Smart Regulator -follow-up

[GWG]

I am following up on the responses to my discussion topic regarding my concerns about the adequacy of the standard alternator/built-in regualtor on my Yanmar 4JH5E.

The alternator is an Hitachi LR 180-03C 80 amp, with built in regulator. I've attached an excerpt from the service manual which shows that the output at max speed is 13.5V constant. I don't quite understand this, because i was under the impression that in the bulk stage the output should be 14.6V.

My batteries--all wet cell--consists of 3 banks-
1. House Bank 2 4D s, Deka 904D. The specs from Deka show CCA@0F of 1050; and Reserve capacity of 290. Frankly i don't understand these numbers and do not know how to determine amp capacity.
2. Engine start battery--Deka Group 27
3. Bow thruster battery--Deka Group 27

The principal draw on the house bank--the bank I'm concerned about--when we are cruising is s 8 to 10 amps when the refrig and freezer are working. I assume they work about 50% of the time on most days of use. The other principal draw is the nav instruments and auto pilot, say 4 to 5 amps for 5 hours a day.

I've also learned that the voltmeter on my instrument panel doesn't really monitor the battery voltage. The voltage numbers it shows varies widely as the refrig cycles on and off.

So my question is should i upgrade my alternator and or regulator? I realize a larger alternator can put strain on the belt, so I wouldn't go above 100 amps. I don't want to make more changes than I have to.

 

[Rick D]

Alternative First Step, Maybe

I am following up on the responses to my discussion topic regarding my concerns about the adequacy of the standard alternator/built-in regualtor on my Yanmar 4JH5E.

The alternator is an Hitachi LR 180-03C 80 amp, with built in regulator. I've attached an excerpt from the service manual which shows that the output at max speed is 13.5V constant. I don't quite understand this, because i was under the impression that in the bulk stage the output should be 14.6V.

My batteries--all wet cell--consists of 3 banks-
1. House Bank 2 4D s, Deka 904D. The specs from Deka show CCA@0F of 1050; and Reserve capacity of 290. Frankly i don't understand these numbers and do not know how to determine amp capacity.
2. Engine start battery--Deka Group 27
3. Bow thruster battery--Deka Group 27

The principal draw on the house bank--the bank I'm concerned about--when we are cruising is s 8 to 10 amps when the refrig and freezer are working. I assume they work about 50% of the time on most days of use. The other principal draw is the nav instruments and auto pilot, say 4 to 5 amps for 5 hours a day.

I've also learned that the voltmeter on my instrument panel doesn't really monitor the battery voltage. The voltage numbers it shows varies widely as the refrig cycles on and off.

So my question is should i upgrade my alternator and or regulator? I realize a larger alternator can put strain on the belt, so I wouldn't go above 100 amps. I don't want to make more changes than I have to.

If I were to do it all over again, I would first install a smart battery monitor and log my experience before going further.

 

[Maine Sail]

I am following up on the responses to my discussion topic regarding my concerns about the adequacy of the standard alternator/built-in regualtor on my Yanmar 4JH5E.

The alternator is an Hitachi LR 180-03C 80 amp, with built in regulator. I've attached an excerpt from the service manual which shows that the output at max speed is 13.5V constant. I don't quite understand this, because i was under the impression that in the bulk stage the output should be 14.6V.

The alternator is rated at 13.5V but it regulates to 14.5V +/- 0.3V. The big problem with Hitachi's is that in order to prevent them from burning up charging large banks they temp compensate and reduce voltage when they get hot. This drastically slows how fast they can charge your bank. I replace more Hitachi/Yanmar alts due to poor performance than any other alternator out there.

My batteries--all wet cell--consists of 3 banks-
1. House Bank 2 4D s, Deka 904D. The specs from Deka show CCA@0F of 1050; and Reserve capacity of 290. Frankly i don't understand these numbers and do not know how to determine amp capacity.
2. Engine start battery--Deka Group 27
3. Bow thruster battery--Deka Group 27

The principal draw on the house bank--the bank I'm concerned about--when we are cruising is s 8 to 10 amps when the refrig and freezer are working. I assume they work about 50% of the time on most days of use. The other principal draw is the nav instruments and auto pilot, say 4 to 5 amps for 5 hours a day.

I've also learned that the voltmeter on my instrument panel doesn't really monitor the battery voltage. The voltage numbers it shows varies widely as the refrig cycles on and off.

I would suggest you invest in a battery monitor such as the Victron BMV-600 before spending any money on upgrades. This will allow you to physically watch how your alt performs and how many Ah's per day you actually use. Much better to start here than spending money via guess work.

So my question is should i upgrade my alternator and or regulator? I realize a larger alternator can put strain on the belt, so I wouldn't go above 100 amps. I don't want to make more changes than I have to.

Start with a battery monitor. When you get to the alt I would suggest not limiting your amperage based on the belt. Go big 120A - 150A and then control how much the belt load is in the "belt manager" setting on the Balmar MC-614 regulator. I do this on a regular basis. Last week was a 120A Balmar on a single 1/2" belt. I set belt manager at level 4 and had a max of 83-85A. The alt never goes into temp limiting and just purrs along at 83-85A as long as it needs to.

Doing this will allow you to eventually convert to a serpentine pulley kit and use the full capacity of the alt. Using a 120A - 150A alt at 80-90A will have it running nice and cool and not taxing it.

 

[Mike B]

I have a Beneteau 43 and the 40/43s are all energy hogs. The Deka 4Ds only put out apx 160 ahr each and are a bit undersized for the B40. Between the two fridge/freezer compressors you can use 75amps a day. Add lights (LEDs are very helpful) water pumps, radio, nav instruments etc and your daily usage can jump to the 120 to 130 ahr range. The Hitachi will get you recharged if you motor on a regular basis. But if you like to hang on the hook for a few days you'll need a better alternator. I went with an ElectroMaax 140 that's driven by a serpentine belt and tied into a Balmar MC614 regulator. I have the load manager dialed back to 110 amps. I have 450 amp house bank from Trojan T105 6V batteries. The ElectroMaax is giving me at least double the amps at apx 1200 rpms. It's now charging in the 60 amp range. I've seen 80-90 while motoring back from a 4 day outing. BTW I installed a Victron BMV600 to monitor the house bank and recorded data prior to going with the new setup. I'm still using it to see what adjustments may be desired or required. Note that I upgraded the wiring from the alternator to the battery isolator, which by the way is a new ProSol 180 2 bank model. I also upgraded the wiring from the ProSol to the battery switches. While I may have been able to get by with the #2 I felt it was marginal. I also wanted to ensure a minimal voltage drop. Additionally your current isolator for the house bank (you have 2, one for the house, the other for the start/thruster batteries) is only rated at 100 amps. The start/thruster is rated at 150, which is fine. Just telling you this so if and when you upgrade the alternator you'll need to upgrade your wiring and isolator.
One last thing to share is there's a Beneteau 40/43 forum at SeaKnots.ning.com that's very helpful for specific questions or issues with the 40/43s.
Mike