Xantrex True Charge 2?

[motion30]

Who has owned one of these, what is the reputation. I installed a truecharge 2 40 amp to charge 500 amps of deep cycle in the fall and this damn thing is crazy. First it does not know when to shut off, sometimes it will not go into float voltage sometimes it simply sits there with the ready light on while the batterys voltage is below 12.2 I am going to call xantrex but would like to hear if others have had any simular problems
thanks

[S/V Illusion]

ours has performed flawlessly for years and I know other folks who would say the same. Did you buy it new?

[motion30]

Illusion
Yes It was new in the box last oct.installed it before I left for Florida in november

[CharlieJ]

S/V Illusion-I think that you have the original TrueCharge 20/40+ which has been around for many years but was replaced by the TrueCharge 2 that was introduced last year. I have installed probably 20 TrueCharge 20's or 40's over the years and have never had one fail.

motion30-I have installed two TrueCharge2 Battery Chargers, one a 20 amp and one a 40 amp in the last year. Both have operated flawlessly.

Before blaming the charger, you probably should consider your batteries. First off, the generally accepted rule of thumb for flooded lead acid (FLA) battery charging is 15-25% of the total capacity of the bank. Is your bank FLA? If so your charger is a bit on the light side for charging capacity. Are you using the temperature sensor option? If not, what temperature setting do you have the charger set for? Are all battery connections clean and bright? Did you use AWG 8 conductors? A load or conductance testing of the batteries would be appropriate. Etc., etc., etc.

If these questions make sense to you, then, coupled with the owner's manual, you need to go thru your system and ensure everything is installed correctly. Use a clamp on ammeter to see how much current is being delivered down each conductor. Put a DMM on the battery bank during a charge cycle and observe the batterie's reaction to the charger.

If you are uncomfortable with the above, find a good marine electrician (I would suggest the American Boat and Yacht Councils listing of ABYC Certified Electricians American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)
as a good source) and have him walk you through the system.

Clearly, I am suggesting that the failure of the charging system may be the charger itself but I would eliminate all other components first.

[CSY Man]

Had a couple of those (the yellow 40 amp charger) with the battery temp and the remote option.

The first one worked just fine until a power surge blew it out and it started acting strangely..Pretty much the symptoms you describe: Light is on, but nobody home...

Called Xantrex but they could now repair it, instead they offered to sell me a new one at a reduced price of $270.00 US..Decline the offer and found one on e-bay for a lot less than that.

Now installing a surge protector for my dock and leaving the charger off in the meantime..The solar panels takes care of business, only use the AC charger to pull down the fridge before a cruise...

430 amp house bank.

[CharlieJ]

If the OP is correct with his terminology; the TrueCharge 2 is the new (gray) replacement for the old TrueCharge 20/40+ (yellow). Two different machines. Two different eras. Two different technologies.

[motion30]

CharlieJ
You are correct this a true charge 2
The terminals have been cleaned the cable and terminals are awg 8 No temp sensor When I was in Florida I used Hot settings here on the chesapeake I have it on cold. The batteries are lifelines agm 8ds I do agree 40 amps is light but it should still work NO? I was just down at the boat, voltage is 12.7 the charger has the ready light on but no float voltage, at least it is not over charger. Sometimes I can turn the shore power off and then when turned back on the charger will work, not tonight though. The top of the charger feels warm.
CSTMAN when my inverter failed xantrex told me it could not be fixed but... they could sell me a factory recondition one at a reduced price?? what??

[squarerigger]

Hello:

I intalled a 40A Truecharge2 in Janurary, replacing a servicable 20A Xantrex charger old style, admitedly both pretty low capacity for my 720 AH bank. Unlike the earlier device, its behavior grew progressively more erratic (it seemed to always be cycling on and off at two minute intervals) until it stopped working, registering a fan lock fault. The troubleshooting guide said to clear the fan from obstructions. After blowing air into the grill and hearing the fan turn, I reinstalled it but was unable to get it going. A sales person at West Marine (from whom I did not buy the charger) told me that they had recieved a number of returned TrueCharge2 chargers with that same fault. I sent it back to the original vender and am awaiting its replacement. In the meantime, I installed a Pro Mariner charger which seems to be working fine.

I dont think I'll be reinstalling the new charger when it comes back. Hope this helps.

[The Mons]

I have a 60 amp Promariner Pronautic model that I was planning to replace with a 60 amp Xantrex Trucharge 2 when they are released in the fall. The Pronautic will not work properly with my generator, hence the move to the Xantrex.

It sounds like the Trucharge 2 has some bugs to work out.

Why can't these charger manufacturer's build a product that actually works?

[motion30]

OK GANG I guess I need to know what is a good pick for a smart charger in the 75-100 amp range that won;t break the bank. I do not want to waste another $400
Thanks for all the imput

[slacker]

Have a look at the IOTA chargers available from Iota Regulated Battery Chargers
You cant beat the price and they have an optional 4 stage upgrade for under $30.00. To add in redundecy get 2 of the 45 amp units and run them in parallel using their IQ4-PAR controler.
We use one of their 30amp units along with a Honda 1000 to charge on cloudy days.

[CharlieJ]

IOTA chargers do not have temperature compensation capability. AGM batteries are susceptible to damage caused by too high a charging voltage. Charging voltage is a function of, among other things, temperature. Raise the ambient temperature of the AGMs and the absorption voltage must be decreased otherwise, you will damage your expensive AGMs.

Motion30- Are you certain that the TrueCharge2 is the culprit? Did you configure the unit for AGMs?

A quick look at the TrueCharge2 Installation Guide shows that the absorption and float voltages for AGMs are 14.3 and 13.4 VDC respectively at 25C (77F). Since you have set the temperature for "Cold" (<5C), the unit adds 0.525 VDC to the initial settings. These settings become 14.83 and 13.93 VDC but your batteries are not at a temperature of 5C (41F), they are signigicantly warmer. Depending on how long these batteries were subjected to this excessive (as a function of temperature) absorption and float voltage, damage to the batteries may have occured. That is why I recommended, in my original response, that you test the batteries.

"The Devil is in the details...and so is salvation." H. Rickover

[motion30]

Charlie j
Yes the battieries have been tested. Yes I have used the agm setting I have been on top of the tempature setting. In FL with temps in the 80s I had the settings hot, here in the fall I used cold, I now have the setting warm. The charger works erratic, sometimes it will not shut off, sometimes it will not charge othertimes it charges but no float voltage. I lived on the boat for the last 5 months and was able to keep track of what this charger was doing. Now I am ashore and afraid to leave this charger on less I kill my battieries My cheap auto store charger works fine But I spent the money for a SMART charger to protect my expensive battery bank. Turns it is not so smart What else can I do ? What would be a good unit to use?

[The Mons]

I decided that I couldn't wait until 2010 for the 60 AMP Xantrex True Charge 2. So, I ended up buying the 40 AMP model which is readily available.

I passed on the highly recommended IOTA due to the fact that it cannot independently charge two banks at the same time. I have to have this feature since my NextGen 3.5 AC genset uses 5 amps off of the starter battery for its fuel pump and exhaust fan when it is running.

Because of some comments on the board including the "locked fan" error, I was somewhat leary of buying the Truecharge 2 at all. I ended up doing a price match with WM and purchasing the extended warranty for 2 years. Mine has a manufactured date of NOV 08.

I am pleased to say that the charger has worked flawlessly so far with both shore power and my non-regulated generator.

I'd be happy to sell anyone my new ProNautic 60 amp charger and remote control for $500.

[The Mons]

Well, my first Xantrex TrueCharge 2 crapped out yesterday. I had it approximately 2 weeks, powered about 50% of the time.

I am glad that I used quick disconnects to install it to the AC line.

No questions at WM when I returned it. Unit 2 is working well so far after one day.

The production date was 20 NOV 08.