[C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice

[R Airis]

The easy upgrade is a Honda 2000 i generator. You can charge up or make hot 
water anytime. Stores in aft starboard locker will run for hours on a gallon 
of gas, and no wear or extra hrs. on the motor. Very quiet too! $850 to 
875.00 on line.

Bob & Sheila ........Hale Kai 2   #266

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Burti" <clburti at gmail.com>
To: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] DC power system upgrade advice


> 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