Electrical System info Overload

[mjsb]

To begin with this is a question of possible expensive proportion and still up in the air.
The electrical on my hunter consists of the following:
55 amp alternator, probably original
a 12 volt starter battery LA Have a Perko 1 - 2 switch.
a 12 volt house battery LA
New battery charger, capable of charging LA,AGM Lithium.
Installed Battery monitor and multimeter.
All of the heavy wiring from the batteries to the starter and distribution panels have been replaced.
All of the wiring for the chart plotter and instruments have been replaced and on it's own circuits, individually..
The big wiring has been replaced.
The boat grounding has been corrected and a galvanic isolator installed.
Shore power disconnect has been installed.
VHF antenna and cabling has been installed.
All interior lights have been replaced with LED's.
All of the AltC wiring has been removed, replaced and fitted with heat shrink connections.

I will probably keep the boat 3 to 4 more years, with cruising along the coast of Florida.
Developing a sequential game plan;
I have a Vectron Argo Fet battery isolator I want to install.
Do i put an inverter on the boat or a DC to DC unit.
I am going to need new batteries. Thinking AGM on the starter and Lithium on the House.
If I replace the batteries, is the alternator OK, or does it need to be changed.
Do I need a separate controller on the alternator to regulate the feed to the lithium batteries.
Do I even ponder solar and if, how do you step in.
Do I even think about an onboard AC system outside of a 120ac.

 

[dlochner]

The place to start is at MarineHowTo.com this is MaineSail's website and he has many articles on electrical upgrades.

The questions you are asking tell me you know you have a lot to learn. Switching from a stock old DC system to a LiFePO4 system will be expensive.

A couple of quick comments,

The stock alternator will not adequately charge either Lithium or AGM batteries. You will need to replace it with an externally regulated high output alternator. There are articles on this on MarineHowTo.com.

The FET battery isolator is probably not a good idea as it induces a voltage drop on the charging circuit. Look for the article on ACRs on MHT.com.

Adding solar is a piece of cake compared to building a lithium system.

A DC Air conditioning system can be done, it needs a large battery bank and it needs a motor controller to ramp up the compressor slowly.

As you learn more, ask questions here and on the Musing with MaineSail forum on SBO.

Marine How To - DIY for Boaters - Marine How To

For DIY boaters in an attempt to try and keep the sport as affordable & safe as possible. How To articles for sailboats and powerboats.

www.MarineHowTo.com

 

[Benny17441]

Its going to be expensive as one upgrade will trigger the need for others. It all boils down to whether you need that electric system. I doubt you will need it for coastal cruising. Allow me to suggest, adding one additional battery to the House bank, adding an inverter to run 120V tools and appliances and using the money to purchase a Honda Eu2200i generator to run A/C. The additional battery will allow you to run refrigeration underway and the generator besides running the A/C can recharge the batteries overnight. This has been our setup and we have cruised the whole Florida coast and the Bahamas, never lacking for power.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

Quick question: What is your power budget? What devices do you have the need power? How many amps / day do you use?

Until you answer those questions you can't determine what types of batteries and what types of charging you need.

Do you have 12DC refrigeration, radar, AIS transponder, stereo, windlass, television, computers, tablets, etc?

Barry