Iota charger recommendations

[cutterorient]

To all those here that first turned me onto the Iota's, thank you. I just installed mine today and so far I am very happy. I emailed them with questions and got prompt ( within hours) , knowledgable answers. Great recommendation, nice outfit. Thanks again.

[arf145]

I'm looking at Iota right now Cutter. Which model did you get? Did you have to cut the power cord and splice? Any install notes to share?

Thanks.

Tom

[cutterorient]

I bought the DLS30IQ4 - the one with the built in IQ4 'smart' component. If you look at the specs on the co.'s website there is place that specifies 'max inrush current, single cycle'. This was my determining factor in the end. Max amperage with what I think is safe 'max inrush' for my girl.

I probably could have gotten away with the 15 amp as I was shocked how quickly the bank charged on forst use.

Yes I cut the plug off and it was another one of those seems so scary / not scary at all in hindsight type of deals. Just do a proper job of the splice and you are good to go.

I bought it from Northern Arizon Wind which I was satisfied with.

[btrayfors]

Glad you're happy with the new Iota.

Yes, Iota chargers with the IQ-4 smart charge option will hang in there longer at full rated amperage than will many (most) other chargers....as long as the batteries need it.

Don't know the size of your battery bank, but IMHO it's almost always a good idea to have a larger rather than smaller charger, so long as your power source can handle the in-rush and maximum amp draw.

And, here's a + 1 for Northern Arizona Wind and Sun....good outfit and good prices.

If you have flooded batteries, you might look into the WaterMiser caps. They greatly reduce the frequency of needed watering, and they make it very easy to check water levels in the batteries. No need to remove these if/when equalizing the batteries either, as is required with HydroCaps.

Bill

[arf145]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

Don't know the size of your battery bank, but IMHO it's almost always a good idea to have a larger rather than smaller charger, so long as your power source can handle the in-rush and maximum amp draw.

What would be the problem with the power source, say a 30-amp shore power hookup? I see a max current on the DLS30M of 7 amps @ 108 VAC. What is inrush ( 27 amps) ?

I'm looking to size for a 2 x Grp 27 bank, so just curious.

Tom

[mitiempo]

arf
He sized it to also run from a generator on board.

[arf145]

Ah, got it, thanks mitiempo. So no reason to go smaller than the 30-amp for 2 grp 27s?

[mitiempo]

arf
Smaller chargers don't always get the job done as fast as you want. Larger is no problem. The batteries will only accept what their design allows.

[pegasus1457]

Originally Posted by cutterorient

Yes I cut the plug off and it was another one of those seems so scary / not scary at all in hindsight type of deals. Just do a proper job of the splice and you are good to go.

I bought it from Northern Arizon Wind which I was satisfied with.

I also bought mine from Northern Arizona Wind and was satisfied.

It is not necessary to cut off the 3-prong plug. The AC cord terminates inside the chassis on push-on lugs. So it can be removed cleanly and replaced with marine AC cable fitted with the same lugs.

OTOH the company rep told me that cutting off the plug would not void the warranty.