Post by Clinton Cool on Nov 7, 2016 21:43:58 GMT
27 TMX is being delivered to parents' house tomorrow, should be on the boat the following day.
Having knackered a series of batteries over the past 3 and a bit years I'm determined to make sure this one lasts a reasonable length of time. The 130 quid is a bit of a hit and getting the beast into its slot will be far from the most pleasurable thing I've done in my life. Kneeling on an exhaust manifold try to make sure all the wires are connected up properly (that's if they fit) whilst I crane my neck trying to look into a dark void won't be eutopia either. Oh, and lugging the thing down the towpath doesn't fill me with joy.
Anyway, assuming that goes well I want to avoid having to do it again for at least 2 years. Hopefully 3 or 4 even.
I go away from mid January to mid March every year. When I get back my 375w of solar is overkill for my daily power usage of 20-30 AH.
My first question concerns this period: The batteries will be as fully charged as is possible pretty well every day. This being the case, is there a need for an equalisation/ desulphation session from time to time, using my generator? If so, how often and for how long?
From the middle of October I need to think about generating additional power. I'd rather use a generator than my engine. Might cost a bit more in petrol but I can replace the thing for a few hundred rather than 5 grand. Plus its quieter for me, the boat doesn't vibrate like when I use the main engine (selfish?). My thinking is to use the generator every other day to take the battery to its full state of charge. On the other day I'll take it reasonably close to it. My battery charger, a Sterling Pro Charge Plus, has an ammeter, so I can look out for 1% of battery capacity or whatever figure it ends up being stuck at, in practise.
My second question: following the above regime, how often and for how long should I switch the charger to open lead acid rather than custom, and run the desulphation function, and for how long? Should I desulphate to replace a 'normal' charging or do it when the batteries are already full?
Final question: If I stick fairly religiously to this plan, how long might I expect the battery to last?
Cheers!
Having knackered a series of batteries over the past 3 and a bit years I'm determined to make sure this one lasts a reasonable length of time. The 130 quid is a bit of a hit and getting the beast into its slot will be far from the most pleasurable thing I've done in my life. Kneeling on an exhaust manifold try to make sure all the wires are connected up properly (that's if they fit) whilst I crane my neck trying to look into a dark void won't be eutopia either. Oh, and lugging the thing down the towpath doesn't fill me with joy.
Anyway, assuming that goes well I want to avoid having to do it again for at least 2 years. Hopefully 3 or 4 even.
I go away from mid January to mid March every year. When I get back my 375w of solar is overkill for my daily power usage of 20-30 AH.
My first question concerns this period: The batteries will be as fully charged as is possible pretty well every day. This being the case, is there a need for an equalisation/ desulphation session from time to time, using my generator? If so, how often and for how long?
From the middle of October I need to think about generating additional power. I'd rather use a generator than my engine. Might cost a bit more in petrol but I can replace the thing for a few hundred rather than 5 grand. Plus its quieter for me, the boat doesn't vibrate like when I use the main engine (selfish?). My thinking is to use the generator every other day to take the battery to its full state of charge. On the other day I'll take it reasonably close to it. My battery charger, a Sterling Pro Charge Plus, has an ammeter, so I can look out for 1% of battery capacity or whatever figure it ends up being stuck at, in practise.
My second question: following the above regime, how often and for how long should I switch the charger to open lead acid rather than custom, and run the desulphation function, and for how long? Should I desulphate to replace a 'normal' charging or do it when the batteries are already full?
Final question: If I stick fairly religiously to this plan, how long might I expect the battery to last?
Cheers!