A question for the leccie experts. I have been running a 50Amp alternator which is standard on the Vetus (Mitsubishi) 4.14 that I have with a Sterling smart charger. The battery bank is 390 Amp Hours. It always got pretty hot and has I think now expired. I am considering fitting a Driftgate 110 Amp alt to replace it. The question is this: I guess the rating of an alternator is it's theoretical maximum output, which is seldom drawn. A 25 Amp charge rate has been commonly seen on my battery management panel however which is 50% maximum. If I fit a 110 Amp it will probably not charge at a greater rate than this (I think?) with the Stirling attached, but will be running at less than 25% of maximum. Have I got this right? Or will the 110 amp alt give a higher charge rate? Wouldn't more than 25 amp charge cook my batteries? Am I doing the right thing fitting a bigger alt which will be working less hard and will therefore last longer and even allow me to fit more battery capacity if I want to at a later date? The cost at £165 is considerably less than the cost of a direct replacement from Vetus by the way. I know I could probably get the existing one fixed but would not a bigger one be better value?
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