scross":2kh98lnh said:
Question about the alternator for the experts. We run the windlass, both anchor up and down, with our diesel engine running. But the engine is at idle at 700 rpm. The windlass is getting all its power from the house battery bank. I didn’t think the alternator was supplying much, if any, energy back to the house bank with the engine at idle. Is that not accurate?
The current draw is so great from the windlass I’d expect the ACR’s to open due to voltage drop caused by the windlass load, thereby isolating the house from engine banks. This prevents the engine from helping.
What makes it worse is that you only use the windlass after a night at anchor, so expect your house bank to be low in charge anyway.
When Channel Surfing was factory stock, (NW edition) I ran into this a lot. I’d be pulling the anchor and LaZina would yell out the window to me that the chartplotter and vhf radio were rebooting. Low voltage alert would flash up on the chartplotter just before it’d power itself off.
I’d then run back and parallel the engine and the house bank, to bypass the engine to house acr. That allowed the engine current from the alternator to help run the windlass.
At low rpm’s, the alternators put out some power, but not a lot. I found some was better than none.
The windlass is around 900 watts. It’s a large load used for a shorter period of time.
I would never operate the windlass without the engine running regardless.
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