Next message: Bob Austin: "TWL: Re: RE: Re: Battery charging question"
Unfortunately, we have little control over the West Marine catalog or
website information and it is often created by "writers" who know little
about the products.
There are a number of reasons why a 50 amp "continuous" combiner can handle
a 100 amp alternator.
1. The combiners are very conservatively rated.
2. The alternator is connected to one battery that is absorbing some of the
current so it only has to carry the current going to the added bank.
3. 100 amp alternators can't put out 100 amps. This rating is for a cold
alternator at perfect RPM on a test bench into a 10 volt load with a little
fudging. In real life these factors can't remain constant for very long and
the combiner can take overload for quite a while. In the rare case that you
do manage to overload the combiner it has an electronic thermostat that
disables it at 85C and waits for it to get to 75C before restoring. The
green "combined" light will go out and the red "overload" light will remain
on until it restores.
Andina Foster,
> > If your alternator output is 100 amps or less you can use the Combiner
50
> > If the alternator is 200 amps or less you can use the Combiner 150
> > For alternators up to 500 amps the new Combiner 400 is the choice.
>
> That's a bit confusing because the catalog lists them as 50A Cont. Rating
> and 150A Cont. Rating. The statements above are not mentioned in the
> catalog. Perhaps they should be. Just by reading the literature in the
> catalog I assumed I would need the 150A because my alternator is rated at
> 65.
>
> Andy
>
> Andy & Linda Woods
> Grand Folly
> 1970 Grand Banks 36 Classic
> Georgetown, MD
>
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