Xantrex True Charger 40 Self-test?

[Osprey69]

So two of my 4D house bank cooked off after 2 1/2 years. They were Interstates and water was checked not long ago (couple months...maybe I should be checking weekly?).

We are dockside and I watch the voltage regularly and nothing seemed out of order as it was registering 13 to 14 volts under use. 13.5 is float charge so I thought all good.

Apparently not as the two batteries charged by that same charger, and even though this model charger is seemingly robust (on the internet anyway, so it must be true) but apparently mine is not or it is just old. Indicator lights seem fine. But again no manual.

I Googled self testing this model as there are no owner manuals aboard. No joy. I would rather fry the new 4Ds.

Suggestions? And thanks in advance.

 

[fryedaze]

Are you sure you just didn't fail to water the battery? If you let it dry out it will cook the battery.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yeah, maybe not weekly, but monthly for sure.

I cooked a couple 6 volt golf cart batteries down to where they wouldn't crank the engine anymore. Voltage was 13.2. Batteries were dry. I put more than a gallon in them and hoped for the best. The best happened. It started the engine and the week after I checked with newly bought good old fashioned weighted float type hydrometer and batteries were like nothing happened.

I love 6 volt golf cart batts!

A surveyor noted that deep cycle batts should not be used for starts, but hey, I'll trust a couple 6 volt GC batts in series for power and life over a 31 starter now and forever too -

 

[Portage_Bay]

Here's the manual for your Xantrex. I've been through the manual in detail and don't recall a self test. I had a few issues with mine so replaced it with a Sterling 60 AMP charger. The Sterling has if I remember correctly 11 presets and two fully programmable setups. You can make it do anything your battery bank(s) need.

The Xantrex has two switches, one for battery chemistry and one for battery temperature. One of the problems I had was seeing at most 20 AMPs output when the house bank was low. That hardly kept up with the load when on anchor let alone make some headway charging the bank. It's been a while so details are muddy but I would change the battery temperature setting. One position when running the generator or on shore power to recharge the house bank after being on the hook so I could see a full 40 AMPs in bulk charge. And another position when dockside plugged after a cruise with near zero load, the 20 AMPs bulk was enough and the float was less so it reduced battery "cooking".

The Xantrex in it's day was a top notch charger. Now there are much better options out there.

View attachment Xantrex charger.pdf

 

[Osprey69]

Portage...you are The MAN!! Looking through the manual (which I could not find online) I found the section about the battery temp selector switch. They were set to cold which will charge up to 1 volt higher on all modes. And in these Florida summer temps it was definitely the wrong setting. Simple fix that I should have noticed earlier.

Curiously the manual mentions equalizing monthly? Sound excessive. Any thoughts?

 

[Portage_Bay]

I'll confess to ignorance on equalization. I'd go with what the battery manufacturer says.

I will say the equalization on the Xantrex seems to have saved a six golf car bank I drained to near zero.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Curiously the manual mentions equalizing monthly? Sound excessive. Any thoughts?

Check what your battery manufacturer recommends. My Xantrex says monthly. My manufacturer says no. I haven't done it in three years and all is good (so far).