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Peppers

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    Female
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    London
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    Researcher

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  1. I'm just waiting on my watt meter to arrive and then I will hopefully be able to calculate a much more accurate audit. Again, I can only apologise for my inaccuracies so far. And I'm honestly not intentionally being uncooperative. I'm sorry that you've taken the questions I've asked in that way. And on this point, they are neither paid for courses, nor will they be held aboard. Basically I volunteer run a workshop for vulnerable single mothers and their children in collaboration with an art gallery in south london, and one of the workshops we run involves baking little items into bread for them to find in their loaves. This means the kids making things during one workshop and then me going home (alone) and sticking them into the bread maker surrounded by flour. Most of them don't even eat them or manage to get them home to mum and dad but just tear them open at the next workshop and play with them. I choose to do it with a bread maker because it would be more time consuming to make the bread by hand than just stick it in the machine, and as I say I do this as a volunteer. As I'd mentioned before I am willing to just not run this workshop anymore, or not cook it from the boat etc. etc. if the electricity would be too much for it, but as others have mentioned they are able to run these sorts of items then I have just been trying to understand the best solution to enable me to run them too. It would not, as I understand it, require any further insurance or licensing. Thank you so much to everyone who has shared information about generators - I will sit and have a good read through that victron test and look at the Fischer Panda's, so thank you to those who shared that
  2. Yes - had meant to say I did also suggest this to him (and if I'm honest took credit for it as my own brilliant idea), but thanks Tony (and Tony).
  3. Putting the toilet thing to one side (as I've said before I'm still researching this so it isn't definite yet, I just wanted to understand the calculations and learn more about something that sounded interesting. It also isn't £5k, and nor is it electric powered...but anyway...) - I will 100% follow the helpful advice of seeking out a diesel generator. I have been trying to look up reviews (on here and elsewhere) of the Northern Lights M673LD3 and the Paguro 4000 (if only because these are the only ones I've been able to find anything about) but information is still pretty sparse for a beginner. Am I looking at the right sort of thing? And re. speakers @Tony Brooks, I think you're totally right. My other half seems to think his speakers would come in at about 72ah which seems much closer to what you've said, however he did then mention that he also needs studio monitors (as in not screens) so I gave up and told him he could work out the flipping audit.
  4. I do find it sad to hear people's responses to my requests for help when I mention something that might not be what you necessarily understand or know. I've never said I want a floating cottage, but I do want to do all the things my work and life requires me to do. I'm new here and I'm learning. Clearly many of my calculations are wrong. This is tricky for me, but I've been nice on here, apologised a lot and tried hard. This site can be a brilliant resource for advice but I feel genuinely worried about what replies I'll get on here should I say the "wrong" thing. It's made me terrified of how we'll be received when we're on the water and I'm sure that's not the environment any of you wish to convey about your community. I hope that when me and my boyfriend finally are on the water we might meet some of you and be able to invite you in for a cuppa and to maybe use our gas powered loo
  5. I think we can all agree that my audit was very wrong though. As you said @Alan de Enfield, I clearly need help with that, I just didn't know where to go for that. Just an added note about the toilet, it does use gas, not electrics to heat it. Apparently electrics are only for the fan. Yet again, obviously my numbers are wrong.
  6. I am somewhat overwhelmed with good advice, yes @nb Innisfree - but I totally trust that @Tony Brooks, @WotEver and others are posting impartial and vital knowledge, so I'm genuinely grateful for it. I have many many many times said I have absolutely no idea what I'm on about in terms of electrics (and so many other things). But I do know what I need to function my working life, so forgive me for ignoring the "its not a flat" comments. However...some responses in relation to my audit below. and Ouch! I don't think I have that much for a generator - what do I do?! Will it be a totally impossible feat to just charge batteries via the engine (and solar in the summer)..?
  7. @Tony Brooks - I completely want the option that is best for the learners and the uninformed, so having both an ammeter and a smartguage sounds like the best option for me. I'm going to purchase those two things now so they are off my shopping list! As for batteries, I'm worried that being a newbie I won't top them up right. Is there any such thing as cheap sealed batteries? You are totally right, we will probably ruin them fairly quickly as we "learn" Also, do you only get an inverter/charger if you're getting a generator. As I say I'm looking into the gennies now, but I'm just asking so I understand.
  8. Any opportunity to flex my muscles @croftie And am I right in assuming that battery charger/inverter would be better for me? I hadn't even thought about what a battery charger was in this scenario before now...
  9. Ah! Yes! Penny starting to really thud the ground now! I might think then more like 4 or 5 of these: http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/leoch-250ah-agm-leisure-battery/ And I didn't realise an inverter could also be a battery charger?! I thought inverters used up battery energy...which inverter is that? Or is that just when using the genny? I'm looking into travelpowers at the moment...
  10. Apologies - I'd understand @Tony Brooks to be saying I needed to cover 465amp hours and thought that would be covered by 640amp worth of batteries. Sorry, I really am tediously slow with this stuff. And I've also misunderstood something about the ammeter, thinking the BMV was an ammeter. Would someone mind sending me an example of an ammeter that might complement the smartgauge. Again, apologies :/
  11. Wow, you've made this so much clearer for me, thank you so so much. I've just spoken to the other half about diesel generators and we think we will definitely go down this route. If it looks to be too much for our budget for now, it will become our Christmas present to ourselves later in the year! I'll start looking into these this afternoon, but for now, as for the rest of my "shopping list", how does this sound based on the wonderful advice you've all given so far. 4 x 160amp batteries: http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/leoch-160ah-agm-leisure-battery/ Victron 3000w inverter: https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/vv-015.aspx Smartgauge: http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartgauge.html Battery monitor: http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/victron-bmv-700-multi-function-battery-monitor-1-batterybank.html One of these as it comes with the MPPT controller: http://www.bimblesolar.com/offgrid/12v/260W-kit-mppt-mounting?sort=p.price&order=ASC&limit=75 - then I'm going to speak to bimble about 5 other solar panels that I could get, and how many controllers I would then need.
  12. Thanks so much @Tony Brooks - is this the victron battery monitor type you refer to? https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/vv-024.aspx - would we need one of those for each battery? Full bimble calculator is below, I probably have made mistakes on there. I think he did say 175 amp output yes - does that mean a 3000 watt inverter is essentially pointless then, would we be better with a smaller one? Also - we're on a 60ft by 12ft so should have the roof space for plenty of solar - to be honest I was thinking 6 panels rather than bumble's suggested 7. I was still thinking the 4 Leoch batteries too rather than the ones bimble suggested.
  13. Also the electrician doing our install says we have a large twin alternator on the engine. I just spoke to him and he said we've not got anything on the boat which warrants loads of solar. I think he's thinking this as we won't have a washing machine or dishwasher or hoover, but we do have technical equipment we need to use and so I'm concerned we will be underprepared. I just did a "build your own" through bimble, which came up with the picture below. Any thoughts on this?
  14. Thank you for your extremely useful responses so far. We will be CCing and not hooked up to shoreline power. With regards to a power audit @Tony Brooks I did a bimble calculator thing (screenshot attached). Apologies for not including to begin with. I And thank you so much for mentioning the ammeter @Tony Brooks and @WotEver - I had not realised a smartgauge was not that. Any particular type of ammeter or is something like this ok? https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/ei-003.aspx I have, of course, over-egged everything on the calculator, so perhaps 6 of the solar panels suggested above (http://www.bimblesolar.com/offgrid/12v/260W-kit-mppt-mounting?sort=p.price&order=ASC&limit=75) would work - presumably giving me 1560W of solar if it happens to be a glorious summer day :/ Can I ask why this inverter might be incorrect? I'm still struggling to get my head around what the 3000w bit means in relation to the inverter. My logic/sense tends to be a bit "surely the bigger number the better" which I'm sure is quite wrong, but hey ho I'm trying to learn. Thanks again all for your invaluable knowledge so far.
  15. Sorry, I know I've sort of mentioned something about this before, and I'm being very on and off on the site at the minute, but between building a boat, being self-employed and writing a PhD, I'm finding little time to think straight!! We're about to order all our electrical set up and just want to make sure we're doing the right thing before we go ahead. Please do offer suggestions - this part has been the source of a great deal of stress for us and is a little bit of a sore topic, so any help is very much required! We'll be liveaboard - running the usual 12v lights, charging phones, laptops, oven ignition, 12v fridge, pumps, a couple of kitchen worktop appliances every now and then - nothing too out of the ordinary but I would like to "future-proof" and not skimp now in order to find ourselves falling short very soon. In our shopping baskets at the minute are: 4 x 12v Leoch batteries http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/leoch-160ah-agm-leisure-battery/ Smartgauge monitor Victron phoenix inverter https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/store/product/vv-015.aspx Victron 140W polychristalline solar panels http://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/victron-bluesolar-140w-polycrystalline-solar-panel-kit-with-20a-charge-controller-twin-output.html (this has been suggested by the electrician installing, see note below) Vitally, I don't know how many solar panels to order. Ideally, they'd sustain the boat power wherever possible during summer. Strangely my OH seems to think the electrician who will be installing said we only need one panel (something to do with us having a big engine), which I'm certain I'm not understanding right. He said we should get this pack as it has a charge controller in it - would we need more than one charge controller though, depending on the amount of solar panels? So...what do I have wrong, incorrect, missing etc. etc...? Thanks so much all.
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