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[xsiddr]

Hairdryer aaaggggghhhh!!!!

Ask away!

Goodmorning Maine, First mate wants to dry her hair, 1200w dryer. Have 2 Trogan105 as bank, Xantrex link pro monitor, Westy 30B, standard alt, Sentry 20amp charger.
Options: Smaller watt dryer, get WM 1000w inverter $100
Honda eu2000i $1000
Solar panels/inverter $1000+

We will be doing one to two weeks cruises, with mostly anchoring. Benefit of Honda is obvious, hot water etc. Panels and inverter could lessen engine tiime, but I wonder how the panels are in the wind. Would mount them on bimini and/or Garhauer davits.

I'm hoping not to start chasing the money pit of larger alt., bigger charger/inverter, larger house bank etc. I guess I could shave her head but that would cost big divorce $.
Your sage advice is welcomed
Bob

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I know a lot of gals have trouble letting go of the electrical hair appliances while on board. I stick to a hairstyle that works without having to fix it while on the boat and frankly I enjoy just letting it go. That is why we have combs, clips, bands and hats! I just wash and let it dry in the breeze.


POTL

 

[Maine Sail]

Goodmorning Maine, First mate wants to dry her hair, 1200w dryer. Have 2 Trogan105 as bank, Xantrex link pro monitor, Westy 30B, standard alt, Sentry 20amp charger.
Options: Smaller watt dryer, get WM 1000w inverter $100
Honda eu2000i $1000
Solar panels/inverter $1000+

If you figure 10 minutes to dry hair at 100 amps you would use somewhere around 25-30 Ah's from your battery bank when you add in for Peukert effect for the very high load applied. Face vaulue would be 100 amps X 0.167 of an hour or 16.7 Ah's for a 10 minute blow dry.

Roughly every 100 watts of inverter power = 10A DC load so a 1000 watt hair drier would use 100 Ah's with an inverter at 100% efficient over the course of an hour.

Of course inverters are not 100% efficient so you'd really use about 110-115Ah's per hour at face value. However the higher the load on the batteries above the Ah rating rated draw, which for your batteries is 11.25 amps over 20 hours, the less Ah's you will get out of the bank. Conversely the lower the draw below 11.25 amps you would have more available Ah's. I would figure a 20-30 Ah whack for blow drying but your battery monitor could confirm that exactly.

We will be doing one to two weeks cruises, with mostly anchoring. Benefit of Honda is obvious, hot water etc. Panels and inverter could lessen engine tiime, but I wonder how the panels are in the wind. Would mount them on bimini and/or Garhauer davits.

Our solar panel has cruised from Labrador to South America through the canal and up to Alaska. It is 12 years old and still performs like new. But you are only getting full output for about 4-5 hours per day. Our panel puts out about 18-22 Ah's per day +/-.

I'm hoping not to start chasing the money pit of larger alt., bigger charger/inverter, larger house bank etc. I guess I could shave her head but that would cost big divorce $.
Your sage advice is welcomed
Bob

Your batts probably don't need much more alternator. Trojan recommends a max of about 45 maps for a "fast charge" on your bank. What you need is time and conservation. If you run the engine during hair drying it can keep the voltage up on the bank some and help minimize the Peukert hit...

 

[Bill Roosa]

Hey MS
another point on those "large" electrical loads and a plug for a bigger than you would normally think you need alternator. If your 100 amp hair dryer can be supplied by your oversized alternator you can run it all day as long as the engine is running.
I use this technique when weighing anchor to power the windlass and rasiing the mainsail with the electric winch. Makes them run faster too toward the end of the event as the batts are not fagging out voltage wise.
FWIW

 

[xsiddr]

Maine, thanks for your advice. Don't know what I was thinking this early am, asked question without checking archives...YIKES!!!!. Hairdrying can be a bad topic. I guess what I'm really looking for was your comments about solar panels and wind. It freaks me out to think of a storm hitting with +50mph winds and the panel, bimini, davits sailing off like a giant kite.Thanks, Bob

 

[Maine Sail]

Hey MS
another point on those "large" electrical loads and a plug for a bigger than you would normally think you need alternator. If your 100 amp hair dryer can be supplied by your oversized alternator you can run it all day as long as the engine is running.
I use this technique when weighing anchor to power the windlass and rasiing the mainsail with the electric winch. Makes them run faster too toward the end of the event as the batts are not fagging out voltage wise.
FWIW

That's why I suggested it. Especially with windlass motors keeping the voltage up helps with VD and can lead to less motor burn out. Deep cycle batts don't like large loads for long periods and start batteries don't like long, high loads at all. Running a windlass or large inverter loads without the motor on is tough on any battery bank unless it is mammoth.. Same thing with electric bow thrusters and I have seen those squeal a properly tensioned 1.25" wide serpentine belt on a 330 HP Cummins so those things draw massive power. Either way your battery monitor will keep track of the net loss/gain..

 

[stickboy]

Mr Maine Sail,

I got the retrofit alternator mount on the M25 with high hopes it will take care of the belt dust but I've lost my optimism. The fore and aft location seems pretty good but the alternator seems to be twisting in toward the main crank and water pump. A straight edge on the water pump pulley and the main pulley lay pretty parrallel to the belt but laying it on the alternator pulley crosses the belt about halfway to either other pulley. Do you have any ideas for aligning the alternator?

Thanks,
Randy

Getting the bottom soda blasted when the yard dries a little.

 

[lbertran]

Question About MRBF Installation

Hi, Maine Sail-
I am using MRBF's on both battery banks and don't want to get this wrong. According to the instructions on the Blue Sea web site there should be a fiber washer that isolates the fuse from the post.

"If the ring terminal makes contact with the terminal fuse stud, the fuse is bypassed and is not protecting the circuit (there is a short circuit across the fuse)."

But neither my newly purchased fuses nor the MRBF terminal fuse blocks supplied a fiber washer of any kind. The terminal blocks included a flat and a locking washer for each post. I saw in the picture you provided of the installed MRBFs in the Victron Battery Monitor thread that both washers are on top of the fuse, but there's no mention of a fiber washer. Any guidance? Thanks.

Laura Bertran
1985 Ericson 35-3
Annapolis

 

[lbertran]

Answer to MRBF Washer Question

Just reached Blue Sea Tech Support. The fiber washer is no longer needed in the redesigned terminal blocks. The info I saw was obsolete. All that's needed is the flat and locking washers.

Laura Bertran
Footloose, 1985 Ericson 35-3
Annapolis

 

[Bill Roosa]

Stickboy
you can use a combination of shims under the "axel" bolt bracket where it connects to the engine and bending of the "adjuster bolt" bracket. this will turn the alternator but not move it fore and aft. I have used pieces of wood to get the shims correct then make the metal ones from them for final solution.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Stickboy
Also check your Vee belt and pully types. there are two and they don't play well when mixed together. The differance is the angle of the V grove. the belt should sit in the pulley compleatly and not "ride up" on the belt sholder. It should be flat from pulley edge across the belt top to the other pulley edge when the fit is correct.

 

[stickboy]

Stickboy
you can use a combination of shims under the "axel" bolt bracket where it connects to the engine and bending of the "adjuster bolt" bracket. this will turn the alternator but not move it fore and aft. I have used pieces of wood to get the shims correct then make the metal ones from them for final solution.

Are you saying shim the bracket out from the engine? Unfortunately that's not an option with this bracket, it attaches on the side AND front of the engine so if I shim it out, the mounting bolts on the front won't line up and they look pretty critical.

Thanks fot the idea though, maybe I can trim down the opposite end...

 

[Bill Roosa]

shiming an alternator

Shim the bracket so the bracket twists in the right direction. I'll bet that if it is not aligned the bracket is bent or worn but I have seen brand new one not line up.
Use the front bracket bolt as an pivot, not around the bolt but bending the bolt. Loosen it up, put the shim under the back bracket polt then tighten to satisfaction.
This assumes that shiming the back will turn the alternator in the correct direction. If it would make the alignment worse then try this.
take the bracket off, elongate the front bolt hole so you can put a shim under the bracket .....????? OK let me draw you a picture as this is confusing without a common lexicon

 

[stickboy]

Shim the bracket so the bracket twists in the right direction. I'll bet that if it is not aligned the bracket is bent or worn but I have seen brand new one not line up.
Use the front bracket bolt as an pivot, not around the bolt but bending the bolt. Loosen it up, put the shim under the back bracket polt then tighten to satisfaction.
This assumes that shiming the back will turn the alternator in the correct direction. If it would make the alignment worse then try this.
take the bracket off, elongate the front bolt hole so you can put a shim under the bracket .....????? OK let me draw you a picture as this is confusing without a common lexicon

Well... Here's what today brought

I noticed that I could get the alternator to the correct position but when the primary mounting bolt was tightned the alternator twisted. After much closer inspection I noticed the forward 'ear' of the mounting bracket was out of alignment. A little time with the Dremel ground that into shape and it's now pretty darn close, in fact what I'm calling close enough.

 

[Maine Sail]

Well... Here's what today brought

I noticed that I could get the alternator to the correct position but when the primary mounting bolt was tightned the alternator twisted. After much closer inspection I noticed the forward 'ear' of the mounting bracket was out of alignment. A little time with the Dremel ground that into shape and it's now pretty darn close, in fact what I'm calling close enough.

Those replacement brackets are very sloppily built. I have had similar issues on two of these. As you found out they can be made to work but it does not always go easy. Some are spot on and others are sloppy and there's no rhyme or reason.. Glad you fixed it..

 

[berner73]

Re-using a thru-hull hole

-Maine

What say you?

Replacing our Data Marine Instruments and have to replace the transducer.

What are the chances the old one will come out cleanly and if it does, is it a bad idea to re-use the hole or should it be glassed over and a new one drilled?

Thanks

Joe

 

[Maine Sail]

-Maine

What say you?

Replacing our Data Marine Instruments and have to replace the transducer.

What are the chances the old one will come out cleanly and if it does, is it a bad idea to re-use the hole or should it be glassed over and a new one drilled?

Thanks

Joe

As long as the old hole and new transducer are the same size re-use the old hole. Your old Datamarine transducer MAY work with new instruments.

Read this: A New Depth Sounder With An Old Transducer

 

[berner73]

As long as the old hole and new transducer are the same size re-use the old hole. Your old Datamarine transducer MAY work with new instruments.

Read this: A New Depth Sounder With An Old Transducer

Thanks Maine,

Unfortunately the Tacktick is 868 MHz or 916 MHz, so I don't think the old transducers will work. Appreciate the reply.

 

[wetass]

Maine Sail,

First, thanks for your postings on electrical systems, here and in other forums. They have been incredibly valuable - I am in the middle of rewiring my boat and since I have the same brand/model as you, I have been able to shamelessly copy your systems.

I even went so far as to give Everstarts Maxx-29s a shot - I saw you had at least some good things to say about them (for a value priced battery). I figure for the price, I can't go too wrong. The problem is that I think they may have changed the batteries. The ones I picked up at Walmart are blue and labeled "Marine Deep Cycle" Maxx-29s with 125 AH and 845 Cranking Amps. The problem is that in small print above the 125 AH rating it says "Amp Hours @ 1 A". No C/20 rating. From what I can tell, these are the same as the Interstate SRM-29. But again, Interstate doesn't give a C/20 rating. They do give a 5 amp rating of 21 hours, which makes me think these are more like 105 AH C/20 batteries, or something close to that. The 845 is also MCA (at least according to Interstate). Am I reading this right?

I have to get this correct, as I copied your installation of a battery monitor as well ;-)

Thanks

 

[wetass]

I should add that I got the information on the battery specs for the SRM-29 from here: http://www.interstatebatteries.com/cs_eStore/content/product_info/marine_f.asp