Bluetti AC200MAX & Bavaria sailboat questions

[John w]

Hi Guy's & Girl's
me again!
A bit of background I am thinking if I buy a Bluetti AC 200 Max Solar generator will it solve my shore power at anchor issue? So have a few questions that some of you may be able to answer.
I am not very electrically savvy so please if you could keep it simple for me to understand.

I am wondering if the Bluetti's 13 amp 240v output will power my 2011 Bavaria 36 cruiser via the shore power input socket, So this would power the whole boat ie. microwave, fridge & house bank battery charger as well as the 240-volt sockets?
Then thinking to install solar panels permanently to charge the Bluetti this would be while at anchor.
Then I could top up the solar generator charging with solar panels & the power supply charger using my existing Honda EU2200I to get it to full charge.

Some of you may remember me posting about my Honda Generator used to connect to the shore power input which gives me a polarity issue & then trips the panel input switch. So was thinking the Bluetti would give me the benefits of a Lithium battery with 700 watts of solar input & a built-in inverter of 2500 watts which I can remove if I sell the boat in the future.

I have installed an invertor on the back of the house bank batteries which is 2000 watts but will still not run things like my coffee machine Gusto (broken 2 already) & it absolutely kills the batteries just making coffee.

I could go the traditional route & install MPPT controller from the solar panels into the house bank but it still does not solve the 240 v mains socket or microwave use issue.

Question Does anyone know if I will get the same polarity warning issue using the Bluetti as the main shore power input? & has anyone tried it on Bavaria sailboat? or any sailboat?
I don't want to buy the Bluetti & plug it all up only to find the same issues with the Honda generator.

Thanks in advance John

 

[robmcg]

I suspect the answer will be no as the Bluetti will be inverting 12v to 240v to connect to the shore power socket. The inefficiency alone might not make it worth it or offer any kind of 240v longevity on board. I suspect that to solve your power issues will require a recalibration of what is realistic re being away from shore power. It is easier to adopt a different (read less power hungry) lifestyle away from the dock than try to get all your 240v stuff to run aboard. Lots of ways to make nice coffee that doesn't involve 240v. Of course, this is only an opinion but it might be easier in the long run to solve the issues working within the existing limitations of a 12v system.

 

[rotrax]

I spoke at length with a shipwright who has fitted plenty of Bluetti's.

They only work for long periods - like being at anchor a few days - as part of an intigrated system, not stand alone.

In combination with wind, solar and engine charging they are a useful, but expensive solution.

I am about to install 400W of Solar, cost all in under 450 quid. MPPT controller, cable, fuses and switches, mounting hardware, connectors, silicone grease, the lot.

Much more cost effective.

 

[Tranona]

I could go the traditional route & install MPPT controller from the solar panels into the house bank but it still does not solve the 240 v mains socket or microwave use issue.


Thanks in advance John

This still will not "solve" your problem as the physics are against you. It is simply unrealistic to expect 240v from a 12v system for anything but short term use UNLESS you fit a proper built in generator, which is almost impossible on the type of boat you have.

As Rob says (and no doubt others on your earlier thread) says think about maximising your use out of your 12v system and adjust your lifestyle to fit within the resources you have available.

 

[V1701]

You're grossly overcomplicating this - for 240v mains on shore power either install a 240v system (or get somebody to do that for you) on the boat or one of these will do. If you must use microwaves or other 240v appliances away from shorepower you already have a Honda Genny so use it. Inverters are a really inefficient way to use battery power. Solar is good for keeping the 12v side happy but you might struggle to run a (12v) fridge in UK...

 

[Tranona]

The boat already has a perfectly adequate shorepower system factory fitted. The problem is that the OP wants to use 240v appliances when not on shorepower. As he has discovered it is not practical for anything other than short periods using low power appliances without a proper generator. As he says, just making coffee using an inverter kills the batteries.

There is a message there. You do not need 240v to make coffee. Plenty of good coffee makers that do not use electrical power.

Installing vast solar power to charge an additional 12v battery to enable 240v through an inverter just does not make sense.

 

[rotrax]

Solar is good for keeping the 12v side happy but you might struggle to run a (12v) fridge in UK...

My two fridges and Dometic freezer box use 14 Amps when all three compressors are running in the summer. The fridges tend to run 15 minutes in every hour, the Dometic 20 minutes in every hour during 26 degrees C plus temps. Less when cooler. About 100 AH.

I expect the two modern rigid 200W panels in daylight to harvest enough so even in dull weather it might balance.

Our previous boat with 150W of really old school panels ran the single fridge in the summer.

I run our 8KW Genset every morning for First Mates shower water. The batteries, 440 AH in the house bank get a kick then too, plus she uses the 240 to cook something in our 'Instant Pot' for the evening meal.

No solar last year and we were short about 100 AH each day. I will let you know later but I am expecting a good performance from the soon to be fitted solar install.