Charging Battery Bank Options from Alternator, Solar, and Shore Power

Published 11/21/2019

Question:

I have. 2015 Ford Transit 150 with the stock alternator and one 60 A customer connection point. I plan to wire four 6v, 225 Ah AGM deep cycle batteries in series and parallel to achieve a 12v system with 450Ah. The batteries have a recommended charge rate of 15A - 55A with a voltage of 7.2v-7.35V. I would like to be able to charge the system three ways: battery to battery/alternator solar to battery and AC shore to battery. A buddy suggested the CTEK 250SA with the Smartpass 120s. I am unclear whether the CTEK will work with the above battery configuration. You’re not kidding that choosing a charger is complicated. Can you recommend a charging system that will do what I would like to do?

asked by: Nalani

Expert Reply:

The # 331-SBI212D is what you'd want for charging your battery bank from the solar panel and alternator power source, but when you want to charge it from shore power you'll need a different charger setup as the Smartpass can only accept DC input power.

Then for a shore power charger the CTEK part # CTEK56674 would be a really great option. It has a max amperage rating of 25 amps and was intended for batteries with amp ratings between 50 and 500. It also has reconditioning modes as well as maintenance modes.

expert reply by: Jameson C