Thanks for the comment. We added a battery, but that was battery number 4 with 3 house and one starter now. But they are lead acid batteries and will only take so much charge. (Perhaps we should switch to AGM's with thin plates, but that is another issue.) Our alternator is likely bigger than what we need but when putting in a new motor it is much cheaper than replacing one later. Our fridge uses about 5 amps when running but it only runs about 1/2 the time, so we use between 50 and 60 amp hours per day on a warm summer day. We looked at adding insulation to the fridge but that is no trivial task on the boat unless you add it on the inside taking up room. We did add insulation inside to the top.
The more we run the batteries down the longer the regulator will hold the charge up but ultimately without a smart regulator it still kicks down too soon and it takes a fair while to replace the amp hours you have used. And we are very reluctant to void our warranty by putting in a smart regulator. So this summer I was often running the motor while sailing, running the motor at anchor, and spending too much time watching the battery monitor trying to minimize the drain. Also we would stay at marinas periodically just so we could plug in and get the batteries truly back up to 100%. I was too envious of friends on a power boat with solar panels who had all the power they needed. But on a power boat it is much easier to find a place to put large panels. So I can go three days without charging but then I need to run the motor for hours to get the batteries back up. So really hoping that solar panels will change the current operating procedure. Even if we still had to run the motor for a while to really drive the charge in and then used the panels to top up, it would be an advantage. Just where to put the things. Thanks Don Sent from my iPad On Oct 13, 2018, at 11:09 PM, Fred Hazzard <[email protected]> wrote: Don, it seems to me you need more battery power. You have adequate charging, but with only 2 batteries with about 200 ah capacity, you have 100 ah of usable power. Your fridge probably uses about 5 amps per hour or 120 amp hours per day. That alone exceeds what you should use. Not to mention leaving something to start you engine. On our boat we have 4 batteries with over 400 ah. Even with this we need to charge every 3 days. The other thing you should look at is the insulation of your fridge. It can make a big difference. Fred Hazzard S/V Fury C&C 44 Portland Or > On Sat, Oct 13, 2018 at 4:27 PM Dave via CnC-List <[email protected]> > wrote: > Interesting - have been contemplating exactly this for Windstar - 33-2, and > my needs and equipment are similar for contemplated summer cruising in > Georgian bay. > > I have a Bimini and can barely fit 200w (iirc) of solar panel on the Bimini, > which is the bare minimum required to keep my house battery whole. (I could > be misremembering the wattage) Mounting the flexible panels will take some > thought. I don’t want to bother with set up and take down panels.... > > I have converted to LED lighting - a big difference in power consumption and > have used a variety of light sources, including some inexpensive halogen > replacement bulbs from amazon and some dome lights from princess auto. Am > very happy with both despite the low cost. > > IMHO Biggest remaining issue is the fridge - it needs to be better sealed and > better insulated is to reduce the amp-hour draw. This will take some thought > and is a project for the winter. > > Am a bit behind on blog updates but will catch up over the next week or so. > http://cncwindstar.blogspot.com/2015/12/hello-all-this-blog-is-intended-to.html > > Am interested in the evolution of your plans! > > Dave > > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Oct 13, 2018, at 1:42 PM, DON JONSSON <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi All >> >> Last year after putting in a new Beta engine with a larger alternator (110 >> amp) we added an additional battery, a battery monitor, and to use all that >> power, a fridge. (Of interest, and not the point of this email, is we went >> through two alternators on the boat last summer both on warranty. Doesn't >> bode well. We did not put in a smart regulator as it would void the >> warranty. Guess that was a good thing. Two mechanics have gone through the >> boat and all wiring is good. They claim manufacturing default in both >> alternators. Hmmm.) >> >> The fridge is a fantastic addition especially when you are up north with no >> stores to buy ice, or much food for that matter. BUT, as you all know it >> takes a lot of power. Which gets me to the questions. Easy one first. >> >> 1. We have added some new LED reading light fixtures but still have a few >> more old incandescent lights where we would like to keep the fixtures. You >> can get replacement LED bulbs that range in price from a couple of dollars >> to $15. I read that cheaper ones don't deal with variations in voltage >> very well and you should spend more money. Does anyone have experience and >> recommendations. >> >> 2. The real solution, we think, is solar panels. But how much do they >> really help and where to put them on a 34 foot sailboat. It seems all >> locations come with a compromise. We are considering: >> >> A: On top of the dodger, but the boom will always be an issue. Especially >> since we don't have a bimini we use the boom for supporting our awning that >> we put up on hot sunny days. Yes we occasionally get them up on the BC >> coast and blocking the sun is mandatory. >> >> B: Get a bimini and mount them on it. But this gets us back to the sunshine >> issue. Lots of days it isn't that warm and you want the sun on you. A >> Bimini with solar panels is not that easy to fold out of the way. Also it >> isn't cheap. >> >> C: Hang them off the life lines or rails at the back of the boat with a >> support that allows you to set them flat when at anchor. But we >> occasionally carry bikes back there and we couldn't have both at the same >> time. Also looks a little clunky. >> >> D: Leave them as portable and set them out when at anchor. But then it is >> a pain and you don't do it unless you are sitting for a while and you have >> all the wire to deal with, etc. And they aren't helping much under sail. >> >> So does anyone have a recommendation as to what they have done and how it >> works. Also how many amp hours did you get on a sunny day? What size of >> panels did you use. >> >> I know, that like everything on a boat it is always a compromise, we are >> just trying to figure out which one to make. >> >> Thanks for any help. >> >> Don Jonsson >> Andante, C&C 34 >> Victoria, BC >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and > every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use > PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >
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