Going Solar

Sumner · Oct 15, 2012

Squidd said:
....Got my eye on an 80 watt Bosch Monocrystal Panel with a 10 watt Dual Battery PWM controler that should monitor each battery seperate....................Maybe I should just get the 100 watt roll up and be done with it...

Is there a reason you want to keep the batteries separate? If you still want two 12 volt tie them together and leave them together in use and while charging. They will last longer and charge better. I'd still go with two 6 volt for what you are doing, but that is just me.

If you can swing a larger panel go for it. If you ever decide to get a fridge (one of the best things we did) you'll be glad you have a larger panel,

Sum

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Sumner · Oct 15, 2012

Squidd said:
Thats what I do now, have them tied together with the battery switch on 1&2 for both charging and running. Pull start OB.
So you say I get more usable amps tied together? The charger/controller meters each battery seperate or can be set toread one.

If you have them on both then that is good, but if wired ....

.....like above they would last longer and be used and charged more uniformly and wouldn't be drawn down like if you used one and then the other. You could buy a less expensive controller and the controller would be putting all of the available amps to best use into the one bank.

Using the both setting on the switch is better than using them one at a time, but wiring them like above is better yet.

Put the positive output to the switch on say the #1 terminal and from there to the load buss. Now the switch is just an on off switch.

If your outboard has a charging circuit take the lead from it to the positive on the one battery or to where it attaches to the switch. Either way fuse it as close to the battery as possible. This will keep the outboard tied to a battery and you don't have to worry about frying the charging circuit on it.

The two 6 volt batteries would cost about the same as the 12 volts do, but give you more amp/hours for the same buck. You would wire them in series....

.... like above on the right and run the outboard to them the same way if it is elect. start. Run them to your present switch but again just use the one post for an on/off switch.

The 6 volt should last longer than the 12 volt as they are more of a 'true' deep charge battery vs. the 12 volt that are a compromise between deep charge and starting.

If for some reason the batteries ever went dead you can pull start the outboard can't you?

Also if you put a cheap digital voltmeter in the system you could monitor the batteries pretty well,

Sum

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Our Endeavour 37

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Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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Sumner · Oct 16, 2012

Squidd said:
....Dual controller can charge main "house bank" (80% output) and maintain "reserve battery" (20% output)...then when one tops off put 100% in the remaining bank.....

That would work or go with this....

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|51495|299265&id=750182

.... ACR (combiner) between them. It will essentially do what the charger you are thinking of getting will do. That is what we are doing on the Endeavour with a large four 6 volt battery house bank and a separate 12 volt start battery.

The advantage I see is if down the road you increase the solar array for any reason you could change to any charge controller or if you wanted to change at some point or now from a PWM controller to a MPPT controller. What ever you do the ACR will keep both banks up regardless of the charger type or if the charge is coming from something else like the outboard.

Also for now maybe don't put that third battery in there and start using up its life if you don't really need it for your current needs. Buy it and have it fresh if you ever need it and then add the ARC at that time.

You do want, if at all possible, the other two batteries to be of the same type, manufacture, and age. Our two 12 volt batteries in the Mac are the same type/manufacture but about 4 months apart and if I check voltages on them separately they vary by a couple tenths. We do run them together all the time though.

Lots of combinations,

Sum

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Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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Chris Patterson · Oct 16, 2012

Here's a whole different thought, (mine generally are). I had the same problem on the hill last year, when some thoughtless ahole kept unplugging my boat, to do some work on his. I got a three into one plug adapter, plugged my drop cord, (I was only needing 110V/15 amps by the way), into one of the three way outlets, letting the other two remain free, for future users of the receptacle, TIE WRAPPED my plug into its socket, and tie wrapped the three way to the pedestal. So if someone were inclined to unplug it, they would have to get the pocket knife out to cut it free, BUT....there was no need to do that, as I had left the two open plugs. The issue was resolved.

Plus a little "counseling" with the turkey that unplugged my boat, and left it that way..

Fly_H23 · Oct 16, 2012

I used a couple of "cheap" Harbor Freight" panels mounted on the sliding hatch over the companionway on our Hunter 23.

We only used one Group 24 deep cycle for powering a 50lb thrust trolling motor for getting in/out of the marina and minor things like cell chargers, led lights and a radio. The two 15 watt panels kept the battery topped off between weekend trips and we never drew down the battery enough to need more.

Location wasn't optimal but it was the only place that made sense on this boat.

Next time, I'll mount off the stern rail and go with a better controller and panels.