House banks, whatcha got, whatcha want?

[Lou_tribal]

When looking at the numbers I realize I am quite conservative regarding my energy usage. With the addition of my new gc2 bank I have a total of 630Ah and based on what will draw from them I have a capacity of around 3 days at 50% discharge.

L

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. A. "There is no reason to not have at least a small fuel powered gen set stored away aboard..." Au contraire mon ami. There are several reasons NOT to have a device as you describe aboard particularity if you only use it every year or two.



Storage of gasoline and storage of the device itself are two that come immediately to mind. How reliable will the unit be IF only started on an occasional basis and how will it ever run on stale gasoline?

 

[motion30]

I live aboard full-time on the hook. I have 1740 watts of solar and close to 1300 amp hours of batteries,12 x 6volt gc. I can make hot water running through my inverter. I just ordered a 12-volt motor for my water maker this should allow me do not run my generator as long as the sun shines

 

[Art]

Greetings,
Mr. A. "There is no reason to not have at least a small fuel powered gen set stored away aboard..." Au contraire mon ami. There are several reasons NOT to have a device as you describe aboard particularity if you only use it every year or two.



Storage of gasoline and storage of the device itself are two that come immediately to mind. How reliable will the unit be IF only started on an occasional basis and how will it ever run on stale gasoline?

Now, Now, Now Mr RTFFFFFF

Let there be no wad in panties!!

2006 my brother took dad's little, itty-bitty Honda portable gas generator out of the garage [before dad waved sayonara, he'd last used it mid 1970's on his boat] and put Sea Foam with gas in the tank... it started after many pulls. Brother still uses that old gen to this day in Maine.

Read quote below... 24 mo. = Two [2] yrs.!


Additionally...
There are items such as:
"Sta BIL Fuel Stabilizer in gasoline-powered vehicle or equipment you plan to store for 30-days or longer. It keeps the fuel fresh for up to 24 months during storage, eliminating the need to drain your tank."

 

[Sea Word]

I decided to put the other 2 batteries on board so I will have 1520ah at 12v! Wow just saying that out loud is impressive. MORE JUICE!
There may be an instance where I use (gasp) an air conditioner off the inverter. If we are topped up from solar, and the heat is just too much, it would be nice to be able to run the ac for even just an hour or less. Or off and on. I know, that’s crazy. I need to find a genset.

 

[dhays]

I think you will like that bank. I wish mine was that large.



My wife uses a C-PAP at night. Currently, it has to run off the inverter. That means that in the morning, I can usually make one cup of coffee in the morning with the Keurig before my house bank drops below 70%. When I'm on the boat alone, that is never an issue. An extra 600Ah would be pretty nice for that reason. OTOH, an hour of Genset time and I can get my bank through the bulk charging phase an well into absorb charging, along with heating some hot water. It pushes my genset pretty hard but after an hour my 365W panel is starting to put out some power (in the summer months) and the bank will slowly come up to 100% over the course of the day.

 

[twistedtree]

I agree you need some sort of backup plan for when the sun don't shine, because it will happen. Definitely, no question about it. We have an off-grid house, and can go for months in the summer with no generator, but when Nov, Dec rolls around it can be weeks, if not a whole month with no solid sun.


And when it's rainy and overcast, you won't generate squat for power. Maybe 10% of rated output, if you are lucky. I have seen days when our solar output is zero.


None of this means what you are doing is a bad idea. Just understand the realities of it. Your backup plan could be a generator, or run the main engine, or pull our a Honda screamer to share with us all.


On a full sun day, a good estimate of solar production is 5 hrs of rated power, so 6kwh from your 1200W of panels. That would be about 240ah at 25V which is a good average operating voltage. So that's what you can replace in a full day. If your batteries are drained more than that, it will take multiple days to recover. And the more days, the more you are operating at partial charge, and the more your batteries will sulfate. So don't push it too hard.


Every situation will be different. but check out "Where has all my power gone" on MVTanglewood.com It's a study of my old boat, and might provide some insight, and surprises.


And what inverter are you using that has a standby power draw of 1W? I want one of those. Or is that 1A? I already have one of those.

 

[Sea Word]

I agree you need some sort of backup plan for when the sun don't shine, because it will happen. Definitely, no question about it. We have an off-grid house, and can go for months in the summer with no generator, but when Nov, Dec rolls around it can be weeks, if not a whole month with no solid sun.


And when it's rainy and overcast, you won't generate squat for power. Maybe 10% of rated output, if you are lucky. I have seen days when our solar output is zero.


None of this means what you are doing is a bad idea. Just understand the realities of it. Your backup plan could be a generator, or run the main engine, or pull our a Honda screamer to share with us all.


On a full sun day, a good estimate of solar production is 5 hrs of rated power, so 6kwh from your 1200W of panels. That would be about 240ah at 25V which is a good average operating voltage. So that's what you can replace in a full day. If your batteries are drained more than that, it will take multiple days to recover. And the more days, the more you are operating at partial charge, and the more your batteries will sulfate. So don't push it too hard.


Every situation will be different. but check out "Where has all my power gone" on MVTanglewood.com It's a study of my old boat, and might provide some insight, and surprises.


And what inverter are you using that has a standby power draw of 1W? I want one of those. Or is that 1A? I already have one of those.

It’s a mastervolt 24/4000. They claim right in the manual that it has an idle current draw of 1W! This was a big reason that I got it vs some of the other options. I’m planning on keeping it running 24/7 and have all my AC system up and running. So, when we are not on board, and the fridge is cycling on and off, that idle mode will come into play often.

 

[janice142]

What do I want?

------- one of the newer mini 4kBTU air conditioners for the v-berth. (35A@12V when compressor running). Should be able to run an 8hr night (4-6hrs compressor time) on our current battery bank along with our other loads?

I have a standard Haier 5kBTU from Walmart ($110)
She uses 465 watts at full cool and about 45 on fan only

Your plan sounds great! I will say aboard Seaweed I am mostly cool enough at night. Now I do have a Hella fan that points right at my head. Additionally, when it gets Really humid I add a second Hella fan that points at my middle. Those two keep me cool and comfortable.

That said, I also have a large open hatch above my bunk and opening portlights too. The hatch provides a lot of wind if there is any breeze at all.

IMO - There is no reason to not have at least a small fuel powered gen set stored away aboard any boat. Even if it's just once every year or two it is reguired for some instance.


Charging batts after many overcast days could be one such usage.

This is great advice. Even though I have a wind genny (Air-Breeze, by Southwinds Power, with the updated module/more power) and 445 watts of solar, having a Yamaha 1000 allows me total freedom.

Now you're a fellow, so you've presumably got upper body strength. I do not. I am only able to start a Honda2k IF it is already warm. I just don't have enough umph to get it going from cold.

The Yamaha1k however is a different bird. I can start it every time.

Another advantage to the Yamaha is Bluebell (she's blue) has a fuel shut off valve. I cut the fuel and four minutes later she sputters to a stop. It takes three to five pulls to restart/get the fuel back up.

I can do that... just something to consider...

My friend bought her own Bluebell and made a cover for in her cockpit:

Greetings,
Mr. A. "There is no reason to not have at least a small fuel powered gen set stored away aboard..." Au contraire mon ami. There are several reasons NOT to have a device as you describe aboard particularity if you only use it every year or two.



Storage of gasoline and storage of the device itself are two that come immediately to mind. How reliable will the unit be IF only started on an occasional basis and how will it ever run on stale gasoline?

Get a Yamaha or retrofit a Honda to be able to run her dry. I do know fellows with women who want to fool around. The ladies would not unless there was cooling. So the men figured out how much fuel it takes to get some loving, and get to sleep before the engine sputters out of fuel in the early morning hours.

Just a thought for the frisky....

Additionally...
There are items such as:
"Sta BIL Fuel Stabilizer in gasoline-powered vehicle or equipment you plan to store for 30-days or longer. It keeps the fuel fresh for up to 24 months during storage, eliminating the need to drain your tank."

That's wonderful news. I didn't know that. Thanks!

Anyway, as for the original question, Seaweed has 990Ah battery bank. I carry 9 batts, 109Ah each. For practical purposes I round down to 900Ah when I do my figuring.

I don't have a working alternator on the engine. That's another story. To see how a gal can go wrong, one logical step at a time, this article details the fiasco:
Upsizing the Alternator - My Mistake article on janice142

Anyway, I am seriously envious of those with plenty of solar power and storage.

 

[Sea Word]

I have a standard Haier 5kBTU from Walmart ($110)
She uses 465 watts at full cool and about 45 on fan only

Your plan sounds great! I will say aboard Seaweed I am mostly cool enough at night. Now I do have a Hella fan that points right at my head. Additionally, when it gets Really humid I add a second Hella fan that points at my middle. Those two keep me cool and comfortable.

That said, I also have a large open hatch above my bunk and opening portlights too. The hatch provides a lot of wind if there is any breeze at all.



This is great advice. Even though I have a wind genny (Air-Breeze, by Southwinds Power, with the updated module/more power) and 445 watts of solar, having a Yamaha 1000 allows me total freedom.

Now you're a fellow, so you've presumably got upper body strength. I do not. I am only able to start a Honda2k IF it is already warm. I just don't have enough umph to get it going from cold.

The Yamaha1k however is a different bird. I can start it every time.

Another advantage to the Yamaha is Bluebell (she's blue) has a fuel shut off valve. I cut the fuel and four minutes later she sputters to a stop. It takes three to five pulls to restart/get the fuel back up.

I can do that... just something to consider...

My friend bought her own Bluebell and made a cover for in her cockpit

Get a Yamaha or retrofit a Honda to be able to run her dry. I do know fellows with women who want to fool around. The ladies would not unless there was cooling. So the men figured out how much fuel it takes to get some loving, and get to sleep before the engine sputters out of fuel in the early morning hours.

Just a thought for the frisky....

That's wonderful news. I didn't know that. Thanks!

Anyway, as for the original question, Seaweed has 990Ah battery bank. I carry 9 batts, 109Ah each. For practical purposes I round down to 900Ah when I do my figuring.

I don't have a working alternator on the engine. That's another story. To see how a gal can go wrong, one logical step at a time, this article details the fiasco:
Upsizing the Alternator - My Mistake article on janice142

Anyway, I am seriously envious of those with plenty of solar power and storage.

How much solar do you have? Looks like you could fit quite a bit up there. And panels are down to .50$/watt if you’re scrappy.
I may get a small genny to keep in a locker. Means having gas on board though. Could be worse.

 

[janice142]

Greetings Sea World.

I started with a single 75 watt panel and two 100Ah Batts.
Then I added two more 100 watt panels. By then I had four 100Ah Batts.

Finally I was gifted two 85 watt panels. Plus l was able to buy five more batteries. I had been saving up for them! By

It has been a gradual process, spanning eleven years.

As an aside, I knew a fellow with 2kw solar on his 50' power cat. He ran primarily a 24 volt system. He was able to run air conditioning in addition to a large refrigerator, separate freezer, along with stackable washer dryer unit off of solar. Frankly though I'm not sure of the voltage his panels were (12v or 24v) though I am certain it was 2kw.

Not much help, though that was my memory of his set-up. You will never regret having too much solar nor too many batteries.

Good luck as you begin the journey. It will be fun, frustrating and totally worth it in the end. This life is amazing. I am blessed.

J.

 

[Mako]

Do LiFePO4 battery banks wired in parallel pose any risks similar to FLA when a cell goes bad?

 

[Sea Word]

Do LiFePO4 battery banks wired in parallel pose any risks similar to FLA when a cell goes bad?

Yes. They are more susceptible to damage from low/high voltages.

 

[Mako]

but the built in BMS is designed to mitigate that risk, no?