jimi
Well-Known Member
Will a solar panel give sufficient charge ro recharge a flat engine battery in a couple of hours?
Electricity Generation
- Thread starter jimi
- Start date
BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
nope
No Regrets
Well-Known Member
Unlikely, unless its a very large Solar panel and a very small battery...
It would take a battery charger a few hours wouldn't it?
It would take a battery charger a few hours wouldn't it?
jimi
Well-Known Member
Suppose so, suppose the question really was, what's the best (incl cheapest) method of charging a battery when there's no access to shore power and you've a flat battery
Georgio
Well-Known Member
Start engine by hand and away you go!
Of couse not everyone can do that (feeling smug).
Or you could get a emergency jump start battery for £20-40 (these have been talked about a few times on here reciently).
Of couse not everyone can do that (feeling smug).
Or you could get a emergency jump start battery for £20-40 (these have been talked about a few times on here reciently).
BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
Preferred method is to be able to switch domestic batteries to engine, to use them as a back up. Have this on current boat and had it set up on previous one.
Otherwise spare emergency start battery carried on board.
Otherwise spare emergency start battery carried on board.
pyrojames
Well-Known Member
Petrol genny I suspect. At least it's cheap and quick....
Billjratt
Well-Known Member
I'm sure your bene-teau would bene-fit from having a wee gene-rator on board. That would charge batts at the best rate of your mains charger (30amp?) in the shortest time, and of course can be used for other things as well. A wee 600watt chinky cheapo would do.
BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
Have you got seperate domestic batteries and engine battery, or they one and the same?
If seperate, a cheap standby would be simple set of jump leads kept on board, which would do the same job as my switching arrangement mentioned earlier. Just dont leave them on any longer than absolutely necessary.
If they one and same, keep a spare emergency battery as I said, or go for a generator - not sure you would want to store this on board though.
If seperate, a cheap standby would be simple set of jump leads kept on board, which would do the same job as my switching arrangement mentioned earlier. Just dont leave them on any longer than absolutely necessary.
If they one and same, keep a spare emergency battery as I said, or go for a generator - not sure you would want to store this on board though.
jimi
Well-Known Member
Got 2 domestics and one engine battery.
Aja
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Suppose so, suppose the question really was, what's the best (incl cheapest) method of charging a battery when there's no access to shore power and you've a flat battery
[/ QUOTE ]
Jimi
Remove dud battery to a place where there is both electricity and a battery charger and connect up. Retire for a suitable length of time until battery is fully charged and refit to boat.
Donald
Suppose so, suppose the question really was, what's the best (incl cheapest) method of charging a battery when there's no access to shore power and you've a flat battery
[/ QUOTE ]
Jimi
Remove dud battery to a place where there is both electricity and a battery charger and connect up. Retire for a suitable length of time until battery is fully charged and refit to boat.
Donald
jimi
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that Donald, so when sailing along with a flat battery I'll just hop off in the dinghy and row 50 miles, get the battery charged, and then row bavck and fit it!
Talbot
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Suppose so, suppose the question really was, what's the best (incl cheapest) method of charging a battery when there's no access to shore power and you've a flat battery
[/ QUOTE ]
Wrong Question.
If you have a solar panel, it is more a question of matching consumption to output and then working out how you meet the requirement when it is raining.
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Suppose so, suppose the question really was, what's the best (incl cheapest) method of charging a battery when there's no access to shore power and you've a flat battery
[/ QUOTE ]
Wrong Question.
If you have a solar panel, it is more a question of matching consumption to output and then working out how you meet the requirement when it is raining.
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
simonfraser
Well-Known Member
just changed the orientation of my solars from horizontal to near vertical, increase of 4x in power !! during the winter.
jimbaerselman
Well-Known Member
And are the domestics also flat?
If not, start engine with a switch/jump lead/whatever from the domestics with eng bat disconnected, then, when engine running, re-connect eng bat and (after that) disconnect domestic link, and charge for about an hour.
Note that a petrol genny will only provide a decent chage if your mains charger outputs 14.4v. Many older ones only do 13.6v or so - they'd be very slow, hours before you're back in commission.
If not, start engine with a switch/jump lead/whatever from the domestics with eng bat disconnected, then, when engine running, re-connect eng bat and (after that) disconnect domestic link, and charge for about an hour.
Note that a petrol genny will only provide a decent chage if your mains charger outputs 14.4v. Many older ones only do 13.6v or so - they'd be very slow, hours before you're back in commission.
DinghyMan
Well-Known Member
wotayottie
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Will a solar panel give sufficient charge ro recharge a flat engine battery in a couple of hours?
[/ QUOTE ]
Bit like asking "will an engine be powerful enough to propel a boat". What engine, what boat, what speed.
Will a solar panel give sufficient charge ro recharge a flat engine battery in a couple of hours?
[/ QUOTE ]
Bit like asking "will an engine be powerful enough to propel a boat". What engine, what boat, what speed.
Billjratt
Well-Known Member
Re: Electricity Generation by battery charger
In the profile it says Beneteau, so I assumed it would have the standard French 30 amp smart thingy installed (14.8v). Most petrol gennys have a 12v winding as well, but you generally get a faster charge from the mains pack, especially if you focus all the power to the one (Starter)battery. Is there an ammeter on the boat? If so , borrow stuff and see which method produces most amps.
In the profile it says Beneteau, so I assumed it would have the standard French 30 amp smart thingy installed (14.8v). Most petrol gennys have a 12v winding as well, but you generally get a faster charge from the mains pack, especially if you focus all the power to the one (Starter)battery. Is there an ammeter on the boat? If so , borrow stuff and see which method produces most amps.
cliffordpope
Well-Known Member
Re: Electricity Generation by battery charger
Any method of electricity generation, even a hamster on a wheel, will charge a battery given enough time, as long as its output exceeds the rate of natural leakage from the battery.
The question is, how long do you want to wait?
Nothing will beat hand-starting the engine, using an emergency start pack, or just happening to have a spare battery handy.
Any method of electricity generation, even a hamster on a wheel, will charge a battery given enough time, as long as its output exceeds the rate of natural leakage from the battery.
The question is, how long do you want to wait?
Nothing will beat hand-starting the engine, using an emergency start pack, or just happening to have a spare battery handy.
