Bkay
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2018
- Messages
- 580
- Location
- United States
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- Wingspan
- Vessel Make
- Aluminum Catamaran
I'm noodling modifications to my battery system. I'll have a professional help me with the design and implementation. I just want to get my brain around the options and if any of them simply fail the makes-sense test.
I currently have 3 x Group 31 FLA house batteries and I want to up my usable AH. I don't have any additional real estate for house batteries without an extensive move. That's an option, but not my preference so I'm looking at going with Firefly batteries, possibly LiFePO4 (not likely - they will outlive me at this point). I can probably fit 3 x GC-12 AGM batteries if I can ditch the battery box - but I understand even this will require some changes to my alternators.
I have 2 x Mahle 95 amp stock alternators (one per engine) on John Deere 4045's. Each alternator charges a Group 31 FLA start battery. I have a Blue Sea ML-ACR between each start battery and the house bank and I have 320 watts of solar (but about 1/2 the panels suffer from some shading at any given time - so practically speaking I'm only getting a couple hundred watts out of them).
Any different chemistry I go to with the house batteries generates some other system changes and I'm curious about the relative pain between three different options:
1) I can disable the VSRs then add two B2B chargers after the start batteries to charge the house. Then I can go with something like Firefly or LiFePO4 (probably Group 31 Firefly because my Magnum remote would have to be upgraded for LiFePO4 - but that's an option). I would keep the FLA start batteries. This would give me two alternators working together to keep the house charged but requires installing 2 B2B chargers.
2) I can change out one of my alternators to a smarter alternator with external regulation and have it charge house bank and keep the other stock alternator to charge the two start batteries. Then I can go with almost any chemistry of house battery and keep the FLA start batteries.
3) I can have an alternator shop add an external regulator to the two alternators. Then I can go with 3 x GC-12 size AGM and 2 x Group 31 AGM start batteries. [For this option - I'm assuming my stock alternator won't properly charge AGM batteries - but I'm happy to be proven wrong. If all I had to do was swap batteries to AGM, this would be the option I'd go with and the 3 x GC-12 would satisfy my requirements even though I don't love AGM batteries.]
4) I can buy a Honda generator...
Since I've never messed with alternators or B2B chargers - how much more pain (and money) is involved in either adding multiple B2B chargers versus changing out an alternator and putting external voltage regulator in place?
Also, is it viable to keep the two stock alternators, but change the regulators and then drop in AGM?
Any experience is appreciated.
I currently have 3 x Group 31 FLA house batteries and I want to up my usable AH. I don't have any additional real estate for house batteries without an extensive move. That's an option, but not my preference so I'm looking at going with Firefly batteries, possibly LiFePO4 (not likely - they will outlive me at this point). I can probably fit 3 x GC-12 AGM batteries if I can ditch the battery box - but I understand even this will require some changes to my alternators.
I have 2 x Mahle 95 amp stock alternators (one per engine) on John Deere 4045's. Each alternator charges a Group 31 FLA start battery. I have a Blue Sea ML-ACR between each start battery and the house bank and I have 320 watts of solar (but about 1/2 the panels suffer from some shading at any given time - so practically speaking I'm only getting a couple hundred watts out of them).
Any different chemistry I go to with the house batteries generates some other system changes and I'm curious about the relative pain between three different options:
1) I can disable the VSRs then add two B2B chargers after the start batteries to charge the house. Then I can go with something like Firefly or LiFePO4 (probably Group 31 Firefly because my Magnum remote would have to be upgraded for LiFePO4 - but that's an option). I would keep the FLA start batteries. This would give me two alternators working together to keep the house charged but requires installing 2 B2B chargers.
2) I can change out one of my alternators to a smarter alternator with external regulation and have it charge house bank and keep the other stock alternator to charge the two start batteries. Then I can go with almost any chemistry of house battery and keep the FLA start batteries.
3) I can have an alternator shop add an external regulator to the two alternators. Then I can go with 3 x GC-12 size AGM and 2 x Group 31 AGM start batteries. [For this option - I'm assuming my stock alternator won't properly charge AGM batteries - but I'm happy to be proven wrong. If all I had to do was swap batteries to AGM, this would be the option I'd go with and the 3 x GC-12 would satisfy my requirements even though I don't love AGM batteries.]
4) I can buy a Honda generator...
Since I've never messed with alternators or B2B chargers - how much more pain (and money) is involved in either adding multiple B2B chargers versus changing out an alternator and putting external voltage regulator in place?
Also, is it viable to keep the two stock alternators, but change the regulators and then drop in AGM?
Any experience is appreciated.