Battery charger in engine compartment?

[CrustyChief]

Try and locate as close to your batteries as possible. BTW most power boats have the charger in the engine room or Lazerete, usually pretty close to batteries, Especially house batteries.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Hard Rock Candy

If my engine room was ever hot and wet I would, as soon as posable figure out why and cure the problem. There is no reason for a cutlass bearing and the accompanying seal to let water drip inside the boat. and there should be enough air flow through the engine compartment to cool the area. My heart 2000 watt inverter and charger was in the engine room for 20 some years and never missed a beat. I understand that sometimes things get ahead of a person, but a hot wet engine room permanently, is a sign of some longtime neglect. Mac

Agreed about the stern gland and looking to replace with a drip-less type next haul out, however water dripping past the stern gland is not unusual for those that employ packing. Also the (small) centre cockpit engine room is basically sealed to reduce noise and heat passing to the cabin except for one small vent and induction air is drawn primarily from the bilges during engine operation. Because of this heat stays soaking inside for quite some time giving lots of opportunity for humidity to max out.

[gentlerain]

I have had a battery chrger mounted inside my engine room for +12 years with no problems. I think because I only use it when NOT using the engine i.e. on the hard or tied to a dock. I also have my inverter installed in the engine room again with no porblems and it is in use sometimes with the engine on. At lease they are in a dry environment and have easy access if needed.
Catherine Jones
s/v Gentle Rain II

[nhschneider]

When I bought our boat 20 years ago, one of the first things I had to do was replace the Heart Freedom 20 inverter/charger, which was installed in the engine compartment. I installed the replacement in the same spot. It gave us excellent service up until just recently - over 30,000 miles of cruising - and we finally replaced it with a new Victron - which I installed also in the engine compartment.

It's not always easy to find a location for a 3,000-watt inverter/charger, even on a 48' boat. Those who glibly suggest to 'buy some extra wire' must not mind having an ugly piece of hardware in their saloon.

That being said, you will void the warranty on a Magnum inverter/charger if you install it in an engine compartment.

Fair winds and calm seas.