How long will my battery last?

[Nick2]

I have two engines, one generator, three batteries, and one fridge so how long will my domestic batteries hold a charge without plugging in to shore power and will I ever have a flat engine battery?

I am told that I can recharge from genny but then how will that start up with low battery charge?

Nick

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[boatone]

Is one battery for engine starting and two for domestics?
What is capacity of batteries in amphours?
What is the power consumtion of the fridge?
What other electrics do you run off the domestics and how many amphours do they consume?
Which battery is used to start the genny?
Do you have a microwave/hairdryer/electric kettle/tv or anything else that consumes battery power?
Dont you wish you hadnt asked this question?
But.....you need to know these things and we can help.........




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[Nick2]

Oh my goodness Tony I don't know all that.......

Will try to look it all up/check it all this weekend and will come back to you.

I do know that we dont have a telly/microwave/computer/standard lamp/dishwasher etc but Joanne does have a supasize hairdryer and hoover.

Thanks for causing me further confusion

Nick

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[hlb]

Never mind that git Boatone. You should have one battery dedicated for engine starting. So you can run the fridge for as long as you want and it will not flatten the starting battery. I can usualy last a good three days with no charging of batteries. But of course being carefull with lights etc, fridge running all the time. Just try it till it goes flat, then you will have some idea next time.

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Haydn

 

[Nick2]

Thank you Haydn for explaining this in the words that someone like me can understand.

I am still wondering around here in a slightly confused daze as I try to take in B1s rather technical and detailed approach.

I do like the run it 'till it goes flat approach.....and will try it at the weekend if Joanne can survive 36 hours without hairdryer and hoover.

Nick

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[mainshiptom]

Also the Genarator should have its own battery , even a baby one that no other uses, so you can allways start the genny as well as engines.


My boat will run for about 24 hours before any charging needs to be done !, that is leaving port on full loaded batt (shore power)

While on the go or anchor the fridge will be on , water pump used and anchor light left on all night and maybe music if we feel like music.

Tom

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[boatone]

Well, if you prefer the 'oop north' seat of the pants approach to the 'Surrey sophisticated tot it up and get it right' attitude thats fine and dandy by me....but it will be too late to start getting it right when the fridge runs out of oomph in th emiddle of the night and theres no cold beer for breakfast /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
.........and not even God will be able to help you if the hairdryer wont work......

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[Nick2]

Thats true as Joanne always like a couple of pints of cold ale with her black pudding for breakfast....

Now you have really got me worried.

Nick

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[longjohnsilver]

Take wot that oop north chap says with a pinch of salt, he's only talking about 3 days away from shorepower cos he's just had 3 days on the paupers pontoon in Torquay where they've still got gas lights. Even then he kept his engines running just in case the harbour master was spotted sos he could make a quick gettaway. Tutts was knackered after 3 nights of HM watch keeping, poor lass.

So just run the fridge, keep the beer cold and only worry when supplies start getting a bit short. Then take a trip to the supermarket. All very simple.

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[tcm]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

Huh. That posh hlb even gets a chiropodist round for his donkey!

Whereas us Yorkshire types are much more cautious. I wholly approve of the B1 approach, but would go much further with the amp-counting if you are on a metered supply. On cold evenings, never mind the heaters, just open up the engine hatch and feel it nice and warm, albeit a bit dieselly. Replace all the fuses in the highpower hairdryers etc with old fuses that don't work. When it's dark, go to the pub. Turn off the immersion heater now and again. Your batteries will last a nice long time.

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[Nick2]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

When connected to an unmetered suppy at another marina I tend to collect together all the rechargable pieces of equipment from boat and home and plug them in to obtain maximum value.

Joanne thinks this is strange but its all prettty natural to me...

Nick

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[boatone]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

Hey, whats all this about metered and unmetered supplies?
You dont mean to tell me that folk plug their boats in to real 240volts type electricity when theyre in a marina do you? How bizarre............and presumably you have to pay extra real money for doing this.....? Even more bizzare.
Never plugged a boat of mine in to shore leccy ever, ever ever not never.



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[hlb]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

It works the wrong way round for me. I have a propper old fashioned electric board meter installed. So when I use power at other marinas is adds to what I get charged at my own!!

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Haydn

 

[hlb]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

So then you cant run the heating or dehumidifier in the winter then. So your boat is all smelly and mildewy. That dont sound very sufisticated now does it....../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

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Haydn

 

[Nick2]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

I have two leads the MDL metered lead for when at Hythe or any other MDL marina and then a standard non metered one for other marinas that we visit.

Nick

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[hlb]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

Posh git!

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Haydn

 

[boatone]

Re: sophisticated - ah\'ve bin to Leeds

My boat isnt smelly or mildewey cos I let fresh air circulate and that come free (at least it does south of Watford).
I do usse the crystals thingies which helps keep the moisture content down,.l.....but then, I dont really know why Im telling you all this when you can get it from the donkeys mouth/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[blueglass]

As long as you have got deep cycle (so called leisure batteries) for the domestics and another battery dedicated for engine starting you can last a good day or two in my experience. Kept my last boat on a swinging mooring so shore power was a special treat when away from base. I fitted a battery indicator in the saloon and whenever it got down below about 25% we just ran the engines up for 20 minutes or so to charge back up and get some hot water via the calorifier.

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[BarryH]

Ah see now, IMHO all the other are talking a complete load of donkey dung. What you need to do is take the figure derived at by B1's calculation, multiply it by the squre root of tcm's starting intagure and then apply the theorum of hlb's donkey toe nail clippings.

Got that....good. Now take that number and write in down on a piece of graph paper. Fold it length ways in half, and again, and again and once more. You've now got it one sixteenth of its original width. This width is the ideal victorian taper width. Once you have that poke it in the fire grate and you can then light the gas light.........whadd'ya mean you havenn't got a gas light, whats fanny gonna do by the light with no gas? What sort of boat have you got anyway. I thought you left the gas on board along with the generator........you did! So iuf you've got a generator why the hell are you worrying about how long the batteries will last.

Anyway back to the original question, They'll go flat just when you need them most. Thats only cos you got kids on board playing with all the switches. I know I've got kids and switches and I have to look at my Fanny by gas light too!!!!!

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[joanne2]

Just For the Record!

Just for the record we actually have 4 batteries on board, I know cause I'm the one who switches them on and off, don't know what they are all for though. I'd be surprised if Nick even knows where they are located!

Also I do not have a super maxi power hairdryer on board (always make sure I do my hair at home before going to the boat).

The hoover is Nick's as are all the other electric bits and pieces on board so if we are ever drained of power it won't be down to me.

Joanne

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