Balmar DC Charging Solutions

That old car or truck alternator may work ok, but it was designed to fit behind a radiator fan and keep cool by a100 kilometer/hour breeze speeding on the motorway!!  Balmar alternators are designed to provide continuous high output in your boat's hot engine room! You choose!!

Balmar has been serving the recreational marine industry for over 30 years, supplying DC Charging Products and Battery Monitors to help sailors and power boaties charge and monitor their batteries more efficiently. Their US Coast Guard approved equipment is recognized throughout the industry for it’s innovative technology, expert technical service and product reliability.

Balmar alternators are divided between “small case” and “large case” applications with charging rates between 70 to 310 amps @ 12VDC;  70 to 220 amps @ 24 VDC and 100 amps @ 48 VDC.

Small case (6-Series and XT-Series) alternators suit light to medium duty recreational applications on sail and powerboats with either diesel or petrol engines Outputs range between 70- 200 amps. (100 amps = 4.5 HP maximum engine load) 

Large case (94-Series, 95-Series, 97-Series and 98-Series) alternators suit mid-range and heavy-duty cycle applications on larger diesel engines (>150HP). Output range up to 310 amps @ 12V, 220 amps @ 24V. Check their Alternator Output Curves chart below.

High output, 48 VDC tecnology is todays excellent solution for larger craft with large battery banks including lithium ion. Balmar's 48V output is 100 amps (thats equivalent to 400 amps at 12V). (For even larger outputs, visit our INTEGREL page).

High output alternators require careful programmed charging and voltage regulation to re-charge batteries quickly yet safely protected from over charging. Balmar has several high tech solutions with multi-stage programs for most types of battery technology.

Balmar's Voltage regulators have 5 selectable programs (ARS-5) or 8 programs (MC-612/614/624) with temperature sensors to protect both alternator and battery. 

Then there are a couple of clever post regulator modules (a) Digital Duo Charge DDC-12/24 that controls voltage and current between house and start batteries by preferentially charging the start battery at up to to 30 amps before topping up the house bank. (b) Centerfielder CF11-12/24 that balances charging between twin engines to single house bank. Click on below to readabout both.

Balmar's AltMount Serpentine kits with multi-groove pulleys and belts are recommended for higher powered alternators.They are quieter and tend to run smoother than simple Vs. There are kits for Yanmar, Volvo, Nanni, Perkins and a few other lesser known makes of engine. Click below to learn more.

Finally, no boat electric system should be without a Battery Monitor so you know the actual, real condition of each bank and the rate of charge. SG200 Battery Monitor and Smartgauge battery/fuel gauge are both intelligent modules to give you confidence about battery state. 
More reading below.