Chatman - Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Sue DeLelys of Guest Chargers!!!

Dunn - Clap, Clap, Clap!

Driftr - Welcome Sue !!!

Sue D. - Hello all.

dan - Hi Sue!

Chatman - Weeeeeee!

TrollinND - Hello Sue!

Chatman - Well, Sue, can you give us a little insight into your job with Guest?

Sue D. - Well, I talk on the phone a lot, when I'm not on line:)

Chatman - I like your job already.....LOL!

Sue D. - A big part of my job is answering questions on Guest chargers.

Sue D. - Questions like, what charger to use, for which application, and such.

Chatman - Do you have a title?

Sue D. - My Current title is Technical Support Manager.

Sue D. - It used to be Customer Service Manager.

Chatman - That makes sense, either way you list your job title.

Driftr - And, it is a position Sue does very well!

Sue D. - Me too, Chatman!

Sue D. - Thanks Driftr, I enjoy my work!

Sue D. - I think that the best part of my job, is all the great folks I have met!

Chatman - I also see you frequently answer peoples questions and solve problems off our message boards.

Ristorapper - Ditto Chatman.

Sue D. - It's a site that I really enjoy.

Chatman - That kind of manufacturer presence/support is always well received.

Sue D. - And it's nice to be appreciated.

Chatman - And, it is just down right nice to see as well.

Ristorapper - I have read many of your comments on questions about chargers and enjoy reading and learning about them.

Sue D. - And, to know that Guest has gotten better over time.

Sue D. - Thanks Ristorapper!

Chatman - Can you tell us a little about the line of products guest manufactures?

Sue D. - We manufacture waterproof battery chargers for trolling motor batteries and cranking batteries.

dan - I too would like to thank you for making yourself available and helping me pick the correct unit. I am still in my first year, with a Guest charger, and very happy with the 2631!

Sue D. - We also have many different models depending on the customers needs.

Ristorapper - She needs to help me pick the right one too!!

Sue D. - Thanks Dan!

Sue D. - Thanks Ristorapper!

Chatman - Is the product line strictly battery charging equipment?

Sue D. - How are they working out?

dan - I'm amazed at how hot they get!

Sue D. - No, we also make spotlights, battery switches, interior lights and voltage scanners. To name just a few of our products.

Ristorapper - How hot should a charger get, when they are charging Sue???

Chatman - See, you learn something new every day.

Sue D. - Our chargers should get warm to the touch. But not warm enough that you can't keep your hand on it.

Sue D. - Dan, how warm is your charger getting?

Sue D. - Once the charger gets to the float mode, it should be cool to the touch.

dan - At first, you could not keep your hand on it.

Sue D. - It should not get that warm, unless it is in direct sun

Driftr - Mine was only ever warm, while charging 3 banks!

dan - The charger was in the shade, up under the transom of my boat.

Ristorapper - Were the hatches open Dan?

Sue D. - Were the batteries heavily drained?

dan - Yes, batteries fully drained.

Sue D. - Good point Ristorapper!

Ristorapper - Just something I learned from your replies on Walleye Central Sue!

dan - My charger is in a compartment, that is not very open. It is also elevated off the floor, about 2" . Just as you previously instructed

Sue D. - Generally, the bulk mode will get the warmest. How long was the charger in the red mode?

dan - I went to bed and in the morning it was just warm Sue.

dan - I did not see when it went off the red mode.

Sue D. - It sounds ok, but you might want to keep an eye on it. By the way, how old are the batteries?

dan - They are new.

Sue D. - Any chance the trolling motor was plugged in?

dan - No.

GregK - Hi Sue. The specs for the charger I bought, call for a great deal of cooling room. Is it ok to have something less than this if you leave the hatch open while charging?

Sue D. - Like I said Dan, keep an eye on it. You might want to watch the charge cycle during the day when you can see the change over.

Chatman - That brings up another good topic. Just why should a person unplug the trolling motor while charging, but not the outboard lines?

Sue D. - Hi Greg! Yes, you can put the charger in a compartment and leave the hatch open for cooling.

Chatman - Is a battery isolating type switch a good idea?

Sue D. - Chatman, some trolling motors can draw current, even when off.

Sue D. - Plus it is a safety consideration.

Sue D. - Not needed Chatman. The batteries are isolated through the charger.

Chatman - What about a charge run switch on the boat? First off, I know the owner of the boat will need to be sure the trolling motor is even wired through the panel.

GregK - Good point Sue, I understand trolling motors have started fires in some instances. I turn mine off by shutting down the breakers when not in use.

Sue D. - Again, not needed Chatman. With the charger wired direct to the batteries, the charger controls the cycle.

Chatman - Is it always a good idea to avoid those gizmos? I always have, opting to wire direct.

Sue D. - Greg, you also do not want someone to turn your trolling motor on, by accident.

dan - Sue, what is the life expectancy of these onboard chargers?

Sue D. - Chatman, a run/charge switch is normally used for external charging as I understand it.

Sue D. - I'm not real good with them as with our chargers they are not necessary.

Chatman - I thought as much too. In fact, my last couple boats didn't even have them. And when I did have one, I wired around it as I had a built in charger.

GregK - One other thing Sue. For some reason my charger never turns its red lights on without the green. So far it's charging but that might be because I give it a long time to charge. Should I be concerned about this?

Sue D. - Dan, we have been doing some life expectancy testing, but not finished as yet. I do know that we are at about 5 yrs and still going strong

Sue D. - How far down do you normally drain your batteries?

Chatman - Sue, do you have a boat?

dan - 50 - 75%,generally.

GregK - Sometimes very far it I'm fishing two days on the river.

Sue D. - Yes I do own a boat. However, there are not many Walleye here in CT! 

Chatman - That was my next question Sue! Thanks for the pre-response.

Sue D. - Greg, what model & how old?

Chatman - Do you run a 24 or 36 volt system Sue?

Sue D. - I'm sorry to say, it's an older 12 volt system.

Sue D. - But getting ready to upgrade.

Sue D. - With a newer boat too!

Ristorapper - I have 2 deep cycle, and one cranking battery in my boat.

Driftr - Sue, do you have a truck too? :)

Ristorapper - Sue, I need recommendations for a new charger.

Sue D. - Is anyone out there running a 36 volt system?

Driftr - :)

Chatman - With a 36 volt system and a cranking battery, would you recommend one 3-bank and a single charger, or 2-two- bank chargers?

GregK - It's a 26XX I think. The one that has two 10 amp leads. It's about a year old.

Sue D. - Chatman, how about a 4-bank charger?

Chatman - I ran a 36-volt system on the last rig, and had two 2 bank chargers to power all 4 batteries.

Chatman - You make a 4 bank?

Driftr - Sue, is Guest coming out with one?

Sue D. - Greg, give me a call tomorrow at 1-888-483-7865, ext. 135.

Chatman - I need to pay more attention then....LOL!

Chatman - Battery Chargers, batteries wiring etc......

Sue D. - Guest now has a 2635. it's a 10x10x10x5

Chatman - How large is the 2635?

Driftr - Whoa, that is a big boy there!

Chatman - What are the dimensions Sue?

Sue D. - Yes it is a big boy Driftr. It's 15 x6x3, approximately.

Driftr - About the same dimensions as the 31?

Sue D. - And it weighs only about 13 lbs.!

Sue D. - just a bit larger, Driftr.

Chatman - That model would fit in most storage areas.

Sue D. - Most, and if it's too large, it can be left in the open.

Chatman - I wired my last 2 through the gunnels and inside the transom, so I only would have one plug. Now Guest has done the job for me....saves me about 3 hours on the next boat!

Sue D. - Plus it will charge all of your batteries at once with only one charger! 

TrollinND - That sounds like a lot less work!

Chatman - That was why I wired the 2 dual bank chargers together. I just had to plug in one line and all 4 batteries were maintained.

Sue D. - We also have a sister company that manufactures the waterproof inlets.

Chatman - That's convenient....

Ristorapper - I have 2 deep cycle and one cranking battery. One deep cycle back with the cranking battery and one up front. I'd be interested in your recommendations Sue. Also what gauge wire do I need to get the front deep cycle wired in, if yours aren't long enough?

TrollinND - Sue, does the charger take longer, the more batteries you've got?

Sue D. - Ristorapper, how often do you fish?

Sue D. - No, TrollinND. But charge time does depend on what size charger you use.

Sue D. - 5 amps to your trolling batteries will take 10-12 hrs, while 10 amps will take 5-6 hours.

Ristorapper - I fish 1-2 days weekly, usually weekends. I need something to maintain the cranking battery as I usually don't get too far from the boat launch. I do use my boats accessories heavily.

Chatman - Is there a formula for calculating what size charger you'll need?

Sue D. - In most cases your batteries will be back to full charge overnight.

Driftr - I was thinking on connecting another battery in a series to my now existing starting battery, is there any benefit in doing this ?

Sue D. - Ristorapper, I would go with a 2613.

Ristorapper - A 24-volt system very rarely goes below half use.

Ristorapper - Sue, is that charger a 10/10/3??

Sue D. - You can use either 12 or 14 gauge wire to make longer runs.

Sue D. - No, it is the 5,5,5.

Ristorapper - Ok, thanks.

Sue D. - The 2613 used to be a 5,5,3.

Chatman - How do you recommend an angler go about lengthening the charger cables, Sue?

Sue D. - The 2623 used to be a 10,10,3, but is now a 10,10,5

Ristorapper - Ok, thanks Sue.

Chatman - Solder and shrink tubing? Liquid electrical tape? Wire nuts?

Sue D. - You can either use our wire extension kit or make your own.

Sue D. - We do recommend that you leave the fuse holder in the circuit if you use your own wire.

Sue D. - I prefer solder and shrink sleeve. Less chance of corrosion.

Chatman - I used 14 gauge, exterior extension cord and soldered the connections. I then used shrink tubing and liquid electrical tape. A little excessive I admit, but I have never had a problem.

Sue D. - Too much is better that not enough. Corrosion can cause voltage drop.

Sue D. - And longer charging times!

Chatman - I planned to have the system as hands off as possible.

dan - Sue, I understand that one can leave these chargers plugged in while in storage. (Several months)

Sue D. - The charger that I have was previously maintaining the batteries for around 2 yrs.

Sue D. - Not a problem with the batteries either.

Chatman - Can you, briefly, explain how your chargers charge, float and maintain a charge?

Sue D. - Well, except that they were 5 yrs old, but they still worked.

Sue D. - That's a tough one Chatman. But I'll give it a whack.

Chatman - Are there computer chips and such doin the thinkin in there?

Sue D. - The charger starts out with the highest amperage while bringing up the voltage to 14 volts in the bulk stage.

Sue D. - Once the batteries reach 14 volts, the charger switches to absorption. In this stage, the amperage drops off slightly while the voltage increases to 14.2

Sue D. - At 14.2, the charger switches to float. This is where the charger maintains 13.3-13.5 volts at low, variable amperage for storage without boiling the batteries.

Sue D. - Chatman, yes, there are computer chips, to control the charge rate.

Sue D. - And they monitor the charge level of the batteries.

Ristorapper - No problem leaving the charger plugged in all winter long to maintain batteries?

Sue D. - No problem at all. I have even left the boat outside all winter long, while plugged in.

Ristorapper - Sue, do you have to be concerned with the fluid levels in the batteries?

Sue D. - I just had to watch the cord, so as not to run over it with the snow blower! :)

Ristorapper - Over the winter that is.

Chatman - I remember reading about chargers in general, in Bass and walleye boats. Learned a lot there, but still left me with a couple of questions.

Swat1 - I plug mine in when I come off the water Risto and unplug it the next time I'm going to go out. And as you know, that has been a while for me!

Sue D. - We do recommend checking the water level once a month, especially in warm climates.

Sue D. - Ask away Chatman.

dan - That was my question Risto. ND winters a getting longer every year

Ristorapper - That's not a problem up here Sue!!!!!!!!

Sue D. - I'll try to keep up.

Chatman - You got most of them with my last question.

Ristorapper - My neighbor left his plugged in all winter and fired it up this Spring. It worked well, don't know what brand charger though.

Sue D. - Well, haven't I heard that it was a bit warm up north lately?

Ristorapper - Cold wet and windy!

Ristorapper - A nice walleye chop!!

Sue D. - I have even heard in the message board about a couple of guys whose boats filled up with water.

Chatman - I always left mine plugged in, but then was told that was bad. I was told to only plug them in about 1 time each month when not using the boat. I thought that was a little weird.

Sue D. - Once the boat dried out, the charger was still working.

Chatman - I just left them plugged in all winter, and when boat not in use. I have never had a problem.

Sue D. - In one case, the charger was working underwater

Ristorapper - That's scary!

Sue D. - Not really, the charger is completely waterproof.

Sue D. - It actually works better underwater as it stays cooler.

Ristorapper - I'll have to remember that.

dan - It should work well, under cover of hail then too! Right Risto?

Ristorapper - Just mount it in the live well then! LOL

Ristorapper - Ya Dan!

Sue D. - Chatman, it is best to leave the charger plugged in. Each time the charger is unplugged, the batteries can loose a small amount of charge. Each time the charger replaces the charge is one cycle.

Sue D. - And each cycle shortens the life of the battery, whether it is out fishing or charging.

Chatman - Sue, what do you think of the solar type battery maintainers? And, does Guest make one?

Ristorapper - What are some of your favorite comments, or stories, regarding guest chargers Sue???

Sue D. - No, we don't make one Chatman.

Sue D. - One problem with them is that they are not regulated. They are a constant trickle charge, which can cause boiling!

Ristorapper - That sounds like a job for Thermoil!

Chatman - They sounded too good to be true...thanks!

Sue D. - My favorite was a gentleman whose boat filled up with water on the trailer cause he forgot to take out the plug. The electronics were shot, but the charger still worked.

Ristorapper - :)

Sue D. - Another is a lot of fisherman that no longer have to get up in the middle of the night to switch chargers!

Ristorapper - I can relate to that Sue!!

Sue D. - I also get a lot of comments about how easy they are to use.

Sue D. - And how much nicer they are than carrying several portable chargers Around!

dan - That is one that I especially like!!!!

Chatman - I loved the not having t get up at 3 am, or not having to worry about rain shorting out the whole mess!

Sue D. - And disconnecting and reconnecting wires for 24 and 36 volt systems!

Driftr - I will definitely have another Guest charger!

GW(in) - Sue, do you need a four-bank charger if you have a 36-volt trolling motor?

Sue D. - You can hook our chargers up with a 24 or 36-volt system and the charger never sees the jumper wires. It will charge each battery individually!

Sue D. - GW, no, not if your 3rd battery is the start battery r if you do not want to charge the start battery as the fourth.

RoyG(PA) - Sue, my 3 battery guest pro charger is seven years old!

GW(in) - Cool!

Chatman - Ladies and Gentlemen, a warm round of applause for tonight's guest 

Host. Sue D. of guest chargers!!

Driftr - Clap, clap, clap!

GW(in) - Clap, clap, clap!

Sue D. - Thanks all!!!!!!!

Swat1 - Thanks Sue Great Chat as always

Ristorapper - Clap, clap, clap!

Ness - thanks, sue

RoyG(PA) - thanks sue...

Chatman - Clap, clap, clap, clap, ZAP! Whoops! I touched the black and red wires together while clapping!!

Sue D. - Ouch!

Driftr - LOL, Ralph!

prairiepillow - Thanks Sue! 

dan - Keep the channels open Sue! Glad to have you available, as you always are! Have a great weekend!!

Chatman - I tell you what, with a 24-volt system, those wires ca get hot enough to weld with! If ya cross em just right.......