Richard10002
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Posts posted by Richard10002
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Why not consider €400 worth of solar panel kit?
3 x 80w panels,mplus a simple controller and some wire?
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What sort of batts are these, 110Ah el cheapo leisure batts? Do they have translucent plastic cases? Wonder if some sort of dipstick/float thing could be made.
Anyway, have seen batt watering system here, homepage here, comes to about £90 delivered. However not sure they'll fit leisure batts.
cheers,
Pete.
That's what I was looking for - thanks.
Not sure whether I'll buy one, when a simple, bottle may be much less, and just as effective, but it's worth having in the armoury.
That's the sort of thing that seemed to be £400 or so in the places I found. Looks like the valve set up can be had for a lot less - I wonder if a pressurised garden weed sprayer could be adapted.
Are these 135Ah batts? Is there a plastic lip or bar across the filler hole? If so how far is it above the acid level?
Edit: But I do think it's probably best to go with what the supplier or manufacturer recommends.
cheers,
Pete.
110Ah. There is a bit of plastic which seems to indicate the filling level, but nothing across the hole.
Why do you ask?
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the charger will likely be internally fused
It's a Sterling Pro Combi S, and there are a couple of buttons on the top marked
Inverter output protect
Charger input protect
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To check and top up my 3 batteries, I have to disconnect them and lift them from under the cruiser stern onto the deck, one by one. Whilst this gives me the chance to rotate them, it's a drudge when sometimes they will only need a quick look and no maintenance.
I've been told about automatic battery watering systems, but can't find any in the UK other than those sold on a professional rip off basis, (£400 +/- for 3 batteries 18 cells), They seem to be around in the US for around £60 for a pair of 12 v batteries, which might be worth it to avoid the hassle 26 times a year.
Cheers,
Richard
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Keep the battery cable run as short as possible and use a single fuse in the positive feed.
Thanks Chris & Richard.
The cable run is about 8m total, (pos +neg). Can't do much about it unless I fit the inverter in the engine bay, or move the batteries... Neither is an option I'm going to do in the foreseeable
The fuse will be about 30cm from the battery, so at least that bit is reasonably OK.
Thanks again.
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Given that power flows both ways in the cables from an inverter charger to the battery, should there be a fuse near the charger, as well as a fuse near the battery?
There is nothing in the instructions about two fuses, but it would seem to make sense to have a fuse in the positive, close to the battery, and a second fuse in the negative, close to the inverter?
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I'd like a "How To" on how to build an L-Shaped sofa, with table, that converts to a double bed, with storage under.
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Just bought this 100W kit for £186, which seems to be the going rate in their auctions.
Seemed reasonable value at less than £2 per watt for the whole kit.
Just got to fit it now
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Presumably a battery bank can be so big that your usage tends to leave them in the 80% to 100% charged state more often than not, which is an inefficient usage of any faster charging system.
Big is not necessarily beautiful?
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Water lubricates? That is a new one to me. Cooling perhaps, but lubricating..? And what kind of technolitgy relies on grease finding it's way to the bearing by change....
Water definitely lubricates certain items.
When my yacht was out of the water in 2009, if I turned the prop, the cutlass bearing squeaked. Throwing a bucket of water along the shaft, and into the bearing, stopped the squeaking.
The grease is under pressure on the prop shaft. As tha shaft turns, the grease spreads around, and along, the shaft. Over time, as it spreads more thinly, the pressure reduces, and more grease is neaded, hence tightening the screw on the grease container.
Not a difficult concept.
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I have a 2500w inverter, (charger aswell), and am in the process of fitting 95mm2 cable and a 425a fuse. The cable is 22mm diameter inc. insulation. The inverter charger has its own on/off switch.
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Could I suggest a 20 quid induction 'clamp' ammeter next rather than anything all singing and dancing?
Where can you get a DC clamp meter for 20 quid?
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I would fit a digital ammeter and shunt off Ebay (about 20 quid) and maybe a digital voltmeter (a fiver) and put the balance of the 150 towards the batt replacement fund.
Nobody has mentioned the Nasa BM battery monitors that cost 30% less than SG aimed at the same market.
NASA BM-1 about £90 reads up to 100A
NASA BM-2 about £120 reads up to 200A
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Looks to me like the canopy for the back would be around £1,000 on a cruiser stern.
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and am going to call in at an old fashioned auto electrics yard next week.
Called in this morning, showed them the lug, and they said no problem and about 50p a crimp. Apologised that they couldn't do it today
Looks like a result, but it will be next week before I've got the wires cut to length and prepared with the lugs attached.
Thanks to everyone for the kind offers.
Tim: if all fails, I'll take you up on your offer - Might even come by boat
Richard
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what in the name of sweet Mary and Joseph do you need 95 sq mm cable for ?
That's what I would've thought before getting into this!
A 2500w inverter, 4m from the batteries. It's to do with voltage drop, rather than current.
I am in Hinckley Leics
Most Of the ther Boat Yards that I know do not have the capabilty to correctly crimp 95 mm cable
Keith
Similar trip to Nottingham - but thanks.
I've enquired of the local yard at Stretford Marina, and am going to call in at an old fashioned auto electrics yard next week. If neither works, I'll probably plump for buying the crimpers at £60. At least I'll be able to help others out in the future.
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Exactly right
A properly set up stern gland should never drip,the greaser is to lubricate the (usually) bronze bearing behind the packing
grease will act as a temporary method of stopping or slowing a drip.
In 30 years of yachting, the consensus was that a manually greased stern gland should drip about once a minute, and should feel warm, but not hot, in use. The choice seemed to be "just dripping", or, "just not dripping". The former seemed easier to achieve than the latter where, if you tightened it to stop the dripping, it may be too tight, thus wearing the prop shaft.
I always felt more comfortable with a slow drip which, if it became a faster drip, suggested the gland needed either tightening, or repacking.
Now I have a supposed maintenance free gland, which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable
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Hello
I have an existing 12v system via an inverter. My question is this... The inverter plug is in place at the front of the boat. I do a lot of lap top PC work 1/2 way along the boat and would like another plug there. If I can find the supply wire can I spur a 12v plug into it or do I need to wire in a knew length of wire with a new plug?
trog
Best solution is to get a 12v charger for the laptop. Otherwise, you are converting from 12v to 240v, through the inverter, then back to about 15v through the laptop charger. Each time you convert, it's inefficient, and you lose some amps.
It will also be easier to tap into a 12v supply half way along the boat...... But make sure the wires are thick enough to take the current and maintain the voltage.
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Ive just 4 of these and im very happy so far, they do a discount for more than 1 bought....
They've got a CCA, so won't be true deep cycle. Many suppliers describe batteries as deep cycle when they aren't. They may, or may not, have thicker plates than the norm, but won't be deep cycle.
Unless you know your stuff, it seems that you can only trust brands like Trojan and US to be as described.
Richard
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Hello Richard
I would be more than happy to crimp the cable for you
What part of the UK are you in
Keith M
Thanks Kieth... I'm in Manchester. Had an offer from Nottingham, but it would cost as much in fuel as buying a crimper
where are you?Richard
Those are perfect.You can hire the crimpers for a couple a quid.
Where from. I can only find them at the usual places for about £70 per day !!
Richard
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Here's what I've gone for:
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/automotive-fuses/2261005/
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/base-mount-fuse-holders/3809923/
Would I be better getting the 95mm2 lugs crimped by a local electrician, or auto shop, or is it worth buying a hydraulic crimper, (up to 120mm2 cable), for about £60? ( I've already got an 8-70mm crimper).
Thanks for the help so far.
Richard
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What do you call a small fortune? Deep Cycle and cheap are not words in the same dictionary. Trojan T*** might be the ones, but I'd be guessing you won't get much change out of a grand.
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I bought a Honda 20i on eBay for £700. Works fine, and very quiet.
Having said that, it's heavy, and there is no way my wife could lift it onto the deck from its storage spot. The 10i would be fairly straightforward for her, although it would be running at full power to provide 50A.
I wonder how long a charger would be trying to pump 50A into the batteries. My Sterling inverter charger runs at 69A for a few seconds, then drops to about 55A for a short while, before dropping to about 40A for the majority of the bulk charge time.
What happens if the charger asks for more than the generator can provide? Does it just get whatever the generator can provide, or does the generator or charger cut out, or does the generator run too highly powered and get damaged?
I don't profess to know the answers, merely wonder at how these things would work out?
Richard
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3KW Hair dryer? That worries me a bit. No wonder you've lost your hair!
It's not mine, it's SWMBOs!
I checked the spec and it's 2.1KW. Ran it from the genny - Very hot, and very powerful.
I say 250A to allow for inefficiencies, and stuff
Apparently, the inverter is spec'd for spikes up to 7200va, so it could possibly draw up to 600A momentarily.
Fuse Box - fit above weed hatch?
in Boat Equipment
Posted · Edited by Richard10002
I need to fit a 425A fuse near the battery bank, which is at the rear starboard side under the cruiser stern. It's a big fuse, so needs a fairly deep box, (80mm).
There's is a U-shaped channel under the lifting part of the deck, the front of which would take a wooden board, to which I would fit an ABS box for the fuse.
However, this would mean that the cables and fuse box would be above the weed hatch. They wouldn't interfere with opening it, but there is the vaguest chance they could be disturbed when messing about in/with the hatch.
The battery isolators, relay, and a fuse, are in a similar location but at the front end of the cruiser stern under the front lifting part.
In my opinion, this is the best place for the fuse and box, about 12" from the +ve battery terminal, easy to access, and doesn't require fixing to the outer hull or the fuel tank wall, ( which would make the box hard to access in any case.
Are there any rules as to the route of battery cables, and the positioning of fuses, particularly in the area above the weed hatch? And does the above sound OK?
Many Thanks,
Richard