ACR and Pronautica 12-40p

[Char99]

I have bought the new charger to charge my 2 house banks (Golf Cart wet 200 AH) each and the start battery.

It seems the output of the ACR will be in parallel with the output of the charger.

Does this present any problems. I would like to mount the charger right above the ACR and use the existing wire from the ACR to the battery banks making short leads from the Charger to the output terminals of the ACR.

I plan to add a Monitor later. Viltron or Balmar.

I keep thinking and Thinking and am now ready to DO.
Thanks
Charlie

[sailah]

I just installed similar equipment but ran all charging leads to the positive house bus. All negatives to negative bus. Alternator, charger etc all charge house only. ACR then charges start bank when voltage goes above 12.75v.

I also installed Balmar and they are very specific that all leads terminate before shunt to be able to be accurate. Check out Maine Sails ACR article its all explained well with diagrams.

[Char99]

Originally Posted by Char99

I have bought the new charger to charge my 2 house banks (Golf Cart wet 200 AH) each and the start battery.

It seems the output of the ACR will be in parallel with the output of the charger.

Does this present any problems. I would like to mount the charger right above the ACR and use the existing wire from the ACR to the battery banks making short leads from the Charger to the output terminals of the ACR.

I plan to add a Monitor later. Viltron or Balmar.

I keep thinking and Thinking and am now ready to DO.
Thanks
Charlie

My 2 house banks are separate on a switch 1-2 both. I like having them isolated from each other.

[john61ct]

The charge output (voltage sense wires) are best put directly on the bank terminals

But that means one ACR per target bank.

Or just get an Echo Charger for Starter.

Usually splitting House into 2 banks is a Bad Idea anyway.

[smac999]

Yes you can connect the charger to the acr posts. But ideally they get fused Leaving the acr. Depending on charger wire size, acr wire size. And existing acr fuse size

If you have 2 seperate house banks and a start bank. Then you probably want two acrs

[smac999]

Originally Posted by sailah

I just installed similar equipment but ran all charging leads to the positive house bus. All negatives to negative bus. Alternator, charger etc all charge house only. ACR then charges start bank when voltage goes above 12.75v.

I also installed Balmar and they are very specific that all leads terminate before shunt to be able to be accurate. Check out Maine Sails ACR article its all explained well with diagrams.

With a 3 bank charger that can put full current to any bank like the 12-40 can. It would be silly to run all 3 to the same bank. Run a line to each bank. It makes things more redundant. Ie If an acr failed.

[john61ct]

Yes great point, that model line is like its sister Sterlings, no need for any ACR, just wire an output to each bank!

That gives more accurate voltage control than going through a bus.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by sailah

Check out Maine Sails ACR article its all explained well with diagrams.

Making Sense of Automatic Charging Relays

&

Installing a Marine Battery Charger






.

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by john61ct

The charge output (voltage sense wires) are best put directly on the bank terminals

But that means one ACR per target bank.

Or just get an Echo Charger for Starter.

Usually splitting House into 2 banks is a Bad Idea anyway.

Actually depending on how you wanted to use your battery banks and systrm generally I would disagree and say that 2 seperate banks can be a very good way to operate a system.
Without getting bogg3d down in details. Redundancy is an obvious reason.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Yes great point, that model line is like its sister Sterlings, no need for any ACR, just wire an output to each bank!

That gives more accurate voltage control than going through a bus.

Unless of course you have solar, wind, alternator or other charge sources that you wish to use to charge the two banks. If the ACR is already there, using two outputs of the charger, one to each bank, is redundant and means more wire, terminals and an extra fuse.

[Char99]

Just to be clear. I have an ACR (rated at 70 amps) that is fed by the 62 amp Alternator The ACR feeds the two house banks and the start battery. I think I am just over thinking. The plan is to connect the 3 outputs of the new 12-40p to the output terminals of the ACR.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

Unless of course you have solar, wind, alternator or other charge sources that you wish to use to charge the two banks.

Sure if the ACR's there anyway, good point.

So you feel the lowered voltage accuracy is not important?

And splitting House?

[john61ct]

One large house bank is much better, especially with lead but also LFP.

Shallower discharges means much longer bank life

And you get much more actually usable Ah from a 400Ah bank than you do from 2x 200, read up on Peukert!

Redundancy is indeed critical for some use cases, but get it any number of other ways;

only needed for Essentials, not your screens / stereo entertainment and electrified galley.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by Char99

Just to be clear. I have an ACR (rated at 70 amps) that is fed by the 62 amp Alternator The ACR feeds the two house banks and the start battery. I think I am just over thinking. The plan is to connect the 3 outputs of the new 12-40p to the output terminals of the ACR.

An ACR should not be in the path of an alternator it should sit between two banks...

When you say two house banks do you mean two separate 12V house banks or one house bank made of two 6V batteries in series and a start bank?

An ACR can only feed one bank and your description seems to infer three separate 12V battery banks, two house banks and one start bank?


Can you post the model number and brand of the "ACR"..?

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

When you say two house banks do you mean two separate 12V house banks or one house bank made of two 6V batteries in series and a start bank?
…
An ACR can only feed one bank and your description seems to infer three separate 12V battery banks, two house banks and one start bank?

Yes that latter is the design here I believe