Battery charger replacement recommendation

[hockeybill]

Hi all … Bought 5 new AGM batteries last April and having issues with holding charge this year. Reading through the forum it appears this may be due to the Cristec stock charger which does not have an AGM setting nor adjustable settings. Supplier of the battery indicated the Lead Acetate setting was adequate. Will attempt to have batteries replaced under warranty but also plan on changing the charger. Please share recommendation on a new charger. Thanks.

[Zanshin]

I've not had great experiences with Cristec chargers - I replaced them on 3 boats so far

I can recommend Victron, but it is a matter of taste - there are several goods brands out there to choose from.

[zaphod]

The problem with the Cristec charger is not that it doesn't have an AGM setting, it does, it is just that you have to open up the unit and select the appropriate dipswitch.

The problem with the Cristec is in it's charging profile. My Cristec charger automatically switched to float charging after 4 hrs, which is probably just fine on a 1 or 2 battery bank, but if you have a larger bank that has been deeply discharged it will not be fully charged after 4 hrs. For example, if you have drawn your 500ah bank down to 50% then you need to put 250ah back into the batteries. With the 40a Cristec, even if it was putting out the rated 40a, (which it never does), it will need 6.25hrs to fully charge the bank. In reality it will probably need 8 hrs or more. You can work around that by cycling the power to the charger after 4 hrs to reset the timer and start a new charge cycle, but that is not an ideal solution.

Most people just plug their boats in and assume that the charger will fully charge their batteries, but the reality is that the bank is not getting fully charged. The absolute worst think you can do to a lead acid battery is to leave it partially charged for long periods of time. When you do that the plates in the battery become sulphated, resulting in permanent loss of capacity.

As for what charger to go with, there are a lot of good options. Brands like Mastervolt, Victron, Xantrex and ProMariner all come to mind, but there are others too.

When I replaced my batteries with 4 Firefly Carbon Foam AGMs I decided to go with a Xantrex Freedom XC Pro charger/inverter. The main reason for my choice was that I wanted I high capacity 100a charger because I read that the Firefly batteries like a higher rate of charge once in a while. It was actually cheaper to get the combination unit than to buy a standalone 100a charger, and it is in a more compact package. I wired the inverter output to the outlet circuit in my panel. When connected to shore power the inverter automatically passes the line voltage through to the outlets, and will even supplement and clean up the shore power if the voltage is low or there is not enough amps available for your loads. We don't use the inverter much, but it is nice to have.

The down side is that the Xantrex is not a multi bank charger, but that is not an issue for me since I don't have a bow thruster, and the engine battery doesn't really need to be on a charger. I may eventually install a small 12v-12v charger for the engine battery, but so far I have found no need.

[Caxton]

I had lots of problems with the Cristec charger on my 2007 SO 39i.  To be honest Cristec sucks.  There are numerous threads discussing problems and issues.

I replaced mine with a ProMariner ProNautic 1250P 12 Volt 50 Amp 3 Bank Charger and have not had any problems since.  Dump the Cristec.


Here are my thread posts:
Battery Replacement

May 22, 2017 at 7:54amQuoteEditPost OptionsPost by Caxton on May 22, 2017 at 7:54am

I'm in the US but this is what I use:



I have 4 (1 engine 3 house) WEST MARINE Dual-Purpose AGM Batteries (105 Amp Hours, Group 31). EastPenn is the manufacturer. EastPenn recommends bulk charging at 14.4V to 14.6V, and float charging at 13.5V.







Read more: jeanneau.proboards.com/thread/2405/agm-batteries-cristec-chargers#ixzz4horUrqk1



I ended up replacing my Cristec charger because it was not charging correctly. I sent detailed questions to Cristec for support and got no response, so replaced it with a • Pro Mariner Pro Nautic 1250 12 Volt 50 Amp 3 Bank Charger.



Caxton

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Jeanneau Model: 2007 Sun Odyssey 39i

Yacht Name: Wavelength

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AGM Batteries & Cristec chargers

Nov 14, 2016 at 12:45pmQuoteEditPost OptionsPost by Caxton on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:45pm

I have 4 (1 engine 3 house) WEST MARINE Dual-Purpose AGM Batteries (105 Amp Hours, Group 31). EastPenn is the manufacturer. EastPenn recommends bulk charging at 14.4V to 14.6V, and float charging at 13.5V.



I went over the charging options of my Cristec CPS2 12V/40A battery charger with EastPenn and they reommended the "Lead Sealed" Type 2 of Bulk at 14.3V and float at 13.6V as the best choice using the Cristec charger. This is consistent with Geoff's post.



I also have a Balmar Smartgauge Battery Monitor. Balmer recommends that I should choose on the Balmar "Type 3" AGM setting which are lower voltages (14.0-14.2V) and are closest to what I will be charging with the Cristec 14.3V. If I could set the Cristec to charge at 14.6V on the Balmar I would chose Type 1 Deep Cycle, wet cell, antimony lead acid (14.6V/29.2 max).



Does any one know if you can customize teh charging voltage of a Cristec charger?