What Gives You a Charge?

[Mark Wieber]

(Alex)

The refridgerator on Mirage runs full time on D.C. so the charger is always on when there is shore power available. Underway, we can go for 3 to 4 days on the (three) battery bank with reasonable conservation. Then we have to run the engine. We have a manually controlled regulator that can get the charging done a little faster. Since we have owned the boat, I have checked the batteries every two months. Usually the electrolite is low and I have to add some water. Recently, while sleeping on the boat, I noticed the refridgerator compressor going on and off way more frequently than it should, I checked and the battery bank was reading 11.5 volts on both sides (even with the charger running on #3 setting) I found one bad battery, and replaced all three with Costco Marine batteries. This helped but the 1985 Adler Barber was making some scifi type noises every now and then. (the beer was still cold though) I had the local marine A/C guy come down and take a look. He found that the refridgerant was low and quoted a reasonable price to leak check and recharge the system. However, cold beer being somewhat a priority for me, I opted to replace the whole unit. It has been 4 months, the charger is on #1 setting, the battery bank is holding between 13V and 13.5V, and If any of the batteries have lost water, I can't tell at this point. My question for 'Alex' would be... what on your boat can draw power full time? Bilge pump? refridgerator, Cabin, or vent fans? etc. Probably you just have a sulfated battery or one with a bad cell. But look for the shooter, not just the dead guy

 

[Stuart Miller]

Whispergen

We installed a Whispergen DC generator 2 years ago and it is the best bit of equipment on our Beneteau 461. It is a New Zealand developed and manufactured unit and uses an external combustion process, running on diesel (().5 litre per hour), output about 750 to 800 watts, very little noise or vibration (much less than a fridge compressor), and the excess heat is used for water heating and space heating (if needed). We have 600 AmpHrs battery storage and when cruising we run the Whispergen for a about 3 hours every 2 or 3 days. Google will find the web site. The external combustion technology is based on the old Stirling cycle with a very neat way of converting this to rotary motion to drive the generator. No oil, no fumes and low maintenace. And, I am not an agent and have no interest in the company. Just a fan.

 

[Bob Todd]

My routine...

I have three batteries; one starting and two deep-cycle house. Properly maintained, these should last years. I check my batteries weekly and top off with distilled water as needed. A twice-yearly load test tells me if there are any problems.I have an on-board charger and I hook up to shore power occasionally but mostly charge by running the engine. Motoring to the mooring is usually sufficient to maintain a charge.Prior to lay-up I hook up to shore power and fully charge the batteries. When the boat is hauled I disconnect all the batteries, leave them in place, and they remain fresh until spring launch.I keep the connections clean and the battery tops free of dirt, grease and grime to prevent current loss across the terminals.I do not use any type of grease on the posts to prevent corrosion. I feel that this type of stuff is a dirt magnet and can cause more problems than they are worth. I feel that looking after the batteries properly eliminates the need for such stuff.Cheers,Bob

 

[Bill Coxe]

Solar panels

After running the 2 size 27 batteries down to the point where the engine wouldn't start during our first year with Kukulcán, we purchased two 11 watt solar panels, connected each directly to its respective battery, and have experienced no failures since then. The batteries have never been removed, hold their charges well, and we alternate which one is on service each time we sail, and change on a daily basis if we're out for extended periods. The sail drive has the 35 amp alternator, which works very well as long as the engine starts, of course. So we are into our fourth year of panels and batteries, which are WM size 27s, and very happy so far. We have gone so far as to install a 300 watt inverter to charge the hand-held VHF, cell phones, and sundry other small appliances like a table top fan. Seems enough for a 28 footer.Bill Coxe, O28 Kukulcán, New London, CT

 

[Carlos Silva]

Battery juice

Solar panel

 

[Walt Morgan]

Rain and clouds

Down here in Nicaraqua during the six month rainy season my panels can't get enough sun. There is no wind, so I use a Honda 2000 generator to charge my bank of 1000 amphs.

 

[Rick D]

Walt: Where in Nicaragua?

Are you in that new marina in the north? Rick D.

 

[Jonesey]

keep it charged

On our Cal 229 we have been using batteries from west marine, a starting battery and a deep cycle for the house stuff. I hooked up the Guest 10amp charger that throws 5 amps to the two batteries. Thank goosh for smart chargers, everytime we go to the boat the batteries are up and ready to go. All I watch out for is the water levels in the deep cycle, On the hook the engine alt, works great to recharge the batteries and keep the lights on and the CD player singing along. Next on the list is the new blue seas battery combiner, to keep the altenator charging up to snuff. Happy sailing

 

[Herman18887]

Solar - how to connect it?

I just got a 6W Solar Panel for trickle charge during the week. Where on the boat are you solar people installing the panels and how are they wired? I was thinking of a temporary connection via an outside 12V receptacle. Thanks.

 

[jim johnson]

solar charge

I have a hunter 31. For the past 2 years i have used a $10 solar panel mounted on the cabin top with velcro tape and plugged into a 12v receptacle in the cabin. the wire goes through the mid-cabin hatch. i have not used shore power other than when we have stayed on the boat overnite at a marina. the solar panel seems to keep the batteries charged summer and winter (i leave the batteries in the boat over the winter) Jim J

 

[Tomo23616]

Quality Batteries

I have a Hunter 340 and when I changed my batteries recently I went for the largest amp hour capacity that I could fit into the available space. As battery distribution is my business, I know that the less you dicharge a battery then the much longer life is acheived.I was happy to settle with 2X 130 amp hour Federal deep cycles and an Odysey 2150 as a starting battery. Both are manufactured in America and are superior quality.

 

[Ugadawg]

Battery charging

For my wet-cell starter and Optimus spiral-cell AGM house battery, the alternator run by the Yanmar diesel does the primary charging. Further, I use a solar trickle charger for the starter battery while the boat is docked.

 

[Bill Jones]

(28' O'day Weekender) Not having a generator on my outboard engine-- I use a 1000 Watt portable 115V generator from Northern Tools.com. (Paste the URL.) Cost: $179. Weighs 46 lbs. Runs 4.5 hours on 1 Gal tank of gas mix. It is small enough to stow in cockpit and put up on deck when running. It plugs into an installed Sears Roebuck RV type regulated charger which has a shore power plug. For nothing on trickle charging I use a 12 Watt solar panel. 115 V AC is wired to a hot plate and toaster oven in Galley + Fan + to dual cabin lighting. Plenty of charging to run VHF, GPS, and all 12V lights. (One deep cell Marine Battery, take extra along on week long trips.)