House battery bank

[tbtapper]

Interested in hearing what sort of battery bank set up folks are using. My house bank is tired and I’m developing a plan for the replacement.

Tbtapper
87 CT 35 sundeck

 

[David Rive]

Hi TB

We have two 4D AGMs = 400ah capacity. I would like to have a third one but don't really have the space. OTOH we have 450w of solar charging capability, which is great. I encourage you to consider solar if you are designing a new house bank system. Good luck.

David

 

[dhays]

Interested in hearing what sort of battery bank set up folks are using. My house bank is tired and I’m developing a plan for the replacement.

Tbtapper
87 CT 35 sundeck

What do you have now?

I have 4, 6v L16 AGM batteries. Each battery is rated at 390AH, so with two of them in series and each set parallel, I have a nominal 780AH bank.

The batteries I used were US Battery: USAGML16. I ordered them out of Metroplex Batteries in Dallas Tx. They had them on sale at the time so were a lot less expensive, only $347 each.

 

[bshanafelt]

from a previous post:

in 2008 I remade my house bank with Fullriver 6v units as shown.

My boat does not have a generator.

Charging is handled by a large frame 200amp alternator with smart regulation, or at the dock by a 75A IOTA charger.

We typically are out 45-60 days during the summer in the PNW.

Anchoring 95% of the time.

The bank is sized to allow up to 5 days at anchor without starting the main.


I don't keep track of the number or exact depth of discharge prior to a recharge, but it is rare that it is less than 75%.

The bank is now 9 years old and as far as I can tell it performs the same as the day it was installed.


In 2008, Fullriver was just arriving in the mainstream, so it was a bit of a gamble, but I had found some fairly re-assuring comments from battery guru's in the know.

YMMV

 

[O C Diver]

8 6v Trojan T105 golf cart batteries (open lead acid). 960AH of capacity, but rarely draw them below 80%. For charging I have a second alternator (220 amp Leece Neville) with a Sterling external 3 stage regulator and a Magnum Energy 130 amp inverter / battery charger. I can go 2 days without recharging depending on microwave use. 4 hours of cruising has the battery back to float charge.

Ted

 

[tiltrider1]

I have 8 L16 lead acid batteries. My batteries live in the vented engine room so I see no need for AGMs. This gives me 1460 amp/hrs. I never worry about what was left on all night.

 

[AusCan]

I have 4 x 120 AH AGM batteries. It keeps my electrical requirements going for 4+ days without charging.

I went with AGM batteries when I decided to move them to an unvented area, to give me better engine access. I don't miss FLA batteries at all.

 

[dhays]

from a previous post:



in 2008 I remade my house bank with Fullriver 6v units as shown.



My boat does not have a generator.



Charging is handled by a large frame 200amp alternator with smart regulation, or at the dock by a 75A IOTA charger.



We typically are out 45-60 days during the summer in the PNW.



Anchoring 95% of the time.



The bank is sized to allow up to 5 days at anchor without starting the main.





I don't keep track of the number or exact depth of discharge prior to a recharge, but it is rare that it is less than 75%.



The bank is now 9 years old and as far as I can tell it performs the same as the day it was installed.





In 2008, Fullriver was just arriving in the mainstream, so it was a bit of a gamble, but I had found some fairly re-assuring comments from battery guru's in the know.



YMMV

That is a really nice setup. Have you ever considered adding some solar to extend your time past 5 days?

Also, silly question but why do you list the total AH as 1344 instead of 1350?

 

[angus99]

Eight USA 305 6-volt AGMs. These are deep-cycle floor sweeper batts, about the same footprint as a GC and shorter than an L16. Each pair is 312 AH, for a total bank of 1,248 AH. Magnum MS 2800 pure sine wave inverter/charger. Modified Delco 100-amp alternators with Balmar 614 external regulators, Centerfielder and Duo-charge. Charles 50-amp Iso-Boost transformer. So far, so good.

Sorry, I don’t have any pix of the final install.

 

[dhays]

Angus99, I still think that is a beautiful installation. It provided the inspiration for my own battery bank. Mine is only half the size however.

 

[FF]

With no refrigeration loads on the battery bank a pair of NAPA *8D works for us.

Truck batts not real deep cycle , but about 1/2 & 1/2 .

A single 8D works fine at anchor for 3-5 days , with enough left to start the 6-71 with ease.

The simplest way to great battery life is to reduce the loads .

FW pump, bilge propane sniffer , range propane valve, AM-FM car radio , 10 Inch TV, and multiple lights are most of our load.

A 1750w inverter is fine for some re heating , we cook with propane.

Anchor light is LED in Perko housing for over 20 meters boat. Still not a bad draw.

One 85W solar helps bring daytime charging , on sunny days.

KISS does work ,

 

[Gordon J]

I will probably move to carbon foam batteries this summer. Take a look at firefly oasis. Now I have two 8d AGM, which is not enough. I figure 4 to 6 group 31 firefly will be enough.

Gordon

 

[ranger58sb]

Interested in hearing what sort of battery bank set up folks are using. My house bank is tired and I’m developing a plan for the replacement.

We have two large dual-purpose banks, and each runs approx half of the house loads and starts one main engine (Cummins 6CTAs)... and there's a parallel switch to augment that if necessary.

One bank is now 4x 6V Lifeline GPL-4CT AGMs (GC2s) in series/parallel for nominal 440-Ah capacity. That bank is connected to an inverter/charger, and the inverter services the house "AC outlet" loads: microwave (short bursts), coffee maker, TV and stereo, etc.

The other bank is 3x 12V Odyssey PC-2150 AGMs (G31s) for nominal 300-Ah capacity.

Both banks also service an AC/DC fridge, in DC mode when the genset isn't running or we're not on shorepower.

The set-up is largely space and geometry constrained. The current Lifeline bank was previously 3x Odysseys... which worked well, but predates the inverter... until I figured out a way to put 4x GC2s in not much more space than the 3x G31s... while still leaving a sliver of space for the separate genset battery.

-Chris

 

[menzies]

Had the yard replace the wet cell house batteries on my 24v set up last fall with 12 8AGC2M AGM 6 volt batteries at a nice $288.00 each!

 

[Willo B]

Angus99 Im looking to redo mine as well and like you look. I think i can configure it like yours. What kind of tie down are you using.

 

[tbtapper]

Great info, thanks all. Some very I,pressive setups, maybe a little out of my realm but some good ideas to work with? Thanks

 

[Tom.B]

If you do a quick little search, there are a TON of threads about the subject 'round deez here parts. I am a big fan of 6V golf cart batteries (I have 8) with three Group 27's (12V) to crank the motors. Do yourself a favor and don't just do a 1-for-1 replacement of the batteries. If you have an older boat, get a kick-a$$ crimping tool and shrink to upgrade the wires, switches, and superfluous connections to all things in the battery's world.

 

[TDunn]

I have two grp 29 flooded deep cycle batteries for about 220 amp-hr capacity. All I use electricity for is to run the bilge pumps, lights (all LED), pressure water pump, the Webasto heater (only run in the Spring and Fall) and the refrigeration that I leave on 24/7. I don't have shore power so I rely on my solar array to keep the batteries charged. So far, so good, but it has only been 7 seasons so far.

 

[cardude01]

I have 4 Lifeline 125AH AGM batteries. They are about two years old. They also run the bow thruster so they get a lot of exercise, but are holding up well it appears.

I have a Balmar Smartgauge battery monitoring system that keeps a good eye on the discharge status.

I also have a 8wk generator, and don’t stay out on the hook long yet, but eventually I would like to upgrade to some solar and maybe 6V batteries? to get more “hook time”.

 

[angus99]

Thanks, Dave and Will O.

WO, I’m using heavy duty ratchet tie downs and D-rings bolted through the platform. Each battery is nested between oak 1 X 1s glued and screwed every four inches. They can’t shift sideways and the straps hood them down with a lot of pressure. I have a wooden top that fits over the bank, but haven’t decided if I’ll use it. I still have some wiring to do in this area, so it’s still pretty messy.

 

[tiltrider1]

Looks nice but use the wooden top or you will be out of compliance. Batteries must be covered to prevent something falling and causing a short.

 

[dhays]

For my L16s I used two fiberglass boxes, each holding a set of two.

 

[angus99]

Looks nice but use the wooden top or you will be out of compliance. Batteries must be covered to prevent something falling and causing a short.

I do plan to cover them, but the cover I made is much heavier than necessary so I’m debating. Unless the regs have changed, there was no requirement to cover batteries if the terminals are shielded with nonconductive material (plastic boots).

 

[boomerang]

I do plan to cover them, but the cover I made is much heavier than necessary so I’m debating. Unless the regs have changed, there was no requirement to cover batteries if the terminals are shielded with nonconductive material (plastic boots).

You are correct! As long as the batteries are secured and the terminals covered with a boot or even a split piece of hose, you'll be good. It is sometimes nice to have a cover on the batteries to sit on or lay across when performing engine room tasks , though. I have many shirts, pants & jackets with holes eaten through from doing just that; laying on an uncovered battery to reach something and that wee bit of acid or corrosion gets me every time.