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alifraser88

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alifraser88 last won the day on January 8 2016

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    Male
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    Oxford
  • Boat Name
    Galactic

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  1. Thanks all! So if an alternator can go straight to the batteries why do people spend hundreds on Sterling Pro chargers and Victrons etc? Are they just for managing battery charging from generators and shore power? For clarity, this is the alternator we have http://www.dfjauto.com/DFJ010259/VALEO-A13N147M Cheers, Alistair
  2. Hi there, I've got one of these (see pic below), but want to change it for something that can take more solar panels and is a bit more modern. We use it with a 60A alternator, and 1x 100w solar panel (although I think this regulator can only take up to 60w solar. We don't have a wind turbine. It only seems to produce a max of 14.1v when the engine's on (even after hours of cruising) and recently has been hitting 15.1v through the solar panel - which seems a bit high?! I'd like to replace it with a charger suitable for the alternator, and maybe solar as well. Do I need to get a separate charger for the alternator, then an MPPT charger for the solar panel (I also want to add either one or two 175w solar panel to make 275w or 375w in total). We have 3x 110ah leisure batteries and a starter battery, and a Sterling 1600W pure sine wave inverter that is yet to be hooked up.. Any advice, brands, models to watch out for etc, most welcome! Cheers, Alistair
  3. In defence of boaters who live in one area without a home mooring. If you're young, it's likely you can't afford a home mooring in a city (where the jobs are), or afford not to work and cruise around the whole network. I'm sure it doesn't work out any less expensive to live on a boat than renting small flat out of town and a bus ticket. And its not a point that needs labouring, but on the UK average salary of 26.5k, 91% of properties in the UK are unaffordable. (Source: http://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/sep/02/unaffordable-country-where-can-you-afford-to-buy-a-house).Is it a wonder people seek out alternative lifestyles away from the shared, laminated box-rooms of the suburbs? But in reality, not many people choose living on a boat just as a cheap option somewhere close to the best bars. It's about the love of the boating lifestyle (wood fires, ducks, locks, engines, floating..) and many would be cruising off all over the place if they could. CCers are under a constant and ever-increasing threat of being kicked off the waterways, their home and biggest asset confiscated. To say that those who are tied to one place but can't afford a home mooring (yet) should simply just not live on a boat, feels quite unfair, and to those who do already, life afloat feels quite precarious, if not persecuted. Perhaps this is why topics like this pop up all the time - people are grasping at straws for some semblance of stability in the life they've chosen. One could argue: 'the canals were simply not intended for that purpose'. However, the fact is that today, quite a large community of people are using it for that purpose, and there's a humane and an inhumane route to dealing with that. The canal needs young/new enthusiasts to secure it's future for all of us. It's a dilemma for sure... We all need to be kinder to each other, understand and help each other out more. The best solutions come via empathy and considerate debate. Love to all boaters, we share the same dream!
  4. Hi Canalword! Friday scheming/dreaming... In our boat, we have a little Torgem multifuel stove in the bedroom, which is to the bow. Then, going aft, there is a loo on one side and a shower on the other, followed by the lounge area and finally the galley then the cruiser stern. The heat from the stove has a terrible time getting out of the bedroom, and an eco fan doesn't seem to do the job (we may also get a bigger eco fan). This is the reason we are considering replacing the Torgem with something with a back boiler (unless you can retrofit a back boiler?). The plan is to run a back boiler system with pipes through the shower, to 'radiator 1' in the lounge and 'radiator 2' in the galley (optional, as in, it can be cut off or opened as a part of the circuit in an overheating event/when the water becomes really hot). However, from rad 1, the outlet would go under the floor (we have great access to the cabin bilge via sections that can be lifted), through some coiled up tubes and back up by the stove, pretty much all circulating on thermosyphon principle. I'm pretty sure that won't be enough to keep the water flowing, especially if the return pipes make a trip under the floor... so, an impeller on the return just before re-entry into the back boiler - powered by TEG (peltier chip) with the cool water on one side and the hot fire/back boiler on the other side? Haven't really thought about the specifics in too much detail, but if there are any glaring holes in my plan please point them out. this is more like a theoretical exercise, as we've got loads of more pressing jobs to do... and apologies for the diagram... Thanks, Alistair oops, here's the diagram
  5. Wow thanks guys! I'll probably leave all the existing wiring in place then and not use it/hide the ugly bits. I suppose the only thing other than lights and pumps would be a couple of 12v ports for phone charging etc. But I might buy solar panels and a digital voltage meter with USB ports or 12v sockets. Cheers, Alistair
  6. Hi there, I'm about to buy a boat which has been fitted out (electrics-wise) for shore power, with loads of 240v plug sockets everywhere, TVs, Kettles etc, but we don't anticipate or want to be hooked up at all. What I was wondering was if anyone has had experience in changing this sort of setup over to a 12v, battery-based setup, and what challenges they faced whilst doing so. Is it just a case of removing the external hookup point, connecting the internal wiring to the existing 12v loop (which runs the cabin lights etc) and replacing the 240v sockets with 12v ones? Maybe keep one or two and run through a separate, inverter-containing loop from the battery bank? I don't expect it to be that easy but hopefully it won't mean ripping the walls apart! Cheers, Alistair
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