AGM And Wetcell Battery Charging

[300sflyer]

So I want to upgrade the battery charger in our 42' cruiser, to a ProNautic 1260P. I am also installing a bow thruster, which will be powered by 2 AGM 31s in parallel. The new house batteries are four 6volt floor sweeper batteries. [2 in series, and then parallel with the other 2 in series] This should give me lots of juice out on the hook for a few days.

My question is about charging them all. I have read that wet cells use the same charger settings as AGM. Is this the case? Can I get away with 1 3bank charger, or do I need a separate charger for the AGMs?

http://promariner.com/products/dry-m...auticp-series/

Q.	What charger setting do I have to use for AGM batteries?
A.	AGM batteries can charge at the lead-acid setting on our battery chargers. Our chargers are factory set for lead-acid so you do not have to make any changes to the charger.

Thanks!

 

[JoLin]

AGM is a new and improved way of building a wet cell. They have similar chemical composition and charge characteristics. Gel cell is the one you need to treat differently.

My .02

 

[alldodge]

You should not mix led acid and AGM they have different charge rates and float levels

 

[300sflyer]

You should not mix led acid and AGM they have different charge rates and float levels

When you say mix them, I assume you mean putting the 2 different types in parallel. Won't do that.... I simply want to use the same charger if that is possible.

 

[alldodge]

When you say mix them, I assume you mean putting the 2 different types in parallel. Won't do that.... I simply want to use the same charger if that is possible.

Nope, if your have separate charges then your OK. If you use the boat alternator only then OK (it's not running that long normally). Wet (flooded) floats at 13.1 to 13.4V, AGM 13.2 to 13.8V, If it was only a 2 amp battery charger then I would not see an issue, have issue with main bulk rate charger.

bruceb58 may have a different view

 

[bruceb58]

When I installed my Diehard Platinums(rebadged Oddysey), I used one of the approved chargers that Odyssey specified. It did not have a selector for AGM or flooded cell.

 

[300sflyer]

When I installed my Diehard Platinums(rebadged Oddysey), I used one of the approved chargers that Odyssey specified. It did not have a selector for AGM or flooded cell.

I assume then you had all AGMs on board, and only one charger?

 

[bruceb58]

I assume then you had all AGMs on board, and only one charger?

Yes but its a dual bank charger so the batteries each get a separate output.So you could have two types if you wanted.

 

[300sflyer]

Yes but its a dual bank charger so the batteries each get a separate output.So you could have two types if you wanted.

It's my understanding most new intelligent chargers, will charge all the different battery types, but the different banks are not capable of different types of batteries. That is to say if the charger is set to led-acid, then all the banks must have led-acid batteries. If the charger is set for gel-cell, then the same is true.

 

[bruceb58]

It's my understanding most new intelligent chargers, will charge all the different battery types, but the different banks are not capable of different types of batteries. That is to say if the charger is set to led-acid, then all the banks must have led-acid batteries. If the charger is set for gel-cell, then the same is true.

My charger doesn't have any switch for setting battery type.

If you go to the website for my charger they state the following:

the Dual Pro consists of two totally independent chargers which share nothing in common. This allows for both batteries to independently but simultaneously charged.

This is the one I own
http://www.dualpro.com/project/professional-series/

This is the current Oddyssey approved battery charger list.
http://www.odysseybattery.com/docume...V_chargers.pdf

 

[alldodge]

Replaced my 3-bank some years back and it has a switch to change type

 

[bruceb58]

You mention ProMariner in your first post. Hopefully, they fixed their quality issues because a few years back, there were many failures.

 

[300sflyer]

You mention ProMariner in your first post. Hopefully, they fixed their quality issues because a few years back, there were many failures.

I saw the same thing with Xantrex over the last few years as well.

 

[300sflyer]

Replaced my 3-bank some years back and it has a switch to change type

What brand did you go with?

 

[alldodge]

What brand did you go with?

The Charles Marine, my old one was a Pro Mariner

 

[JoLin]

Nope, if your have separate charges then your OK. If you use the boat alternator only then OK (it's not running that long normally). Wet (flooded) floats at 13.1 to 13.4V, AGM 13.2 to 13.8V, If it was only a 2 amp battery charger then I would not see an issue, have issue with main bulk rate charger.

bruceb58 may have a different view

My 1992 Charles 'dumb' charger and my 2 Lifeline AGM's will be starting on their fifth season together this year. There's hasn't been a hint of a charging, battery voltage or battery life issue. This from the Lifeline website...

There are a lot of different opinions about battery charging and we hope this will help clear up any confusion that our customers have. AGM batteries are still technically a lead acid battery and they charge very similar to a wet cell. Regardless of what some rumors portray, AGM batteries are not as sensitive as once believed. They often get confused with Gel Batteries, which are very sensitive to voltage and they need a special charger.

My .02

 

[bruceb58]

Not sure why Odyssey is so darn anal about chargers. Sometimes they take chargers off the list and put new ones on so the charger you have now may not be on next time.

I do know that I had a 3 stage charger on an Odyssey in my Harley and it damaged the battery. I bought an Odyssey charger and use that. Unfortunately it has a fan in it so I don't leave it on there 24/7.

 

[300sflyer]

So I have purchased 2 new Promariner chargers, [one as the main charger, and the other smaller one for the bow thruster AGMs] and I have another question. My house batteries are already being charged by both engines when the engines are running. How do I wire the new AGMs so they are charged by the engines as well?

Thanks.

 

[alldodge]

Depends on what you have now and if you want to keep the same type or change. My first guess is you have one alternator and a 2 or 3 bank isolator (2-bank eng and house, 3-bank eng, house and Gen). You could also have automatic charge relays (ACR), just a battery switch(s), or each engine charges a different battery.

What is your setup?

 

[300sflyer]

I have two engines, each with its own alternator. Each engine has its own starting battery, with a battery switch. The current charger, is a 3 bank, I believe with one to each engine, and the 3rd to the house batteries. The generator has its own battery, and is not charged by the charger. I'm fine with keeping it that way.

Thanks