I have been following the H49/50 Battery replacement thread, with increasing interest. As I read through the posts and search for prices and information on each of the components of a new battery system, I am starting to think that it might be people like me, with a medium to small sized cruiser, who would get the biggest bang for our buck by upgrading our batteries to modern technology. Also borrowing from another recent thread on the Benefits / drawbacks of going bigger, I would like to ask for feedback on the benefits vs. costs of upgrading the existing FLA batteries in our 34 foot cruiser.
I would like to ask for clarification on a few things, and focus on the components and details required to figure out what it would take for me to replace my existing (19th century technology) FLA batteries with a 21st century upgrade.
In our current cruising lifestyle, the only thing that we would do but cannot do while at anchor, is use our small (700W) microwave to heat water and coffee, or an electric kettle to boil water. We have no problems staying away from shore power or running our engine to recharge during the summer months, but during spring or fall I find that I need to raise the ends of my flexible bimini mounted solar panels to improve charging. If we encounter several consecutive cloudy days and really cool nights, then we start getting nervous about our available battery power, as the solar charging struggles to keep up with the demands of longer evening use of interior lighting, and the power consumption of both the refigerator and forced air heater.
Another goal of this upgrade would be to move our house batteries to different location. I have two G31 batteris are stuffed into the front of my engine compartment right up against both the motor and the companionway steps. The start battery is located below a covered seat in the aft berth. The owners manual actually shows the house battery in the aft berth, but I don't think there is enough space below the top of the compartment to fit FLA batteries with their boxes and tops. If there is enough space available, I'd like to swap the two banks and put the start battery in the engine compartment and the new house batteries near the battery chargers, controllers, and switches in the aft compartment.
As may be the case with many of us, my system is a bit of a mix of original equipment and piece meal upgrades, enhancements, and replacement components. Our current battery and charging system consists of;
I would like to ask for clarification on a few things, and focus on the components and details required to figure out what it would take for me to replace my existing (19th century technology) FLA batteries with a 21st century upgrade.
In our current cruising lifestyle, the only thing that we would do but cannot do while at anchor, is use our small (700W) microwave to heat water and coffee, or an electric kettle to boil water. We have no problems staying away from shore power or running our engine to recharge during the summer months, but during spring or fall I find that I need to raise the ends of my flexible bimini mounted solar panels to improve charging. If we encounter several consecutive cloudy days and really cool nights, then we start getting nervous about our available battery power, as the solar charging struggles to keep up with the demands of longer evening use of interior lighting, and the power consumption of both the refigerator and forced air heater.
Another goal of this upgrade would be to move our house batteries to different location. I have two G31 batteris are stuffed into the front of my engine compartment right up against both the motor and the companionway steps. The start battery is located below a covered seat in the aft berth. The owners manual actually shows the house battery in the aft berth, but I don't think there is enough space below the top of the compartment to fit FLA batteries with their boxes and tops. If there is enough space available, I'd like to swap the two banks and put the start battery in the engine compartment and the new house batteries near the battery chargers, controllers, and switches in the aft compartment.
As may be the case with many of us, my system is a bit of a mix of original equipment and piece meal upgrades, enhancements, and replacement components. Our current battery and charging system consists of;
- Batteries; 2 G31 FLA 105 Ah (house), 1 G24 FLA (start)
- Sterling Pro Charge Ultra PCU1230
- Alternator - Valeo 120A (not externally regulated)
- Cristec MOSfet isolator RCE-150-1E-2IG
- 220 W flexible solar w/ Victron MPPT 100/30