tiresias

That Efoy one did sound interesting, and has been discussed in another thread, and reviewed in one of the canal mags a few months ago. But the methanol fuel is quite expensive and would have to be delivered, and they only produce 3-8 amps. Apparently the Eberspaecher is due for release at the "end of 2017" in the US. "The system has been designed to meet the demand for efficient generators for trucks created by a recent US ban on engine idling in commercial trucks, the previously popular but environmentally detrimental method of supplying electricity to the truck cab when stationary". It sounds like Eberspacher may have sportted an opportunity there and hence are launching in the States first. There are lots of articles about the Eberspaecher including this one that goes through its development: http://articles.sae.org/12659/ A 3kW deisel-powered quiet replacement for our generator would be the stuff of dreams, but I dread to think how much it will cost. I've sent Eberspaecher an email pointing out the possible interest among the boating fraternity. If anyone else can see the potential for their own boat/lifestyle, a few more expressions of interest to them probably wouldn't hurt.

Just to complete this topic, I just enquired about the Truma Vega LPG fuel cell from the Truma UK. They said Truma GmbH have decided to no longer produce the VEGA fuel cell so it is not available.

I couldn't find them either when we opted for their AGM's last year, so I emailed them. Their technical deptartment said: SFL 110 Bulk @ 14.4 volts and float @ 13.8 volts AGM 110 Bulk @ 14.8 and float @ 14.4 volts No mention of temperature though. 12 months on all seems well.

Incidentally, the FAQ is entitled "What to do when a MultiPlus does not accept generator power". Because the AC pass through seems to be working constantly OK, does that mean that it IS "accepting" the generator power? Or does "accepting" just apply to the charger in this context?

Thanks for the link to the FAQ. The UPS function was already off, so will try the Weak AC next time we run the gen. That's what Multicell recommend for their AGM batteries - 14.8 absorb and 14.2 float

I have a Yanmar generator, and very happy with the output power. We can run a couple of heavy bits of equipment and it can still push 90-100 amps into the batteries. I set our our Victron Phoenix MultiPlus 12/3000/120-16 to "charger only" and use the pass through to power the AC mains appliances while the generator is running. The problem is that every few minutes all the lights go out on the Victron panel and the meter shows that it is no longer charging the battery. After 20-30 secs the Victron comes on again by itself - the "mains on" light comes on and it starts bulk charging again. It seems to do this mostly during the first 30 mins or so of the generator running. After maybe 50 mins of running, the Victron is unlikley to trip off in this way - maybe it's due to the reducing changing current as the batteries get fuller, but that's just a guess. We though we had cracked it a couple of weeks ago when we found that the Victron did not trip out if we switched on the immersion heater from the start. But the last time we ran it this did not work and the Victron must have tripped off more than a dozen times in about 90 minutes of running. Even when the Victron goes off, the mains supply to our appliances continues unaffected. The washing machine and TV seem to be quite happy with the AC supply they are getting. It's just the Victron charging that's the problem. Presumably there is something about the AC from the generator that is going outside acceptable parameters for the charger (or the Victron is faulty). Does anyone know what might be the problem? In case it helps, I've pasted some of the settings from the Victron VE Configure software (note that the 14.8v bulk charge that seems a bit high is recommended by Multicell for their AGM batteries): General tab: Internal Transfer switch: Accept wide input frequency range (45-65 Hz): ticked AC low disconnect: 180v AC low connect: 187v AC high connect: 265v AC high disconnect: 270v UPS function: unticked Dynamic current limiter: ticked AC input current limit: 16.0 A Charger tab: Weak AC Input: unticked Stop after excessive bulk: ticked Storage Mode: unticked Charge curve: Fixed Absorbtion voltage: 14.80 Float Voltage: 14.20 Charge current: 120 Repeat absorption time: 0.5 Hr Repeat absorption interval: 1.00 Days Absorption time: 5 Hr

Just to conclude this thread. Reduced the speed slightly and it now keeps running. I now have a problem with the Victron charger tripping off - but I'll ask about that in a new thread. Thanks for everyone's help.

Thanks - I think that's it. After a bit of Googling I found an operating manual for a "DEEP SEA ELECTRONICS PLC 701 KEY START MODULE" which describes warning light symbols that are the same as ours (though ours isn't necessarily by the same manufacturer), and there is the running hare symbol described thus: The engine does have a speed control lever with "half speed" and "full speed" markings. I had assumed it was just 2 position and had it set to full speed - but maybe it is a gradual adjustment. Next time we run it I'll try nudging the lever down a fraction.

We recently fitted a new open-framed generator, obtained via ebay, low hours (25), said to be ex-MOD. It has a Yanmar engine 4.2/5kW, with an Italian alternator. It has a large control box with a front door that contains a single control knob (2 position manual or auto); a display with about 8 indicator lights; and a red emegency stop button. It is capable of being started by radio control, but we are only using it in manual mode. There don't seem to be any labels on or in the control box, but we know that the radio control seems to be by a British company. Someone has written "Histar" on the top of the box in felt marker. When it is running a power light is lit, and a red manual/auto light flashes. It works OK, but then after an arbitrary amount of time (anything from a few secs to an hour) it stops running. The power light and manual/auto lights go out; and a light on the panel starts flashing constantly which is marked with what looks like a picture of a running rabbit/hare. It has been particularly troublesome this morning. When it cut out we tried to restart it several times (even with the Victron switched off) but each time it cut out in the same way after about 10 secs. Does anyone know what the rabbit/hare symbol might mean, or what the problem is likely to be ? Alternatively, is there a forum somewhere dealing with generator problems ?

Thanks for your comments. The bank is 500Ah, and Multicell recommends 25-33% which would be a theoretical 125-165 amps. I've read that AGMs are happy with a higher charging and discharging rate, so was hoping push it to nearly 25% which would give the Victron's rated 120 amps. What I was wondering was if the 80 amps is the result of some sort of limit in the Victron rather than the batteries limiting it - i.e. the batteries have a higher charge acceptance rate (suggested by Multcell's figures) but the Victron won't supply it because of its settings or something to do with the setting of the control panel's knob. > Victrons are set at 75% by default, you need to configure it to use more. But how?

We have a Victron Phoenix Multi Plus 12/3000/120 and have just installed some new AGM batteries (500Ah), so I've been doing some reconfiguring using VEConfigure for the higher charging voltage (14.8V absorption). But I'm also looking at whether I can increase the charging current so that we can run the generator for less time. When the generator is running, the Victron battery monitor tells me that approx 80 amps is going into the batteries on bulk charge, and this gradualy reduces, reaching around 40 amps at 90% full. I also noticed that the knob on the Multi Control panel affects the current figure - the 80 amps is when the knob is set to max. As we have a 12/3000/120, as I understand it, it should be able to charge at up to 120 amps which would reduce the amount of time we have to run the generator. VEConfigure tells me that these settings are: Dynamic Current Limiter: ON AC input current limiter: 16 A Charge curve: Fixed Absorption voltage: 14.8 V Charge current: 120 A So I would have thought that it'd charge at 120 A. In this thread http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=35240&p=629691 someone seems to be saying that 120 amps should be attainable through VEConfigure settings. Is there some way that I can persuade it to charge at nearer 120 amps instead of approx 80 ? TIA

"Direct Battery Solutions" aka "Battery Store" seem to say that they are the official importers for the UK. http://www.leoch-uk.co.uk This lists some of their batteries for marine applications (we are interested in the AGMs): http://www.batterystore.co.uk/marine-3-c.asp Apparently the company used to be called DBS (MONBAT) Limited. More details... http://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/business/family-firm-powers-up-with-new-battery-store-1-3144952

A local supplier has a wide range of Leoch batteries. Leoch seem to be a huge Chinese battery manufacturer, but I can't find any reviews, recommendations or caveats of their brand. Has anyone got any experience of using Leoch batteries, how reliable they are, or any background info on the brand ?

We have an immersion heater via the inverter and it draws about 80 amps which rapidly dragged the batteries down on the one occasion when it was switched on by accident. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm a bit nervous of putting that amount of load on the batteries on a regular basis. We have solar panels too. What I'd like is some system that would start by charging the batteries to full, AND THEN start heating the water tank using the solar power that would otherwise be wasted for the rest of the day. In other words, the battery charging would take priority, and any water heating would just be a bonus. Then I'd arrive back to full batteries, and water that was as warm as it had managed to get. But I'm not sure that this could be done.

But the Multicell info for AGMs says "Requires a higher voltage charging regime than standard FLA / SFL" We were passing Multicell the other day and asked about their AGMs - the guy said these are "new" AGMs which have a higher charging voltage of 14.8V while the older ones were 14.4V. Later ... also just found this quote "From a standard car, 4WD or truck alternator they [AGMs] will recharge quickly from full use in about 2 to 3 hours. A deep cycle wet cell battery can take 8-12 hours to achieve only 70% to 80% of its potential charge."