

It must be surely crystal clear by now that you cannot realistically charge batteries from an engine if you insist on adhering to the 13-20% charging current unless you are a mobo on a long trip. You have NO CHOICE but to pump as much current into the batteries as they can cope with (and why the smart regulator temperature sensor must be attached to the battery) to reduce engine running time to a minimum.

The other option is to use smaller batteries and run the engine for shorter periods but more often.

Or plan your trip so you spend 24-48hours in a marina every few* days on shorepower. (* depending on battery capacity versus demand)

If I was planning a long cruise I'd replace my aging Banner battery with a 100ah Trojan, and invest in a larg solar panel rather than spend the money on larger batteries, alternator upgrade etc.

 

[contessaman]

Try changing the bulb to a different wattage!

Its a 2watt durite panel indicator. What should it be?

 

[contessaman]

Others should not be put off my one persons experience - I've no doubt you could find someone with a bad experience of every firm in the marine industry.

Quite so. But this isn't ONE persons bad experience is it? Its lots of people! Plus in my case, it didnt just fail, it spontaneously combusted. Dangerous. Anyone can get something wrong; its how you deal with it afterwards. And when a customer nearly has an uncontained fire due to a serious manufacturing defect, a company should perhaps be a bit more considerate in their responses with a view to keeping said dissatisfied customer appeased/quiet.

I and others on here quite frequently rave about good experiences received from those in the industry and their products just as much as we moan about poor ones. I for one am very grateful for my fellow boaters' reviews of whats out there on offer.

Best of luck with your charger, at 8 years old it must be on borrowed time...

 

[ianj99]

No you havent . Inevitable on a forum you only get posts from those with a problem or a moan. Rarely do you get a post from a satisfied customer. I had a Sterling 30 amp battery charger on my previous two boat for a total of 8 years - I moved it from one boat to another. Totally satisfactory and it got some use since I prefer marinas and pontoons. Sure like one or two other marine engineers I can think of, Charles Sterling himself can be both abrupt and dismissive if he thinks he's talking to a technical numptie and I accept that this isnt an ideal response. But I have always had good and responsive service from Sterling as a company and I will continue to buy from them.

Others should not be put off my one persons experience - I've no doubt you could find someone with a bad experience of every firm in the marine industry.

Forumites do often post about good experiences and exceptional service. I have two Sterling digital alternator regulators which so far have worked faultlessly, albeit they are very much simpler than a switch mode charger. Its only my recent experience that means I am not likely to buy another Sterling product but if you haven't had this experience (and I hope you never do) you've no reason not to carry on using his products. The same applies regardless of the actual manufacturer, though others may give that 'exceptional' after sales / out of warranty service that I was expecting from Sterling.

 

[charles_reed]

Charles Sterling recommends Trojan batteries so he must be confident they can cope with his high current charging regime.

It must be surely crystal clear by now that you cannot realistically charge batteries from an engine if you insist on adhering to the 13-20% charging current unless you are a mobo on a long trip. You have NO CHOICE but to pump as much current into the batteries as they can cope with (and why the smart regulator temperature sensor must be attached to the battery) to reduce engine running time to a minimum.

The other option is to use smaller batteries and run the engine for shorter periods but more often.

Or plan your trip so you spend 24-48hours in a marina every few* days on shorepower. (* depending on battery capacity versus demand)

We started on chargers and have now shifted the field to alternators - I find no problem with your suggestion of a large alternator with an external smart controller - that's precisely the regime I've been running for the past 20 years.
However it is, IMHO, naive to expect to cram your batteries full of power in a short time - I am also highly sceptical of Charles Sterling's theory of charging, unless you like to change your batteries regularly.
With a 90-120 amp alternator it takes at least 4 hours motoring to get my 330 AH batteries to anything like full charge because it's the batteries that will dictate the rate of charge. I have an Adverc controller - at start-up that puts 15.1v into the tri-outlet splitting diode - coming out will be 14.8v. The Adverc will then cycle the system volts between resting <13.8v and charging 14.2 (that's @ battery terminals). These voltages are highly dependent on ambient temperature.
It still takes 4 hours to get to "full" battery capacity.
My domestic battery lasts 10-11 years, the two that double up as engine/fridge batteries last 5-8. The first is always an open, fully flooded battery, the two others, due to their size are usually sealed automotive units.
You have, I fear, to live with the fact that fully charged batteries, however desirable, take a minimum time to achieve that state. A fact of life with which you must learn to live.

PS I am not constrained to either of the two courses of action that you outline - I have 328 watts of PV and an MPPT controller, giving me at least 5 days @ anchor before needing to recharge my batteries (from 12.1v resting)

 

[Tradewinds]

PS I am not constrained to either of the two courses of action that you outline - I have 328 watts of PV and an MPPT controller, giving me at least 5 days @ anchor before needing to recharge my batteries (from 12.1v resting)

How do manage to accomodate that amount of PV on your boat (Parker 325 I believe)? I presume a lot of it is dismountable and put away before you go sailing. Not a get at - I'm interested in people's solutions. Do you have a photo of your arrangement?

 

[ianj99]

We started on chargers and have now shifted the field to alternators - I find no problem with your suggestion of a large alternator with an external smart controller - that's precisely the regime I've been running for the past 20 years.
However it is, IMHO, naive to expect to cram your batteries full of power in a short time - I am also highly sceptical of Charles Sterling's theory of charging, unless you like to change your batteries regularly.
With a 90-120 amp alternator it takes at least 4 hours motoring to get my 330 AH batteries to anything like full charge because it's the batteries that will dictate the rate of charge. I have an Adverc controller - at start-up that puts 15.1v into the tri-outlet splitting diode - coming out will be 14.8v. The Adverc will then cycle the system volts between resting <13.8v and charging 14.2 (that's @ battery terminals). These voltages are highly dependent on ambient temperature.
It still takes 4 hours to get to "full" battery capacity.
My domestic battery lasts 10-11 years, the two that double up as engine/fridge batteries last 5-8. The first is always an open, fully flooded battery, the two others, due to their size are usually sealed automotive units.
You have, I fear, to live with the fact that fully charged batteries, however desirable, take a minimum time to achieve that state. A fact of life with which you must learn to live.

PS I am not constrained to either of the two courses of action that you outline - I have 328 watts of PV and an MPPT controller, giving me at least 5 days @ anchor before needing to recharge my batteries (from 12.1v resting)

I don't disagree, I was simply offering non technical views to help those who don't want to delve into the technicalities. This whole subject has been done to death many times but there is never any conclusive or definitive answer due to the numerous views and theories postulated.

We need to cut through all of this and offer a guide as to the options and expectations from boat owners' existing charging systems whether mains or engine powered.
That's why I threw down the gauntlet in an earlier thread and have been surprised that no one has taken up the challenge.

 

[Dazedkipper]

Reverting to the original subject, when I was looking at upgrading my charger I looked at Sterling and came to the conclusion that they are just badging products from outher sources. If you look at good old fleebay you'll find loads of chargers that are exactly the same as Sterling but under other names, most are from the States and are manufacturer's refurbished products.
Look familiar?
http://www.conrad-uk.com/ce/en/product/250179/Megapulse-12-V-battery-pulser
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ProMarine...at_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item2328ba468d
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ProMarine...at_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item25687e4688

The slightly dubious provenence and Sterling's reputation for high quality customer care made me look elsewhere.

 

[EugeneR]

Hope this is relevant after 10 pages which I haven't bothered to read... so for what it's worth...

My Sterling Pro Charge 10A also failed after around 2-3 years.

 

[Delivery Skipper]

Get a life as a company we've used and installed Sterling products and yes we have had experience of their products failing ,,but have always found them helpful. and within their terms of. Guarantee fair .This post needs concluding now and really before you add to to it negatively take into account the majority of satisfied customers
JK keenmarine.co.uk

 

[nigelmercier]

Last edited by Delivery Skipper; Today at 15:45. Reason: capital letter by mistake

 

[charles_reed]

Get a life as a company we've used and installed Sterling products and yes we have had experience of their products failing ,,but have always found them helpful. and within their terms of. Guarantee fair .This post needs concluding now and really before you add to to it negatively take into account the majority of satisfied customers
JK keenmarine.co.uk

If you'd read the thread, you would have realised it had moved a long way from the whinge with which it started - so there haven't been 10 pages of concentrated hate against poor old Charles Sterling, who I'd agree tries to produce things that people want at very keen prices.
However, he doesn't suffer fools gladly, and we have our fair share of those on the forum..

 

[nigelmercier]

I have exactly that [5%] on my boat: it is not sufficient to recharge the batteries in 12-18 hours, which is what we require.

Just heard back from Victron

>Can you suggest suitable Victron chargers for a 600Ah battery bank on a boat. The batteries are Lifeline AGMs.

Normally we would calculate the battery charger at between 15 -20% of battery capacity. If the charger is smaller it will take longer to charge. We would suggest a Skylla 100A for your application. The lifeline batteries can withstand a very fast re-charge, so if required so you could increase the charger size.

 

[charles_reed]

Why not ask the battery manufacturers what charging regime they'd recommend.

Amongst real experts (none on this panel) the recommended charging period for lead acid batteries is 14-16 hours.

 

[ghostlymoron]

This thread seems to run and run. Although it's now morphed from the original complaint about poor treatment by Sterling to an airing of different views on battery charging (of which there are many).

 

[sailinglegend420]

Amongst real experts (none on this panel) the recommended charging period for lead acid batteries is 14-16 hours.

That is absolute nonsense Charles - a gross generalization. It depends on the size of the battery bank and the size of the charger - or haven't you understood that yet.

I've learnt a lot here and am happy to contribute my thoughts, based on my experiences as a full-time liveaboard for 8 years. But too many people just offer opinions, which are often rubbish and then everybody has to read it! That can spoil a good thread and it's usual the same serial offenders who accept no point of view other than their own; I'm sorry but I have become rather bored with that "Forum" culture and may stop posting soon.

I don't usually include my signature, but I think the time is right.

"Ignorance isn't what you don't know - it's what you think you know that is incorrect."

 

[nigelmercier]

Just heard back from Victron

>Can you suggest suitable Victron chargers for a 600Ah battery bank on a boat. The batteries are Lifeline AGMs.

Normally we would calculate the battery charger at between 15 -20% of battery capacity. If the charger is smaller it will take longer to charge. We would suggest a Skylla 100A for your application. The lifeline batteries can withstand a very fast re-charge, so if required so you could increase the charger size.

Update on this. It seems the Skylla chargers are 24V, so Victron have now said:

Dependant on budget I would go for:
1 x Centaur 12V 100A
Or 2 x Centaur 12V 80A

Are they suggesting their chargers can be connected in parallel?