Need Advice about Air-X Marine 24v / 12v

[Manly]

***edited, to clarify this unit was free***

I came across a used Air-X marine wind generator for free, so I picked it up. The only problem is, it is the 24v model, whereas my Hunter 31 sailboat is a 12v system. Does that mean this wind generator will not work?

The PDF for the generator is here: http://www.reps.fi/datasheetsandmanuals/airx-marine-manual.pdf

The Air-X is designed to hook directly to a battery bank and has an internal regulator in the rotor housing. The regulator charges the battery bank until it senses a set voltage point (adjustable +/- a few volts on the unit). The factory level is set at 28.2v for my unit.

If I hook this directly to my battery bank I suppose it will charge, but never shutoff automatically as the voltage will never reach 28.2v. That is dangerous as it will fry the batteries if left unattended (ie, not shut off manually). To stop the generator all that is required is to cross the +/- wires, so that's easy.

Thoughts on how this wind generator could be useful? What would you do?

 

[Maine Sail]

I came across a great deal on a used Air-X marine wind generator so I picked it up. The only problem is, it is the 24v model, whereas my Hunter 31 sailboat is on 12v. Does that mean this wind generator will not work?

The PDF for the generator is here: http://www.reps.fi/datasheetsandmanuals/airx-marine-manual.pdf

This way the Air-X works it that it hooks directly to the battery bank and has an internal regulator in the rotor housing. The regulator charges the battery bank until it senses a set voltage point (adjustable on the unit). The factory set level is 28.2v for my unit.

If I hook this directly to my battery bank I suppose it will charge, but never shutoff automatically as the voltage will never reach 28.2v. That is dangerous as it will fry my batteries if left unattended (ie, if I don't shut the unit off manually). To stop the rotor all that is needed is to cross the +/- wires, so that's easy.

Thoughts on how this wind generator could be useful to me? Would it be easier to just switch the boat over to 24v?

Wrong wind gen...

 

[cygnussailor]

I have both, wind generator and solar, but if I had it to do over I would add another solar panel and forget the wind generator. I get much more usable energy from the solar panel (245 watt) than I do from the wind generator. Also the wind generator's output is an exponential function. In other words to get efficient output you need a fairly strong and consistent wind. That might be ok when you are sailing, but when I'm anchored I like to be protected from the wind when possible. A second 245 watt solar panel would give WAY more power than I get from the wind generator. If you sail in an area that has consistent winds and don't mind anchoring to take advantage of those winds, then a wind generator might be an option, but in Michgan, on the Great Lakes, I find the wind generator to be not much more than a conversation starter!!!

Gary

 

[Hello Below]

Thoughts on how this wind generator could be useful? What would you do?

Just thinking out loud here and more to open the discussion; but, could you not connect the regulated output of the wind generator to say something like a charge controller. I am not sure if there would be conflicts there or not. I do see this particular wind generator has a maximum regulated voltage output of 34.0V and this model recommends fusing at 20A so maybe something like a Victron BlueSolar MPPT 100/30 would do trick???
Comments.

 

[Rich Stidger]

If you had your heart set on the Air-X wind generator, why don't you ask the major mfg/dealer if it can be converted? Maybe it is a simple internal board change. However I have an Air-X myself and when I installed it solar was much more expensive and nowhere near as efficient as it is today. If I were to install wind or solar today I would go with solar. It always seems like there is lots of wind, but the wind gen output I get is generally disappointing.

 

[Manly]

@Hello Below , good ideas. I think you're right that using a 20 or 30 amp MPPT should work to convert the power from the wind generator down to charging the batteries. Then I would need a separate circuit (DIY) that monitors battery voltage and when it gets to a certain point (such as 14.3volts) it flips a relay to short out the Air-X which would stop the blades.

@Rich Stidger (and any others with the Air-X), I'm very curious to know how much power you do get from your wind genny? I'm planning to have solar too, but the idea of some power trickling in through the night to cover the fridge and anchor light sounds like a big asset.

 

[Maine Sail]

@Hello Below , good ideas. I think you're right that using a 20 or 30 amp MPPT should work to convert the power from the wind generator down to charging the batteries. Then I would need a separate circuit (DIY) that monitors battery voltage and when it gets to a certain point (such as 14.3volts) it flips a relay to short out the Air-X which would stop the blades.

@Rich Stidger (and any others with the Air-X), I'm very curious to know how much power you do get from your wind genny? I'm planning to have solar too, but the idea of some power trickling in through the night to cover the fridge and anchor light sounds like a big asset.

A typical MPPT solar controller can not be used to regulate a wind gen unless it is purposely designed to do so.. Wind gens require braking/shorting or load dumping to control the blade speed so they don't self destruct. You could peel it back to the stator and install a an Air-X 12V rectifier/regulator (if they would sell it to you) simply buy an externally rectifying ON/OFF wind controller. If your Air-X is as internally corroded as I usually see I wish you good luck getting it apart to make the mods.

 

[Rich Stidger]

@Rich Stidger (and any others with the Air-X), I'm very curious to know how much power you do get from your wind genny? I'm planning to have solar too, but the idea of some power trickling in through the night to cover the fridge and anchor light sounds like a big asset.

Manly - On my mooring which is pretty open to the prevailing SW winds (12-17 during the day), I get about 100-175AH per week. That is nowhere near enough to cover the fridge overnight. And my overnight winds are typically under 5kts, so the wind gen doesn't even turn. In a really windy day (20-30kts) I have gotten 150AH in a 24 hour period.

 

[PeterBld]

Be aware the earlier Air X were incredibly noisy. I agree with earlier members that solar is a better option.