Yep... 24 hour period average. But I have a pretty ideal set of conditions.That's pretty impressive
How does having the compressor below the waterline help? Is it water cooled?Yep... 24 hour period average. But I have a pretty ideal set of conditions.
I have a rather small icebox, well insulated for its size.
Top opening.
I keep it full of beer. OK, some water
I'm on shorepower while at the dock, so its in ISEC mode when we push.
The compressor is below waterline in the bilge and has a huge vented locker to exchange air
We're very good about quick open/close. No hanging around with the top off.
No it’s Air cooled, supplemented by a DC fan. But the cooler the ambient air is, the less hard the system has to work to exchange heat. Being down in the relatively cooler air helps.How does having the compressor below the waterline help? Is it water cooled?
There is a maximum number of connections on each battery post, that number is 4. With the alternator, house wiring, inverter, and parallel/series wiring you are at that limit. Time to add positive and negative bus bars to the system to free up room on the battery posts. Check out MarineHowTo.com that's MaineSails site and also check his forum here on SBO.I'm prepping to install 2 100 watt panels feeding a controller. Anyone have a good reference for the design side of the wiring? I'm needing input on how the controller should be wired up to my already existing system of 4 battery house bank with a 1000 watt inverter/charger and 55 amp engine alternator. From what I have come across it looks like you just wire it to the batteries.
I'm going to use 8 awg which is way over sized for the two panels and length of the run but the controller is 40 amp so I want to plan ahead for expansion. Fuses will be installed appropriately. I have a 4 battery coach bank and a single starter battery that has a isolator. I'm heading to the Maine Sail site to take a look see. Thanks for the input!Yes, however you need to choose your wire size based on the maximum current your controller can put out and your desired voltage drop between it and the batteries. Then you will need to fuse the wiring at the batteries with a fuse sized to protect the size wiring you chose. If you have multiple banks you are trying to charge, you'll also have to have a combiner or isolator between the banks. I believe Maine Sail has a lot of info on this on his Compass Marine site.
I'm heading to the boat tomorrow to trace everything out. I'll get back to you with what I found out. Mapping out the electrical system has been on my list for a while. This gives me a good reason.In addition to what was said in the above post, where are your current charging sources attached. Directly to the batteries? Or do they all go to the common post on a 1, 2, both switch, or a combination of both. This will help determine how you want to connect your solar charging. You might find that it's time to rethink how everything is wired. Again, lots of info and discussions on this on the Maine Sail forum here, and on his Compass Marine site.
You forgot to mention 50dg Lake Superior water....Yep... 24 hour period average. But I have a pretty ideal set of conditions.
I have a rather small icebox, well insulated for its size.
Top opening.
I keep it full of beer. OK, some water
I'm on shorepower while at the dock, so its in ISEC mode when we push.
The compressor is below waterline in the bilge and has a huge vented locker to exchange air
We're very good about quick open/close. No hanging around with the top off.
Lol, get a mesh bag and hang it over the side. Beer is never cold...You don’t need an icebox conversion Just move to the PNW. Your cockpit will be a great frig.
If I was going to just day sail and use it as a cooler when of off 120vlt.I may get laughed out of here for this... as a mostly day/weekend sailor, just spend a couple hundred dollars on a dorm fridge and maybe an inverter if needed. Unplug when you leave the dock with a full rack and/or cool a few drinks a day while you’re running your engine charging your battery at anchor.
Yeah that is what I meant. But after a day or so it will be warm. Thus the inverter to cool it back down when you’re charging your batteries.If I was going to just day sail and use it as a cooler when of off 120vlt.