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Sentry battery charger for 32v banks

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Angela

Miami, FL

posts 45

1:16 pm February 17, 2012

Hi Steve.  I want to replace my old LaMarche charger and the Charles charger was what was recommended to me.  However, I'd like to explore some other options in order to be better informed.  Does Sentry make a 32v charger that will charge two banks that have very different usages (a starting bank, and a starting/house bank)?  Does the Sentry charger charge any other kind of battery other than a lead acid battery?  DC electrical systems are not my forte, so some of my questions may be a little on the uneducated side, because I'm just not very smart in the DC department – just ask Pascal.  LOL  Anyway back to what might be a stupid question – is it possible to use non lead-acid batteries for my 32v banks?  I have to water my batteries at least once a month and it's a horrible job to crawl back there all the time.  In a perfect world, I'd like to remove that chore from the maintenance list, but it may not be feasible.  Then, again, if throw out the old LaMarche, maybe I won't have to waters often.

 

We're cleaning up our genny room, installing new battery shelves to replace the 32-year-old rotten ones, new paint, etc. and will be adding a 4000 watt, 24v. inverter with a dedicated battery bank of it's own.  So, I thought it would be a good time to get rid of the old LaMarche that tends to cook our batteries when we don't manually kill the breaker by being the "human timer". 

 

Also, I don't know whether I need a 30 amp or 40 amp charger.  It's going on a Hatteras 1980 58' Motoryacht.  If you have something that that might work for us, can you email me a quote on a new Sentry charger?  Angela@Sanctuarycharteryacht.com

 

Thanks!

New Member

Brad

posts 2

10:50 pm February 17, 2012

Hi Angela,

 My name is Brad Coats. I'm sorry that Steve can't respond to your question but I'll try my best to help.

Sentry does have a 32 VDC charger that can charge up to three banks and can turn off when batteries reach full charge.  I understand that the banks will be under different loads. That is almost always the case with multiple banks on one charger.  Sentry charges do have the feature allowing them to completely turn off when the banks reach full charge. The type of transformer used in the Sentry charger reduces the amperage output on each bank its connected to as the voltage nears the cut out point. So even when the charger is running to keep the house bank up, the starting bank is getting very little charge.

This charger will work with lead acid or Gel cell batteries. The difference between lead acid and other (closed cell) batteries is… how high do you charge them before cutting off the charger.  The good thing about Sentry is that no matter what the charging requirements are for the batteries you get, the control circuit board can be calibrated to shut the charger off at whatever the battery manufacturer recommends.  The 32 VDC  chargers are available in 30 amps which should be fine for a 58' Hatt. with a house and starting bank.  

If I had to use one word for these chargers it would be that they are almost bullet proof. In the nearly 18 years I have serviced Cruisair / Sentry products, I have spent very little time working on these chargers. A charging board here, a blocking diode  there, maybe a cooling fan…. the point is they can be repaired easily if, and I do mean IF, they fail…

 

Product # 708010014    FR3230/3x

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.   :  )

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