Charging batteries

[hrsail920]

Is it okay to charge batteries using shore power and plugging charger into boat AC outlet ?
If so , would I have to disconnect batteries?

[skipmac]

So you have a portable charger, not built in to the boat, and you will connect the boat's shore power cord and plug the portable charger into an outlet inside the boat that comes from your shore power connection?

Unless something is screwy with the wiring on your boat or in the marina then of course you can. No need to disconnect the batteries unless you have a bad charger or the voltage on the charger set too high.

[svHannabel]

As Mainesail warns in this post, it is not recommended to use an automotive charger on a boat, in case that's what you're doing.

[hrsail920]

During winter I used Battery Tender Plus in my garage and worked well.

Still confused regarding charging. Do I or should I disconnect the battery being charged, just switch selector to battery being charged. Or purchase built in charger.
I find too much advice online making me more confused. I really want to be able to do this myself and keep cost to a minimum.

hr

[jkishel]

Actually, the question is a little confusing. I am assuming you'd like suggestions on how to keep the batteries charged while the boat is in a slip with access to shore power. You used a trickle charger in the off season to maintain/protect the batteries while they were out of the boat. Also it appears that there is no charger of any kind (other than the engine alternator) currently on the boat. You could plug in the trickle charger on board, connect it to the batteries and keep the batteries topped up, however a trickle charger is really slow particularly if you have multiple batteries and will not equalize (condition) the batteries at all. You would be better off installing a smart, three stage charger that will recharge, condition and maintain the batteries automatically while you are on shore power. These don't have to be too expensive. The capacity of the charger depends on the number of battery banks and number and capacity of the batteries in each bank. It sounds like you really don't need anything more elaborate like controllers, monitors, etc.

[hrsail920]

That's exactly the way I have it.
Thanks for all info, will update when we move forward.