Hi Danny,
I am the lucky recipient of a 95 watt Carmanah solar kit at our West
Coast C&C rendezvous.
The quality of the kit is excellent and is easily expandable (I have
yet to install it). It includes a "smart" regulator that can charge
the different types of batteries and has an automatic equalize
function (for certain battery type and usage).
Here is a link to their smallest kit with a regulator.
http://gpelectric.com/products/20-watt-solar-charging-kit
I'm contemplating the setup and haven't found fault with it yet. I
think it will be good for a mooring (non-shore power) setup:
solar panel -> regulator -> house bank
house bank > fusible link -> diode -> fusible link -> engine battery
engine battery -> fusible link -> combiner -> fusible link -> house bank
This should keep the engine battery topped up on the mooring and
while running the engine battery gets topped first, then charges the
house bank. I feel the voltage drop across the diode is not
significant in this application.
I would like to hear opines from the electrical gurus lurking out there.
And maybe Frank, of Felecity can chime in. He is a contact for
Carmanah's Go Power.
Cheers, Russ
Sweet 35 mk-1
At 10:28 AM 24/08/2012, you wrote:
ahh. So, I'd like to use the current battery as the start battery
and get 2 new ones to use as a house bank. You know, so, they are
the same age same usage same same?
And for the next week or 2 I think I'll just do the switching myself
and research some more on a better charging setup.
---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Della Barba, Joe" <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Stus-List Battery Setup
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:50:52 -0400
I used to be a battery dealer. You can feel free to start engines
from deep cycle batteries. It won't hurt them.
They are just relatively large and heavy for a given CCA or MCCA (
(marine)cold cranking amperage). My start battery is a U1 size. You
can pick it up in one hand.
Joe Della Barba
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Marek Dziedzic
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 12:28 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Stus-List Battery Setup
The main reason for a separate starting and house batteries is that
they are of different type (construction). the starting battery is
supposed to give you high output (100A ?) for a short time, but it
hates to be discharged. he house battery should be deep -cycle, I.e.
it allows to be discharged quite a bit (at least, down to 50% or
even lower) without damage, but it does not like high output that
might be required to start an engine (I don't have an inboard, so I
don't have the problem).
If you run high current through a deep-cycle battery you may damage
the plates.
There are batteries that would work fine in both situations (some
AGMs), but I don't think you have any of those.
Btw. if you go solar, don't skimp on the regulator. Without one or
with a cheap one, you can kill the battery in no time. Don't ask how I know.
Marek
s/v Fennel (C&C 24)
Ottawa
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