Generator and a/c over night

jwieneck

jwieneck

.
Jun 3, 2004
241
Hunter 41 DS Punta Gorda, Fl
i wondering how many of you run your generator through the night. We live in Florida and starting just about now the over night temps just do not come down enough to keep the boat comfortable. Our practice to date has been to run our generator at night to cool the boat down then turn the generator off. Some time in the night we open hatch’s but sometime we do not have to. Not with night time temps staying up there opening hatch’s really dose not help unless there is a good wind. So boat all around us are running their gen set and a/c all night. What do you guys and gals do?
 
JamesG161

JamesG161

.
Feb 14, 2014
7,423
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
When the open cabin temps are 85 during days, we prefer the Generator AC at night.

We get a few benefits from that, normally 6 hours, run.
1) Battery Charge
2) Refrigerator reset from the daytime.
3) Late night movie.
4) Microwave popcorn.;)

Jim...
 
jwieneck

jwieneck

.
Jun 3, 2004
241
Hunter 41 DS Punta Gorda, Fl
I understand the noise issue for other that’s not the question. We have always worries about the safety issue but with 4 dectectors on board we are beginning to think about keeping the boat cool when the open hatch temp and humidity is so high. We also look for places where others are not but like this morning I know the 3 boats around me a running gen sets. I can hear one and see the other two spitting water. If it means a better night sleep and a happy admiral it maybe worth it.
 
JamesG161

JamesG161

.
Feb 14, 2014
7,423
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
We verify our exhaust is working properly, at time of starting. We do have Genset housing blowers to use if our CO detectors alarm.
Electrical is protected by 2 sets of breakers and the Auto switching of the Inverter/Charger.

Maintenance and inspections are the key to any boat safety.
Jim...
 
Gunni

Gunni

.
Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
I get it, that part of Florida (Punta Gorda, Gulf-side ) is one of the sweatiest places in the CONUS, the water will soon be near 90deg. Your boat should be full of cabin fans. They make the A/C work better and move the hot humid air across you. All this assumes you are up some creek, and not on a night sail to Key West.

I married a southern gal who truly believes humidity and glistening skin is a beauty secret, and until a few years ago we didn’t have A/C in a boat. You got hot, you went swimming. You got hot you take off your clothes. We have A/C now...and a genset to make it work, but the system gets shut down after the supper dishes are washed. The fans all come on, the G&Ts get mixed and the salty air on our skin reminds us we are sailors not motorboaters.
 
  • Like
Likes: Parsons, Ralph Johnstone and Rick486
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

.
Dec 25, 2000
5,735
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
jssailem said:
No Generator up here.
Click to expand
Ditto here. Have a Genset, but no need to run it during the night. Very moderate climate around these precincts. Low humidity and hardly no skeeters out at anchor. Seldom venture that far from land where. Now biting flies can become a bit of a nuisance, but easily dispatched. Not many around, however.
 
kloudie1

kloudie1

.
Nov 6, 2006
9,893
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
No problems with frozen nose hairs here on the Pontchartrain!.. Heat index yesterday was 101F. No genset on board so "marina cruising" is a summer activity.. (so that shore power/AC can be plugged in) .. Have been successful in the past with a windscoop when anchored out where a good breeze is available.. My old Spirit 23 with the pop top open was a lot more comfortable than the full cabin I have now..
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem
Joe

Joe

.
Jun 1, 2004
8,007
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I cruised the southwest coast of Florida a lot with friends on their IP 32. No AC but plenty of fans and good no-see-um netting. We had an air scoop but breeze was inconsistent. Keeping the air moving was paramount, air temp, not so much. At Boca Grande and Cayo Costa we sometimes anchored in the gulf, off the beach, to take advantage of the breeze.... best sleep ever. Inside it would get sticky, especially in marinas like South Seas that are tucked away... but the fans are what made life bearable.
 
  • Like
Likes: Sailm8
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

.
Dec 25, 2000
5,735
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Oops. Tripped up again on that darn PNW narrative. Must keep the record straight; sun never shines, always rains, colder than snot, wind forget it and yes skeeters as big as B52s.
 
  • Like
Likes: Rick D
jwieneck

jwieneck

.
Jun 3, 2004
241
Hunter 41 DS Punta Gorda, Fl
JamesG161 said:
We verify our exhaust is working properly, at time of starting. We do have Genset housing blowers to use if our CO detectors alarm.
Electrical is protected by 2 sets of breakers and the Auto switching of the Inverter/Charger.

Maintenance and inspections are the key to any boat safety.
Jim...
Click to expand
Good points Jim we have the same I am thinking we try it I only burn 0.6 diesel an hour with the gen set so that is not an issue. Just wanted
Joe said:
I cruised the southwest coast of Florida a lot with friends on their IP 32. No AC but plenty of fans and good no-see-um netting. We had an air scoop but breeze was inconsistent. Keeping the air moving was paramount, air temp, not so much. At Boca Grande and Cayo Costa we sometimes anchored in the gulf, off the beach, to take advantage of the breeze.... best sleep ever. Inside it would get sticky, especially in marinas like South Seas that are tucked away... but the fans are what made life bearable.
Click to expand
yep we have fans also a total of 7 but We are not looking for bearable and I am over all the real sailor stuff that’s just words anyay. Logged enough ocean time to get passed that T stuff. I think I will test the genset and a/c tonight to see what the fuel etc dose. My admiral wants to be comfortable while out this summer or I am single handing. Thanks for all the advice
 
JamesG161

JamesG161

.
Feb 14, 2014
7,423
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Your genset should be "auto amperage loading".
Lower amp load, lower diesel use.

We time the genset use for most during active times below.
On a long sailing week, we are mainly on the weather deck and a breeze.;)

Captain's cabin for sleeping and lower amps.

A few times we have been caught in a summer squall and drop anchor in a nearby relatively protected waters.
Kick on the genset and enjoy the "storm".:waycool:
Jim...
 
Sailgunner

Sailgunner

.
Jun 4, 2004
1,073
Hunter 410 Punta Gorda
I thought one of the questions was does anyone run their genset all night. Health concerns, etc. Anyone else want to respond to that issue?
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

.
Sep 25, 2008
7,098
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Sailgunner said:
I thought one of the questions was does anyone run their genset all night. Health concerns, etc. Anyone else want to respond to that issue?
Click to expand
A/C is pretty ubiquitous around here for obvious reasons as is running it at night on the hook or mooring. As a result, most people are oblivious to whatever noise a gen set makes. And everyone still seems to wake up in the morning.
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

.
Dec 25, 2000
5,735
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Sailgunner said:
Health concerns, etc.
Click to expand
Hi Dennis, possibly, depending on whether you have a breeze that will carry the exhaust gasses away. The only time we ran the noisy Genset for an extended period was in 2003?, during a winter cruise when we needed the heat pumps running to keep the boat warm, and before we had the diesel furnace. I shut the unit down at around midnight. The same issue applies when running the furnace. Exhaust gasses are always a concern and some attention needs to be attended to. I will let the furnace run all night in order to keep the crew warm during our winter cruises. The chimney vents out the stern, so as long as even a faint breeze is at hand, gasses will be carried away.
 
Franklin

Franklin

.
Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
AC is not needed. Just get a 12 volt car fan with clip and clip to hatch cover to bring in air on a windless night. Put a 12 volt 10" box fan (Endless Breeze) just forward of your head and have it blow down your body at low speed. You will burn 2 amps an hour but feel great. Been doing this for years all over the tropics during the summer months without a problem.
 
  • Like
Likes: mnmpizza
SEMPERAVANTI41

SEMPERAVANTI41

.
Jun 15, 2012
697
BAVARIA C57 Greenport, NY
When the Admiral wants A/C, we run the generator all night. If you are worried about CO, keep in mind that a gas generator can produce 10,000 ppm vs 1,200 for a diesel. I can't recall ever reading about a fatality with a diesel generator, but have read a number with a gas generator. We also have a minimum of 3 working CO detectors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom