LeoKa
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2017
- Messages
- 1,261
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Ironsides
- Vessel Make
- 54' Bruce Roberts steel sailboat hull, coastal LRC, 220HP CAT 3306.
Maybe it does not exist and I am just dreaming, but I still ask the question here from the gurus. I am a live-aboard on the Columbia river.
I have two battery banks. Both lithium.
Bank 1 - is supplied by solar panels and Victron MPPT chargers. Bank is 680Ah total. Everything works, as long the sun is out. This banks handles 12V loads only.
Bank 2 - inverter/charger 3000W/150A/50A charges one large battery 400Ah (Renogy). Also provides the house with AC. This bank only supports AC loads, no DC to the house. It works smoothly now and I like the charging logic in it.
I have installed a DC/DC 12V charger (same brand as the inverter and battery) and set it to Lithium charging. The goal was with this to have charge from one bank to the other bank, in case there is no shore power for inverter/charger and the capacity goes down. Kind of buying time, before everything goes out, if I am away for longer time and no AC is coming in from shore. I tested it today and it works fine, as I hoped.
The only problem is that I cannot leave it on all the time, because it keeps charging the large battery, according to the settings. DC/DC charger has only two voltage settings for lithiums. Even the lowest setting is not low enough to let the large lithium to be used up, because it tries to keep it at 13.6V. This is fine, when I am on board, although the cooling fan keeps coming on, but it is suppose to be like that.
Is there a way to set this up, so the DC/DC could start charging only when the large lithium is close to the cut off voltage? Is there a voltage sensing switch, which could connect it and let it charge the 400A battery? (This could be useful when the shore power is out for longer time).
The solar panels are working, but in the PNW now not much is generated and I cannot add more to the existing 6 panels. So, I cannot get enough current coming down, which could charge charge both banks.
My goal is to be able to leave the boat in the marina for few months and not to worry about depleted batteries. Of course, if there is not shore power and no sunshine, all batteries will be depleted at one point, no matter what I set up.
At the last snow/storm week we had several power outages, plus the breaker in the marina's power station on our pier flipped and we had to live on batteries all night in the freezing temps. In case like this I can start my generator, but what if I am overseas?
I have two battery banks. Both lithium.
Bank 1 - is supplied by solar panels and Victron MPPT chargers. Bank is 680Ah total. Everything works, as long the sun is out. This banks handles 12V loads only.
Bank 2 - inverter/charger 3000W/150A/50A charges one large battery 400Ah (Renogy). Also provides the house with AC. This bank only supports AC loads, no DC to the house. It works smoothly now and I like the charging logic in it.
I have installed a DC/DC 12V charger (same brand as the inverter and battery) and set it to Lithium charging. The goal was with this to have charge from one bank to the other bank, in case there is no shore power for inverter/charger and the capacity goes down. Kind of buying time, before everything goes out, if I am away for longer time and no AC is coming in from shore. I tested it today and it works fine, as I hoped.
The only problem is that I cannot leave it on all the time, because it keeps charging the large battery, according to the settings. DC/DC charger has only two voltage settings for lithiums. Even the lowest setting is not low enough to let the large lithium to be used up, because it tries to keep it at 13.6V. This is fine, when I am on board, although the cooling fan keeps coming on, but it is suppose to be like that.
Is there a way to set this up, so the DC/DC could start charging only when the large lithium is close to the cut off voltage? Is there a voltage sensing switch, which could connect it and let it charge the 400A battery? (This could be useful when the shore power is out for longer time).
The solar panels are working, but in the PNW now not much is generated and I cannot add more to the existing 6 panels. So, I cannot get enough current coming down, which could charge charge both banks.
My goal is to be able to leave the boat in the marina for few months and not to worry about depleted batteries. Of course, if there is not shore power and no sunshine, all batteries will be depleted at one point, no matter what I set up.
At the last snow/storm week we had several power outages, plus the breaker in the marina's power station on our pier flipped and we had to live on batteries all night in the freezing temps. In case like this I can start my generator, but what if I am overseas?