The secrets of a marine battery charger revealed

Marine battery chargers are typically designed for a 'marine' environment, but their design may be slightly different from non-marine chargers. The most important factor in your choice of a marine battery is its intended use or use. Marine batteries usually do not differ much from non-marine batteries except they are more likely to be deep cycle, deep cycle and start, lead acid or sealed lead acid. They may also be constructed with corrosion-resistant materials and have anti-vibration materials between the panels. Marine battery chargers don't care about their environment, they are rather designed to differentiate between battery chemistry (flooded, gel cell, AGM - absorbed glass mat).

Here are the key considerations when choosing a marine battery charger:

1. Charger environment

Humidity

If your boat is open and exposed to the elements, choose a charger with a waterproof housing. When considering waterproofing, one specification is to look for degree of uptake protection. A penetration protection degree of IP68 would be completely dustproof and provide protection against long-term effects of immersion in pressurized water. These units are usually fully enclosed, safe to store on a year-round basis and can be left permanently in a humid environment. They can be described as fully encapsulated, which means the electronics are encased in resin.

Your boat application may not require a waterproof housing. If your boat is large with a closed booth where you cannot insure any direct contact with water, you can choose a non-waterproof battery charger.

vibration

If your battery's environment experiences prolonged, significant vibration, look for a vibration-proof specification for the device you are considering. Vibration can be handled through a sturdy box or through vibration-dampening materials used in the construction.

Temperature

If your environment is experiencing frequent or severe temperature changes, choose a battery charger that compensates for temperature changes. This is important to ensure proper charging and maintenance of your battery.

2. Charger output

The charger's output can be described in two ways; amps and banks.

Charger amplifiers or power outputs must again be determined by applications.

one. Low Power - (6 Amps or above) A low output charger may be useful for maintenance use or any low power battery usage.
b. Medium output - (9 - 15 amps) An intermediate output charger would be useful for medium use or occasional use, perhaps only on weekends for a trolling motor.
c. High performance - (15 amps or more) 1) A high charger will be used in high amperage battery programs (eg 150 ah) or in any situation where repeated fast charges are required.

Banks (physical outputs) determine how many batteries can be charged at the same time as the battery charger. Single banks are used for a single battery, while multiple banks can be used to charge and maintain 2, 3 or more batteries simultaneously. A key specification for multiple bank chargers is whether it has independent outputs (a separate positive and negative connection per bank), and each bank has its own microprocessor to control charging. Independent outputs allow you to connect batteries of different size, type and charge status simultaneously to the same battery charger.

3. Battery chemistry

Batteries used for marine applications may be more likely to be deep cycle, flooded, Gel Cel or AGM. It is important to determine the chemistry of the battery and carefully select a device that supports that chemistry. Especially in the case of Gel Cel batteries, it is important to make sure your battery charger is a true gel-cell charger. Some chargers that claim to be gel-cell chargers are only AGM or deep cycle.