Solar Panels and inverters

G

gerlots

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
66
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Hull Identification Number
T2520B707
Vessel Name
Sunshine
I am one of (two) the new owners of the R-25 "Sunshine".
We are considering installing solar panels and a Inverter to extend the gunkholing range and time. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.
 
My advice is to get a baseline of what's involved and its cost. This baseline can be obtained from the Ranger Factory by speaking with Andrew and/or Kenny.

From there you can explore alternative solutions and get further advice from RT owners here as I know several have done this as a DIY project.

Good luck.
 
The solar panels will help charge the batteries to extend the run time on the fridge but that is about all. They don't even keep up with that load in hot weather on my boat. If you add an inverter and start to use real power the solar panel will not keep up with it.
 
Let's be realistic when assessing the value of the solar panels. If you are expecting one solar panel and two house batteries to run your 110V AC devices, you will be disappointed. The best I can do with the refrigerator set a cool, not a cold setting, is about three days while away from the boat. After that the fridge will shut down (not sure if running on low voltage can harm the fridge) and the solar monitor is spitting out warning alarms.
The problem, as I see it is storage capacity. You need more batteries, and there is the rub. Where do you put them and also deal with the extra weight.
Knot Flying worked out the numbers for me and the fridge is a power pig and that is about the only thing I want running while away from the boat for cold emergency beer. A possible solution is adding a second solar panel, which he also informed me can be purchased on line from Kyocera for less the $300.00 a pop.
As far as the water heater goes, running the engine while on the hook to heat a cold water heater takes way too long and as may posts have stated, the Honda 2000 generator has been a solution for some. Also, the only way I have been able to run the inverter without the batteries puking is to run the engine at the same time.

Carry on,
John
 
Everything Sleepyboat has said is spot on. You did not mention what you want to run with the inverter. Since I have had the boat 2 years, I have only used my inverter once and that was really to just use it. I have found that the cigarette lighter inverters work well for computers, my C-Pap and other low wattage items and do not drain the battery like an inverter does. If I want to run the microwave, that is when I used the inverter and I run the engine at the same time to keep a charge to the batteries. The propane stove or a grill out back are a better alternative anyway. If you use the refrigerator, at least in the northeast, you need 2 solar panels to keep up. I am good for two days on the hook with long sunny days and then on day three it is either move on and the batteries get topped off nicely or hook up the Honda for a couple of hours. My recollection is that Ranger charges $1,500 for a one panel installation. If you do it yourself it will cost about $800 or so for a two panel install. You can buy a new Honda for $1,000. Two panels means less rack room on top. I store the Honda in the generator cabinet, but I make sure it is completely out of fuel and the vent cap is closed. I also carry a 3 gallon gas can for the Honda and Dingy motor. I have not used the generator much either, but it is nice to have and comes in handy for non-boating things. Boating is a compromise so think through your needs and go from there.
A bit long winded, but hopefully it gives you some insight.
Mike Rizzo
 
Inverter also good for making emergency coffee without having to fire up generator or use propane; the 4 cup coffeemaker consumes 550 watts.

Nice to have a backup when needed.
 
Can I ask a dumb question of your solar power veterans? Why not add the thruster/windlass battery to the house batteries by simply hooking them up in parallel when you are on the hook? You could even use short jumper cables to make this a temporary gig. You get 50% more amp hours out of this fix. Since I fire up the engine before using the windlass or thrusters, this shouldn't pose too much of a problem if you draw down the thruster battery. Unhook the cables before you fire up the engine and you are good to go. I think.

Mind you, I have been too chicken to try this experiment.....

Jeff
 
When we had Solitude, our R-25, we too used a Honda Generator. We mainly used it though to run the AC overnight when we were hanging on the hook in a little remote corner of Lake Mead or Mohave. We stored the Honda in the aft port corner of the cockpit placing it on the swim platform when running. You could do the same on Sunshine as she is close to the same age as Solitude.

We were able to run the refrigerator and stereo all day on battery power. Then we ran the only the refrigerator overnight on battery power. The generator would not run the AC as well as the battery charger.

I too would vote for the Honda as a simpler means of generating power. With it, you can also run your water heater. Most inverters do not supply enough power to power the water heater.

The small plug in inverters do work well to power a computer.
 
Regarding thruster / windless battery post above: If you kill that battery while on the hook you will have to run your engine a long time to get it charged before you can pull the hook. The alternator will not do it. You need the reserve in the battery.
 
Thanks for all the good input. My original plans have now been changed. I'll let you know what I come up with, and how it works.
Sunshine
 
Hydraulicjump":by8inrti said:
Can I ask a dumb question of your solar power veterans? Why not add the thruster/windlass battery to the house batteries by simply hooking them up in parallel when you are on the hook?
Jeff
Click to expand...

This is a good idea. I am making a permanent connection between the current house and thruster banks for just this purpose. I have been researching this and there is a trend toward a single bank for everything except engine start. As you say this provides 50% more AH. The current thruster bank is idle most of the time, why not use this capacity!

I had an inadvertant experiment that did just this. For the first year of ownership there was a short behind the battery switches that connected the thruster power to the house bank. This allowed the thrusters to operate even when the master thruster switch was off (not good). Whenever the thruster master was turned on the house and thruster banks were connected in parallel. A jumper cable behind the battery master switches that connected the house to the parallel switch had shorted to a lug on the thruster switch. Andrew sent me a longer cable to replace it, I was able to route it down from the house switch, across and then up into the parallel switch to prevent a recurrance of the short.

I am also installing a Victron battery monitor, this will provide a more accurate "gas gauge" for the house bank, now with three 90AH batteries instead of two. This monitors the voltage and actual current in/out of the bank to calculate AH in and out. It accounts for Peukert's formula where AH available is reduced at high current draw, and AH are increased at low current draw. An alarm can be set at a specific point (such as 50%) to warn you before you discharge too deeply. I will also know how much charge has been put back into the house bank.

Regarding windlass power after extended anchoring and a discharged bank, ideally you should not discharge the bank more than 50%, so it would not be an issue. The main engine will be running, the alternator is directly connected to the house bank and will immediatly start charging it. Worst case draw by the windlass is about 50A, and typical draw will be less (unless you use the windlass to pull the boat toward the anchor!) so even at idle the alternator should be able to provide a good portion of this, if not all. In a worst case scenario you could increase the engine RPM to get more current, the engine has a 150A alternator.

Another issue is charging the bank from the genset. My R27 has a 20A battery charger, this would take hours to restore a significant discharge, 50% of the bank capacity is 135AH. I also plan to upgrade the charging capacity to allow quicker charging from the genset. Another advantage of the three battery house bank is increased charge acceptance. A rule of thumb is bulk charging at about 15% of the battery bank capacity. 15% of 270AH is about a 40A bulk charge rate. I will also disable the ACR while charging from the genset to allow all charge current to go to the house bank. The engine battery would already be fully charged.

I will post pictures of my modifications when I am done.

Howard
 
There is a reason the thruster and windless don't use the house batteries. These high draw electric motors need lots of power. If you operate them on a low battery they will develops lots of heat and you will shorten the motor life, perhaps to just a few minutes!

If you want additional batteries on the house you should buy more batteries. There are tens of thousands of boats out there with thrusters on separate batteries, they cant't all be wrong. Talk to the professionals before you do this.
 
When extra batteries are installed they typical are located in the port side locker. This makes sense as that space is adjacent to the stock battery locker. For my money, the extra batteries are a better alternative to the solar panels for accommodating 'on the hook' periods... plus maybe the Honda 2000 generator. Using up the valuable space on the cabin roof top subtracts from all the other things that are more suitable for that location such as dinghie(s), kayaks, locker boxes, bikes, plus the general access capability without solar panels blocking the way on the cabin roof. Accidental treading on the solar panel is likely to be a costly mistake. Just my 2cents....
 
We added two 18 watt solar panels to our R-25 and they do make a significant difference when on the hook. It also depends what year your R-25 is. Mine is a 2007 and it is my understanding that they had different 12v/110v refrigerators then. Ours is very efficient. I also replaced our lighting with LEDs for additional power savings. We only use a 400Watt inverter, mostly for a fan and recharging our mobile devices/laptops. I also installed efficient 12V fans that work really well. We have a Wallus diesel heater/stove for cooking that uses only a small amount of power. We also have a Honda 2000i that will let us run the waterheater or A/C or microwave (notice I said or, also newer R-25s use, I believe, 16000 BTU A/C units, which some people have trouble running with the Honda 2000i). The batteries and solar you put in place have to match the power you use on your boat or it is not worth the investment.

Your thruster batteries may be start batteries instead of deep cycle batteries. Tying starter type with a deep cycle for any period of time is probably not a good idea. Deep cycles are designed to provide steady current over a long period of time. Starter are for a large amount of current over a short period. Something to check...
 
Well, here is what I came up with: added 1-155w polycrystaline solar panel
added 2 additional batteries to match existing,bringing battery capacity to 440 AH
added 1800 w inverter
TOTAL COST $1500.00
I am currently runing a test on the solar panel, and this is Day 6 10:00 am with the refrigerator and radio running.
The batteries are at 98% with mostly cloudy skies. I know that living in Eastern Washington would make a difference, as we enjoy more sun than the western part of the state. I am going to continue the test until I head for Lake Coeur D' Alene on Wednesday. So far ..............I'm happy with the results.
 
gerlots":1h4vhoez said:
I am one of (two) the new owners of the R-25 "Sunshine".
We are considering installing peimar solar and a Inverter to extend the gunkholing range and time. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.
Click to expand...
hello friend have you got the setup of solar panels and battery? I am looking to install similar setup so please share your experience.. Waiting for reply thanks in advance🙂
 
Check the May 12, 2013.Works great, plugged in once all summer at the Tug Nuts Rendezvous in Anacortes.
 
As I have noted before I have added batteries to the house bank. They are in the starboard locker. 2-0 marine rated wire runs to the main bank. There is a switch in the positive lead so the extra set can be either connected or isolated. This gives the house set more capacity when in parallel. It gives me an independent power source for a second MFD.

I have intended to add a switch to the thruster battery so that it can be tied to the house set when desired. But sheer inertia has kept me from getting to it. Certainly after a few days on the hook where the combined thruster/house set is not sufficiently charged to lift the anchor, running the engine at a high idle for an hour to bring the charge up to a sufficient level is a small price.

The determined anchor out captain could also add a pair of switches to transfer the thruster/windlass circuit over to the engine battery for that quick get away. This won't add capacity to the house bank but will ease the anxiety over raising the anchor and maneuvering out of an anchorage knowing you have a fresh battery being boosted by a running engine/alternator as your power source.
The factory could offer this as an option. Blue Seas can supply a single switch gang that will do the transfer with a single click.
 
Hi Denny. If you're heading to Florida with your boat this winter I'd like to take a look at what you've set up, I bet others would as well.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top