Nice one Hurricane

[mjf]

Just got the mag today - rather good write up on the solar panels I thought.

I'm with mike on the battery discharge / genny top up when at anchor. we have managed 7 nights before low FW forced us ashore.

I too notice a good charge after an overnight stay for first 30/45 mins and then less than 1/2 charge thereafter and less than 20 after 1.5hrs. We do 2 hrs genny at breakfast and 1hr at cocktails........

 

[Hurricane]

Just got the mag today - rather good write up on the solar panels I thought.

I'm with mike on the battery discharge / genny top up when at anchor. we have managed 7 nights before low FW forced us ashore.

I too notice a good charge after an overnight stay for first 30/45 mins and then less than 1/2 charge thereafter and less than 20 after 1.5hrs. We do 2 hrs genny at breakfast and 1hr at cocktails........

Yep
A big improvement this season.
As the article says, we were continuously away from shore power for three weeks this year and every day the battery bank came back to 100% at some time of the day.

I will be changing the galley fridge next year - I already have the replacement.
The old one is a Dometic fridge freezer with two compressors.
I'm sure it has been drawing most of our load.
The new one is a domestic Bosch unit with a low energy rating.
I have bought a dedicated sine wave inverter for the new one and when I tested it here in the UK, I was surprised how little it draws.
Difficult to be accurate when there is other equipment running on the boat but I reckon that the old fridge freezer runs between 6 to 8 amps (at 24v) nearly all the time during the summer.
The new low energy one only ever reaches 3 amps and switches off more often with some clever electronics.
Even has an LED inside instead of the usual bulb.

Sorry, I digress from the point about solar but all this stuff is connected.
I'm hoping that the new fridge will improve the charging further.
That said, if it does, I will probably use that extra saving in power to run the ice maker off the same inverter!!

Thanks for the comment anyway.
Most people don't understand the problem (or don't understand that there is a problem).

 

[mjf]

Most people don't understand the problem (or don't understand that there is a problem).


I agree with that too.

Over the past 2/3 years I have been discussing the issue with the chap who fitted my genset who has the same issues on his yacht.

when you figure what power you use 'at rest' and then work out what power is being returned when charging using the genset its clear the power packs are less than 100% in most cases. I noticed that once back on shore power the 100% state takes a long time as the charging rate is poor for the final hours.

my genset charges its own stand alone battery - and thats fine cos once its warm its easy to turn. Cold start is another issue and the alternator will not replace the power used even with the daily use the genny gets. I fitted a smart charger last year and that on course puts in a good doze once 240v is available from the genny and keeps the genny battery in good shape.