Hi
Ryan;
We
have a 100A and a 40A charger aboard. If the batteries are being drained to
proper levels for optimal life, the 100A charger will only be at max output for
10-15 minutes before the charge rate drops below the max output, so there is
minimal advantage in running the two charges together. The disadvantages are, at
least to a certain extent, unknown and are dependent on many
factors.
As far
as the shore power connections in other parts of the world, in the Med, there
are many marinas and harbors that only have 16A connections. However there are
many that also have 32A connections. Some have higher output connections as
well. The limiting factor on the Amels, is the shore power connection and wiring
to the panel. On our 54, it is sized for 32A. Therefore there is a 32A breaker
in the aft lazarette that feeds the panel. You have to check on your SM to
see the wire sizing and shore power breaker
sizing.
The
only way to get the full 50A 230V to the panel is by the
generator.
Respectfully;
Mohammad and Aty
B&B Kokomo
Amel 54 #099
At first glance, I thought it could be dangerous to use multiple
smart chargers because they could get into different states, but after thinking
through all the possible combinations, I've convinced myself it is actually safe
-- provided the total current is less than what the batteries can accept.
It might not produce the optimal results for your battery lifespan, though: they
could transition from bulk to acceptance or acceptance to float before the
battery is actually ready, because each charger can only sense its own
contribution to the charge current. Chargers in different stages shouldn't
fight each other directly because they sense the current/voltage of the
system. Floating at different voltages should be safe; the charger
with the lower float voltage would just not be doing anything. If one or
more chargers has a float voltage above that which the batteries are designed to
handle, that would be bad... but that's also bad with just one charger.
I do not think it is safe to mix smart chargers and dumb chargers without
knowing exactly how the dumb charger works. It is conceivable that the
dumb charger just puts out a constant voltage, and would act as a sink for a
higher voltage -- then you'd get the two chargers directly fighting each other,
possibly tripping breakers, and definitely wasting power. The same could
happen with two dumb chargers that have different voltage setpoints; presumably
the ones Amel installed as stock were configured with the same voltage and/or
were smart enough to shut off if they started acting as a sink.
As an aside, is a 16A shore power connection typical in some parts of the
world? At 230V, that's about the same wattage as the "small boat"
30A@120V
connections in the USA. A larger yacht like a Super Maramu is expected to
connect to 50A@240V in the US, but usually also has the option of connecting to
two
30A@120V connections. I assume you can't connect to two 16A@230V
connections because the 230V parts of the world don't use a split-phase power
system like we do in the US, but perhaps I'm wrong about that.
Thanks,
Ryan
SM 233 Iteration
Boston, MA, USA
