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I'm thinking about putting a on board charger in and don't know much about them. I was looking at a 3 bank 15amp charger. I'm running a 24v trolling motor, do I need to put some kind of a disconnect to charge each trolling motor battery. Last, is a 15amp ok or do I need to go with a higher amp charger.
I have a similar set up, 24v, 15 amp 3 bank charger (one of the bass pro ones) and I did not have to set up anything special, i just hook it to the 2 trolling motor batteries and the boat battery, plug it up, and go away for a few hours (or the night most of the time) and come back, unplug and go.
[QUOTE=HawgHunter75;355978]I have a similar set up, 24v, 15 amp 3 bank charger (one of the bass pro ones) and I did not have to set up anything special, i just hook it to the 2 trolling motor batteries and the boat battery, plug it up, and go away for a few hours (or the night most of the time) and come back, unplug and go.[/QUOTE]
i had the same one and mine stopped working didn't even have it 6 months so now i am back to charging one at a time.
[QUOTE=BGO;355977]I'm thinking about putting a on board charger in and don't know much about them. I was looking at a 3 bank 15amp charger. I'm running a 24v trolling motor, do I need to put some kind of a disconnect to charge each trolling motor battery. Last, is a 15amp ok or do I need to go with a higher amp charger.[/QUOTE]
do your self a favor and get a steath charger it will charge your batteries while the big motor is running and you can plug it in also. I have been running one for years. The best i have ever seen on battery life.
I have a Guest on board charger that came out on my 2003 Triton and I love it.
DA
15 amp (5 per batt) should be fine to charge everything. i believe when you go up in amps it may charge faster, but if your leaving it overnight speed wont be a concern.
Thanks guys, I was thinking a 15amp would be ok but wanted your opinions.
I've seen times that my 5amp/bank charger may take 14-16 hours to fully charge my batteries is they were totally discharged. Usually though the 5 amp/bank charger suits my needs.
If I fished tourneys on the road though, I'd have at least 10amp/bank, and maybe 15.
[quote=BGO;356010]Thanks guys, I was thinking a 15amp would be ok but wanted your opinions.[/quote]
Personally, I think the 15 amp should be fine. My main knowledge is from having read this board, and watching fishing shows... oh yeah, and hundreds of fishing mags...
Most of the professional battery men in the mags and on TV say that 10 amps is the min. when charging a battery, and that often even the 10 amp won't completely recharge the battery. Something about the last bit of charge taking more amps to get into the battery? I don't understand the technical side of it at all.
I have had several different types of chargers, and the one that has performed the best for me is the DualPro. They are a little pricey, but they have performed perfect for me. Several boats ago, I had a bps charger that quit, and I replaced it with a minnkota - which worked fine - but it was 5 amp and I could tell a pretty big difference in that and a 10 amp. But, it did charge just fine, just took about twice as long.
I had a Dual Pro(2 bank) on a skeeter I bought in 03. Dual Pro was having problems with them shorting out and I replaced it twice before the 3rd one finally lasted longer than a year. With that said, warranty was INCREDIBLE. Each time I called they said "we'll send you a new one in the mail. When you get it, put old unit in box and send back." Absolutely some of the best customer service I've had. Plus, I think they fixed the problem that they were having sice then.
Alot of them are good. Guest,Dual Pro and Minn Kota is good. Do not buy the Bass Pro ones! I had one and it went bad about 6 months later too! Took it back and the guys didn't even bother looking at it---he said "yeah, we have some problems with those---go back and get you a better one, like the Minn Kota"
I bought a 3 bank MinnKota and it's been great!