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Noise and generators
In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion
of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. As a result, I refuse to run it except in emergency conditions, and wouldn't consider running it for more than a few minutes in an anchorage. FWIW, the exhaust noise outside the boat is pretty minimal - but the engine noise from inside is fierce. Has anyone successfully tamed the 3600RPM noise monster? If so, what did you do? Alternatively (again, please excuse the expression), is anyone interested in a low-hours 6.5KW generator? It would free up a great deal of battery space! We're inclined toward wind and solar, but have this otherwise perfectly good, expensive, piece of gear already installed which, if we don't have someone buy it for some significant amount of money, is likely to stay put. Thanks for any input on how to kill the noise monster... L8R Skip and Lydia Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin |
Noise and generators
"Skip Gundlach" wrote
As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. As a result, I refuse to run it except in emergency conditions, and wouldn't consider running it for more than a few minutes in an anchorage. FWIW, the exhaust noise outside the boat is pretty minimal - but the engine noise from inside is fierce. Good on you for your plans. I'd love to be doing the same. Regarding the generator, if you do sell it (which is surely possible for less than the cost of any hopeful, but ultimately futile, attempts to tame it) consider a whispergen as a replacement. It uses a quiet Stirling cycle engine, which burns a constant flame externally rather than intermittent explosions internally. You'll find details at http://www.whispergen.com/ |
Noise and generators
"Skip Gundlach" writes:
snip Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. snip You need to install soft mounts, say about 40-50 durometer, that will go into resonance well below the operating frequency of the unit which is probably 60 Hz, based on 3,600 RPM operation. Get the weight of the unit, then talk to AquaDrive in NJ. Soft mounts are a basic part of a successful A/D installation. HTH Lew S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland) Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures |
Noise and generators
Running a couple hours a day you should be able to get used to
it. More comments below. Doug s/v Callista "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote in message ... In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. As a result, I refuse to run it except in emergency conditions, and wouldn't consider running it for more than a few minutes in an anchorage. FWIW, the exhaust noise outside the boat is pretty minimal - but the engine noise from inside is fierce. Has anyone successfully tamed the 3600RPM noise monster? Yes. Purrs like a kitten. If so, what did you do? Bought the optional sound enclosure and installed the genset in it. Alternatively (again, please excuse the expression), is anyone interested in a low-hours 6.5KW generator? Not after the great sales pitch you just gave :) It would free up a great deal of battery space! Only if you can find a way to charge the beasts!. We're inclined toward wind and solar, but have this otherwise perfectly good, From your description it doesn't sound "perfectly good". expensive, piece of gear already installed which, if we don't have someone buy it for some significant amount of money, is likely to stay put. Better to keep it, install solar and wind, and use the genset as a backup when necessary. Thanks for any input on how to kill the noise monster... Is a sound enclosure available? If so get it. We have an Entec West genset and without it the noise would be bad. It is powered by a Fehrymann 1 lung diesel. L8R Skip and Lydia Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin |
Noise and generators
On this or another list 3-4 yrs back there was an excellent discussion
of this topic with one very good extended post. A google of the web (vs groups) "boat engine noise sound-proof" would include the archives of several private groups. Sorry, don't recall the source. Basically: - block/caulk all air leaks out of noisy area; note connecting bilge areas, spaces behind ceilings, communicating lockers, utility penetrations, utility conduits, cracks/spaces at edges of non-structural bulkheads, etc. All hatches into the noise area need to be tightly gasketed. This leads to providing combustion air and cooling ventilation to the engine space from outside. -stiffen any large surfaces so they resonate less - install sound deadening on all surfaces of the engine space; there are material specs to check, but you'll find those somewhere - isolate the motor and the driven appliance from the boat to prevent sound and vibration from getting transmitted directly to boat structure; note hose attachments, fuel lines etc. Nothing should touch anything (skyhook engine mounts... g) - keep the mechanicals tuned to reduce vibration There are clearly compromises involved. The discussion covered some of these and would be worth looking for. Rufus |
Noise and generators
In article ,
"Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote: In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. As a result, I refuse to run it except in emergency conditions, and wouldn't consider running it for more than a few minutes in an anchorage. FWIW, the exhaust noise outside the boat is pretty minimal - but the engine noise from inside is fierce. Has anyone successfully tamed the 3600RPM noise monster? If so, what did you do? Alternatively (again, please excuse the expression), is anyone interested in a low-hours 6.5KW generator? It would free up a great deal of battery space! We're inclined toward wind and solar, but have this otherwise perfectly good, expensive, piece of gear already installed which, if we don't have someone buy it for some significant amount of money, is likely to stay put. Thanks for any input on how to kill the noise monster... L8R Skip and Lydia Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin News Flash, What you need is to trash that 3600 Rpm Genend, and get an 1800 Rpm Genend to replace it. Then reset the Injector pump for 1800 Rpm and enjoy the quiet that results. diesels that turn 3600 Rpm are near the limit of their mechanical operational range, anbd are NOISY as Hell. I have a single cyl Fairbanks/Morse that turns at 1200 rpm and is as quiet as a mouse in winter. me |
Noise and generators
On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 02:50:40 GMT, Me wrote:
What you need is to trash that 3600 Rpm Genend, and get an 1800 Rpm Genend to replace it. ======================= Yes. Even with a gas engine 3600 RPM gen sets have a very irritating, busy sound to them. If you turn up the air conditioning however, you may be able to drown it out. :-) That worked on my old boat. Also, get a high capacity charging system and an inverter to minimize run time. |
Noise and generators
Fron what I understand, the higher frequency noise of the 3600
RPM gensets is easier to dampen than the lower frequency of the 1800 RPM units. My 3600 RPM unit makes about as much noise as a window air conditioner. Doug s/v Callista "Me" wrote in message ... In article , "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote: In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). Unfortunately, despite its large motor mounts, hush box and muffler, and located inside an engine room, other than from a fair distance off, outside the boat, it's enough to drive you (well, me, for sure!) mad with the noise, and, to a much lesser extent, the vibration. As a result, I refuse to run it except in emergency conditions, and wouldn't consider running it for more than a few minutes in an anchorage. FWIW, the exhaust noise outside the boat is pretty minimal - but the engine noise from inside is fierce. Has anyone successfully tamed the 3600RPM noise monster? If so, what did you do? Alternatively (again, please excuse the expression), is anyone interested in a low-hours 6.5KW generator? It would free up a great deal of battery space! We're inclined toward wind and solar, but have this otherwise perfectly good, expensive, piece of gear already installed which, if we don't have someone buy it for some significant amount of money, is likely to stay put. Thanks for any input on how to kill the noise monster... L8R Skip and Lydia Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin News Flash, What you need is to trash that 3600 Rpm Genend, and get an 1800 Rpm Genend to replace it. Then reset the Injector pump for 1800 Rpm and enjoy the quiet that results. diesels that turn 3600 Rpm are near the limit of their mechanical operational range, anbd are NOISY as Hell. I have a single cyl Fairbanks/Morse that turns at 1200 rpm and is as quiet as a mouse in winter. me |
Noise and generators
Suggest you buy a sound level meter from Radio Shack for $39 analog or
$49 digital and track down the hot noise spots and sound leaks - and plug them. The irritation is either transmitted thru air - sound waves, or solids - vibration. There's no other way. Use very soft mounts. Or double mounts. 3600 rpm is harder to quiet down than 1800 - but you got what you got. We cruised for 5 years with a 7.5 KW Onan in our engine room under center cockpit similar design to yours. It was noisy but worse - unreliable. I've replaced it with a 6 kw Northern Lights 1800 rpm genset with no sound shield as I like to visually inspect often. Vast difference in noise created. The Onan had a very noisy air intake - check this noise source out carefully on yours - and a 2 cyl clattery engine. We had and still have 4 big solar panels - it's tough to find a good spot for these - we moved them 3 times before finding a least objectionable home. We had a wind generator - noisy, vibrating and dangerous and high maintenance - sold it - would not have one again. No matter who's. When it's squall time at 3 am and the wind kicks up to 35 kts with cold driving rain - who wants to go on deck to turn it out of the wind and secure it. They all sound like a Cessna on the back deck trying to do a short field takeoff. And they **** off you neighbors. On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 16:09:40 -0400, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote: In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent |
Noise and generators
On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 10:53:28 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote: Fron what I understand, the higher frequency noise of the 3600 RPM gensets is easier to dampen than the lower frequency of the 1800 RPM units. =========================================== That has not been my experience for what its worth. My last boat had a 3600 RPM gas Kohler with a decent sound shield and water lift muffler, shock mounted under the rear deck. Inside the cabin with the A/C on, the noise level was barely noticeable. Outside in the cockpit however I found it objectionable. Not really ear splitting or anything, just annoying. It had kind of a frantic over reving quality to it that I have not noticed in 1800 RPM units. |
Noise and generators
Not sure what you mean by a "frantic over reving quality"? Sounds
like it wasn;t working properly, perhaps a govenor problem. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 10:53:28 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: Fron what I understand, the higher frequency noise of the 3600 RPM gensets is easier to dampen than the lower frequency of the 1800 RPM units. =========================================== That has not been my experience for what its worth. My last boat had a 3600 RPM gas Kohler with a decent sound shield and water lift muffler, shock mounted under the rear deck. Inside the cabin with the A/C on, the noise level was barely noticeable. Outside in the cockpit however I found it objectionable. Not really ear splitting or anything, just annoying. It had kind of a frantic over reving quality to it that I have not noticed in 1800 RPM units. |
Noise and generators
"Ace-high" wrote in message ... Suggest you buy a sound level meter from Radio Shack for $39 analog or $49 digital and track down the hot noise spots and sound leaks - and plug them. The irritation is either transmitted thru air - sound waves, or solids - vibration. There's no other way. Use very soft mounts. Or double mounts. Good suggestions. 3600 rpm is harder to quiet down than 1800 - but you got what you got. That's counter to what I have heard from manufactures of both types of generators, and from my experience with my own 3600 RPM genset vs a friend's 180 RPM unit. We cruised for 5 years with a 7.5 KW Onan in our engine room under center cockpit similar design to yours. It was noisy but worse - unreliable. Well, that's consistent with ONAN owners around here. I've replaced it with a 6 kw Northern Lights 1800 rpm genset with no sound shield as I like to visually inspect often. Vast difference in noise created. The Onan had a very noisy air intake - check this noise source out carefully on yours - and a 2 cyl clattery engine. Mine is a 1 cyl, but the air intake is a major source of noise. Mine has a baffle that softens the noise greatly. We had and still have 4 big solar panels - it's tough to find a good spot for these - we moved them 3 times before finding a least objectionable home. We are facing the same situation. We had a wind generator - noisy, vibrating and dangerous and high maintenance - sold it - would not have one again. No matter who's. SOunds like you bought an Air Marine. Too bad. When it's squall time at 3 am and the wind kicks up to 35 kts with cold driving rain - who wants to go on deck to turn it out of the wind and secure it. They all sound like a Cessna on the back deck trying to do a short field takeoff. And they **** off you neighbors. I just flick a switch from inside the boat to shut the wind generator down. Better yet, the charge controller senses the high wind situation and shuts it down automatically until the wind calms down to an acceptable level. Swinging the mill by hand is both dangerous and archaic. On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 16:09:40 -0400, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote: In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent |
Noise and generators
On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 00:52:25 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote: Not sure what you mean by a "frantic over reving quality"? Sounds like it wasn;t working properly, perhaps a govenor problem. ========================================= It was working fine. That's just my attempt to describe what I found objectionable about the sound quality. 3600 to my ears sounds overly busy, not yet chainsaw or weed whacker busy, but too busy. It's very subjective and may not sound the same to everyone but I will probably not buy another. |
Noise and generators
What electrical loads qre you planning on carrying? Could you get by without
a generator? ==== Charles T. Low - remove "UN" www.boatdocking.com/BDPhoto.html - Photo Contest www.boatdocking.com www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26 - my boat ==== "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote in message ... ... As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent vintage (under 600 hours). It's got a (Diesel) Kubota engine driving an Onan 6.5KW 3600 RPM electrical end (along with an alternator on a belt). ... Skip and Lydia |
Noise and generators
And then Skip typed:
already installed which, if we don't have someone buy it for some significant amount of money, and they all ran for cover......(c; Larry |
Noise and generators
Ah, the PLEASURE of owning a Honda INVERTER genset.....
Runs 1200 RPM inside the fiberglass and steel enclosure until the load gets to around 1800 watts, then GRADUALLY increases to its full-load-speed of 2200 RPM.............all the while feeding high frequency AC to its 3KW, solid state inverter which puts out a rock-solid 60 Hz synthesized sinewave to the loads, no matter what the engine is doing..... Too bad someone doesn't use this technology in a YACHT GENSET of reasonable price.....instead of the old 60 Hz alternator-on-a-driveshaft. Larry 58 dB @ rated load 49 dB @ 1/4 load http://www.hayesequipment.com/eu3000is.htm It makes no more noise than someone talking at a normal level...... |
Noise and generators
"Doug Dotson" wrote:
"Ace-high" wrote in message .. . Suggest you buy a sound level meter from Radio Shack for $39 analog or $49 digital and track down the hot noise spots and sound leaks - and plug them. The irritation is either transmitted thru air - sound waves, or solids - vibration. There's no other way. Use very soft mounts. Or double mounts. Good suggestions. 3600 rpm is harder to quiet down than 1800 - but you got what you got. That's counter to what I have heard from manufactures of both types of generators, and from my experience with my own 3600 RPM genset vs a friend's 180 RPM unit. It is all but impossible to shield a low frequency noise and the corollary is that it is relatively easy to shield a high frequency one. Low frequencies goes through solids. Think jackhammer type noise. [We had a noise course where we had a tape of a jackhammer which was placed in a trunk. When the tape was played we were supposed to take sound level readings from in the room, outside the room etc. We got complaints from people in adjoining BUILDINGS.] A SLM from Radio Shack will only be an imprecise instrument to measure noise - you would really need a octave band analyzer, but any kind of meter is probably overkill. Just use your ears. In addition to plugging up all the holes, you should make sure that the surfaces surrounding the noise source are soft (not hard and reflective) and bumpy. For instance if you have a cement block wall that is unpainted, it will be better than one that is painted because the paint fills in all the holes and reflects the noise back into the room. A large piece of metal that might vibrate can be damped in several ways, one of which is by piercing it. We cruised for 5 years with a 7.5 KW Onan in our engine room under center cockpit similar design to yours. It was noisy but worse - unreliable. Well, that's consistent with ONAN owners around here. I've replaced it with a 6 kw Northern Lights 1800 rpm genset with no sound shield as I like to visually inspect often. Vast difference in noise created. The Onan had a very noisy air intake - check this noise source out carefully on yours - and a 2 cyl clattery engine. Mine is a 1 cyl, but the air intake is a major source of noise. Mine has a baffle that softens the noise greatly. We had and still have 4 big solar panels - it's tough to find a good spot for these - we moved them 3 times before finding a least objectionable home. We are facing the same situation. We have 4 also - two on the foredeck under the staysail boom, one on the dinghy davits and one on the radar arch. We had a wind generator - noisy, vibrating and dangerous and high maintenance - sold it - would not have one again. No matter who's. SOunds like you bought an Air Marine. Too bad. We have heard the same from folks that cruise in the tropics and near tropics also. They do not like wind generators and take them off and go exclusively with solar panels. We however like ours very well. It works especially well at night when the sun doesn't shine and when it is cloudy, which it sometimes is up here in the Chesapeake. It is not dangerous or noisy, but it also does warn us when the wind is cranking up. When it's squall time at 3 am and the wind kicks up to 35 kts with cold driving rain - who wants to go on deck to turn it out of the wind and secure it. They all sound like a Cessna on the back deck trying to do a short field takeoff. And they **** off you neighbors. I just flick a switch from inside the boat to shut the wind generator down. Better yet, the charge controller senses the high wind situation and shuts it down automatically until the wind calms down to an acceptable level. Swinging the mill by hand is both dangerous and archaic. We don't have to go outside the boat either - the wind gen turns itself off if the wind gets too high, or we have a switch inside that we can turn it off when we are in a marina and don't want to disturb our neighbors. Some neighbors are easier to disturb than others. Some neighbors I'd like to disturb because they disturb me, but Bob restrains me. We'd like to have a genset for among other things to refill the scuba tanks. What we have now is engine driven refrigeration, which we run twice a day. On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 16:09:40 -0400, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach.sez.remove.this.and.the.dots.to.mail wrote: In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging, noise, space and cost considerations and other issues. As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively considering an arch to carry solar and wind gear, as we'll be spending the rest of our lives in the Caribbean, where there's ample of both. However, the boat currently (pardon the expression) has a working generator of recent grandma Rosalie S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD CSY 44 WO #156 http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id2.html |
Noise and generators
"Rosalie B." wrote in message We have heard the same from folks that cruise in the tropics and near tropics also. They do not like wind generators and take them off and go exclusively with solar panels. We however like ours very well. It works especially well at night when the sun doesn't shine and when it is cloudy, which it sometimes is up here in the Chesapeake. It is not dangerous or noisy, but it also does warn us when the wind is cranking up. Our KISS normally doesn't wake us up as it is very quiet. Plus it is mounted on the stern and we sleep in the V-Berth. When it's squall time at 3 am and the wind kicks up to 35 kts with cold driving rain - who wants to go on deck to turn it out of the wind and secure it. They all sound like a Cessna on the back deck trying to do a short field takeoff. And they **** off you neighbors. I just flick a switch from inside the boat to shut the wind generator down. Better yet, the charge controller senses the high wind situation and shuts it down automatically until the wind calms down to an acceptable level. Swinging the mill by hand is both dangerous and archaic. We don't have to go outside the boat either - the wind gen turns itself off if the wind gets too high, or we have a switch inside that we can turn it off when we are in a marina and don't want to disturb our neighbors. Some neighbors are easier to disturb than others. Some neighbors I'd like to disturb because they disturb me, but Bob restrains me. Running a wind generator in a marina is rude! Never any good reason to do so. We'd like to have a genset for among other things to refill the scuba tanks. What we have now is engine driven refrigeration, which we run twice a day. 12 volt belt driven holding plate systems work well. The genset is a nice complement. We run our genset for an hour in the morning to pull down the cold plates and recharge the batteries and make coffee. Run it again in the early evening to pull down the plates, recharge the batteries and make hot water. Doug s/v Callista |
Noise and generators
"Doug Dotson" wrote:
"Rosalie B." wrote in message We have heard the same from folks that cruise in the tropics and near tropics also. They do not like wind generators and take them off and go exclusively with solar panels. We however like ours very well. It works especially well at night when the sun doesn't shine and when it is cloudy, which it sometimes is up here in the Chesapeake. It is not dangerous or noisy, but it also does warn us when the wind is cranking up. Our KISS normally doesn't wake us up as it is very quiet. Plus it is mounted on the stern and we sleep in the V-Berth. Well we sleep in the aft cabin (center cockpit boat with the wind gen on the radar arch right over our head). We wouldn't hear it at all in the V berth of course. I've asked other folks what they hear when it is on, and some say that they can't hear it on their boat (next to us in a marina - turning it on so that they can listen) and some say they can't hear it at all. When it's squall time at 3 am and the wind kicks up to 35 kts with cold driving rain - who wants to go on deck to turn it out of the wind and secure it. They all sound like a Cessna on the back deck trying to do a short field takeoff. And they **** off you neighbors. I just flick a switch from inside the boat to shut the wind generator down. Better yet, the charge controller senses the high wind situation and shuts it down automatically until the wind calms down to an acceptable level. Swinging the mill by hand is both dangerous and archaic. We don't have to go outside the boat either - the wind gen turns itself off if the wind gets too high, or we have a switch inside that we can turn it off when we are in a marina and don't want to disturb our neighbors. Some neighbors are easier to disturb than others. Some neighbors I'd like to disturb because they disturb me, but Bob restrains me. Running a wind generator in a marina is rude! Never any good reason to do so. Yes there is. If there is no electrical hookup. And I don't see that during the day it is rude - after all boat engines make much more noise and no one says that starting your engine in a marina is rude. Running a genset in the marina is also rude, and I've been beside people who do that with their exhaust right by our ports. There are other things that folks do in marinas that I think are ruder than running the wind gen which basically doesn't make as much noise as the wind itself does. This includes: Power boats with large spotlights up on the tower who run them all night, shining them down into other people's cockpits People with in mast furling. Makes more noise than a windgen We'd like to have a genset for among other things to refill the scuba tanks. What we have now is engine driven refrigeration, which we run twice a day. 12 volt belt driven holding plate systems work well. The genset is a nice complement. We run our genset for an hour in the morning to pull down the cold plates and recharge the batteries and make coffee. Run it again in the early evening to pull down the plates, recharge the batteries and make hot water. Well when we run the engine driven refrigeration (which we run for no more than 45 minutes morning and evening), the engine makes the hot water and recharges the batteries if they need it. grandma Rosalie |
Noise and generators
In addition to plugging up all the holes, you
should make sure that the surfaces surrounding the noise source are soft (not hard and reflective) and bumpy. For instance if you have a cement block wall that is unpainted, it will be better than one that is painted because the paint fills in all the holes and reflects the noise back into the room. I've heard of fero cement hulls, but concrete block????? What sort of mortar do you use? What shape hull can you build? ;-) |
Noise and generators
"Paul Squire" wrote:
In addition to plugging up all the holes, you should make sure that the surfaces surrounding the noise source are soft (not hard and reflective) and bumpy. For instance if you have a cement block wall that is unpainted, it will be better than one that is painted because the paint fills in all the holes and reflects the noise back into the room. I've heard of fero cement hulls, but concrete block????? What sort of mortar do you use? What shape hull can you build? ;-) I was just using that as an example. Sometimes you can use the tiles from a dropped ceiling as sound insulation on the walls. grandma Rosalie |
Noise and generators
Hi, Charles, and group,
"Charles T. Low" wrote in message ... What electrical loads qre you planning on carrying? We don't yet know for sure. There's some stuff which needs attention, and some other stuff we expect to buy. In any case, I'm not happy with the amount of charging provided by the engine, which we ran for an awful lot of the time on our shakedown/delivery cruise, and still found ourselves not fully charged most of the time. Otto (the autopilot) is so hungry we basically didn't use him, preferring to go with Manny (Manuel Steering) most of the time, due to the drain. FWIW, the batteries, 4xT105, are pretty new. Could you get by without a generator? No doubt - but only at the expense of installing a solar and wind farm, which, actually, is our preference. As noted in another post, humorously observed by Larry, but seriously by Bill, we'd readily consider selling it, as it would enable our conversion. We'll be in the tropics, where sun and wind are abundant. L8R Skip and Lydia |
Noise and generators
On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:55:23 -0400, "Skip Gundlach"
wrote: I'm not happy with the amount of charging provided by the engine, which we ran for an awful lot of the time on our shakedown/delivery cruise, and still found ourselves not fully charged most of the time. =================================== Do you have a heavy duty alternator (100+ amps) with a 3 stage regulator? If not, that's the answer. The bad news is that you'll need dual belts to drive it, but well worth the investment. |
Noise and generators
You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to
resort to a large frame dual belt model. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:55:23 -0400, "Skip Gundlach" wrote: I'm not happy with the amount of charging provided by the engine, which we ran for an awful lot of the time on our shakedown/delivery cruise, and still found ourselves not fully charged most of the time. =================================== Do you have a heavy duty alternator (100+ amps) with a 3 stage regulator? If not, that's the answer. The bad news is that you'll need dual belts to drive it, but well worth the investment. |
Noise and generators
On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. |
Noise and generators
In article ,
Wayne.B wrote: Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. Ok here we go with the Math...... 120 amps @ 13.6Vdc = 1632 Watts figure that you alternator is say, oh 75% efficent that equals 2175 watts of input energy, which equals 2.916 Horespower. Now 3 HP thru one belt? Well, it can be done with a C size belt, but most engineering folks like to spec max 1.5 HP per belt. So two belts would be prefferable for 3 HP worth of work. The above assumes Vbelts, and not gear-belts which can easily handle up to 6 HP with no problems. There are belts and there are Belts, so lets get the definitions set down first...... Bruce in alaska who is running a 6 HP air compressor on a 2.5 inch gearbelt off my 4-108 Perkins 10Kw genset -- add a 2 before @ |
Noise and generators
All I can cite is the fact that I have run a 160 amp alternator
on a single belt for about 4 years. No slip, no squeel, and full output when needed. No problems with bearings and still on the original belt, although I have a couple of spare belts due to the heavier stress expected. Very happy so far. I would use a dual belt unit if my space would allow it. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. |
Noise and generators
How many amps do you actually get from the alternator, and how big is your
battery bank? I have a 100 Amp alternator, but it hardly ever does more than 84 Amps into a 425 AH bank. "Doug Dotson" wrote in message ... All I can cite is the fact that I have run a 160 amp alternator on a single belt for about 4 years. No slip, no squeel, and full output when needed. No problems with bearings and still on the original belt, although I have a couple of spare belts due to the heavier stress expected. Very happy so far. I would use a dual belt unit if my space would allow it. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. |
Noise and generators
On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 23:33:42 -0400, "Doug Dotson"
wrote: All I can cite is the fact that I have run a 160 amp alternator on a single belt for about 4 years. No slip, no squeel, and full output when needed. =================================== What kind of alternator and what kind of belt? |
Noise and generators
Battery bank is just under 600AH. Alternator is rated 160A cold,
but 147A hot which is the actual useful output. I've seen it put out as much as 120A, but that was on purpose to test it out. I don't normally let the batteries get low enough to require such high currents. Normally charge using the genset to power a 110A shorepower charger. Doug s/v Callista "Jeff Morris" wrote in message ... How many amps do you actually get from the alternator, and how big is your battery bank? I have a 100 Amp alternator, but it hardly ever does more than 84 Amps into a 425 AH bank. "Doug Dotson" wrote in message ... All I can cite is the fact that I have run a 160 amp alternator on a single belt for about 4 years. No slip, no squeel, and full output when needed. No problems with bearings and still on the original belt, although I have a couple of spare belts due to the heavier stress expected. Very happy so far. I would use a dual belt unit if my space would allow it. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. |
Noise and generators
Alternator is a PowerTap PT59. Can;t remember the specifics
about the belt but I seem to recall it is a Goodyear that I had to special order from Canada. Not that the type of belt was unusual but the length was for some reason. I ordered 4 so I would always have some spares. Doug s/v Callista "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 23:33:42 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: All I can cite is the fact that I have run a 160 amp alternator on a single belt for about 4 years. No slip, no squeel, and full output when needed. =================================== What kind of alternator and what kind of belt? |
Noise and generators
Wayne.B wrote in
: On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. Lionheart's big alternator has only one belt on the alternator's crooked pulley. It only draws 100+ amps for a few minutes, so if you keep the belt tight it's fine. Why does everyone think a 200A alternator is going to charge house batteries at full current for 20 minutes and end up with a fully-charged set of house batteries? That's CRAZY! The amount of current it will draw has NOTHING to do with the peak current an alternator puts out. The alternator puts out its rated output until the battery voltage rises somewhere near the regulator's set voltage, then the current drops DRASTICALLY to a more sane level to safely charge the plates. A surface charge quickly raises the voltage, then the real charging begins SLOWLY creating the chemical reaction, we hope, that recovers most of the lead sulphate in solution back to lead plates before it crystalizes and falls into the bilge of the battery. Your boat can no more fully charge your boat battery at really high currents than your local garage can fully charge your car battery in 20 minutes. It's just a SURFACE charge! To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! Sorry...... Larry The funniest thing at any marina is a boater with a new 4KW inverter carrying his electric heater down the dock with a big smile on his face. |
Noise and generators
On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:11:47 -0000, Larry W4CSC
wrote: To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! ========================================== That's true for a 100% full charge, but a more typical recharge going from 50% up to 75%, only takes a little over an hour with a high output charging system. |
Noise and generators
I agree - the affect Larry describes happens, but is not that pronounced. My
system (4 6-Volt golf bats, 100 Amp Balmar, Link 2000R) charges initially at a bit over 80 Amps, but spends about an hour gradually dropping through the 70's. When the charge rate goes under 70 Amps, the bank is at about 80%. "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:11:47 -0000, Larry W4CSC wrote: To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! ========================================== That's true for a 100% full charge, but a more typical recharge going from 50% up to 75%, only takes a little over an hour with a high output charging system. |
Noise and generators
Hi, Group(s)...
This and other recent responses (left below for reference) just reinforce my thoughts on wind and solar. Where we're going, wind is nearly a given, all the time, and sunshine, too, for many hours a day. A constant (well, continuous) input at an appropriate rate seems to me to be the best charging, assuming you have the capacity to keep however much you are charging, up. I loved Steve's comment about his fridge running because he'd forgotten to shut it off when he disconnected the batteries, and the solar panels were keeping up with the draw. I'd a whole lot rather keep the batteries topped up and the engine(s) off. I'm into quiet in a big way. Even if it weren't entirely sufficient, perhaps the engine running could be limited to times per week rather than times per day. So, back to an earlier place, I'm getting more serious about the possibility of sale (see earlier for details, and my URL for some pix) of the genset. The few K it might be worth would go a long way toward the installation of a proper arch for solar and wind - and along the way I'd have what I've been told are a very good and pretty pricey set of davits available, too! Maybe selling the davits would allow another battery bank (after the genset left to provide the space, of course!). L8R Skip, and Lydia, by proxy PS for those who ca I'm doing absolutely famously post-op on my shoulder surgery. Checkup is in 4 days, and active rehab begins in 4 weeks. If it's anything like what I've experienced so far, we may have to move our timetable back up! -- Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin "Larry W4CSC" wrote in message ... Wayne.B wrote in : On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. Lionheart's big alternator has only one belt on the alternator's crooked pulley. It only draws 100+ amps for a few minutes, so if you keep the belt tight it's fine. Why does everyone think a 200A alternator is going to charge house batteries at full current for 20 minutes and end up with a fully-charged set of house batteries? That's CRAZY! The amount of current it will draw has NOTHING to do with the peak current an alternator puts out. The alternator puts out its rated output until the battery voltage rises somewhere near the regulator's set voltage, then the current drops DRASTICALLY to a more sane level to safely charge the plates. A surface charge quickly raises the voltage, then the real charging begins SLOWLY creating the chemical reaction, we hope, that recovers most of the lead sulphate in solution back to lead plates before it crystalizes and falls into the bilge of the battery. Your boat can no more fully charge your boat battery at really high currents than your local garage can fully charge your car battery in 20 minutes. It's just a SURFACE charge! To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! Sorry...... Larry The funniest thing at any marina is a boater with a new 4KW inverter carrying his electric heater down the dock with a big smile on his face. |
Noise and generators
COmments Below.
Doug s/v CAllista "Skip Gundlach" wrote in message ... Hi, Group(s)... This and other recent responses (left below for reference) just reinforce my thoughts on wind and solar. Where we're going, wind is nearly a given, all the time, and sunshine, too, for many hours a day. A constant (well, continuous) input at an appropriate rate seems to me to be the best charging, assuming you have the capacity to keep however much you are charging, up. Continuous isn;t a requirement, but enought to keep up is. If wind and solar is continuous then just a decent alternator should be able to fill in the gaps. I loved Steve's comment about his fridge running because he'd forgotten to shut it off when he disconnected the batteries, and the solar panels were keeping up with the draw. Why did you love that? A decent set of solar panels can keep up with typical constant-cycling fridge units as they only draw about 5 amps. I'd a whole lot rather keep the batteries topped up and the engine(s) off. I'm into quiet in a big way. Even if it weren't entirely sufficient, perhaps the engine running could be limited to times per week rather than times per day. That is entirely possible, we look forward to that mode. So, back to an earlier place, I'm getting more serious about the possibility of sale (see earlier for details, and my URL for some pix) of the genset. The few K it might be worth would go a long way toward the installation of a proper arch for solar and wind - and along the way I'd have what I've been told are a very good and pretty pricey set of davits available, too! Maybe selling the davits would allow another battery bank (after the genset left to provide the space, of course!). L8R Skip, and Lydia, by proxy PS for those who ca I'm doing absolutely famously post-op on my shoulder surgery. Checkup is in 4 days, and active rehab begins in 4 weeks. If it's anything like what I've experienced so far, we may have to move our timetable back up! -- Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin "Larry W4CSC" wrote in message ... Wayne.B wrote in : On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. Lionheart's big alternator has only one belt on the alternator's crooked pulley. It only draws 100+ amps for a few minutes, so if you keep the belt tight it's fine. Why does everyone think a 200A alternator is going to charge house batteries at full current for 20 minutes and end up with a fully-charged set of house batteries? That's CRAZY! The amount of current it will draw has NOTHING to do with the peak current an alternator puts out. The alternator puts out its rated output until the battery voltage rises somewhere near the regulator's set voltage, then the current drops DRASTICALLY to a more sane level to safely charge the plates. A surface charge quickly raises the voltage, then the real charging begins SLOWLY creating the chemical reaction, we hope, that recovers most of the lead sulphate in solution back to lead plates before it crystalizes and falls into the bilge of the battery. Your boat can no more fully charge your boat battery at really high currents than your local garage can fully charge your car battery in 20 minutes. It's just a SURFACE charge! To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! Sorry...... Larry The funniest thing at any marina is a boater with a new 4KW inverter carrying his electric heater down the dock with a big smile on his face. |
Noise and generators
Just make sure solar panels are mounted flat as mine are mounted on an angle
and if prevailing wind is in the wrong direction they do not pick up much sun. "Skip Gundlach" wrote in message ... Hi, Group(s)... This and other recent responses (left below for reference) just reinforce my thoughts on wind and solar. Where we're going, wind is nearly a given, all the time, and sunshine, too, for many hours a day. A constant (well, continuous) input at an appropriate rate seems to me to be the best charging, assuming you have the capacity to keep however much you are charging, up. I loved Steve's comment about his fridge running because he'd forgotten to shut it off when he disconnected the batteries, and the solar panels were keeping up with the draw. I'd a whole lot rather keep the batteries topped up and the engine(s) off. I'm into quiet in a big way. Even if it weren't entirely sufficient, perhaps the engine running could be limited to times per week rather than times per day. So, back to an earlier place, I'm getting more serious about the possibility of sale (see earlier for details, and my URL for some pix) of the genset. The few K it might be worth would go a long way toward the installation of a proper arch for solar and wind - and along the way I'd have what I've been told are a very good and pretty pricey set of davits available, too! Maybe selling the davits would allow another battery bank (after the genset left to provide the space, of course!). L8R Skip, and Lydia, by proxy PS for those who ca I'm doing absolutely famously post-op on my shoulder surgery. Checkup is in 4 days, and active rehab begins in 4 weeks. If it's anything like what I've experienced so far, we may have to move our timetable back up! -- Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a clear night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you are quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in the general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-sufficient as you thought you were. Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought, and one that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be greatly appreciated by your friends." - James S. Pitkin "Larry W4CSC" wrote in message ... Wayne.B wrote in : On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 08:50:10 -0400, "Doug Dotson" wrote: You can go up to a 160 amp alternator without having to resort to a large frame dual belt model. ======================================== Doug, can you cite some references on that? I've never heard of anyone recommending 100+ amps without dual belts. I used to run a 120 amp Balmar on one of my old sailboats with a single belt. Frankly it left a lot to be desired even at 50 to 60 amps - lots of squealing and chewed up belts. It would never get even remotely close to 100 amps, even for short periods. The belt slip was just too much for it. Lionheart's big alternator has only one belt on the alternator's crooked pulley. It only draws 100+ amps for a few minutes, so if you keep the belt tight it's fine. Why does everyone think a 200A alternator is going to charge house batteries at full current for 20 minutes and end up with a fully-charged set of house batteries? That's CRAZY! The amount of current it will draw has NOTHING to do with the peak current an alternator puts out. The alternator puts out its rated output until the battery voltage rises somewhere near the regulator's set voltage, then the current drops DRASTICALLY to a more sane level to safely charge the plates. A surface charge quickly raises the voltage, then the real charging begins SLOWLY creating the chemical reaction, we hope, that recovers most of the lead sulphate in solution back to lead plates before it crystalizes and falls into the bilge of the battery. Your boat can no more fully charge your boat battery at really high currents than your local garage can fully charge your car battery in 20 minutes. It's just a SURFACE charge! To fully charge the house batteries takes HOURS of SLOW charging to re-plate the lead which takes TIME!! Sorry...... Larry The funniest thing at any marina is a boater with a new 4KW inverter carrying his electric heater down the dock with a big smile on his face. |
Noise and generators
On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:35:17 GMT, "Andrew and Carmen Foster"
vaguely proposed a theory .......and in reply I say!: remove ns from my header address to reply via email Just make sure solar panels are mounted flat as mine are mounted on an angle and if prevailing wind is in the wrong direction they do not pick up much sun. I've heard of sound being affected by wind, but _sunlight_? G |
Noise and generators
"Old Nick" wrote in message ... On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:35:17 GMT, "Andrew and Carmen Foster" vaguely proposed a theory Just make sure solar panels are mounted flat as mine are mounted on an angle and if prevailing wind is in the wrong direction they do not pick up much sun. I've heard of sound being affected by wind, but _sunlight_? G If the solar panels aint producing any voltage... the fridge is silent |
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