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Winterising Batteries - options?


Jay88

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On 23/12/2019 at 11:17, Jay88 said:

Hi,

 

Quick one, we have recently bought a narrowboat and for the next 5 years or so we plan on using it for 4-5 weeks per year then store it on hardstand the remaining time (10-11 months).

 

On 23/12/2019 at 11:17, Jay88 said:

 

Any thoughts / ideas are highly appreciated.

 

Cheers!

 

Why can you only use it for 4-5 weeks a year? Can it not be moored somewhere where you can get to it for a few days/weekends here and there? Obviously depends where you live and work, but I think this is what a lot of leisure boaters do.

 

What's the plan at the end of the 5 years... keep it and use it much more? retire and live on it? ???

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  • 1 month later...

We live o/seas and only come over for 4-5 weeks per year until we will live on the boat permanently in 5 years.

 

As mentioned previously, maybe another solution is to have the marina hook the bot with shore power once a month for a day or so to keep the batteries in good nick? I heard keeping batteries charging through the battery charger via shore power may be a bit too much for 11 months straight....(cook em?)

 

However I think I will go for a 100w solar panel and hook it up when we leave understanding that over the depths of winter (2-3 months) the batteries will only get minimal charge but given I'll have them at 100% charged prior to departing, the solar panel only has to keep them topped up.

 

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2 hours ago, Jay88 said:

We live o/seas and only come over for 4-5 weeks per year until we will live on the boat permanently in 5 years.

 

As mentioned previously, maybe another solution is to have the marina hook the bot with shore power once a month for a day or so to keep the batteries in good nick? I heard keeping batteries charging through the battery charger via shore power may be a bit too much for 11 months straight....(cook em?)

 

However I think I will go for a 100w solar panel and hook it up when we leave understanding that over the depths of winter (2-3 months) the batteries will only get minimal charge but given I'll have them at 100% charged prior to departing, the solar panel only has to keep them topped up.

 

A good quality digital battery charger won't cook them, but never mind - get a time switch and give them a good blast occasionally. (Now where can you get a 7day timer rather than a 24 hour one....

 

A 100w solar panel would - in my not very humble opinion  be a bit of a chocolate toothbrush (whatever the expression is). Regardless - far too unreliable in the winter.

 

  Check what the costs of a landline are and go with that if it's economically vaible on all counts. Marinas have a standing charge which can be quite expensive if you don't is it.

 

How wrong could I be (see below)...

Edited by OldGoat
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We have been exactly this situation. 9 -10 months abroad 4-8 weeks in uk.

We bought 2 cheepo batteries in 2015 and 120 w solar. In the uk winter we put all batteries on the solar and walked off.

Last year our first back for a long period we had 7 months on the boat. No battery issues at all.

Dont know what the capacity is of the batteries is nor do I care. The solar and boating means there has never been an issue, even tied up for a week with the fridge on off mains.

However it has no mains appliances.

 

 

 

 

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Solar will easily keep up with the self discharge of the bank. All you need to do is match the panel size to the bank size. Marina electrics trip.Perhaps solar + mains battery charger = The best of both worlds.

 

ETA. Our 27W panel kept a 110Ah battery alive for 8 years.

Edited by rusty69
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FWIW, I used to have a a single 60 Watt panel into a PWM controller and even with an occasional weekend use it did keep 440Ah of batteries more or less fully charged over the winter. There is no way we  would have got seven years plus out of an Exide battery bank otherwise. However as the solar is likely to do equalisation charges every month and reset to absorption voltage each morning I suppose there is an argument that a multi-stage mains charger might be gentler on the batteries, especially if they are sealed - discussion?

 

The thing to  watch with any multistage charger is that you ensure there are absolutely no signs of a failing cell or battery. If a cell or battery fails while you are away you may get an explosion with acid everywhere or lost of corrosion of metal parts.

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