On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:17:06 -0000, wrote:

Hi:

I cant remember the rule of thumb for sizing an AC shore power charger
to the house bank size. Maybe 10% that is, 40 Ah charger for a 400 Ah
house bank????
Thanks,
Chris

It is frequently recommended that you not charge flooded lead-acid
batteries at more than 20 - 25% of their AH rating - that is, you
shouldn't charge a 400 AH battery bank at more than 80 - 100 amps.

That maximum rate is a consideration when charging from a generator,
where you want to minimise the generator run time. However, when
charging from shore power, you are usually not so concerned about the
charging time, so a much smaller charger may be more appropriate - it
is easier on the batteries to be somewhat gentle with them, and to
charge them at less than the recommended maximum rate.


--
Peter Bennett, VE7CEI
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