Generator: stoopid but important question

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

20 hours ago, magictime said:

Yes, but they're not much use over winter.

 

Do you find suitcase gennies are typically noisier than running engines then? I can't say I've ever been conscious of much more than a background thrum either way (we've mooored close to boats with both). What does your charging regime involve, out of interest? Not being funny, it's just that a lot is said on here about how long it takes to charge batteries properly but I'm much less clear on what people tend to do in practice.

I found my solar panel got me through the winter ok. There was only an occasional day when I’d run the engine. The solar panel is one of the best things I have ever invested in. 

 

 

I am a very very low consumer of electricity. Water pumps, LED lights and gadgets (phone, iPad, Bluetooth  speaker, battery for drill). I’m using the same 3 110Ah leisure batteries that were on the boat when I bought it almost 8 years ago. 

The batteries no longer hold a full charge but drop quickly to 12.6v even after a 12hr day travelling. But I find that’s enough for

me. If I get another winter from them I’ll be happy. 

 

 

So in practice: I sit still for a fortnight without running the engine and let the panel charge the batteries. 

Then once a fortnight I’ll move. Moving to the next spot can sometimes take an hour, or sometimes 30hrs. I’d like to think at least once a month the batteries get a good charge from the engine while moving. 

 

I hate generators and would love to kick them all in the cut. Irritating noise. The sound of any engine running is much better. 

 

I must be doing something right: the starter battery is as old as the other batteries and can hold enough charge to start first time. 

[The Welsh Cruiser]

I've had this generator for 3 years, no issues, very pleased with it. It's relatively quiet especially when it's on low revs as the batteries approach full charge. This might be a personal thing but I'd much prefer to have one of these running next to me than the deep drone of a diesel engine. Almost 4 hours of running on a litre of petrol as the batteries approach full charge, more economical than running your engine.

 

Is your boat a cruiser deck? If so why not store it on top of the fuel tank and chain it to one of the handrail supports. Fashion a cheap cover from a bit of tarp. Or on the roof maybe, if you have handrails to chain it to? 

[Murflynn]

23 hours ago, magictime said:

I'm wondering about getting a suitcase generator for battery charging, and the gas locker would appear to be the safest and most BSS-friendly place to store it. But having measured the hatch, most of 'em simply wouldn't fit through. The Kipor IG770 would, just about, if I tipped it right up on to its back (or front) every time I passed it through. Would that be asking for trouble - oil/petrol sloshing around etc.? Once it's down in the locker I think I could store it upright, but upending it to get it in and out seems less than ideal. 

there has been a lot of discussion about using the 'gas locker'.  Perhaps you actually mean a locker that was provided for a gas cylinder, but is now re-purposed, in which case the BSS requirements quoted do not apply, although storing and using a petrol driven generator will still have BSS implications.

[The Welsh Cruiser]

I sometimes store a couple of litres of petrol in a suitable container in the gas locker. I reckon it's safer there than in a boot of a car or someone's garage, both of which are perfectly legal. I also store petrol in the tank of my motorbike, the bike is on the back of my boat when I move. I reckon this is pretty safe as well.

[magictime]

4 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I found my solar panel got me through the winter ok. There was only an occasional day when I’d run the engine. The solar panel is one of the best things I have ever invested in. 

Blimey, that does seem good going. What size panel, and how many amps does it put in in the middle of a good day? I have 200W of panels but I'm already having days where they're hovering between 1 and 3 amps during peak daylight hours, even in September. It's often next to nothing all day in the depths of winter. I am thinking of getting another panel or two, but even then there's no chance of them meeting our needs - there's the fridge for starters.

 

13 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I hate generators and would love to kick them all in the cut. Irritating noise. The sound of any engine running is much better. 

 

11 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

This might be a personal thing but I'd much prefer to have one of these running next to me than the deep drone of a diesel engine. 

Oh dear, I'm really not going to please everyone whatever I do, am I??

 

12 minutes ago, The Welsh Cruiser said:

Is your boat a cruiser deck? If so why not store it on top of the fuel tank and chain it to one of the handrail supports. Fashion a cheap cover from a bit of tarp. Or on the roof maybe, if you have handrails to chain it to? 

It's a semi trad, but wherever I put a gennie I think there'd be a theoretical risk of vapour sinking through the hatch and into the engine room. Anyway, having been tipped off about the wonders of lead carbon batteries on another thread, I'm now starting to think I might manage without a gennie (or lengthy daily engine running) after all...

13 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

there has been a lot of discussion about using the 'gas locker'.  Perhaps you actually mean a locker that was provided for a gas cylinder, but is now re-purposed, in which case the BSS requirements quoted do not apply, although storing and using a petrol driven generator will still have BSS implications.

No it's still in use as a gas locker.

[CompairHolman]

The vapour from a petrol generator engine can only come from the carb, if you shut the fuel off and run the carb dry and close the fuel tank breather before you pack it away there should be no vapour. 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

19 minutes ago, magictime said:

Blimey, that does seem good going. What size panel, and how many amps does it put in in the middle of a good day? I have 200W of panels but I'm already having days where they're hovering between 1 and 3 amps during peak daylight hours, even in September. It's often next to nothing all day in the depths of winter. I am thinking of getting another panel or two, but even then there's no chance of them meeting our needs - there's the fridge for starters.

 

 

Oh dear, I'm really not going to please everyone whatever I do, am I??

 

The fridge is the killer. 

I might use mine in the height of summer but switch off at night. 

Most of the year the cratch area is cool/cold enough to store dairy products.

 

I have a 150W panel.

Dunno what Amps it puts out ? ?

I just watch the volt metre. 

 

But like I say, I’m a very very low user of electricity.  I have no inverter for example. All 12v. 

Charging gadgets is my biggest use.

 I’ll charge them during the day and make sure when I run the engine to move, that I plug something in to charge. 

 

 

No, you’ll never please everyone and some people you’ll never ever ever please whatever you do. 

Just make sure you please yourself, but upset as few people as possible as you go.