| Author |
Message |
Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 10:28 pm: | |
I'm looking for an inexpensive 24V charger that I can mount in the battery bay. It doesn't need to be high amperage. Just looking for something to maintain the batteries during downtime...5 or 10 amps maybe. Does anyine have any sources? I'm coming up with nothing on google.
Thanks...Ross |
g
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 10:32 pm: | |
I researched all the options and am very happy that I spent a little more and purchased the IOTA 24 volt 25 amp charger converter. I can run my interior lights as well as maintain the batteries and it shuts down when not needed. In conjunction with the vanner equalizer I know I am getting much more life out of my batteries and interior lighting system. |
Arnold J Molloy (Ayjay)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 10:50 pm: | |
Hi;
Try Harbor freight, I use their 12/24 charger. $39.95 + shipping.
AyJay |
john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 10:53 pm: | |
The one I have is made by Sears-12-24 volt...about tenXsevenX five inches high; reguler or automatic.Don't know price;Model 200.713201 |
Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 11:16 pm: | |
Thanks guys, the Harbor freight one looks like it will do the job. I looked at the more expensive "onboard" units, but that's not really neccessary. I have a separate 12 house system with a Trace inverter/charger on a bank of 4 deep cycles. The only thing my 24V system does now is start the bus and run the exterior lights. |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 12:22 am: | |
These are probably Ferro-resonant chargers which are more accurately named battery killers.
Not nice to mess with "Mother Battery" save a little on the charger to spend lots on batts. |
Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 1:16 am: | |
Ross
I have a Deltran 24 Volt 2 amp charger floater that I am not using. Is all but brand new it can be mounted or moveable that i would let go for `$60 and shipping it is a small unit works good.
Larry 4905 |
Camill Paul Elbisser (Paul)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 5:12 am: | |
I just installed a Deltran 12V6A & 24V3A Battery Tender. Works good, came from Batteries Plus.
www.batteriespluss.com
www.batterytender.com
www.incredibus.com
Happy Bussin
Paul |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 6:15 am: | |
I followed Paul's links and read the FAQs for the Battery Tender and Battery Tender Plus.
Take a particularlook at the FAQs after 10 or so.
Battery Tender appears to be great for something the size of your genset batt but has some limitations for batt banks the size of most house setups. It may not "top off" the larger batt. A batt that is not fully charged experiences an accelerated death.
I'm not saying the Battery Tender is bad. In fact, it's the first time I've seen a trickle charger mfg that appears to be both intelligent and responsible.
I'm commenting that you might want something that better matches the capacity of your system to achieve the best performance and lifespan possible for your batts. |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 8:28 am: | |
Marc -
Re-read Ross' first post. |
Ross Carlisle (Rrc62)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 8:57 am: | |
This looks interesting also. Not terribly expensive and looks somewhat "intelligent".
http://www.batterystuff.com/battery-chargers/12-volt/marine-chargers/GU2607A.html |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 9:13 am: | |
John, I did and I miss your point and you may have missed mine.
If you'll expand your point, I'll try to correlate mine with yours. |
David (Davidinwilmnc)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 9:32 am: | |
On a related (but different) note, I use the small 12V battery tenders on the starting batteries. They will charge for a day or two (red led indicator on) then switch to the green led and maintain. They are cheap, compact, and seem to work well. I use one on each battery. |
Marc Bourget
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:45 am: | |
It's often been said: "a Rose is a Rose by any other name" At the same time, there's lots of different varieties and colors.
Same with Batts. My concern with the above thread is that nobody references what a real "Full Charge" constitutes. In the absence of making that clear, much of comments about the performance of a "charge maintenance" charger is suspect.
The Battery Tender utilizes the correct approach but you have to refer to the FAQs to discover that the size of the output and the software logic limits intelligent use of such to small battery (A/H) sizes or large A/H or banks as a supplemental unit - only after a good, thorough "FULL CHARGE" with a properly sized charging system.
You can expect efficient use and a full service life only out of batts that are properly (Full!!!) charged and routinely equalized.
For larger banks, above the A/H capacity recognized by the mfg, the battery tender, while it appears to be a "good piece" will not, by the mfg's own admission, not "do the job" on big banks, as it was designed for small A/H capacity batts.
Failing to recognize these factors is penny wise and pound foolish unless replacing batts (from every 4 months to 3-4 years as a typical lifespan for poor batt maintenance) is of no consequence to your budget.
People who expend the effort to learn what they need and practice what they should are still using the same batt bank 13+ year later. That sounds like a 33+% savings to me! "What's in your walle . . er Bus Bay?"
Onward and Upward |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 11:03 am: | |
If you can't find a decent 24 volt intellegent charger, consider using two 12 volt ones in series.
The only caveat is that you'll have to wire each one with individual (+) and (-) wires to it's own battery section...no sharing of common wires or it's sensing circuits get all screwed up. You may also have to make sure that the (-) terminal of the chargers is not hooked to it's chassis ground (ie the outputs both need to be totally isolated, which most are, just check..)
I do this quite sucessfully with my 36 volt EV projects... three intelli=power chargers, each hooked to it's 12 volt section, three sections in series.
It's a little more complicated, BUT it's a lot easier to find inexpensive, decent 12 volt chargers than it is 24 volt ones.
Also, if you want a good source for 24 volt ones, check ebay, there's tons of them out there for golf carts. |
John Jewett (Jayjay)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 10:55 pm: | |
Golf cart and handicap type electric scooter chargers seem to work well. Usually intelligent and used ones are reasonable. ...JJ
BTW John and Gary...Gotcha'! (again- soon) |