Charging multiple battery banks with a single charger

[cgoodwin]

I am wiring a vessel with 3 battery banks, one start bank and two house banks. The start bank is composed of two 4d 12v batteries and the house banks are each composed of four 6v cells. Both the start and house bank are wired to produce 24v.

Currently I have one good quality 12v 100Amp charger. Can I charge all three banks with this charger and if so how?

 

[MikeHalloran]

Start by finding room for twelve, 100A contactors.

No, belay that. Start with a plan.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[ScottyUK]

Stick the 12V charger on ebay and put the proceeds twoard a 24V charger.

You can probably charge all the cells from the one charger, although the interconnections at the charger may introduce a common failure mode which you'd rather avoid.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[cgoodwin]

Sorry my bad, the charger is a 24v.

As for starting with a plan, that is what I am putting together Mike.

The vessel is a Feadship.
Starters are 24v
Single Mastervolt 24v 100A charger
Inverter is a 24v/5500w Mastervolt
Start bank will be two 4d 12v cells in series for 24v
Bank will be made of eight 6v golf cart cells, arranged in sets of four in series to make two 24v banks for the house.

The question was; can all the banks be charged with a single charger? If so how would that be done. If not, what is recommended.

 

[itsmoked]

You need three 100A contactors and a scheme to switch the charger between the banks. Can the charger be guaranteed to charge any bank fully in less than a 3rd of a day? Just rotate it every 8 hrs.

Alternatively you'd need a system that would assign it to the bank with the lowest voltage for an hour or two then switch to the next lowest. That would cycle it round and round until all banks are charged.

I wouldn't put those contactors near where the hydrogen is evolving or you may have an unpleasant experience..

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com