Solar power - kits

[Steve Parry]

I'm thinking of buying a 30 - 36' boat to live on. I would plan to install solar power. Apologies if this has been covered before. Does anyone have experience of these kits from Bimblesolar:

http://www.bimblesol...mplete-inverter

 

I'd then have 2 x 60 a/h + 1 x 105 a/h batteries ie about 225 a/h in theory. Though the original 2 x 60 a/h are about two years old. I'd like to add another 220 watt panel but that would overload the mppt charge controller in this kit as it's only rated to 20 amps. Can anyone suggest the correct bigger mppt controller as they don't show what seems the obvious step to 2 x 220 watt panels. Perhaps this is not a possible configuration for some reason? What could I power with the included 300 watt inverter? I suspect v little so probably would exclude this. Basically I'd like to be able to run a three way fridge 24/7, charge my laptop/ipad/iPhone and watch an hour or two of TV. Though my existing TV is a 46" plasma (300 watts) and I suspect I'd need to trade down to a 32" LED.

 

Steve

[kremmen]

Hi Steve,

Can't really help with the power query but I would question the need for even a 32" TV on such a compact set up. I manage to survive with a 21" and that's on a 58' boat .

 

Paul

[Stormbringer]

If you really must keep the three way fridge ( I strongly recommend that you buy a 'proper' 12V fridge) then I would use inverter to power the 240v heater in the fridge (usually 125w if Electrolux / Dometic caravan fridge) as they are horrendously inefficient on the 12v setting, as they are not thermostatically controlled on that setting. Basically they are 'always on' on 12 volts!

 

Regarding batteries I would have thought it's better to have a bank made up of similar sized batteries,?

 

Hth, Andy.....

[Theo]

You could run the fridge on gas. This would remove a huge drain.

 

N

[Ricco1]

I would second running the fridge on gas. OK, you may use a 13KG bottle in 5-6 weeks but it will give you the freedom to be able to watch t.v. and other appliances without having to think about running the engine too much. Plus, from around November to March you can turn the fridge off and store your food in a suitable bilge. Mine goes in the front one, under the cratch deck.

[keble]

Hi Steve,

Can't really help with the power query but I would question the need for even a 32" TV on such a compact set up. I manage to survive with a 21" and that's on a 58' boat .

 

Paul

As I'm finding out, the TV size depends on your eyesight and where you sit! We had a 15" for years then upgraded to 19". Now that's too small, can't read any text too well.

Oh, and I do wear specs!

[Phil Ambrose]

Are the 3 batteries you describe all for the domestics or is 1 a starter battery? Of the 225a/h only half of that will be available as you should not discharge below 50%

Is your inverter a pure sine wave model because if not you may struggle to get TV to work as many of todays bits of electrical kit fail to work correctly on modified sine wave power.

Regarding your proposed PV array you should easily find a MPPT contoller of a suitable size and I would suggest you look at sources other than Bimble (check out delivery costs) I got 3 X 100 watt panels on Ebay for £255 recently with free postage

Phil

[Steve Parry]

Sorry the link to the kit didn't work. Here it is: http://www.bimblesolar.com/12v-220w-complete-inverter

 

There would be three leisure batteries: 2 x 60 a/h (I think about 2 years old) and the new one from the kit: 110 a/h. The inverter included in the kit is a Victron Phoenix 350w pure sinewave.

 

Steve

[ditchcrawler]

I'm thinking of buying a 30 - 36' boat to live on. I would plan to install solar power. Apologies if this has been covered before. Does anyone have experience of these kits from Bimblesolar:

http://www.bimblesol...mplete-inverter

 

I'd then have 2 x 60 a/h + 1 x 105 a/h batteries ie about 225 a/h in theory. Though the original 2 x 60 a/h are about two years old. I'd like to add another 220 watt panel but that would overload the mppt charge controller in this kit as it's only rated to 20 amps. Can anyone suggest the correct bigger mppt controller as they don't show what seems the obvious step to 2 x 220 watt panels. Perhaps this is not a possible configuration for some reason? What could I power with the included 300 watt inverter? I suspect v little so probably would exclude this. Basically I'd like to be able to run a three way fridge 24/7, charge my laptop/ipad/iPhone and watch an hour or two of TV. Though my existing TV is a 46" plasma (300 watts) and I suspect I'd need to trade down to a 32" LED.

 

Steve

I don't think that would even run your 3 way fridge on the 12volt setting. I think you would find it uses top side of 150ah per day

[Top cat]

Look at the panel spec very carefully, they are second hand panels ! Ask yourself why the original owner no longer wanted them.

 

The is no such thing as a free lunch. If something is significantly cheaper than the norm there is usually a reason.

 

I decided not to go there and paid the going rate.

 

Just my 2p worth

 

T C

[Steve Parry]

The reviews of the panels on the site seem credible and positive. I was thinking one 220 watt panel would not be enough. That's why I asked about running an extra 220 watt in addition ie 440 watts. But then I'd need a different (30 amp max?) mppt controller and the site doesn't seem to offer this configuration as a kit. Another option is, as someone already mentioned, to run the fridge off gas. The lighting is all LED already. If I could do that I might have plenty of power.

 

Steve

[Phil Ambrose]

Ditchcrawler and Topcat are correct, you really need to do a power audit and ditch the juice sucking TV. Don't forget that the stated capacity of Solar Panels is the very best case scenario, the reality is that you won't get anything like the quoted output unless you have unbroken full sunshine and the panels are correctly orientated towards the sun and that is at the height of summer. Spring and Autumn will produce less, Winter considerably less, cloud cover reduces it even more. So don't expect to put 440watts of panels on your boat and have it available all the time. You also need a bigger battery bank to store the energy in because remember you will be using a lot more power at night.

Phil

[matty40s]

As I said in your other thread, don't buy a kit, buy products to match your requirements.

[Phil Ambrose]

As I said in your other thread, don't buy a kit, buy products to match your requirements.

Seconded.

Phil

[George94]

There is nothing wrong with a kit if it matches your requirements, but it's worth noting that Bimble don't give a discount for buying a kit. It is better to use their Design Your Own page to get exactly what you want.

 

I think you would be better off getting two 220W panels and the Tracer 40 amp controller. That way you will save money on power generation, and there is enough leeway to add another smaller panel.

 

I also agree that the only fridge worth buying is a 12/24V one (you should consider a 24V system for the boat). Alternatively, with a decent inverter go for a 230V fridge (more choice, and much cheaper to buy, though slightly more expensive to run).

 

With the money saved on the 230V fridge, get a bigger inverter and buy some traction batteries from Tayna.