boat electrician needed

[purple8]

I have recently fitted a 210w solar panel to the roof, I have also got a mppt controller and have brought 3 new leisure batteries to replace the existing very old battery bank.

I am wondering I anyone can recommend a boat electrician who is reliable and reasonably priced to help us plug everything together.

I simply dont feel comfortable doing it myself?! So am willing to pay for piece of mind.

we are currently on the k&a near reading, pointing towards the Thames where we will head towards oxford. So anyone in this area please?

thanks in advance

so much sunshine going to waste atm!!

[Guest]

Try Marcus Marine he's a reputable mobile boat engineer, tel; 07900 890911

[Tony Brooks]

Can I be of any help FOC. I explain and you do the work. 01189874285

Have you been through Fobney lock yet because parking there is easy.

Edited to add - or by the Cunning Man a Burghfield.

Edited July 5, 2017 by Tony Brooks

[purple8]

we are currently by Sheffield swingbridge (theale). Aiming for the Thames in the morning for a Tesco stop then onto the visitor mooring near tilehurst (if it exists)...

your based in reading aren't you tony? Fancy a visit? I believe I have the cables, but I believe I lack the tools (and skills) required...

 

we can easily get to the cunning man if that helps

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by purple8

[Tony Brooks]

No public moorings near Tilehurst but you can moor on the islands slightly upstream of perhaps on the old Robuck Inn landing stage just above Tilehurst station. You might get a rough bank side mooring below the boatyard at Tilehurst.

There is no way I can get the car near enough to a Thames mooring to help - not even Tescos, they have expensive rules about their car park.

When you said "plug together" that is what I thought you meant but it seems you mean "install" that potentially involves drilling and tapping the roof (depends on panel type and mounts). Drilling the roof for the cable gland (you do have a cable gland), running the cables, both from panel to controller and controller to battery/master switch. This may involve another bulkhead drilling and cable gland (do you have ALL the cables including controller to battery?) Fitting the controller and cable fuse and only then "plugging it all together". Without seeing the boat I would estimate this will take up to about 6 hours but possibly less. More if parts have to be sourced.

I gave you my phone number so we could discuss this in private. I fear supervising the whole job of fitting the system is a bit more than I would be happy undertake, especially if you will be on the Thames where car access is appalling.

Sorry.

[Tony Brooks]

Just spoken to the OP and it seems the system is partially fitted so will see them tomorrow.

[rusty69]

41 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Just spoken to the OP and it seems the system is partially fitted so will see them tomorrow.

Your a good man Tony Brooks. 

[bargemast]

12 hours ago, rusty69 said:

Your a good man Tony Brooks. 

Yes, Tony surely is a good and helpful man, this is far from the first time he's offering his help to anyone in difficulties, and I'm sure it won't be the last time either.

 

His kind of person is getting rare.

 

Peter.

[WotEver]

13 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Just spoken to the OP and it seems the system is partially fitted so will see them tomorrow.

Nice one Tony   greenie for you sir (again!)

[purple8]

and there we have it.

Tony's expertise and kindness have indeed helped us as they've helped many many people in the past and I'm sure many more in the future.

we've learnt a lot, again!

thank you so so much tony, words cannot describe how chuffed we are right now! And the sun is shining!

[Nightwatch]

I'm kind,I'm nice but I don't have the knowledge.

Good man Tony.

[Sir Nibble]

I have the knowledge and skills but I'm a horrible little shit

[rusty69]

I have the knowledge and skill, but not the insurance.

[ditchcrawler]

23 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I have the knowledge and skill, but not the insurance.

Do you need that to help a friend

[rusty69]

7 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do you need that to help a friend

Yes, If you don't have the skill and knowledge how can you do a competent job.

[Tony Brooks]

48 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I have the knowledge and skill, but not the insurance.

That's the one thing that really concerns me. If I help someone and the job goes wrong, as its bound to some day.

REPORT ON THE JOB

This was very straightforward apart from finding a way of getting a 15mm diameter cable through a steel bulkhead with a  10mm drill. As luck would have it there was a redundant brass wiring bush through the bulkhead but it had cut of redundant cables in it and was backed by plywood. The drill and wagging it about cleared the wood and wires. The rest of the solar installation was straight forward, however --------

The boat originally had two domestic batteries (one had been removed because it was faulty) and one inverter battery. I explained about the advantages of just having one large bank and the OPs electrical use indicated there shoudl be no need for a split bank. The OP had suitable interlink cable and terminal except I suspect they were too big for the cable, but I do not have a suitable heavy duty crimper  so we fitted just two batteries using a pair of existing interlinks.  I gave directions to TVED who can probably make new interlinks up with hydraulic crimpers.  A further complication was both the domestic and inverter battery had terminal stud mounted 100 amp mega fuses but now we are only using one battery bank the terminal stud is not long enough to fit both fuses to one terminal. Again after ascertaining the likely electrical loads it became apparent that a single 100 amp fuse should be OK although I think changing it for something slightly larger may be a good idea (say 120 amps). We now have more cables on the fuse stud than is ideal but needs must. In an ideal world a positive busbar would be used.  I ensured the pos and neg battery leads were on the opposite ends of the bank.

At about 11.15 BST in the shade the panel was charging at 0.6 amp but that was into new batteries.

I am concerned that the 200 watt panel is nowhere large enough for the OPs planned use. They thought it would power a 3 way fridge either on 12V or from the inverter but given the consumption of absorption fridges I told them this was unrealistic and to run it on gas. The OPs had environmental considerations against doing this but I suspect the greenhouse gasses from the cows producing the milk that gets spoilt plus the distribution emissions resulting from spoilt food would more than cancel out the gasses emitted by the fridge. I fear the only chance of having the panel run the fridge is to get a compressor fridge, either mains or 12V, but then there is the question of finding one that fits the "hole". Even with that the panel will need to be in the sun for most of the day - I can only get a maximum of just over 5 amps from 160 watts of panels.

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

That's the one thing that really concerns me. If I help someone and the job goes wrong, as its bound to some day.

 

The other possibility,which i'm sure you've considered, is that although the work you do will be fine, as im sure it will be, but a different fault occurs sometime later. 

Glad you got it sorted for them. 

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

They thought it would power a 3 way fridge either on 12V or from the inverter but given the consumption of absorption fridges I told them this was unrealistic and to run it on gas

Some folks have very high (unrealistic) expectations on the use of solar panels - couple that with using unsuitable equipment and you have a recipe for disaster - or at best expensive battery replacement - until the message sinks in.

I had said before - I reckon I average 50% of the rated output, at 10 hours per day during Summer (May - September) and falling off to less than 10% (probably nearer 5%) for 5 hours per day in Dec, Jan and Feb.

Long periods of 'bad weather' will make the results even worse.

 

[Tony Brooks]

And the way the solar voltage tends to give an artificially high indication of degree of charge.

[Nightwatch]

2 hours ago, Sir Nibble said:

I have the knowledge and skills but I'm a horrible little shit

Perhaps we join forces. I'm in Waterlooville in a month or so.

[purple8]

so we have visited TVED... got ourselves some beautiful new cables nicely crimped, and also got ourselves a 125amp mega fuse to replace the old 100amp one.

now I will complete the bank with the third battery and new cables, with my new electrical know how

in full sun now, panel drawing 3.9amps...

[purple8]

that's the bank complete and the panel installation is done

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, purple8 said:

that's the bank complete and the panel installation is done

7.3A, not bad 

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, purple8 said:

that's the bank complete and the panel installation is done

 

I guess different panels perform differently

In bright sunlight with your 210w panel you are achieving 24.8v & 4A which the controller is making down to 13.6v and 7.3a

Whereas my 170w panel is achieving 103v and 0.8a which the controller is making down to 14.7v and 5.9a and on another day giving 96.9v and 1.6a which the controller is making down to 14.6v and 10.8a

What is the specification for your panel ?

[Sir Nibble]

2 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

Perhaps we join forces. I'm in Waterlooville in a month or so.

I live in Havant. Beer beer beer.