Battery Charging For Those On A Tight Budget

[Alan de Enfield]

I have no connection to Bimble, except as a very happy customer.

The recent 'rash' of new members having electrical / battery problems and seemingly all working to a tight budget (which maybe explains the problems) the following may be of interest :

The Bimble sale has 210w panels for sale for just £80. Add a controller and for not much more than a couple of cheapo batteries you have a solar set-up.

 

1 WEEK SALE
210W - Now from just £80 - for 1 week only.
To clear some space in the warehouse we are having a 1 week sale on our 210W all black used panels, making them from just 38p/watt.
http://www.bimblesolar.com/210w-allblack-used

 

Or even these :

165W CIS Low Light Panels - From £99
We have stocks of 165W CIS low light panels in at a great price 
http://www.bimblesolar.com/solar-frontier-165w-cis

 

I have the 170w version and they have produced a noticeable, measurable amount all Winter.

[roland elsdon]

Back in the early 80s before boats got complicated we had a colecraft with 1 yes 1 battery and a Perkins electric only start engine. As impoverished people our solution was simple. Buy a second battery and take the flat one on the rack of the cycle to work every other day. ( work being in the physics lab at Brunel university)

in those days you knew when the battery was flat when the lights dimmed to nothing. At which point you gave up we always filled the kettle when the lights were good. Weekends were spent boating which helped. Charging the batteries by running the engine  while stationary was a cardinal no no, and pretty pointless given the low output alternator. Starting the Perkins was always done fingers crossed. When we bought a car, it was equipped with a battery box in the footwell and a set of flying leads to attach to a spare battery for the boat. We went through a lot of pairs of trousers with battery acid...

[mrsmelly]

8 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

Back in the early 80s before boats got complicated we had a colecraft with 1 yes 1 battery and a Perkins electric only start engine. As impoverished people our solution was simple. Buy a second battery and take the flat one on the rack of the cycle to work every other day. ( work being in the physics lab at Brunel university)

in those days you knew when the battery was flat when the lights dimmed to nothing. At which point you gave up we always filled the kettle when the lights were good. Weekends were spent boating which helped. Charging the batteries by running the engine  while stationary was a cardinal no no, and pretty pointless given the low output alternator. Starting the Perkins was always done fingers crossed. When we bought a car, it was equipped with a battery box in the footwell and a set of flying leads to attach to a spare battery for the boat. We went through a lot of pairs of trousers with battery acid...

And there you have it. We all now want more and more gadgets well nearly all anyway. Our first liveaboard boat we moved onto in 89 had ONE battery charged from a piddly alternator on the HAND start only lister ( 9  HP ) 56 foot boat again everyone needs four hundred horsepower engines now and we loved it. No monitoring systems of any kind not even an oil pressure light or oil filter. As you say when the lights went out ya went to bed. We had a foot operated water pump ( cold only ) fantastic days we cruised about eighty percent of the system in that old boat and its still around today.

[magpie patrick]

If we wish to venture further into Hovis land in recall going on boats that had no domestic electrics at all, the battery powered the starter and the headlight.  Gas lamps on board for light and a hand pump for (cold) water...  we stayed in at least one cottage like that as well. 

Whilst I despair of those who's needs require croc-clips to the national grid I'm not sure I want to go back to those days.. 

[mrsmelly]

10 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

If we wish to venture further into Hovis land in recall going on boats that had no domestic electrics at all, the battery powered the starter and the headlight.  Gas lamps on board for light and a hand pump for (cold) water...  we stayed in at least one cottage like that as well. 

Whilst I despair of those who's needs require croc-clips to the national grid I'm not sure I want to go back to those days.. 

I agree. We were only babies back then in our thirties so it was an adventure as well as a fantastic lifestyle. We now have slightly more  equipment on this boat but I too wonder why we daily get people asking leccy questions requiring an umbilicle chord to the national grid!! ITS A BLOODY BOAT not a flat!!

[Alan de Enfield]

48 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

I agree. We were only babies back then in our thirties so it was an adventure as well as a fantastic lifestyle. We now have slightly more  equipment on this boat but I too wonder why we daily get people asking leccy questions requiring an umbilicle chord to the national grid!! ITS A BLOODY BOAT not a flat!!

Because (in general) those asking the questions are 'newbies' and they don't yet know it is not a flat.

[Chewbacka]

42 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Because (in general) those asking the questions are 'newbies' and they don't yet know it is not a flat.

Being provocative, some don't really want a boat, they want a flat but in London can't afford one, so onto a 'flat' but floating on the canal..............

[matty40s]

"Newbie qwestion sorry....., I've bought my boat from a guy who says I have 3 batteries, where are these please, and why will my sunbed not work.

Another boater 2 boats nearer the towpath than my mooring has said there are high voltage cables under the towpath in this area, how can I plug my landline into these"

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

has said there are high voltage cables under the towpath in this area, how can I plug my landline into these"

Just hammer in two mooring pins and connect you wires to them - forget about the green/yellow one, just cut it off, you won't feel the difference anyway.