Jackofalltrades

So no alternatives to Victron?

I'm just wondering if there is anything comparable out there - in terms of spec and quality - other than Victron? Also, I wonder if it would be better to go for completely separate charger(s) and inverter(s) ? With regard to cooking - we've done a power audit for things like microwaves (1,000w) & kettles (3,000w) with one of those plug-in power usage monitors and although they use a lot of power it's for relatively short times, so the number of Ah used is relatively small. We have electric cooking at home but can't use the plug-in power monitor for this as it's hard wired. However, what we have done is found the power consumption of the fan oven from the spec (3,500w) and calculated full power until up to temperature and from that point on noted how often and for how long the thermostat calls for power to maintain temperature (assuming full power). Again, the total Ah (calculated @ 48v) to heat up an oven and then cook something for say 30 minutes is relatively small. We typically wouldn't use more than two rings on a hob at a time. There's a youtube video of a guy using an induction hob to cook a meal in his campervan (actually there's videos of two different people doing this). He measured the electric consumed with a power monitor and it worked in a similar way to our fan oven test calculation - full power for a relatively short time to get up to temperature but very little to maintain temperature. Taking everything that we know into account we know that our typical power usage per day will be significantly less than that required for cruising per day, and as we're likely to cruise for half a day maybe at a time (and then probably eat out at the end of a cruising day) we feel comfortable that based on our particular typical usage scenarios, it should all work out OK. And when there's an abnormally high electrical usage day and it's been raining non stop for a couple of days then the generator will have to earn its keep. I hereby swear not to run it before 10am or after 6.00pm. Unless we want your mooring ? ?

With our narrowboat shell build now underway with an expected completion in approx three weeks, thoughts are turning to the onboard systems. The boat will have electric propulsion and no gas. Cooking will be via electric. The roof will have as much solar as I can practically fit which will be at least 2,200watts - I have a shortlist of solar panels and depending on exact roof measurements I might be able to fit a slightly larger solar array. A Victron MPPT charger will handle this. There will be a backup diesel generator fitted. The batteries will be lithium (LiFePo4) - having finally convinced ourselves that this is the best way to go. A Victron Quattro 48/10000/140 inverter/charger is presently the front runner as it provides: - Approx 8KW of pure sine wave continuous power at 240volts. - Up to140amps (depending on input) to charge the 48 volt lithium battery bank. But I can't help wondering if having the inverter/charger all-in-one box is not the best way of doing things, from a redundancy point of view, and as we'll only typically switch from generator to shore power once per year the auto-changeover that the Quattro provides is of limited benefit. A manual changeover switch would be perfectly OK (which we have on our lumpy water boat). So my question is, given the requirement for approx 8KW of pure sine wave continuous 240volt power and a battery charger output of approx 140amps @ 48volts, would you fit a Victron Quattro or something else, and why?

They would have been testing their eyesight.

Have you tried a different browser, such as Firefox? Have you tried re-booting?

Only on Tuesdays.

Please send me your contact details and I'll anonymously forward them to my ex-girlfriend. How familiar are you with stalking laws and injunctions? Don't worry if your knowledge is lacking in this area. You'll soon learn. Are you on first name terms with a good solicitor? No problem! This too will change...

Crikey, well if I do ever find myself having dinner at yours I'm giving the worktop and hob a wide berth. Can we eat outside? I'd prefer to keep my potatoes where they are rather than being served to your next victim guest for dinner.

Well as long as they're his deep fried potatoes and not mine...

I just remembered something - turns out we double-booked. Going to have to cancel dinner. Sorry! We'll have to rearrange but we're really busy for the next... few years.

Yes, as you have already figured out, I have the twin jet model.

If Babbage were a dog and behaving the same way there would be calls to keep your dog under control or risk being asked to leave the marina. Why is it different for cats?

I'm a whisker under 6'3" so I feel your pain. It's tough living in a 5'11" world. I doubt you could gain an inch of extra headroom on a boat that's already built & fitted out. It would be a tremendous amount of work even if you could. I looked at quite a few secondhand boats and most of the newer ones were OK for headroom but that's with 1" (if you're lucky) of spray foam on the ceiling. But I never went on a boat without thinking, this needs doing, that needs changing, why did they do that, WTF is wrong with people, etc. So in the end I chose to go the Shell* > DIY build route. I can get exactly what I want and blame no one but myself if it goes horribly wrong. * Construction of the shell has been delayed due to Covid, allegedly. They have my build slot deposit and were paid the rest of the build deposit last week...

Could be anything from a shore line voltage spike or interruption or frequency wobble or a parameter that the Victron programmer never thought of caused the system to say I'm Not Doing This Anymore (AKA a bug). Sounds as though a reset fixed it - does it run on Microsoft Windows?! See if it happens again. If not, well, you've looked at it so just claim the credit and send him the bill.

The HS3 D4E certainly seems to be a step above the Webasto Thermo Top (the only diesel heater I've used) so I'm viewing it as halfway between a Webasto and a Hurricane (at twice the price). I have a concern about the noise though. The Thermo Top sounds like a jet engine spooling up. I would hope to install something quieter - for my sake and that of anyone I'm moored next to. I haven't heard a Hurricane (the heater, not the plane) or a HS3 D4E. Thanks for the offer to look/listen to yours when we're allowed out into the playground again. I'm in Milton Keynes but happy to travel (when legally allowed, officer) to either Harefield or Braunston or somewhere in-between. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the government doesn't announce another excuse, sorry, variant, to keep us locked up for longer...

That sums up my feelings too.