I was about to echo Bill, but have the added input that your solar and wind
will have to be balanced to the size of the battery bank.
I've been a constant student of the issue, though I NEVER use the aux for
charging, per se, other than when we're forced to motor somewhere, and one of
the off-grid sources I have (probably related to the Honda 2000 mailing list)
uses his solar and wind to equalize, very gently (they don't have the force to
do it properly) at least once a week, and then uses his Honda to equalize once
a month.
Which brings me to our modus for times when we're profligate (as now, two
computers running full time, tropical weather affecting our refrigeration load,
and so on) with power.
We run the Honda 2000 genset through our shore power 70A charger, whatever the
current state is, with temperature compensating generating sometimes earlier
float conditions (where the charger is delivering only 10 or fewer amps,
sometimes as quickly as 80%, but usually at least 90%).
When we have no wind or sun, it's the primary source of charging - but
otherwise, once we get to float conditions, it takes over and continues.
We have removed our heat sink from the wind generator, and set the solar
controller at equalize, never running the risk of overcharging with our current
loads. Being liveaboards for real, we make a habit of looking at the meter
every time we pass it; were it ever to show more than 3% overcharge, all we'd
have to do is run the microwave for a very brief time to remedy that - but
we've never had that happen, yet!
So, my modus is to use a very fuel efficient charger (even a Honda 1000 could
likely do it for us) for everything. If I had to run the aux (or in your case,
that's your practice), the Honda wouldn't crank until we shut it off...
YMMV but it's worked very well for us. We got over 5 years out of horribly
abused (defective charger not realized until later) blem L16H batteries; with
our new setup, I reasonably expect to get 10 or more years' service from them.
Because of the situation you've cited, most cruisers run their batteries at
50-80%, a sure life-shortener. Keeping them topped up will dramatically extend
their life, helped by regular equalization, not really possible unless you're
tied to shore power or something like ours...
L8R
Skip
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog
and/or http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog
"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in
its hand. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in Illusions - The Reluctant Messiah)
_______________________________________________
Liveaboard mailing list
[email protected]
To adjust your membership settings over the web
http://liveaboardonline.com/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard
To subscribe send an email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
The archives are at http://www.liveaboardonline.com/pipermail/liveaboard/
To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
The Mailman Users Guide can be found here
http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
