RUTLAND 913 windcharger problem..

[Guest]

I installed a Rutland 913 on my yacht on the weekend and wired up the SR200 as per instructions. It seemed to be working fine when I left. That weekend we had 30knot + winds and when I went to check on the boat, the fuse had blown and the plastic fuse holder was half melted!!! I assume this is not normal , what did I do wrong.

I took the Red positive from the AGM battery to the fuse and the Red wire on the regulator.
I wired the Red wire from the 913 to the Brown(earth ) wire on the regulator.
I wired the Black wire from the 913 to the Black wire on the regulator and the negative on the battery..

So what went wrong????

 

[Eudorajab]

Had exactly the same problem with mine when installed last year. I simply removed the fuse as the shunt regulator has its own internal fuse. Has worked perfectly ever since.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I had major trouble with the regulator supplied by Rutland, they could not get it to charge at a sensible rate - in a gale the batteries go up to nearly 16 volts - dried up the batteries during one week of gales - had to be replaced. Adjustment ( by Rutland) either made the charge start dumping at about 12.7V which of course meant that the batteries would not charge or severly overcharge. After about 6 tries by Rutland to get it right, I packed it all up and sent it back.

It was also incredibly noisey - sounding like someone had thrown a bag of nails into the bearings. This was transmitted down the mizzen despite mounting on rubber pads - her in doors would not allow it to be run a night!

I am now looking at the alternatives - having put a 100 Amp/h alternator on. Not sure I want to venture down the wind path again, so looking at Solar. Any ideas??

 

[charles_reed]

Electrix

I don't think any one source is adequate for keeping one's batteries topped up.

Here are some of my findings/thoughts on the matter:

1. WINDCHARGERS

Probably the most effective source of power in the British Isles.
Useless down wind.
Widest power/voltage variation of all sources.
The Rutland seems to need less windspeed than others to get moving but appears to have wide voltage variation.
Airmarine generally has the highest power output, but fewer blades means more noise.
I fitted the Ampair as being the most rugged and making the most conservative claims. It worked adequately when regulator had to be bypassed never pushing system voltage above 14.2V
I would always tether blades if leaving the boat for extended periods.
Regulation to about 14.2V

2. SOLAR PANELS

Least expensive if bought in Portugal.
Only produce about 60% of rated output this far N, even in summer.
Need to be kept at 90degrees to sun light which involves variable L of incidence clear of any shadow from rigging etc.
Must have a regulator - set to 14.2-14.4V
Need to be accessible for cleaning

3. WATER GENERATORS

Ideal for downwind Trades sailing
Probably the most reliable source of power for long-distance sailors
Good constant voltage

4. ALTERNATORS

Output curve more important than max power output - match to engine usage revs.
Need to be combined with a smart regulator and splitting diodes for safe performance. Significant voltage drop through splitting diodes which need adequate airflow and heat-sink for cooling.
Cut-out at 14.4V, need temperature sensor to avoid battery overheating.
Wiring and drive need beefing up significantly on standard to avoid wear and conflagration, if a high-output alternator is fitted.

5. CHARGERS

Need to be self-regulated - pulse or probe control.
Cheap trickle chargers false economy - quickest way to boil batteries.
Output capacity should allow recharge of complete battery banks in 24-30 hours.

6. BATTERIES

Little difference in life expectancy between deep-cycle and heavy duty automotive.
Lead-calcium laggard both in power delivery and in recharging.
Gel batteries not happy with fast charge/discharge.
Total AH capacity needs to be between 3 & 5 days maximum usage
Need conditioning (full discharge and recharge under controlled conditions) at least annually.

Suspect the original blown fuse to have occured when the regulator cut out suddenly when voltage reached limit and generator was at full chat causing big current surge.

 

[Guest]

Re: Electrix

I have this season installed a Rutland 503 windcharger. I do not find it noisy and it does start charging at relatively low windspeeds.
HoweverI installed it particulary to top up a new dedicated 72amp/hr battery which I intended to use to run a respirator that I have to use at night via an invertor.I have found however that the windcharger will not get the battery above 12.6 volts, and the resirator very quickly (about 15 mins) drops the battery voltage and the invertor then cuts out because the battery drops to 10.6 volts.Does anyone know if the the shunt regulator supplied by Rutland can be adjusted up.
As per one of the previous contributors in this thread also did away with the initial fuse as there is one with the regulator. Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Rutland Regulator

This was the precise problem I had with the system (apart from the noise) The regulators are adjustable - by Rutland, and they were very helpful. But each time it went back to them, it came back set to the other extream - either overcharging or Undercharging. I eventually gave up.

A fully charged battery in a rested state, should have 12.7 V. So if the wind charger is only raising the voltage (with no current drawn off) to 12.6 then it is effectively not charging the battery. You need 14.2 to 14.4 V

The regulator I had, used a ceramic heat sink into which current was gradually dumped, a diode light being used to show when this was happening. I cant help feeling that the heat from this effected the regulators settings as it is actually mounted on it, and can get very hot.

The regulator is actually very simply adjusted, but I was told that if I did it in situ, then my warranty would be invalid. With out a test rig the problem is to be sure of setting it right; you need a fully charged battery, and some sustained high winds to monitor any adjustments.

I would be interested to know how many people have actually monitored the voltages at their batteries, (with a digital meter) and therefore are satisfied that the Generator/regulator set are actually working properly?

 

[Chris_Robb]

Battery Voltages - Floating

Charles - thanks for those useful ideas.

In respect of battery voltages, I would expect them to be up to 14.2-4 V whilst the engine is running, but when you are leaving a charger connected long term, what is the max float voltage that you should have?

My boat has an older Constavolt ferro resonant charger capable of delivering 50 amps on load demand, but no cleaver modern charge stepping. I have set it so that it can be left on all the time at 13.3V. However does this mean it will never actually charge the batteries fully, as it it is not rising to 14.4 volts? Or am I actually doing damage to the batteries holding them at this all the time??

 

[LadyInBed]

I have just bought the 24v 913 and SR200 and will be installing shortly. It will be interesting to see how it performs. If all goes well, I will consider strapping a 12v reg in parallel to the 24v one, to take advantage of the slow speed / low voltage O/P to charge the 12v system.

The biggest problem I found was that Rutland didn’t produce a mizzen mounting bracket. I found that the Ampair Pacific 100 Mizzen Bracket (P1032) £99.87 could be easily adapted (drilled out a couple of mil). It is strong and well constructed.