Solar and Electrics

[Anna-Claire]

Needing help with my solar pannels and getting my electrics working

[Phil Ambrose]

Care to elaborate?

Phil 

[Anna-Claire]

indeed

 

I currently have 3 solar pannels and my batteries in place, my engine started battrie works as well.

But when it comes to the inside I'm at a complete loss, my boat only came from holland a few months ago any pieces wired up are all with europian plus as well.

The aime would be to install the correct inverter along with the nesessery pieces to get the solar working as well along with the lesuire battery as I'm looking to live aboard. 

I'm going to be moving my boat on Friday to the grand union canal, near brentford and maybe even a little further towards uxbridge if possible.

 any help would be fab

[Nut]

I would ask for marine sparky recommendations and get one on board pronto

[Boater Sam]

Preferably before you get any closer to central London where you will have problems getting a professional to attend.

[Anna-Claire]

I will be in Uxbridge hopefully, where there is a marina. Is it best just to speak to them or to find someone myself?

I've also got a genertator if need be.

[Johny London]

My advice - if you want good help from the forum, would be to try and find out exactly what you have - there must be some sort of solar controller, maybe other bits and pieces. Even if they make no sense to you, if you can get names/numbers or photos, we might be able to figure it all out.

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, Anna-Claire said:

I will be in Uxbridge hopefully, where there is a marina. Is it best just to speak to them or to find someone myself?

I've also got a genertator if need be.

Whatever you do, Anna-Clair, keep your batteries fully charged whilst you get sorted. If you don't top them right up as soon as you've used them, you're on a slippery slope towards new ones.  

[Anna-Claire]

Afternoon

 

More information as to my boat electrics and solar pannels.

I have a

12V lesuire battery

12V starter battery- for the engine

3 solar pannels connected to a sun-ware fox-350 box

I have a mains switch for the engine/lesuire battery

 

I believe the box is broken and it needs to be rewired and fitted with a new one.

I would probably need more outlets running through the boat.

possibly another battery or two

and extra solar pannels, all connected to an inverter, prefrebly a 12V-230V pure-sin wave.

 

[Phil Ambrose]

Oh dear; you seem to be in a bit of a pickle. The box you describe as broken is I suspect a solar controller and you say you have 3 solar panels, how do you know the "box is not working and what is the capacity of your panels.

You suggest you want more panels connected to an inverter, I guess you know panels are connected to your battery bank (the one domestic you have)

If you intend using an inverter remember it will not provide 230v for very long. As you said you will need more than one battery.

What will you use the inverter for?

A rule of thumb is that you should never discharge a battery below 50% state of charge and to recharge you will need to put back all that you have used plus some, it's just the way battery chemistry works.

I'm guessing that you may need outside help, sorry I'm in the Fens

Phil 

Edited October 17, 2018 by Phil Ambrose

[Johny London]

Yes I'm afraid things are still a little sketchy. Could you tell us how many watts output each of the panels is? If they are fairly old might be 75-100w each, or in that region. The one leisure battery you have, we could assume it's 110ah but would be handy to know, also the type it is.

The fox350 is the solar controller: https://en.sunware.solar/v2018/static/reglers_pdf/InFx351D.pdf scroll down for the English.

Not sure what a mains switch for engine/Leisure battery is - could be someone has just used a mains type switch for some purpose or other, maybe if you gave us some pictures?

[matty40s]

If you only have one domestic battery (110Ah?)of dubious lifetime length, then it is likely that your expected usage far exceeds your batteries capabilities.

The solar charger probably has a safety feature which will not let it charge a completely discharged battery and this is what you may be facing now.

If you are living aboard and have an expectation of lights, charging a laptop/ipad/phone etc  along with using water pump, shower discharge pump and other electrics, then you need to upgrade your basic power bank first, before replacing items, which may not be faulty - but just designed not to work or protect themselves, - or yourself from an exploding battery!!

Try London Boaters.Org for local electricians advice, nobody else like to come down there due to congestion charges, parking charges, traffic jams, inability of boaters to get to accessible moorings, terrorists and the queen.