Solar panel or generator for 2010 ranger 29

[Myoung456]

We want to have hot water when not staying in a marina. We have a 2000w inverter, but are thinking a solar panel might be useful. We live in western Washington, do we get enough sun that can charge the solar panel?

If so, what do we need and can we do it ourselves or should we have it done?

 

[Spinner]

I think the common understanding is that the hot water heater should not be run off of the inverter. For hot water while at anchor, you can just run the engine for about 30 minutes. The water remains hot for a surprisingly long time.

In my experience, the solar panel is quite useful, even in our Pacific Northwest climate! It will keep the batteries charged as long as you are careful with electrical usage...

 

[Myoung456]

Thanks so much, very helpful.

 

[Red Raven]

Ditto what Spinner said.

Under typical configurations the hot water needs to be heated via shore power, generator, or engine. It lasts a couple days if you don't use it up. We don't have a generator. When on the hook we use the range to heat dishwashing water in order to save the hot water tank for showers in the morning. The hot water tank on our boat is 1500 watts which will use over 100 amps from the battery via the inverter. (I won't even try it with our 1500W inverter :shock: ) It takes about 30 mins to heat the hot water to 120 degrees F when on shore power depending on the initial temp. A solar shower bag is another option if you have sunny days and are willing to wait for an afternoon shower. If you want to use solar electric you are looking at at least one extra panel and another battery or two depending on what else you have on the boat consuming power. Possible but a considerable upgrade.

 

[Jake]

May I slip in a question from a novice? How does the hot water heater work in terms of refilling and heating? Seems like as soon as you use a couple of gallons it would fill with cold water and your hot water would now be lukewarm water. Is there a pump which is kept off while hot water is being used to avoid the refilling? Just thinking out loud here. Thanks.

 

[Red Raven]

Good question. I'm not sure but I don't think it is any different than a hot water tank in your home other than the dual heating method. If so, the cold water enters the bottom of the tank and the hot water is pulled off the top. This minimizes the mixing. It does transition from very hot to warm and then cold though.

 

[Myoung456]

Spinner, how many solar panels do you have?
Also, we have 6 batteries, would we need more for the solar?
Thanks.

 

[Jake]

Good question. I'm not sure but I don't think it is any different than a hot water tank in your home other than the dual heating method. If so, the cold water enters the bottom of the tank and the hot water is pulled off the top. This minimizes the mixing. It does transition from very hot to warm and then cold though.

Thanks Curt, I even learned something about my home water heater. 😀

 

[Spinner]

I have the standard setup: a single 140 watt panel which charges the house bank mostly, with 10% going to starting battery.

I also have the standard 6-battery system (4 house, 1 each to engine and thrusters). I have considered switching to a single larger solar panel, still haven't decided. In either case, I don't plan to add batteries...

 

[Red Raven]

The number of batteries needed depends on the electrical power load on your boat. The charging system should then be set up to completely recharge the available battery capacity given your typical usage. If you only stay at docks with shore power no solar panel is needed. If you travel every day and have the battery capacity to get through the night plus your morning routine no solar panel is needed. If you'd like to stay longer on the hook or a dock without shore power and don't want to have have to run the main engine or a generator solar is the way to go. Even in the northwest in the summer months we have found solar to be very worthwhile.

Ideally you need to have enough battery capacity to get through the night/early/late hours and then completely charge the batteries during the day. With 4 house batteries you may use very little or nearly all of the available capacity depending on what systems you run. 4 of Ranger's typical 110AH (AH = amp hours) batteries gives a total of 440AH of which only about 220AH is useable as you do not want to drain your batteries more than 50% to avoid shortening their life. Also this is assuming they are new. The battery capacity will degrade over time so let's say you want to limit your draw between charge cycles to something like 100 AH or so. In the summer this allows around a 10 amp draw for the 10 hours you are not charging from the sun. This should be enough to run a couple of refrigerators, lights, phone chargers, and watch a movie! The 140W (now 145W) Kyocera solar panel Ranger offers is good for about 10amps max in direct sun. You will rarely get this in the northwest and you won't get it all day. You would need 10 hours of direct sun to replace the 100AH of battery capacity which is not likely even on the best day in the northwest. I would figure on about 3-5 amps on average during the day for a total generation of 50AH at most in the summer. It will be less on cloudy days no in the winter. Thus, if this were your scenario one panel is not really enough, It helps but you will need to either reduce your power consumption or run your engine eventually or risk damaging your batteries. I would think two 140-150 watt panels would be a minimum on an R29 with 4 house batteries.

We have an extra freezer in the port cockpit locker of our R27 (making for a total draw of more than 5 amps on average) and only two house batteries. One solar panel was not enough to recharge completely so we just added a second panel this winter. Another battery would help get through the night but an additional panel may allow us to stay out indefinitely. Also a solar panel is cheaper than a battery in the long run as they don't wear out as quickly as a battery. We may end up with both in the end though. See the follwing link for more on this and other aftermarket options.

http://www.tugnuts.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8506

Hope this helps. Sorry for the long winded reply. ☺️ Feel free to PM me if you need any more help.