Richard10002
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Posts posted by Richard10002
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Do suppliers endorse some batteries more than others because they make more money on certain brands.
Possibly, but any sale is better than no sale. If you are not buying because you want Varta, they would be crazy not to sell them to you if they can get them.
Having said that, there will be suppliers who won't touch particular products/brands because they cause more trouble than they're worth.
It's quite possible that, rather than lose a sale, the second supplier said they could get Varta just to keep you on the hook. Perhaps they are expecting some imports in a few weeks - I could be wrong.
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I think I like the sound of the Varta LFD180. The dimensions are spot on and I will be dropping 120 amps but even 540 amps should be more than enough. We have got 12v tv,12v fridge and led lighting so everything is being kept to a minimum. Am I right that you should not let the battery power fall below 80% before charging. So 540 amps - 80% = 108 amps of usage. That should be more than enough on such a low usage system.
Confused.com50% seems to be the accepted best compromise, so 270 amps of usage. It takes a long time to charge from 80% to 100%, so this bit is probably be best done by solar, or whilst travelling.
If you keep the batteries above 80%, they will likely last forever.
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I think that this may be a reaction to some of the boats that are mooring in one place for many weeks at a time especially around Lymm and the old no.3. Mike Web would have been made aware of the boat gathering so this would not be an issue.
I'm sure you're right. I wasn't particularly concerned about the "Meet", it just seemed like an anomaly.
I was more looking for confirmation of the 24 hour rule anywhere on the towpath except for Lymm where it's 24 hours.... And definition of "place"
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This question applies only to the Bridgewater Canal, (Runcorn to Castlefield and Leigh).
At a club meeting last weekend we were made aware that two boats had been served with notices advising the following:
Boats may not moor on the towpath in one place for more than 24 hours, and may not return to the same place within 3 days.
I must admit that most weeks I move my boat to the towpath side near the club from Thursday to Saturday or Sunday, as its easier to come and go, and I quite like the interaction with passers by, (my mooring is in a bit of a Billy No Mates position). So it looks like I'll have to pice one day a week for my "trip" in future
There is an exception at Lymm where the limit is 48 hours.
Id guess I've got a copy of the rules somewhere, but I haven't read them. I presumed you could moor for 14 days, like BW.
Does anyone have a copy of their license, or the rules, handy. Is the above the correct interpretation?
Do they define "place."
If so, how does this sit with the Dunham Boat Meet next weekend, where people are talking about getting there on Thursday and leaving Sunday, which would mean 3 days on the towpath in one place.
Many Thanks,
Richard
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Any suggestions for cheap Calor 13kg suppliers in Manchester? I'm on the Bridgewater at Stretford, but can travel a few miles.
Been buying from PF Jones in Old Trafford but I think the last lot were £30 each.... Which seems a lot compared to some here.
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As far as I'm aware, it is only available via certain new house builders, and none of them build canal boats.
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Thanks Richard
Wow at a 1% loss it came out 240mmS
2% loss 120mmS
3%loss 70mmS
So my average at 91mmS puts it 2.5 % loss ish, much in line with the other calculations so pretty happy with that. I'm putting in a 200 amp Mega fuse as well, so should be safe as houses.
Am I correct in thinking that keeping our batteries at over 50% charge, the batteries will be giving around 13 volts, so losing 3% voltage, the inverter would still get 12.6 volts.
I've bookmarked that calculator
Looks OK from here .... Except that Sterling specify a 400A fuse for their 2500w inverter charger, as it is rated at a max of 7200va........... I presume it could spike at this level, but not run continuously.
You shouldn't come to any harm with a 200A fuse, (particularly as you suggest you are only going to use stuff that will draw up to 85A.... However, you might find the fuse blows unexpectedly.
I'm no electrician - my knowledge has been picked up over the past 6 years of boat ownership - so this could be the blind leading the blind
Your batteries will range from about 12.8V to about 12.2V if you keep above 50% SoC.
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Looks like your total length is 4.6m - I think it's 1 conductor, but could be wrong.
With a 3Kw inverter, the current would be around 250A when using full power, so you should calculate for that.
At the end of the day, it's up to you.... As long as the wires are capable of carrying the max the inverter can draw, and are fused accordingly, voltage drop merely affects whether the unit will work or not.
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Try this. Round the wire size up or down as appropriate.
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What is the total return distance from inverter to batteries? This will dictate the size of the cable. I think you may have provided the length, but in a convoluted way.
It may be that you can use 70mm2, fusing it appropriately. Have you had a look at one of the voltage drop calculators?
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Worked for me!
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Just been through all this with a 2.5Kw inverter charger. 8m total run requires 95mm2 cable, (and a 400A fuse). No point under speccing the wire and fuses. What happens when someone who doesn't know plugs a kettle, toaster, Hoover etc. in?
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Yes, but x% of something is better than 0% of something higher. I would have thought a sale at more or less any price is in the broker's interest.
That's how you would expect them to be. I would have thought volume to be the key to a brokerage business, rather than individual fees.
However, the broker who sold us our boat because the seller had reduced his fee by dropping the price......... As you say, 6% of £18k is better than 0% of £27k
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Don't forget that many sellers will consider an offer. If your budget for buying is £15k, I would look at boats up to £22,500. Don't be frightened of making cheeky offers. The worst tey can do is say no.
In particular, some brokers overprice boats and discourage sellers from reducing, (I've no idea why).
Ours was asking £27500 at the brokers before it was reduced at the sellers insistence to £18k for a quick sale, (we saw it and bought within 3 days of the price change).
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Sent an email to Sterling early this morning. Got a short, but informative reply:
Quote:
Charles Sterling Reply:
makes sense but not on that model we are working on upgrade to do that but its a year away for landing
From: sterling-power.com [mailto:help@sterling-power.com]
My email:
Sent: 10 May 2012 01:40
To: help@sterling-power.com
Subject: sterling-power.com Form Submission Results
Contact from sterling-power.com
Name Richard Faulkner
Email richard10002@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone 07710 560855
Message Hi, I bought a reconditioned Pro Combi S 2500w Inverter Charger from you, and it's fine. A few days ago I left the boat connected to shore power, expecting to return a few days later to a fully charged battery bank. When I returned, the cable had become unplugged, and the unit reverted to its'inverter function, obviously using a few amps even on power save with the RCD breakers off. Am I missing something? i.e. can the inverter function be turned off, but the battery charging function remains on? Hope this makes sense. Many Thanks, Richard Faulkner.
End Quote
Can't remember how this started, but I think I was warning the OP to be aware of a downside to look for in inverter chargers.
Looks like I should have bought a different make....... I asked earlier if a diode could be inserted into the circuit with a switch, but wondered if this would result in a voltage drop.... Or can you get diodes that don't drop voltage...... I would only be trying to stop the couple of Amps that would be drawn on power save, so the diode part of the circuit would only need to handle the 70A of the charger function, so could be cabled and fused accordingly.
Perhaps a subject for a separate thread, and perhaps a bit of overkill, as I should have a 100W solar panel fitted soon.
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No need to be baffled
On most Sterling Combi's there is a three position switch panel which can be removed from main unit & relocated via a supplied lead for remote control.
The centre position as can be seen is marked perhaps slightly ambiguously Unit off since this switch controls inverter modes only. The upper position is Auto with power saving feature on, & the lower on permanently with power saving off (but only when no shore power).
Select mid Unit off position & charger will operate as normal when there is shore power, but will not allow inverter to function when there isn't.
Thanks Richard, but still baffled
Honda generator connected to shore power...... 3position switch in lower position or upper position, lights flash and yellow charger indicator stays on, generator speeds up, and clamp ammeter reads 69Amps on the battery cable. Move switch to centre position, lights go out, generator slows down, zero amps on the meter. As far as I can tell, the unit is off.
This is with the 3 position switch attached to the main unit. Could things change if it is connected as a remote? Might have a go later.
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Only if you leave it in Auto (power save) or On mode. Since I haven't seen a Combi that doesn't have an inverter Off mode, you would be crazy to leave it on anything else for long periods unattended.
Your concern therefore is without merit although I appreciate you have learnt the hard way.
Now I'm baffled
As far as I can tell, if the battery charger function is on, the inverter function is on. If it's connected to shore power, the battery charger function works, and the shore power passes through to the boat AC system, (via the RCD). If its not connected to shore power, i.e. unplugged accidentally, the inverter function activates..... In power saver mode, it uses some amps, even if the AC system is turned off at the RCD.
I can't see a way of having the battery charger function on, and the inverter function off. I would be delighted to be proved wrong
If not, I guess a diode could be switched into the battery cable circuit, so current could only flow one way, i.e. the battery charging way..... Is this what diodes do?..... But would this introduce a voltage drop? Very complicated
Anyone with a Sterling Pro Combi who recognises the issue and has a solution, (which may be as simple as a switch on the unit
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With an inverter charger, if you leave your boat connected to the mains to charge the battery, when someone accidentally switches the mains off, or pulls the plug out, the unit switches to inverter power, thus drawing on the batteries.
If you leave your boat like this for a couple of weeks, you could return to find the batteries flat. I left my boat for a couple of days, hoping to return to 100% charged batteries. Instead, I returned to a 50% SOC.. This happens, even if the inverter is set to power save.
I have a Sterling inverter charger,which I like. But I might refit my 25A charger for the above types of situation.
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Have you tried Tvcatchup? Google it and you can watch most channels in real time. Not sure about recording them. If you have Sky at home, you can log on to SkyGo.
I've got a Log 24 aerial on one of their loft poles... Works a treat and swivels to point it in the right direction. If you've already got the wire, the pole, aerial and brackets will be about £40 or so.
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Thanks all. Some really great ideas here.
Sorry, how do you run your laptop (Sue) and charger (Ally) on 12v? Using one of those 'pocket sized' inverters? (I understand how a USB link will charge the phone from the laptop).
Hi Jim,
For most laptops you can get a 12v charger. That's what I use for my Samsung.
However, for the phone, I would tend to use a 12v socket, rather than a USB and, if there wasn't a socket in reach, it's simple enough to fit one.
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Make sure that whichever contract you get allows tethering, and has a big enough data allowance.
Three's One Plan has All You Can Eat Data, and allows tethering.... Their PAYG All You Can Eat Plans don't allow tethering.
Giffgaff has unlimited data, but doesn't allow tethering.
Most providers only allow 500Mb to 1Gb per month, which isn't much.
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Have you got a link for this 2.5kw panel?
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Flexible conduit is pretty cheap and can be fitted to the box maintaing the watertight integrity.
Without seeing it it's difficult to tell and any advice could be over the top. I think you should take a view on whether your cable run will get too hot and go with that. The outcomes are the BSS examiner says put in more heat shield or it gets noticeably hot in use and you decide to sheild it. Cables near the exhaust doesn't sound great but as I say, without seeing it...
I've re-read your OP and.... Why do you need easy access to a 425a fuse? Are you planning many catastrophic failures? Much better to have it in a difficult place and keep the cable runs sensible. ( where they are now?). I assume they run around the outside of the hull? Keep it there.
Appreciate it's hard to comment without seeing it.... One day I'll work out how to post a picture.
I don't need easy access to the fuse box, it's just a consequence of what looks like the best route and spot. The existing 25A charger cable is only 25mm2, and it's route is a bit tortuous around the opposite underside of the engine hatch drain channel. The route I'm choosing is shorter, with less bends, which seems much more sensible for 2 x 2.2cm diameter cables.
Rather than seeing how it goes with the heat from the exhaust, i'll probably get some of this:
Richard - the fuse is associated with a Sterling 2500w inverter charger ... Apparently, the inverter is rated to 7200va for very short bursts, which can involve up to 600A in the 12v cables. The fuse takes a few minutes to blow at 1.5 times it's rating, so it won't be going with a bang.
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If the box is IP65 protected, mechanically protected and the cable shrouded from the exhaust by metal conduit or a heat shield it will be ok.
Thanks Chris..... I'll be drilling some holes in the sides of the box for the cables to pass through, so it's more likely going to be IP55 protected. I suppose I could seal around the wires to make it IP65.
What do you mean by mechanically protected?
On the heat shield thing.... The exhaust is wrapped in some kind of heat shield. Could I wrap the cable in heat shield, or does it need to be a physical metal barrier, say a centimetre from the exhaust, and about 4 cm from the cable? If a metal conduit, could this just be a tube slid over the cable, and positioned in the vicinity of the exhaust, or does it need to be fixed to the boat, over the cable.
Forgive my ignorance ... It's all a bit new to me.
Richard
Confused.com
TV Spec goes over my head.
in Boat Equipment
Posted
I bought a Haier dehumidifier in Portugal in 2006. It was very well made and worked well.
I tried to find out who they were and reached the conclusion that they were a name you never hear, but who make lots of things for rebadging.