on board charger heat

[Venkman]

Over the winter I bought a new on board charger to replace a single bank charger that I had tired of constantly changing the leads, anyway I digress.

The boat is not on the water yet and I have not installed the charger, I have hooked it up in the garage to the two boat batteries. One is the starting battery and the other is the deep cycle marine battery for the stereo.

The issue (potential issue) is the thing gets hot, I mean not oven hot but like I can only place my hand on it for about five seconds hot. I thought it would not get hot once the batteries were conditioned and charged but even after a week the batteries are fully charged and the charger is still the same temperature.

It's a promariner 8, 3rd generation. I guess I am wondering if this is normal or should I get concerned after all this thing is eventually going to be in a compartment in a boat in the heat of summer.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Doesn't seem normal to me.

Are both batteries the same type? (Agm or flooded)

 

[Venkman]

Both old school flooded batteries.

I just noticed the deep cycle battery is also getting warm, not quite hot.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Can you check the water levels in the batteries?

You might want to pull the batteries and have them load tested if they are more than 2 years old.

Maybe charge one at a time to see if one battery causes the heat?

 

[Venkman]

Thanks for the replies.

They are a little over two years and I have a load tester and both checked out ok.

I checked them for water and they weren't topped off full but most full of water.

I think I am going to give it another day and if it's still that hot I think I will email the company. I checked their website and the heat is not uncommon when at full load, but I just don't think it should be at full load with two basically fully charged batteries

 

[Venkman]

Well I don't have to worry about this particular charger anymore. I talked to my wife about it and asked for her opinion about whether she thought it was too hot. She touched it and made a little laugh and immediately said, "are you crazy, all the things you bitch at me for not being safe and you thought this is not too hot". I am not allowed to give it another day.
So it goes back tomorrow.

 

[David Analog]

That's a sealed type charger so it can only dissipate a moderate amount of heat. Very warm can be normal for a limited duration.
However, once the batteries are fully charged it should no longer be warm.
Move the charger over to a known fully charged car battery and see if the charger still gets hot. I suspect it will not. But if it does you have an answer.
I don't trust one of those batteries.
Disregard the temporary and elevated surface charge created by the charger. It won't last beyond several hours. Once you have given those fully charged batteries several hours to settle in at an accurate voltage (12.5 to 12.7 volts), let them sit in total isolation for two to three days. If they can't hold the voltage within 1/10th volt or so, and they drop a .5 or full volt for example, then consider that battery as needing replacement.
It's a slow test versus a load tester but the results are usually black or white.

 

[Venkman]

The batteries were on the charger for about 6 days, before I tested them. I didn't give them a lot of time before I put the load tester on the batteries, about a day.

I really am starting to think the charger is the issue, according to the indicators on the charger it was on "auto maintain" which I would think would mean it's not actively charging a battery, with full power, but I really don't know. And I wasn't watching closely today to know when it would have gone from charging to auto maintain, so maybe the heat didn't have the chance to dissipate.

I can say that I have a similar on board/sealed/water resistant charger and it gets warm when the initial load is on the charger but nothing like this, as I write this I notice my hand feels a little cooked from checking it over and over today.

I have access to a fully charged battery but I will have to wait until tomorrow to work on it further.

 

[subysti]

That charger should condition and charge the batteries so it should go in to maintenance mode after a couple days. If not I would think you have a bad battery it cant really charge. I have the gen 3 20amp and it doesn't get warm at all. One thing I found out is that you can't charge just one battery with one set of leads they, both need to be connected. There is also a jumper that needs to be set for the type of battery you are charging, make sure you have the right one installed for those batteries.

 

[Venkman]

Thank for all the replies,

I broke down and read the manuel again, I did read where I must have two batteries connected to the charger in order for it to work properly. I am at a loss except to return and try again with a different charger, as stated above, my wife is convinced I am on the verge of burning the house down, so I am going to try one more thing before I return it.

I went this morning to my boat unhooked the old single bank charger brought it home and hooked it up to the deep cycle battery (the one that was getting hot yesterday) to see if setting since October has finished it off which could be the problem. This charger is at least five years old but has always charged the same battery fine and the battery that was in its place previously that did bite the dust. That charger, which is just a cheap wal-mart brand charger turned on, did its internal checks, charged the battery between 15- 45 mins and then went into a "trickle" mode.

Neither the charger nor the battery was hot when I left the house and I unplugged the charger. I am going to take the battery to my boat after work and install to the amps on the boat and see what happens, I have a load tester and used it again this morning but who knows, I think a real world test is appropriate.

My previous deep cycle/house battery would only push the sound system for maybe 15/30 mins after a full charge before the amps went into safe mode, which is why I replaced the battery two years ago, ( of course 2 years and about a week, thank you battery warranty).

I guess I will have my answer either way about what to do with the charger.

 

[Bruce]

I would try a different charger. I have a 10 amp Marinco and have never noticed it heating up.

 

[Julian]

@ChargerGuy knows a lot about the Promariner charges I think....he should be able to tell you if this is normal.

 

[David Analog]

I have a perfectly good Ctek 3-amp charger that recovered a large group 49 that was run down to about 2 volts. It took two days, however, much larger chargers wouldn't even recognize the discharged battery or instantly went into protection. And after cycling the battery several times the charge acceptance definitely improved. The charger hardly got warm. The exact same Ctek charger got really hot trying to charge a discharged car battery. I could never get the battery to charge enough to start the car. So I placed a 25 amp Ctek charger on the bad battery and within an hour it started right up....so I could immediately drive the car to get the battery replaced. The dealer load tested the battery and stated that the battery tested fine. I left the car overnight so they could check for any drain. Sure enough the battery was toast. It would charge if you had the muscle but it couldn't hold that charge long term.
Point is....I forgot the point.
J/K. Sometimes to confirm the real cause you have to isolate components into other scenarios.

 

[Island Jay]

The prosport series of chargers will be hot. They are 100% sealed units and those bumps on them are heat sinks.
How hot? If I recall about 140 degrees. So not enough to burn you, but you would not want to carry it around with you in your arms.

You can test the charger.

• Unplug ac power.
• Disconnect the DC lines from the batteries.
• Make sure the dc terminal rings are not touching and are in a safe surface like your garage floor.
• Plug AC power back in and using a digital meter, get the DC voltage off each bank.
• It should read in the 13.3 v range, give to take .1. If not, you may have a bad charger. If you are getting zero voltage, check the inline fuse with the meters continuity tester.
• FYI you can do this with dry mount chargers like the ProTech and ProNautic's. Just disconnect the dc lines from the charger. Make sure no dc lines are connected to the charger at all. Run the same tests at the terminal banks on the charger itself. Voltages on those should be about 14.6

One battery getting warm and another not does not sound right to me. You may want to get those tested. If the batteries and charger test fine, exchange the charger or call the factory at ProMariner.com

 

[Venkman]

Update: I have spent way too much time on this issue but I didn't want to just react and send the charger back when it may be a totally different issue.

I charged batteries with two different chargers, took the one that was getting hot when charging to an auto parts store and it tested fine, it then took it to my boat hooked up amps and everything else in the boat to just the one battery. Played music for 45 mins with blowers on and lights and whatever else. No problem with battery.

Took it back home, switch the charger terminals to the opposite of how they were originally set up.

It ran for several hours and no heat, I mean barely above room temperature when on charging mode.

So the obvious answer is house is infested with gremlins.

Today I am going to switch the terminals to the original way it was charging and if there is excess heat I am going to go ahead and send it back

 

[David Analog]

Quote: "So the obvious answer is house is infested with gremlins."

Then as far as I know Hoyt Axton is the foremost expert on that subject.

 

[subysti]

Just checking but I know with mine there is a specific lead from the charger that is for the starting battery and one for the house battery. That may make a difference if the starting lead is connected to a deep cycle battery.

 

[Venkman]

Yes there is a specific lead for the starting battery, and one for the deep cycle battery. I had them connected correctly at first. I switched them around, and the problem stopped. When I get time tomorrow I am going to try and find a better diagram of which is which and maybe the factory just placed the wrong label on the wrong lead. I don't have it in front of me or I would check it tonight.

But, I don't really know why just sitting in my garage there would be a problem I would think there is a "starting" lead because of possible issues with engine electronics/alternators etc..., that the charger accounts for somehow. I am not sure why it would make a difference otherwise.

 

[Venkman]

Just a quick update if anyone still cares, I do appreciate the responses, it helped track down all the possibilities even though the damn thing just started working correctly. I hooked up an old deep cycle battery that I know was bad and I have been saving for a core deposit. It tried to condition that battery, then tried to charge it, of course it never could but it tried with minimal heat to itself and zero heat to the battery.

I want to go ahead and install it in the boat. It never, in my opinion, got to fire igniting heat so I think I am safe if the gremlin comes back. I believe if it ever got to that point the fuses on the unit and the breaker at the marina would trip. Is this a safe assumption?

Also can we all agree that if anyone hears of a fire breaking out in oklahoma at a marina from a yamaha this conversation gets deleted?

 

[David Analog]

What charger?