internal charge wizard or external

[dragonnfly]

OK I purchased a inteli-power 60 amp on eBay with a charge wizard for $165. Thinking this will solve my question of internal or external charge wizard as there were none on eBay at that good of a price with the internal. So I make my purchase and pay the bill and then the nice man e-mails me and says "would you like the 9160 with the external charge wizard or the 9260 with the internal charge wizard." Why do they do this too me???? Any opinions appreciated. Thanks Melanie

[markdoane]

Get the 9160 with the external. You can mount the Wizard at eye level, and it give you a light to tell you what mode it is operating. Also, if you ever switch to gel batteries you can replace the charge wizard.

[1959newbie]

Why would he have to replace the charge wizard if he changed to gel batteries? (She said, having just bought a 9260 ....)

[Pick]

Gel batteries have a higher float voltage than wet batteries. I was not aware that there were two different Charge Wizards available.

[68 Overlander]

Melanie, just tell him to send the one you bought to reduce the confusion. If you have standard deep cycle batteries, either will work. If you don't have Gels, its not a problem and when it's time to replace your batteries, stay away from them anyway.
Since it got brought up, Gel batteries have a lower charge voltage requirement and are more difficult to charge. Even the Gel calibrated Wizard is a shot in the dark and the problem with Gels is not so much the voltage but rather they do not hold up as well to a fast charge. The Gel calibrated Wizard is set .4 volts lower in all modes.

[dragonnfly]

Thank You for all you replys. I really dislike making uneducated decisions and of course all the material Inteli-power puts out is going to be biased or just not to the specific application I am using it for. I like the real life opinions better. My Inteli-power with the external charge wizard is on the way. Thanks again. Melanie

[Pick]

68 are you sure about the voltage being .4 volts LOWER? I have a Dynasty 12 volt battery and it's label states 13.5-13.8 FLOAT voltage. UNLESS, the Dynasty is considered an AGM, which I am not sure of, does not say anywhere on the label.

[68 Overlander]

Hi Pick,
Not at all sure about the Dynasty battery but I'm sure about the Gel calibrated Charge Wizard being lower. We are one of the few that even stock them and I have one as part of my test set for when converters come back under warranty.
I must revise my statement a little about Gels though because I don't mean to start a panic or bashing of them. They are good batteries but do require a little more care in charging.
AGMs on the other hand are very robust and have lower internal resistance. They need the standard Charge Wizard that is used with wet lead acid.

[markdoane]

The first web site I found for Dynasty 12v battery (produced by Universal Power Group) says they produce both AGM and Gel type batteries. But the spec sheet doesn't say which, for any particular battery.

Guess you need to cut each one open to find out.