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Which leisure battery?

jhodgski

By jhodgski
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jhodgski

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Hiya,

 

I am looking to buy a new set of (4?) leisure batteries for my narrowboat. They will be used to power some small 12v appliances but also a 240v, 600W water distiller (via a 12v inverter, so 50A) that usually runs for about 4 hours (200Ah) every day. Charging the batteries will be 600W to 800W of solar panels (via an Epever 60A 6415AN MPPT charge controller).

 
Could you recommend any particular type or make/model of battery?
 
Many thanks,
James
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jhodgski Collaborator

jhodgski

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Thanks but mains electric isn't an option.

 

The panels will generate more power than the distiller uses, so I expect the setup will be fine on sunny, or even moderate, summer days.

 

But it's advice on what would be the most appropriate type/model of battery for this scenario that I'm really looking for?

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, jhodgski said:

Hiya,

 

I am looking to buy a new set of (4?) leisure batteries for my narrowboat. They will be used to power some small 12v appliances but also a 240v, 600W water distiller (via a 12v inverter, so 50A) that usually runs for about 4 hours (200Ah) every day. Charging the batteries will be 600W to 800W of solar panels (via an Epever 60A 6415AN MPPT charge controller).

 
Could you recommend any particular type or make/model of battery?
 
Many thanks,
James

 

Taking your figures, along with the 'guide' to only discharge your batteries to a maximim of 50%

 

4 (typical 100Ah) batteries will give you a 'guide' of a total daily discharge of 400 x 50 % = 200Ah

You water maker uses (every day) 200Ah.

 

1) what other batteries do you have to run all your other 12v appliances, recharge phones, computers, TV etc etc  ?

The 4 batteries you plan to use will be killed within 'days'.

 

2) Do you really plan to rely solely on Solar ?  You will need to provide at least 250Ah per day just to recharge the water maker batteries. That'd probably be about 6+ hours of engine running per day (every day) I very much doubt you'd average 25Ah out of 600w of solar and in the 5 months (Oct, Nov, Dec Jan, Feb) probably a vey small fraction of that.

 

Your plans are not going to work.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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IanD Veteran II

IanDDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Taking your figures, along with the 'guide' to only discharge your batteries to a maximim of 50%

 

4 (typical 100Ah) batteries will give you a 'guide' of a total daily discharge of 400 x 50 % = 200Ah

You water maker uses (every day) 200Ah.

 

1) what other batteries do you have to run all your other 12v appliances, recharge phones, computers, TV etc etc  ?

The 4 batteries you plan to use will be killed within 'days'.

 

2) Do you really plan to rely solely on Solar ?  You will need to provide at least 250Ah per day just to recharge the water maker batteries. That'd probably be about 6+ hours of engine running per day (every day) I very much doubt you'd average 25Ah out of 600w of solar and in the 5 months (Oct, Nov, Dec Jan, Feb) probably a vey small fraction of that.

 

Your plans are not going to work.

Agreed. From https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html#api_5.2 assuming the only power source is 800W of solar panels with optimum tilt, and the only power use is the water maker:

 

 

solar800W.png

Edited by IanD
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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

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35 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

As I said, you will not recharge your batteries!  They will be scrap within days.

 

Why do you need a water distiller?

 

Maybe Cmers hidden away in a backwater and need to make their water to save having to 'come out and be seen'.

 

Or maybe it is a water distillation plant being put to an alternative use - I wonder if they are moored up near a barley field ?

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Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, jhodgski said:

Hiya,

 

I am looking to buy a new set of (4?) leisure batteries for my narrowboat. They will be used to power some small 12v appliances but also a 240v, 600W water distiller (via a 12v inverter, so 50A) that usually runs for about 4 hours (200Ah) every day. Charging the batteries will be 600W to 800W of solar panels (via an Epever 60A 6415AN MPPT charge controller).

 
Could you recommend any particular type or make/model of battery?
 
Many thanks,
James

 

I want to reinforce what others have told you and beg that you read and digest the battery primer referred to.

 

On the face of what you have posted, whatever type or make of lead acid battery you buy you are likely to destroy them in a few weeks or maybe a month or two, so buy the cheapest because you will be throwing them away soon. The abilities of LiFePo4 lithium MIGHT give you a better chance of keeping them charged but the price for batteries and the required charge controller equipment may well cost several £1000.

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IanD Veteran II

IanDDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I want to reinforce what others have told you and beg that you read and digest the battery primer referred to.

 

On the face of what you have posted, whatever type or make of lead acid battery you buy you are likely to destroy them in a few weeks or maybe a month or two, so buy the cheapest because you will be throwing them away soon. The abilities of LiFePo4 lithium MIGHT give you a better chance of keeping them charged but the price for batteries and the required charge controller equipment may well cost several £1000.

The fundamental problem is he simply hasn't got enough power to run the loads, he needs either a *lot* more solar (which will still not be enough in winter), to run the engine for long periods, buy a generator, or get rid of the water maker...

Edited by IanD
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Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, IanD said:

The fundamental problem is he simply hasn't got enough power to run the loads, he needs either a *lot* more solar (which will still not be enough in winter), to run the engine for long periods, buy a generator, or get rid of the water maker...

 

That sums it up, but will he believe us?

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Tracy D'arth Veteran II

Tracy D'arthDonate to Canal World

Posted
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5 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

They only sell hearing aid batteries so no use for the boat ...

The hearing aid batteries stand about as much chance of coping with the load as new lead acid will.

 

Did you not want to hear that your solar would not cope?  To ask for advice is noble, to be in denial is foolish.

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Higgs Influencer

Higgs

Posted
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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

For water straight out of the canal ?

 

Not quite. I find these taps all over the place. I don't want to recoat the tank with bitumen again. Not quite sure with what to coat it with. I'm thinking epoxy, for potable water, but prepping the steel looks like a pita. 

 

 

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doratheexplorer Veteran

doratheexplorer

Posted
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1 hour ago, IanD said:

Agreed. From https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html#api_5.2 assuming the only power source is 800W of solar panels with optimum tilt, and the only power use is the water maker:

 

 

solar800W.png

Useful.

 

You've suggested a battery capacity of 6000wh which equates to 500ah, which would be about 4 typical lead acid leisure batteries.  Perhaps the OP is wondering what would happen if they greatly increased the number of batteries, say up to 40 batteries.

Here's the answer:

image.png.6fb1ae258db18b8ae352621db5d0fdea.png

It actually makes matters worse because there will be even fewer days when the batteries actually get a full charge.  So the batteries will get ruined even quicker.

 

Assuming 1 batteries costs about £100, that will be £4000 wasted.

 

So to answer the original question, there are no batteries which can be recommended.

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, jhodgski said:

Hiya,

 

I am looking to buy a new set of (4?) leisure batteries for my narrowboat. They will be used to power some small 12v appliances but also a 240v, 600W water distiller (via a 12v inverter, so 50A) that usually runs for about 4 hours (200Ah) every day. Charging the batteries will be 600W to 800W of solar panels (via an Epever 60A 6415AN MPPT charge controller).

 
Could you recommend any particular type or make/model of battery?
 
Many thanks,
James

 

 

What happened to the Generator you bought ?

 

(Is this still the wooden-top that you bought and had all the problems with - engine, toilet, cabin water leaks, replacing windows, injector pump, cylinder head replacement, leaking stern gland etc etc)

 

Did you girlfriend ever stay more than that one night when the wooden cabin leaked on her ?

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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