Sterling Power 1230CED

K

Kristal

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Does anyone have any experience of this digital battery charger? It seems to be packed with features, at a pretty reasonable price, and I'm seriously considering one for my permanent shore power installation in the winter (we currently have an extension lead which gets shoved through a porthole). Would it provide me with a complete shore-power solution, enabling 12v systems to be operate whilst charging from mains is taking place?

I've got my head rather muddled reading a lot of websites today, so I hope someone can help me see clearly!!

/<
 
Hi,

Why not sterling?

Just bought one of thier Battery to Battery charges which seem to get good reports..

you have me worried now !!!

Regards
 
Technical performance is OK but if anything goes wrong or you need to make a warranty claim, in my experience, their attitude to customer service is not good.
 
thats the impression I got when i emailed him....very brusque response but does write some clever tech articles. certainly doesn't mind putting the cat amongst the pidgeons.
Most certainly not a hard nosed salesman.


Regards
 
Brusqueness and not suffering fools is not a desirable customer service style, but was not something I experienced or mentioned in my post.

Although, it is perhaps telling that others have raised those issues.

Even good equipment sometimes has defects, and what I said was, that problems may begin if something goes wrong and you have to make a warranty claim.

In my experience their warranty was not satisfactory.

It takes more than just good products to make a good company that you are happy to buy from.
 
The 12vc DC on board from shore is a good idea we have used this for some years now a lot of the probs with high volts ie 230v ac are eliminated. just means you have to have all your on board domestic at 12V DC. but the big advantage is it's (12v not a tingle) and ( 230v Ouch).
 
Well, my plan was to split the 230/240v coming in after an RCB between the battery charging unit and one double 240V socket. The cable run between the split and the socket would be minimal and very carefully insulated.

As far as 12v is concerned, I intend to upgrade our current 2-battery system to four - one for engine cranking, two in parallel for the instruments, navlights etc., and the remaining battery for electric cabin lighting - thus taking advantage of the three-bank capabilities of the Sterling power unit. I can't think of anything I'd need to do away from a 240v shore supply that can't be done on 12v these days.

/<
 
I have both a Sterling batterycharges and alternater booster on my boat; both work fine and surive well past the warrentry date so no probs there.
Fom my mains I used a standard Garage enclosure - around £30 - which gives you a "waterproof" enlosure, an RCD & 2 MCBs; one to the battery charger & one to the domestic 240V mains - works well for me!!
 
Fitted in the summer in the same open locker where it's predecessor charger (Newmar) had given 9 years service.

When I came to use the Sterling on relaunch after its first winter ashore it failed. The teminals, which were very close together, had rusted and shorted out.

Ah well, said Sterling, with an audible sigh of relief, if its rust then thats caused by damp and that invalidates your warranty.
Do you want to buy another one, 10% discount plus postage, if you send the old one back and pay for its postage as well ?

She is a very dry boat and well ventilated when ashore without any leaks or major condensation problems, so are we talking submersed here, just the usual harsh environment of a boat ashore in winter. I accept that flooding the kit would invalidate the warranty.

All the other electronics fine. A £200+ charger marketed for marine use that rust and fails within 9 months but is not covered by any warranty !

Replacement installed in the same locker two years ago, no rust no problem, just like the Newmar before it.
 
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