2GM20F Idling/Battery Charging
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Bill, it would be a benefit to have a battery monitor and a 3 stage regulator but I don't NEED one. The boat is a 1975 and has been living all these years with out that stuff. It has had a Yanmar in since 1991.
If we all think we NEED those things then lets list all the stuff we need, Battery monitor, regulator, solar panel for sunny days, wind generator for non sunny but windy days, Fuel polishing system, New Main sail, New Genoa, ...My point is that We all want those items and know that is the BEST way to do it but it can't all be done at one time. Little this season, little next, little more the next. In the mean time while waiting to save up the funds to get all those things we want but don't NEED we do the best we can with what we have and if all I have right now is two 100ahr batteries house and single for Cranking then I NEED to run the engine to recharge... Or come back to the dock every night. (That wouldn't help me since we don't have shore power. ) Would you come back to the dock every night just so you don't have to run the engine ??? and miss those times anchored in a nice cove ?
Brian
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If we all think we NEED those things then lets list all the stuff we need, Battery monitor, regulator, solar panel for sunny days, wind generator for non sunny but windy days, Fuel polishing system, New Main sail, New Genoa, ...My point is that We all want those items and know that is the BEST way to do it but it can't all be done at one time. Little this season, little next, little more the next. In the mean time while waiting to save up the funds to get all those things we want but don't NEED we do the best we can with what we have and if all I have right now is two 100ahr batteries house and single for Cranking then I NEED to run the engine to recharge... Or come back to the dock every night. (That wouldn't help me since we don't have shore power. ) Would you come back to the dock every night just so you don't have to run the engine ??? and miss those times anchored in a nice cove ?
Brian
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Witzend, you can believe I have lot's of stuff on my Want list. I organize the list based on NEEDs so that I can sail the boat, and along with that, needs for safety. After that then wants, to make the boat a better place to be and all the systems the best they can be.
Brian
Brian
ok here is my take on this. you are correct that the 1000/1200 rpm is right the engine speed for this. You can do this and unless you are talking hours and hours a year you will not do damage to the engine provided you also use the engine at a higher rpm i.e. motoring. The high idle will charge your batteries and will reduce the vibrations vs the slower idle speed. Using the engine for this is common and while glazing the cylinders is possibility it is not likely with out extended time of no load idling. Remember that even the alternator will put a small load on the engine if it is charging. The key here is how long (hours) are you charging your batteries and how often (hours) you use the engine at rated speed under load. I will not dispute that you may shorten engine life by doing this but I will dispute by how much. If the engine is good for 25000 hour at rated speed my bet is you will still get 20000 hour out of it if you use it at rated speed range for as many hours as you ran it to charge the batteries. getting a larger house bank and solar and monitor as other suggested will all help you as suggested but your question was will the type of use you described harm you engine and I think it will not unless that is all you ever do with the engine. even with these things you may still have to run the engine to charge the batteries some times. Maybe a small Honda generator that can provide 120 v power so you could use your battery charger(provided you have one) might be a consideration and solve the issue all together. Some suggest putting the transmission in reverse and run the engine. While this will put a load on the engine I'm not sure it is worth all the other wear and tear it will put on the other systems. AND never walk away from the helm of a boat in gear running. Just my thoughts........
there is a book by Nigel Calder called Boat Maintance and Electrial that has as way to determin what power storage you need to be sufficent ....with the list of accesories and draw and a guide to determin what uses what and then total it all up and you will have a very good idea of what is needed in the way of power on your or anyones boat ....well worth the read......
regards
woody
regards
woody
I'd point out that the proper RPM for charging the batteries will change as the SOC level changes. Without knowing the real SOC is, you won't know what the proper RPM range is.
Also, for those who say that spending the money on a battery money would be better spent on batteries, that is being pennywise and pound foolish. The reason I say this is simple—having a battery monitor means that you will generally keep your batteries in better shape and they will last longer. If your house bank is four T105 batteries, and you spend $110 per battery or $440 for the four batteries. Now, if having the battery monitor allows the batteries last 50% longer... you've effectively paid for the battery monitor.
Also, for those who say that spending the money on a battery money would be better spent on batteries, that is being pennywise and pound foolish. The reason I say this is simple—having a battery monitor means that you will generally keep your batteries in better shape and they will last longer. If your house bank is four T105 batteries, and you spend $110 per battery or $440 for the four batteries. Now, if having the battery monitor allows the batteries last 50% longer... you've effectively paid for the battery monitor.
My personal situation is that rather than spend all the $$ on all that monitoring equipment I can buy a hole bunch of batteries over many years.
Sure you can, but ti still doesn't answer the ?, does it? Idling the engine to charge the last 15% to 10% of battery capacity makes no blooming sense, so I recommend you reread Maine's posts and the links I provided above.
We agree, a biggest house bank is always better.
Sure you can, but ti still doesn't answer the ?, does it? Idling the engine to charge the last 15% to 10% of battery capacity makes no blooming sense, so I recommend you reread Maine's posts and the links I provided above.
We agree, a biggest house bank is always better.
I went to the J.D. site and they have a BMV-600 and 602, but no 601. Is 601 a typo, or it's an older model, or???
Ron,
Sorry my bad. It is the BMV-600 and they have apparently dropped the price another $20.00 to $175.00! Could just be a boat show sale price..?
Victron used to make a BMV-501 (same as the Xantrex XBM) so I am constantly calling the 600 a 601. The BMV-602 is a two bank monitor the 600 for a single bank..
Where , where, where??
If you can find me T-105's for $110.00 I take them! Up here they are running about $165.00 each. $660.00 for four.
Yeah I priced mail order batteries ONCE..Sorry Maine Sail, the price is from a vendor in OHIO. The shipping would probably make up the difference.
If you're still interested: LINK
That must be a very high volume battery distributor as that is about my distributors cost..
if you like gel batteries you may want to ck into a computer battery back up systems company that has service contracts with the customers...they usually change out the batteries every 12 months ...and they are used hardly in that 12 months.....i found them here for about $15.00 each ......they have smaller mounting post than 3/8 inch studs...but they are very deep cycle ........
regards
woody
regards
woody
To answer your question 1100 RPMs would be the best but really and truly as many have explained it is not healthy for the engine to idle for long. Consider getting a gas powered portable generator to power your inboard battery charger. It is best to run an $895 Honda eu2000 to death than to have to deal with main engine running problems and shortened life. With the generator you may also run 120V appliances which may include and A/C unit.
Not sure Benny wants to be your personal shopper but in answer, a simple google search will find you numerous sources which many of us took the time to research, one of which is Wise Sales who sells them at or cheaper than the price Benny mentioned. Out of curiosityas you are not the first person to ask such a q, did you do your own shopping around?
It was just a question for Benny. He is only about 100 miles north, but he is in a big city. I did a google search. lots of sellers , no prices. Called Camping World in Ft Myers, couple of others including the local Honda dealer They said $1000 or better.
Dang Don, I guess I'm not the only person to play devils advocate at times.
Google searches don't give good or bad opinions of sellers stores but personal reference do.
For those that think "Google" knows all, well they don't. There are a lot of Little places that don't show up in those searches and one way to find out about them is to ask on forums like this one.
If I could help you with some info there Bill I would.
If i found one of those at an unbeatable price I would like to have one also. We don't have shore power so it would come in handy.
Sorry Bill, If I came across a little sarcastic earlier, didn't intend to insult.
Brian
Google searches don't give good or bad opinions of sellers stores but personal reference do.
For those that think "Google" knows all, well they don't. There are a lot of Little places that don't show up in those searches and one way to find out about them is to ask on forums like this one.
If I could help you with some info there Bill I would.
If i found one of those at an unbeatable price I would like to have one also. We don't have shore power so it would come in handy.
Sorry Bill, If I came across a little sarcastic earlier, didn't intend to insult.
Brian
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