Charging ?

If you know how many amp-hours you have consumed, then charge long enough to replace that number. If they are flooded, check with a hydrometer. If AGM then 0.5 amps per 100 amp-hours of capacity.

pianotuna wrote:
A manual charger and a timer may be the best way to recharge using shore power.

If there is no shore power then a good solar controller and sufficient panels may work extremely well.

How are you supposed to know how long to set the timer for? In fact you could set it for a short time for overnight (charging is accumulative), then restart in the morning for a longer time, but you still have to be there to know when the battery is charged up.

A manual charger and a timer may be the best way to recharge using shore power.

If there is no shore power then a good solar controller and sufficient panels may work extremely well.

2oldman wrote:

time2roll wrote:
A man has got to know his charging limitations.

x2 on that Clint.

Unless you are feeling lucky.

time2roll wrote:
A man has got to know his charging limitations.

x2 on that Clint.

A man has got to know his charging limitations. Unless the OP gives make and model there is not much to debate.

time2roll wrote:

2oldman wrote:
I don't think I've ever owned a car battery charger that would be considered dumb. They all taper off.

The old manual chargers would go at 15 volts for as long as you like.

Depends on the "size" of the manual charger. A small trickle charger on a 100AH 27DC batt will stall out in the 15s, but a bigger manual charger can get one into the 16s.

The 8 amp DC charger on my Honda 3000 gen got the 27DC into the 17s. Might nave gone even higher in voltage, but electrolyte was pouring out from the caps :)

(Back when I was having a hard time getting the 27DCs truly full---I have since learned they like low and slow all the way up to 16v, by when they have reached full SG. I use my VEC1093DBD set to 4 amps and with Equalize on, so it gets them to 15.8 and shuts off--magic!)

2oldman wrote:
I don't think I've ever owned a car battery charger that would be considered dumb. They all taper off.

The old manual chargers would go at 15 volts for as long as you like.

2oldman wrote:
I don't think I've ever owned a car battery charger that would be considered dumb. They all taper off.

Amps taper but voltage keeps rising. Must stop the charge manually (unplug the charger) VS "automatic" type which turn themselves off at some point, so you don't have to be there to prevent the voltage going too high.

If spending money I would upgrade the on board converter.