Adequate battery charger???

[HopCar]

I had never heard of Iota chargers before this thread got started. I went to their website and noticed that they do not market them to the marine industry. I sent them an email and asked if they were ok to use on boats. Following is the reply I received:

Our chargers do not have a UL “marine” rating but many boat owners do use them. Just make sure it is installed in a location where water will not get to it.

I guess that means that they know their current chargers don't meet UL Marine standards or they feel the marine market is too small to go to the expense of getting the rating. It seems that their primary business is making emergency lighting systems and power backup systems. Looking at them, they don't appear as splash resistant as marine chargers.

 

[sunchaser]

Chuck

Yes, everybody seems to stay limp in coming to Xantrex's defense but anyway, Xantrex as a company is alive and thriving and mine won't give up. When and if it ever does I will stick with my bullet proof Newmar for charging the engine starts and buy a Magnum to replace the Xantrex for the inverter/house bank charging. Since Magnum is located "next door" and they routinely make boat calls I don't care one iota about trying another wannabee in the all too crowded inverter/charger lineup.

 

[Tom.B]

Here is what Iota told me:

[FONT=&quot]Hi Tom,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]There are many pirates like you that use our chargers on their boats even though they are not marine rated. Just make sure they are installed in an areas where they won’t get splashed on or in a sealed compartment where gas fumes or battery gas can build up.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Attached are the owner’s manual for the converter and our three stage smart switch (IQ4) if you are interested.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One thing you may want to consider when choosing a charger size is, is your generator big enough to handle the charger and any other loads you may have.[/FONT]

I ended up with a 55 Amp for my 4 6V GC batteries. It seemed the perfect balance between charging speed and won't overload the genset should I need to charge underway or at anchor. That said... I have yet to install it.

Another great feature of Iota is it's ability to also work as a 55 Amp power supply. SO should you need to pull your batteries, there is a dead cell or two, or something that takes them completely offline, the charge can supply most of your DC needs. I don't know if other chargers do this, I would imagine some do, but my 55 Amp was only $200. Can't beat that with a stick.