canalowl

I fitted one of these http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/sun-saver-duo with 360 W of panels. It looks after both house and generator batteries and has been fit and forget for the last 6 years.

I have a 120 amp alternator connected directly to the batteries with no management system. I generally use this up to around 90% SOC and then leave the 360 watt solar panels to do the rest. I also have a studer combi inverter with a sophisticated 50 amp charger. I have to use this if I want to get up to 100% SOC in the winter when the suns turned off (generally once a week whilst I use the generator for washing, ironing, hovering...). I am not sure if this is the cheapest approach in terms of diesel and maintenance but it seems to be the quickest in terms of noise and neighbours.

I have 360 watt of solar power and this produces more than I need on a very good day i.e. the smart Guage is showing 100% by mid afternoon sometimes. I have a lister HA3 which is air cooled and so I often put the 1 kw 240 volt immersion heater on when cruising in the summer. I estimate that the heater draws around 100 amp on the 12 volt side allowing for losses and for the first hour or so the battery loses about 10% of charge but then starts charging as the water heats up. This means in effect that the alternator plus the 360 watt solar isn't able to keep up and so I concluded its a waste of time to think about dump load. I would like to install solar water at sometime if and when I become convinced its worth it. In the meantime I just turn the diesel heater on for half an hour if not cruising or the diesel generator on if the batteries need a good charge as well as heating the water.

When we bought Harlow she had an awful rudder judder and headed off into the bank if you so much as took in the flight of a kingfisher or two. After much discussion with those knowledgable in the black arts we decided that removing two inches from the leading edge would be about right but one inch would be a conservative start so we removed one inch at the first blacking. Result is that the judder is much reduced and there is a more positive feedback when going hard over. There is also a general consensus that the steering in somehow less precise and there is still a tendency to wonder if not paying attention. We've had two more blackings since then but without making any further change - guess that a certain stage you just get used to it.

of course, one always goes up to Oxford - but can be sent down from Cambridge!

I fixed mine to the outside of the plywood battery box. Other than being in the prop shaft "tunnel" it has no other protection. Recently passed its BSS with flying colours. Dave

I've had my SmartGuage / SmartBank for around 4 years now - easy to fit and its been trouble free. Great bit of kit, does what it says on the box. Dave

I fixed my four panels with Sikaflex (221 I think). They were put on around four years ago and are still OK. They had to be fitted lengthways along the boat otherwise very big brackets would be needed due to curvature of the roof.

Hi there I have had a SmartGuage SmartBank set up for the last 4 or 5 years and wouldn’t be without it. It’s fit and forget and helps me look after my batteries without resorting to mysterious measurements and constant wonder as to their relevance. What its good at is telling me when its time to turn on the generator / main engine to charge my batteries and when to turn them off gain. If like me you are also using solar power it can save engine running time by letting me know that the batteries are now up to 90% and you can leave it to the solar to do the rest. It can’t tell me how old / knackered my battery is, how much power my fridge is drawing or how much power my alternator is putting in. One of life’s great mysteries is that the solar controller can tell me how much power it is putting in, and with never a shunt in sight! Dave

There are others with good experience of suitcase generators on the site but I have often heard 1 kva for 30 amps quoted, although this "feels" a bit tight to me. I think the thing worth noting is that your alternators will most probably do the bulk charge much quicker than the charger and that the important thing about the charger is that it has a good 4 step controller to get you up to 100%. In reality you will rarely use your proposed 50 amp charger to its full capacity if you use the main engine for bulk charging. I like having the bigger generator as it means that I can use lots of power for short periods of time (do various house jobs in multi-tasking mode, the iron is the real killer) - and top up the battery's at the same time. Hope that doesn't confuse further, Dave

Hi Julian I installed 4 x 90 watt panels around 4 years ago and have 2 x Trojan 6v 420 amp batteries. The solar controller is a SunSaver duo rated at 25 amp. The alternator seems able to put in around 70 amp when batteries are 50% discharged (no controller) and the inverter charger (running off a 5kw generator) is rated at 45 amp charging current. My comments would be: •Although the SunSaver seems to be underspecified the highest solar output to date has been around 27 amp which seems to be well inside its tolerances, possibly because it was at that time a top end controller. •I have a Smart Gauge / Smart Bank monitoring system. •I have thought long and hard about capturing “excess” power but have come to the conclusion that it is negligible and not worth the effort. •I have on occasion had the generator and main engine running on a very sunny day and there has been no problem or conflict between the differing charge sources. •In the winter I tend to do bulk charge with the main engine (up to around 90% charged) and then bring it up to 100% once a week with the generator (when I am doing my weekly wash, hoover and maintenance jobs). •In the height of summer I most probably run the main engine or generator for a couple of hours once a week if not cruising and then let the solar do the topping up. If doing it all again I would definitely fit an MPPT solar controller and may consider another two panels, but this is debatable. My decisions were around convenience and life style (generator curfews used to control my life when working) but prices have come down so much that I suppose investment considerations are increasingly relevant. Dave

Hi John I have an Envirolet self-contained model with fan and electric heater, installed about 4 years ago. It worked well when I was living aboard (alone much of the time) but not so good when only using occasionally. Currently I am working abroad and friends and relations use the boat and to be honest they don’t like it at all. I have no power hook up and live on solar plus generator. Pro’s Easy to empty with no need to find emptying facilities – great in the middle of winter Con’s Uses a lot of electricity – can only use the heater when cruising but fan can be used 24/7 Can’t handle lots of people – I have a portaloo to use for parties and beer weekends. It’s the urine that causes the problem, most probably would be better if hooked up to a landline and then the heater could be on all the time. It’s really very big and uses up a lot of space. Conclusion If doing this again I would look at the models that separate the urine, this would make management simpler. Although it works well when managed circumstances change and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea so a cassette would most probably be the safer option. On balance I think I would go for a cassette unless I was very sure about its long-term usage.

I have 4 x 90 watt panels with a Morningstar PWM Sunsaver duo controller. The system has been in for four years now and given me no problems at all; it just sits there doing its thing. I would echo Paringa in that the panels often produce more in the summer than the batteries can take (two Trojan 6v 420 Ah) and a lot less in the winter. In terms of economics even in the summer I have to run the generator for several hours on Saturdays (washing, ironing, hoovering - I only have a 1100 VA rated inverter), and in the winter once or twice in the week also. For me, apart from the joy of harvesting the suns bounty I love being able to drop in the pub on the way home without worrying about being late for the dreaded generator curfew. If I ever bought another nb then fitting solar panels (this time with an MPPT controller) would be the first I would do. Dave

Apologies for the blank reply - what I had intended to say was: Not quite an answer but a possible solution. I have a TV working off a dish that also plays MP3s and is capable of receiving digital radio, a laptop with loads of music, an iPod and a docking station. Because the TV set up (and laptop) uses a lot of power I also have a rechargeable PURE Evoke digital radio for normal radio listening. The problem is that reception within the boat is not good when you are moving the radio around and so my idea is to buy the PURE 'highway unit" or something similar with an external aerial so that I could then transmit any of the above on FM throughout the boat and listen to it on the PURE Evoke radio. I am not too concerned about the quality as I think the Evoke most probably produces as good as it gets on a boat (anything more is wasted..?) but I cannot find out anything about the range of these FM transmitters. Does anyone know how powerful the FM transmitters are and have experience of using them in a nb? Dave

I have a Smartguage / Smartbank set up with solar, main engine alternator and on board generator / battery charger for charging. I run the main engine for bulk charge up to 90% or so and let the solar do the rest. In times of heavy usage or in winter I'll run the generator to bring the charge up to 100%. The bits of information that I would like in addition to what I have are: What the main engine alternator is doing as I never know if tick-over engine speed is sufficient / economical An indication of the state of my house batteries compared to their original amp hour rating. This wouldn't need to be accurate - just let me know that I need to think about changing the house batteries as I am losing solar power. The design of the Smartguage itself could also do with improvement as it is fiddly on pressing buttons and I damaged the push button cover almost as soon as I installed it. A remote readout could be useful but not really necessary as I tend to have a good idea how long to leave the main engine / generator running for a particular Smartguage readout. Similarly, a USB port for downloading information would most probably be more than would want to pay for. Hope this is useful and good luck with the new project, if it's half as good as the Smartguage it will be brilliant, Dave

I'm no expert but I would have thought the space under the bed doesn't comprise a properly ventilated living compartment - it's pretty much sealed off. I would have thought that an exhaust fan wouldn't necessarily have to be vented externally though. It also occurs to me that you would need to make sure the fan is pretty quiet if you are going to be sleeping over it. Dave

Hi there. Others will no doubt come along with technical details but I have recently relocated my batteries and I would say: Don't underestimate the cost of the (thicker) new cabling Don't underestimate the amount of (20mmm external quality) plywood needed for the box - its a lot There are lots of regulations about the box but basically it needs to restrain the batteries up to a minimum of 2/3rds the height of the battery and needs to be well ventilated which means a big box that's higher than the batteries with internal divders at two thirds height and a cover. Your main problem will be adequate ventilation and you'll most probably need a fan if its under the bed. And the result - maintaining the batteries is still a pain in the bum - its just takes a bit less time.

Hi there - I had fairly bad rudder shake when I bought my boat. Reducing the leading edge on the rudder by about an inch improved it significantly (although the boat is not as responsive in the turn now). Replacing the top bearing has also helped. Dave

I think it's called an Ecofan - tells me pretty much all I want to know, even whether to make the coffee or the fire first thing in the morning.

ps Does anybody know of a nice neat 4 fuse holder with 4 ins and 4 outs? I used a double flush mounted domestic plug box with a blank cover and four blade type fuses (the fuse holders clip together) fixed to the back of the box with velcro! As you can see I'm no electrician (although it works a treat) and I did manage to wire up the SmartGuage and SmartBank all by myself - excellent piece of kit, it does what it says on the box! Dave

I have the C 1600 12 linky It was on Harlow when I bought her 4 years ago and has worked a treat - excellent piece of kit

I think a lot depends on how you use it. I replaced my aldi gas heater two years ago and initially decided on the Hurricane but it was physically too big and I went for the M10 instead. I use it for an hour each morning to heat the water and warm the boat (I let the wood stove go out overnight). It is going pretty much flat out for the hour but if you leave it on much longer then it begins to work less hard. My understanding is that if it is working less hard then coking up can be a problem. In any event I do use it all day occassionally but mainly just for an hour at a time and have had no problems so far. I asked the supplier to service it at the start of this winter - when he had a look at it he said to call him again after the winter as it didn't need cleaning yet! Hope this helps

A couple of years ago I had a winter mooring, by a bridge, near a pub and opposite a long term mooring. I left for work each day at 5.30am and returned home at 7.00pm, turned on the generator, sat down, set my mobile alarm for 8.05pm and had a quiet doze. The gernerator is on-board, diesel, well insulated and with a hospital silencer - not overly noisy but clearly audible by the lady in the long term mooring oppoiste. Most evenings I wouild be woken from my revelry by a bang on the roof. Acknowledging the time I would apolgise and turn off the genny = by which time my alarm would be going off. I thought it worked well - she got to vent her spleen, I got enough power to get through the night and most importantly I was always in the pub by 8.15 - jobs a good 'un.