Battery charging

[yachtShoestring]

Hello,

I'm in need of recharging one of the batteries, I've got a shore-power cable, but no charger, looking at "marine" 12v chargers they all seem too expensive, will the one I use on my car do the same job?

Obviously, I won't be leaving it un-attended while charging.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Roach1948]

That is what I use.

[Simon_and_Tanja]

Yes use the one you have! There is a whole intelligence spectrum of chargers available from pretty clever to intensly thick! Depends on how quickly you want to recharge, how oftern you want to recharge, how long you want your battery to last, what type of battery you have, etc. etc. A basic trickle charger will do the job if you have the time. "Marine" means more expensive.

[yachtShoestring]

Great, thanks for your help!

[LittleShip]

Sort answer is yes it will, but as you stated should not be left unattended for long periods and once charged should be removed.

Dont however think that a marine charger (3 step or 4 step) charger is the same animal as a Holfords car charger. These are made to be left connected and do a completely different job.

Tom

[Tranona]

If you are using a standard automotive type battery of (say) 35 AH just to start your engine then the answer is yes. If you are using marine batteries or deep cycle batteries then the answer is no. Your car charger probably only puts out 5 amps. Marine chargers typically have a minimum of 20 amps and variable charge rates to ensure that batteries are charged and maintained at the correct level. They are more expensive not because they are "marine" but because they perform a completely different function.