[C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice

[David Nolte]

Chris,

Do you really run it in reverse at anchor? I guess that allows you to  
run at a high RPM, and charge better & quicker. But wouldn't that dig  
your anchor in something fierce? Ever have trouble pulling it loose?

I had never thought of doing that. I guess you need to keep a good  
watch & make sure you don't drag.

Do others run in reverse at anchor?

David Nolte
Beach House #4



On Jul 16, 2008, at 1:35 PM, Chris Burti wrote:

> Gary,
> This is not a recommendation, consider it a report for evaluation.
>
> We have hull number 867 with a Yanmar with a 55 amp OEM alternator.  
> We try
> to get at least one one-week cruise each year. On those cruises, we  
> freeze
> or buy 10# of block ice for the bottom of the reefer, set the  
> controller in
> the middle and run a small fan for air circulation which dramatically
> reduces the current consumption. Other than that, we try to be  
> conscientious
> about not wasting electricity, run the fans only when needed, make  
> sure that
> we rotate battery usage and turn off the anchor light early. We run  
> the
> engine about 20-30 minutes in gear, in reverse @ 2500 rpm in the  
> morning and
> evening to heat water and charge the batteries. We replaced our OEM  
> Excide
> 4d's in 2006 with Excide commercial truck 4'ds along with the  
> charger which
> lightning had fried.
>
> Have not drawn the batteries below 12v with this regime.
> On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 1:08 PM, Magnuson's Ragtime  
> <ragtime at gte.net> wrote:
>
>> Hull 205--- I need to replace the 4D batteries, and am not sure if  
>> I should
>> stay with the flooded or go to the Gel cells.  My 30 amp Newmar  
>> charger is
>> humming a 60hz tone that pier walkers can hear, which started this  
>> project.
>> I think I understand the pros and cons of both types of battery  
>> and I think
>> that a new 40A  Xantrex charger will handle either while at the  
>> slip. I have
>> the Perkins engine with the original alternator. If I choose the gel
>> technology now, and buy the new charger, do I also need to buy an  
>> external
>> regulator? Does anyone know the output specs of the OEM  
>> alternator? Any
>> danger of the OEM alternator damaging the gel cells? Option 2 is  
>> to stay
>> with the wet cells, and the Xantrex charger and keep the internally
>> regulated OEM alternator. (KISS)
>>
>> I did buy the reference book suggested earlier, but it seems to  
>> give me a
>> lot of choices, that can become expensive and complicated.
>> Normal use is shore power most of the time with two or three day  
>> trips
>> sailing the Apostle Islands.  We are planning a two week trip to  
>> the Lake
>> Superior North shore, and I am concerned with the charge rate of the
>> batteries if we don't spend a lot of time under power. I have  
>> considered
>> paralleling the two new batteries, and taking along a deep cycle  
>> battery
>> with jumper cables as an emergency back up just for the duration  
>> of the
>> trip.
>>
>>
>> Gary Magnuson
>> Time-A-Weigh #205
>>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Chris Burti
> Farmville, NC

David Nolte
Nettle Net® BOAT POOL®
800-962-9020
www.nojellyfish.com
dcnolte at mac.com