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tgonc asked

Will a Victron Blue 30A charger charge a 420A battery bank when the max rec states 300A?

Hi all! I was considering purchasing a Victron Blue Smart 30A charger for my parallel battery bank consisting of 4x105A 12V SMF Lead Acid batteries but the Victron spec sheet says that the max recommended battery capacity is 300A. I have seen other 25A battery chargers on the market that cope with capacities up to 500A so I am surprised that the Victron would only cope with 300A. Would this be a problem or be dangerous if I charged 420A with it? Any help is much appreciated.

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wkirby answered ·
It would be better dimensioned if you want to charge at the maximum recommended rate (C10) for your battery.

How quick do you need your battery charged? A fork truck might want to be charged at C10 to ensure the battery is full the next morning for a day's work.
If you don't need to charge at C10, then you can charge at a lower rate and it would take longer. It's up to you.

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wkirby answered ·

This would not be a problem. It just maens that the charger will be charging below the C10 rate and would take longer. If you don't mind waiting ~50% longer then there is no problem.

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tgonc avatar image tgonc commented ·

Thanks for the reply. From what I can gather (from reading many forums on the topic) the "experts" seem to recommend a charger which is 10-20% of the battery bank capacity? So I am thinking if money is no object, a Victron Pheonix / Centaur charger @ 40A / 50A would be better dimensioned for 420A bank?

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kevgermany avatar image kevgermany ♦♦ tgonc commented ·
Like @WKirby said, C10 is better. I.e. one tenth of the capacity. Don't go much over that, excessive charge rates can damage the battery. The 20% others are saying is too much for regular use on most batteries.
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