1. what's going to happen in the in-between time? everything dead? like navigation, inverter, lights, whatever?
1. We hardly use the inverter. Everything dead will be sorted in about 5sec with the flick of a switch. It's not something I expect to happen on a regular basis. Our current T105s see less than 20% of their capacity used over night. Our loads are not high. I have the option to run the loads on the T105s anyway with the lithium feeding it via the B2B. This set up would be bulletproof. It may be the mode we opt for normally when sailing but at anchor we have the option to use the lithium with the inverter hard wired to the lithium bank if we wanted to say, cook on the induction hob or boil the kettle
simple cheap third party, never had the boat surveyed for insurance, so no issue.
We are insured, although I wonder why sometimes as the costs are high and we don't get named storm cover here in the Caribbean
I've 2 x T105's and 300Ah Lifepo4 connected to a 12both switch. Very wary the first time... but now just switch between them going through both, or leave at both sometimes. Trojans on a smartguage to make sure they're always charged or nearly, lithium monitored using smartshunt data for now. They´ve been sharing solar to get the trojans up to full charge today so voltages are the same, just disconected but in the morning I'll connect to both and post the current. Smartgauge sends once a second so might miss the worst of the current but the invertor can pull hundreds of amps so really not worried. Very handy having 2 banks so if you want to work on one you don't have to turn everything off.
total game changer. Much more relaxed about power on the boat now.
I've 2 x T105's and 300Ah Lifepo4 connected to a 12both switch. Very wary the first time... but now just switch between them going through both, or leave at both sometimes. Trojans on a smartguage to make sure they're always charged or nearly, lithium monitored using smartshunt data for now. They´ve been sharing solar to get the trojans up to full charge today so voltages are the same, just disconected but in the morning I'll connect to both and post the current. Smartgauge sends once a second so might miss the worst of the current but the invertor can pull hundreds of amps so really not worried. Very handy having 2 banks so if you want to work on one you don't have to turn everything off.
Once the system evolves i don´t think the trojans will get used much if at all but I won't float, just give a little freshing charge once a week or so.
Haven't researched but fairly confident sitting on float all the time would be worse than sitting disconnected at full charge .
Me & my windlasss both love lifepo4
edit: SO here's the trojans today, connected to LFP this morning & just disconnected, solar regs went to float at about 2:30.
View attachment 154448
Very little current getting logged when they were join, though trojans were 80/90% charged. Pity smartguages don't work on LFP.
View attachment 154450
Are you still working on a cooling system for the LFPs?We have four Trojans and lots of solar. We have never suffered battery anxiety. We don't really think about it. We have enough spare solar capacity to heat hot water from the solar every afternoon once the Trojan have gone to float. Yesterday we made a whole tank of hot water and the immersion heater thermostat tripped out. Its set at 70degC so very hot water.
If I am honest, we really don't need the lithium. Its more of a project out of interest rather than necessity. Batteries are at about 80% charged or better each morning.
Today we have very unusual weather. Very cloudy and thunder and lightning. I haven't used the solar/immersion heater today. First time for several months. I will use the generator later when I make water instead. The batteries have still got to float just after lunch with minimal sunshine. The wind turbine today has outperformed the solar. Another very rare event.
We routinely float our engine batteries. They lasted 4.5 years doing this in the brutal heat of Caribbean summers on the hard with boat cabin temperatures over 40degC for 3 months each year and during the winter temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s. The batteries were cheap open cell batteries I bought in Panama.
Trojans are said to have self depletion rates of 5-15% per month without charge. Our are likely to be at the top end of that due to the high temperatures. I think regular charging or full float will be required. Which way we go will have to be decided. It may end up being a bit of both. Leave them at rest when at anchor and floating whist sailing with their charge coming from the lithium. So many choices
Yes. We built a liquid cooled battery using Winston cells last summer. Due to other commitments the prototype is sat there with little development. We hope to pick it up again soon as other commitments allow. It's a shame but being here enjoying myself in the Caribbean doesn't help
I feel your pain.... It's a shame but being here enjoying myself in the Caribbean doesn't help
If you don't log & look at the data you're mostly seeing what our biases decide on a blurred snapshot of an image instead of front row Imax watching ultra slow motion.So many choices
look at the apparent wind on the lower plot, boat is tacking side to side quite slowly & quite uniformly in 20Kts. Never knew this until today plotting the data .wtf are you doing GHA? spinning around on anchor?
recon you should reposition your panels
)
You need a riding sail. Friends with a Jeanneau 45 installed one this season. What a difference. They would veer around the anchorage like crazy. Now they don't move.look at the apparent wind on the lower plot, boat is tacking side to side quite slowly & quite uniformly in 20Kts. Never knew this until today plotting the data .
Position is pretty stable.
(Where am i
View attachment 154480
Played with riding sail for a while, before it got all intimate with the windgen in 40Kts
, heavy long keel so less than 40kts odd really doesn´t need one. Boat doesn't veer around like the modern light plastic, just tacks gently unless it's an 8 or so. 