"Doug Dotson" blabbered in message-id
the following folklore and rubbish.......

This post is a perfect example of why one should not seek expert advice on
usenet. It is full of idiots such as Doug who thinks he knows it all.

I don't like them. They don;t provide an optimal
charge for the start battery. A better solution is to get an Eliminator
from
AmplePower or an EchoCharge from Balmar. They provide a
better charge for the starting battery. Depending upon your use,
using the second tap on the charger is great if you get to shorepower
regularly. If you are away from shorepower for extended
periods then charging you house bank from the alternator
with an Eliminator or EchoCharge is a better solution.
The problem with your current setup is that the starting battery is
being charged by both outputs of the shorepower charger. As such
it cannot determine when to taper off the charge on just the starting
battery.

Doug
s/v Callista


1. A start battery does not need an optimal charge.

2. If it did then you are correct in that the Eliminator from Amplepower would
provide such a charge. That is the _only_ correct statement in your entire
post.

3. The Echo Charge is made by Cruising Equipment (now part of Xantrex) not
Balmar.

4. The echo charge does not provide an "optimal charge" for the engine battery.
It simply copies the charge profile of its input subject to a 15 amp (7.5 amp
for the 24 volt model) current limit. Therefore if the alternator output is at
14.4 volts, then so is the output of the Echo Charge. No matter how long it is
on. There is therefore _no_ advantage over a battery combiner.

5. The Xantrex charger does have separate outputs but they are _not_ separately
controlled and the charger does _not_ measure the voltage or current on each
output separately so removing his battery combiner will make no difference
whatsoever. The charger will already be holding both batteries at the same
voltage.

6. Your statement that QUOTE "The problem with your current setup is that
the starting battery is being charged by both outputs of the shorepower
charger. As such it cannot determine when to taper off the charge on just the
starting battery" /QUOTE....... is total garbage for the reasons given above.

7. Your statement QUOTE "Depending upon your use, using the second tap on the
charger is great if you get to shorepower regularly" /QUOTE..... is no
different than using the battery combiner he already has. Again for the reasons
given above.

Now to genuinely help the original poster.

Don's explanation is almost certainly the correct one. The engine start battery
is duff. Almost certainly sulphated up. The first major symptom of this is one
shorted cell which then leaves the other 5 being overcharged and they lose
water at a very fast rate.

David also is correct. There is nothing wrong with a battery combiner.

Now then Doug, I dare you to argue back.

:-)