stylus

Amorphous more efficient on overcast days. More expensive. I have 2 panels 1foot x about 3feet giving about 50 -70 milliamps each on the dullest day and abou 1.2amps each on a bright day.

Hi There are 3 types of RCD tripping units I know of. They are marked A,C or D after the currant rating of the RCD. I have found that the ones marked A or C are more prone to tripping on start up currants than the ones marked up with a D. Might be worth checking. Isolation Transformer = 2 matched coils on a common iron former insulated from each other, one coils magnetic field is induced into the other coil. i.e 240volts in 240volts out. The earthing on mine is not decoupled from the mains earthing so I still need a galvanic isolator. Removing the earth could be dangerous as if a nuetral fault occured on the boats wiring, the boat hull could become live and anybody touching the boat and an earthed walkway or even a swimmer touching the boat in certain surcumstances could get a shock. There are some websites you can visit. Just type in- What is an Isolation Transformer ? Regards Stylus

Hi I use 2 x 15watt X 12volt nominal solar cell panels on my 40 foot narrowboat. (size. approx. 1ft X 3ft) They are connected up in parallel giving nominal currant output of watts= volts X amps so watts divided by volts =amps which in my case =2.5amps. This charges through a regulator 3 X 156amp lead/acid batteries which run a Halfords 500watt inverter. I admitt I am a low power user but I have only ever charged these batteries from the sun. Yes! Solar power is the way to go but be careful on the type of solar cell you buy. I found 2 types of solar panel ( I bet there are more) The common type are fine in bright sunshine but in overcast conditions as we find mostly in Great Britain struggle to meet there nominal voltage. (Less volts lower output amps). The second type are called Amorphous solar cells which give more output with lower light levels. Now the down side. They are not cheap. I bought my panels from Sunshine Solar Ltd for £179.90 + £20.98 for a regulator. You want to use solar power to reduce condensation when the boat is not in use? Hmm! It might be cheaper to find out what is causing the condensation. My boat is cruiser style so the engine is outside the living area but my boat is always dry when not in use (all windows shut). I have 5 mushroom roof vents, 1 gas heater vent and large door vents forward and aft, the hull is dry and the shower and window frames are sealed. It is usually cold inside in winter but the air is dry. I hope I have not offended you in any way. Regards Stylus