Bimble Solar.

[Bewildered]

17 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Having it switched on for 4 hours will not use "4 hours of electic"

It will if it’s not thermostatically controlled

[RufusR]

16 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

If you can plan on NOT heating your hot water from your batteries (via the Immersion heater) you will make a huge step to being able to do most of what else you want to do.

 

You will be taking 18,000 Wh out of the 26,000Wh calculation.

 

Run the engine, boil the kettle or use a Eberspacher but NEVER try and heat water from batteries.

 

Are you sure it is a 3000w (3Kw) immersion heater, a boat one is normally between 700w and 1200w - maybe you are using a domestic one, or maybe you looked at a domestic one to get the wattage.

 

That whole 'spreadsheet' is very suspect - saying that you will run your immersion heater for 4 hours and it will use 12,000Wh.

In reality, it will probably only run for 1 hour and once the water is up to temperature, it will switch off, as the water cools it comes back on until it is back up to temperature, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Having it switched on for 4 hours will not use "4 hours of electic"

Yes I agree you can however heat water from solar either a thermal panel or if you have a big solar array with power to spare you can get a solar controller that will divert spare power to a DC water heater via a SSR when the batteries are full , Outbacks and Midnite classics have Aux outputs for this purpose , I have a Midnite ( awesome piece of kit ) and though its early days should be able to heat water in summer , SPring and Autumn in varying amounts , Not in Winter though as dont think even with 1620 watts I will have enough spare so its back to Engine then , 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

12 minutes ago, RufusR said:

Yes I agree you can however heat water from solar either a thermal panel or if you have a big solar array with power to spare you can get a solar controller that will divert spare power to a DC water heater via a SSR when the batteries are full , Outbacks and Midnite classics have Aux outputs for this purpose , I have a Midnite ( awesome piece of kit ) and though its early days should be able to heat water in summer , SPring and Autumn in varying amounts , Not in Winter though as dont think even with 1620 watts I will have enough spare so its back to Engine then , 

 

 

 

Or if yours was to be a new build/fit out an instant gas water heater to be fitted with a suitable change over valve. Something else for the OP to consider.

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

22 minutes ago, Bewildered said:

It will if it’s not thermostatically controlled

I have never seen one of those - do they exist on boats ?

I'm not sure that a non thermostatically controlled one would even be safe, keeping stuffing more and more heat into a pressure vessel ……………………….

 

Every one I've had has a little 'dial' on the top so you can just set the temperature to what ever you want

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have never seen one of those - do they exist on boats ?

I'm not sure that a non thermostatically controlled one would even be safe, keeping stuffing more and more heat into a pressure vessel ……………………….

 

Every one I've had has a little 'dial' on the top so you can just set the temperature to what ever you want

And an overheat device that cuts it off to prevent it boiling if the thermostat fails so that shoudl shut the heater down.

[Bewildered]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have never seen one of those - do they exist on boats ?

I'm not sure that a non thermostatically controlled one would even be safe, keeping stuffing more and more heat into a pressure vessel ……………………….

 

Every one I've had has a little 'dial' on the top so you can just set the temperature to what ever you want

I doubt you could buy one these days but I do remember having a water tank in our house with a heating element and totally separate thermostat to control it. That was back in the 70’s though, but it is possible there is a boat out there with a very old tank

[ditchcrawler]

8 hours ago, Bewildered said:

I doubt you could buy one these days but I do remember having a water tank in our house with a heating element and totally separate thermostat to control it. That was back in the 70’s though, but it is possible there is a boat out there with a very old tank

With a rewirable element on a porcelaine spine  

[Bewildered]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

With a rewirable element on a porcelaine spine  

I don't remember the element very well but I do remember helping my dad change the thermostat. It was a single brass coloured rod about 12-16 inches long with a Bakelite cover on the end with a slotted temperature dial that had a small arrow to point a the required temperature.