Battery

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

 But bearing in mind you previously lived in a paper bag in the middle of the road, it was a major step up.

Luxury! We use to live in Lake and get up 1/2 hour before we went to bed each mornin. 

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Yes. Our first liveaboard boat had a hand start only engine, a foot operated water pump and only one 12volt domestic battery and hot water was heated on the stove as it was the only way. We luvved it and lived on it nearly five years cruisng around and updating. We now have all the usual crap that we all think we need today but in reality ninety percent of it is nonsense. We live on a boat not a poxy house so why do we fit household stuff that costs a bomb to maintain and power up? Yes I am a dinosaur but the more basic the boat the better it is in reality.

Did they go on to your boat  two by two? 

Seriously though sometimes I wonder if we have too many modern gadgets. 

[Robbo]

23 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Did they go on to your boat  two by two? 

Seriously though sometimes I wonder if we have too many modern gadgets. 

I wouldn't call pumped hot water, fridge, washing machine, vac, electric lighting that particular modern or particular nonessential unless you like going back 50-100 years and like doing hard chores.

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Robbo said:

I wouldn't call pumped hot water, fridge, washing machine, vac, electric lighting that particular modern or particular nonessential unless you like going back 50-100 years and like doing hard chores.

No, neither would I in a house with mains electricity supply, but a boat?

 

I don't know, but guess things like inverters, travelpowers, combis, Smartgauges, battery monitors and the like are relatively modern inventions. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by rusty69

[Robbo]

4 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

No, neither would I in a house with mains electricity supply, but a boat? 

Well a rowing boat doesn't need a washing machine I grant you.  But if your living aboard then the majority of household stuff there's no reason not too.   We actually use less electric in house now then we have done for decades.  I'm not saying you don't need to plan your electric consumption as you do need to get it from somewhere, but it's all easily doable.

[rusty69]

Just now, Robbo said:

Well a rowing boat doesn't need a washing machine I grant you.  But if your living aboard then the majority of household stuff there's no reason not too.   We actually use less electric in house now then we have done for decades.  I'm not saying you don't need to plan your electric consumption as you do need to get it from somewhere, but it's all easily doable.

Granted, appliance power consumption is coming down, but then the number of gadgets is increasing.

I agree, it is doable, but not necessarily easy or cheap. 

It certainly has become more doable over the past few years due to falling solar panel costs. 

 

I don't think the OP is a liveaboard. 

[Robbo]

7 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Granted, appliance power consumption is coming down, but then the number of gadgets is increasing.

I agree, it is doable, but not necessarily easy or cheap. 

It certainly has become more doable over the past few years due to falling solar panel costs. 

 

I don't think the OP is a liveaboard. 

The number of gadgets my be increasing, but the number of stuff that's on 24/7 or for long periods are now more effIcent than ever, like fridges, TVs, lights, and computers to mentions a few.

i have two boats, one liveaboard, the other is a small leisure boat.   On the leisure boat,  I don't have fridge, microwave or anything like that (don't even have the room for it), I do use a iPad and lights which is about all I need on it (and all it really has) wouldn't want to live like that tho.  So it all depends on how the leisure boat is to be really used on what electronic gadgets are needed or wanted on it.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Robbo

[rusty69]

16 minutes ago, Robbo said:

The number of gadgets my be increasing, but the number of stuff that's on 24/7 or for long periods are now more effIcent than ever, like fridges, TVs, lights, and computers to mentions a few.

i have two boats, one liveaboards, the other is a small leisure boat.   On the leisure boat,  I don't have fridge, microwave or anything like that (don't even have the room for it), I do use a iPad and lights which is about all I need on it (and all it really has) wouldn't want to live like that tho.

I have two boats too, the leisure boat I spend two months of the year on with one battery and few gadgets, so it can be done.

 

The washing machine, fridge, freezer etc on the other boat is desirable, but clearly not essential, particularly if your powering them from batteries. 

 

I suspect it won't be long before broadband internet connection is an essential service too. 

Edited April 26, 2017 by rusty69

[Robbo]

13 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I have two boats too, the leisure boat I spend two months of the year on with one battery and no gadgets, so it can be done.

 

The washing machine, fridge, freezer etc on the other boat is desirable, but clearly not essential, particularly if your powering them from batteries. 

 

I suspect it won't be long before broadband internet connection is an essential service too. 

Would you want to live on your leisure boat in winter tho.   I think broadband internet is already classed as an essential service.  -  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-plans-to-make-sure-no-one-is-left-behind-on-broadband-access

Edited April 26, 2017 by Robbo

[rusty69]

Just now, Robbo said:

Would you want to live on your leisure boat in winter tho.   I think broadband internet is already classed as an essential service.

No, I wouldn't. 

I would however be happy to live on the other boat without fridge, freezer, vacuum cleaner and washing machine in the Winter. Not sure Mrs Rusty would fancy it though. 

[mrsmelly]

5 hours ago, nicknorman said:

 But bearing in mind you previously lived in a paper bag in the middle of the road, it was a major step up.

Actualy all joking apart we actualy had a " Very nice " modern big four double bedroomed house with my jag parked in the integral garage. Been there done the false lifestyle I was living for other people so it looked as though I was " Doing well " That old boat and lifestyle was fantastic and the reason we have lived on the water since those early days.

[mrsmelly]

3 hours ago, rusty69 said:

No, neither would I in a house with mains electricity supply, but a boat?

 

I don't know, but guess things like inverters, travelpowers, combis, Smartgauges, battery monitors and the like are relatively modern inventions. 

Non of those gadgets were invented on our first liveaboard. Inverters are very recent in fact in mass production and relatively easily available its probably only twenty years now.

[Richard10002]

8 hours ago, WotEver said:

Take 'em down to 75% and multiply by 4, down to 67% and multiply by 3... it ain't rocket science.

Thats what I do, with a Smartguage and a NASA BM2. Given that the Smartguage is definitely not accurate until it is well away from 100%, I usually start paying attention when SOC on the Smartguage is 60& or less.

[MtB]

On 26/04/2017 at 23:18, Richard10002 said:

Thats what I do, with a Smartguage and a NASA BM2. Given that the Smartguage is definitely not accurate until it is well away from 100%, I usually start paying attention when SOC on the Smartguage is 60& or less.

 

There, I've corrected your post for you...

[jddevel]

Victron inverter purchased as a result of advice from this forum. Mastervolt or Victron. Victron more competitively priced. The more I read about battery management the more I`m confused. Is the advice now that it would be helpful to have both a battery management instrument AND a Smartguage please? Plus if I went for Trojan is the self watering system one that can be purchased in conjunction with say Trojan or is it something that can be made up?

Please be patient I`m certainly out of my depth-and not even in the water yet!!!!! Sailing was easier!!!

[WotEver]

19 minutes ago, jddevel said:

Is the advice now that it would be helpful to have both a battery management instrument AND a Smartguage please?

If your budget won't be too stretched then yes, this has always been the advice for anyone unused to looking after their batteries if they want a long life from them. 

There will now be a bunch of folk who will tell you that all you need is an ammeter and a voltmeter (or wait till the lights go dim) and they're not necessarily wrong once you know what's happening to your batteries and what the various readings mean.

Until then, the more monitoring the better. 

23 minutes ago, jddevel said:

Plus if I went for Trojan is the self watering system one that can be purchased in conjunction with say Trojan or is it something that can be made up?

Your battery supplier can supply this and they will advise. 

[sirweste]

I'd personally recommend the Smartgauge as a simple to install and simple to read (being aware that the readings are estimates) meter. Battery management systems are the next step. 

No idea about self watering, but undoing caps and pouring in water based on a visual check twice a year isn't too much of a hardship

[Robbo]

A battery monitoring system is as simple as a voltage and amp meter.  You can spend money on it doing other stuff but it's not needed, unless you wish to automate it.   The Victron BMV is a good volt/amp meter and can automate/alarm on conditions.  Smartguage is a percentage guage, again not needed if you can read a voltage meter and is useless when charging.  Reading the voltage and amp meter is not hard either. 

How are you planning on charging, shore power, genny, engine, solar?  And how often?  Trojan are good but if your sat on shore power 90% of the time they are pretty wasted.

[WotEver]

2 hours ago, Robbo said:

Smartguage is a percentage guage, again not needed if you can read a voltage meter...

... and understand what the loads currently connected will be doing to that voltage, and know how long a depressed voltage on your bank takes to recover, and what that means to the reading...

See, I told you folk would come along and say all you need is a piece of wet string. 

[bizzard]

Beats me how the Germans managed without a Klug-gauge in their U boats. 

[WotEver]

17 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Beats me how the Germans managed without a Klug-gauge in their U boats. 

I watched U571 again last week. I was bemused by the chief engineer's comment that he had "300 Amps in the forward batteries but only 200 Amps in the rear". 

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, WotEver said:

I watched U571 again last week. I was bemused by the chief engineer's comment that he had "300 Amps in the forward batteries but only 200 Amps in the rear". 

Maybe he has Mike's Smartgauges. 

 

I liked Das boot. 

[WotEver]

Yeah, but what does "I have 300 Amps" mean?

[rusty69]

5 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Yeah, but what does "I have 300 Amps" mean?

Clearly he meant dreihundert Ampere. 

[cereal tiller]

7 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Yeah, but what does "I have 300 Amps" mean?

Maximum available Power?some Batteries Depleted others charged enough?