Not sure if older Promariner Charger is charging

[denders]

Hi all - my wife and I bought a 1982 Carver Mariner late last season. We replaced the house batteries this spring ( 4 - 6 volt batteries in series / Parallel ). The boat has an original Pro Mariner 30 Amp Charger ( 3 bank - Ferro Resonant ). We have been on shore power since going in the water 2 weeks ago, when I turn the charger breaker to "on" - I can see the Amperage meter on the charger go from zero to maximum then back to zero , a few seconds later the same behavior zero to max then back to zero. This doesn't seem normal to me - any ideas on how or what to check ? I did check that the single ground wire is attached to a good ground and that the Positive wires from the charger and proper hooked to a Positive post in the 4 battery house set. I am at a loss on how to check further to see if the charger is charging.

Thanks in advance

[Viper]

A few things will cause that symptom; a bad battery; perhaps a shorted cell, poor connections, or a bad charger. In any case, four six volt batteries are expensive, I would not be charging them or any other battery with an older ferroresonant charger, especially if you leave the charger on all week while you're away from the boat. Ferroresonant charger technology has come a long way though, and new units overcome some of the older design limitations by incorporating electronic circuitry.

Whether it's your charger or not, do yourself a favour and upgrade to a 3 or 4 stage Smart charger. You'll be glad you did. A couple of members have upgraded recently, perhaps they will chime in and give some feedback on what they think of the newer units versus the older counterparts they replaced.

[feeez]

I be one of those "members" and here I chime.

I installed a brand new Promariner Pronautic 50 amp 3 bank smart charger this spring. This replaced my Charles C-charger which was charging intermittently during the bulk charging phase.... easy install and it works like a charm. It was truly plug an play.

I bought it through Amazon in the US and they delivered it to S. Carolina shipping included. The admiral was visiting her sister and she carried it back over the border.... easy peasy... $395US no tax!!!!

Fraser

[denders]

Replacement is one thing we are thinking of. I wouldn't mind a charger from this century . I doubt it is a bad battery or cell ( the batteries are brand new and expensive ) - I will double check the connections next week , other than the usual corrosion - anything I should be looking for ?

[Viper]

Ensure the connections and posts are clean, free of corrosion, and tight. In another thread, we talk about the fasteners at the battery terminals. Throw out the wing nuts if that's what's there now. Look for discolouration on the wire insulation. If the insulation is darker close to the lugs, or it seems more brittle/less pliable, the cable has overheated. They should be cut back, and new lugs added before putting them back into service.

Check the other end of the cables also, such as negative at the engine block, terminals at the charger and terminals at battery switches if applicable. A poor connection at any point in the circuit will result in a failure.

[denders]

Well - Replacement it is ..... Pronuatica 40 amp purchased and ready to install , hopefully the install goes well - will keep the forum posted

[feeez]

My install went very will. Read the install instructions over a few time and you should have no issues.

I have been running my Promariner 50a for almost 2 months now and my battery charging is vastly improved and the charger is virtually silent.

Fraser