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29-11-2011, 11:45
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: 40 Caliber LRC
Posts: 167
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Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Diversion Load
My boat has a KISS wind generator on it. Currently it is wired to a splitter so it charges both my house battery bank and my engine battery. I have been told that I should run excess power (those arriving once the battery banks are fully charged) to my hot water heater using a special element sold by hotwire or a resistive load bank.
I have a Morningstar 45 MPPT charge controller for my 2-135 watt solar panels. My questions are:
1. Can I use my present MPPT for my KISS system?
2. If not, I have been told to use a C-40?
3. I am not exactly sure how to wire this system. Any suggestions?
I am learning quickly that being an electrician is pretty important on a boat. In the mean time I am leaning on this forum. I would greatly appreciate your input
Bob
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29-11-2011, 12:11
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2007
Boat: Bestevaer.
Posts: 14,678
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Hi Bob
Solar regulators and wind regulators need to work differently. Solar panels can be turned off to regulate them. PWM turn the panels off and on rapidly to maintain the desired battery voltage.
Unfortunately this does not work with a wind generator. If the load is removed they will speed up and when reconnected they produce more power. They need a resistive load which keeps the speed down when regulation is needed
1 No
2 The Xantrax c40 Ithink is a solar regulator. Is this what you mean?
3. Wire the solar and wind controler separately to the battery.
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29-11-2011, 12:31
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: 40 Caliber LRC
Posts: 167
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Noelex 77,
The Xantrex c-40 is what has been recommended.
As far as wiring goes, this is my confusion. Currently I am wired seperately to the batteries, however, how to I get the excess power to the water heater element.
Is the C-40, or another charger, wired before the batteries, similar to my solar panels and MPPT? How does it know my batteries are charged and when to divert power to the water heater?
Bob
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29-11-2011, 13:10
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2007
Boat: Bestevaer.
Posts: 14,678
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Leave the solar panel and its controller unchanged.
The wind generator needs a separate controller. This wind controller will use a dump resistor and so can be used to heat water (although the degree of heating will be small with most wind generators). The wind generator controllers are usually specified by the wind generator manufacturer. The wind controller needs to meet precise requirements. So usally on a few models or suitable. Some wind generators use an inbuilt controller.
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29-11-2011, 14:58
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#5
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,134
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
My experience is with only two types of WG: an Air-X and a home-brew using a 32VDC tape drive motor. In both cases when the batteries were full, the output of the WG was simply shorted out. In both cases, this reduced the rpm of the WG to the point that essentially zero power was generated, and no other load was required.
In the case of the Air-X, this is accomplished either by the built-in regulator or the factory recommended shorting switch. In the case of the home-brew, I used a shorting plug on the end of the output cabling.
Don't know why the KISS WG can't be dealt with in the same manner... perhaps someone can explain it to me.
Cheers,
Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
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29-11-2011, 15:08
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2007
Boat: Beneteau FIRST 42
Posts: 1,836
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
we have a TS 45 from morningstar on our 4-winds with the dump load run to the waterheater.. a TS 15 for the solar.. the 15s load circut is run to the refer to watch the usage..
the 45 gives you the "either or" for solar or wind when setting dip switches..................
had someone tell me a week or so ago about wiring in muffen fans to the dump loads for venting..
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29-11-2011, 15:15
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
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29-11-2011, 15:15
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 774
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnjpinz
Diversion Load
My boat has a KISS wind generator on it. Currently it is wired to a splitter so it charges both my house battery bank and my engine battery. I have been told that I should run excess power (those arriving once the battery banks are fully charged) to my hot water heater using a special element sold by hotwire or a resistive load bank.
I have a Morningstar 45 MPPT charge controller for my 2-135 watt solar panels. My questions are:
1. Can I use my present MPPT for my KISS system?
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You could but NO. You need to install a MPPT controller that can handle multiple loads. Try a BLUE SKY with the added option.
Quote:
2. If not, I have been told to use a C-40?
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C-40s are normally employed with different value solar panels, not so sure they'd work properly for what you're doing.
Quote:
3. I am not exactly sure how to wire this system. Any suggestions?
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Buy the Blue Sky MPPT, it will show you how it's done.
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29-11-2011, 15:21
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 774
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeepFrz
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NOT; this is an and or, or, not a both. It's nothing more than a glorified switch, not an MPPT controller.
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29-11-2011, 17:39
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: 40 Caliber LRC
Posts: 167
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Good suggestions, however, I have already purchased and installed the Morning Star MPPT 45 and it is installed and running flawlessly. My delema now is the Kiss Wind Generator. It works great, however, I am just looking for installation suggestions with out altering my current solar set up to protect my battery banks.
Bob
Bob
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30-11-2011, 03:12
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cruising
Boat: Victory V35 - Beach Cruiser
Posts: 88
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
I currently have 540 watts of solar and a Kiss wind generator. When the Kiss was first installed, it was connected through a Xantrex c-40 to a dump resistor. The solar panels are wired through a Bluesky controller. Kiss recommends no controller and after a short time I disconnected the c-40 and wired the Kiss directly to the house bank. At least on my boat I find I have enough load on the battery bank that I rarely have to turn the Kiss off and when I do it is usually because the wind has been blowing 20 kts for days. When I have that much extra power I just usually add more load to the battery bank, like turning on and inverter to charge the laptop.
__________________
Barry
s/v Beach Cruiser
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30-11-2011, 03:23
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: New Bern, NC
Boat: 40 Caliber LRC
Posts: 167
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
You are correct. Kiss does recommend direct wiring. However, other sources have disagreed with this install. Especially, , if you are south of Florida where winds are more constant. I know some of you may think I am being overly cautious, however, I just don't want to cook my batteries.
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30-11-2011, 03:37
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cruising
Boat: Victory V35 - Beach Cruiser
Posts: 88
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
I have been wired this way for 3 years cruising FL and the Bahamas. Lots of wind in the Bahamas in the winter and I have not cooked my batteries yet. I found the controller took too much power away from the wind generator. That said, you need to do what is comfortable for you and the c-40 controller will work, as well as any other controller that supports a diversion load.
__________________
Barry
s/v Beach Cruiser
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30-11-2011, 07:02
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
I don't know if you saw in that link I posted (on another page) there was a 12 volt hot water heater element so you could dump the wind generator to the hot water heater.
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30-11-2011, 07:09
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#15
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CF Adviser
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: sausalito
Boat: 14 meter sloop
Posts: 7,260
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Re: Diversion Load for Wind Generator
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeepFrz
I don't know if you saw in that link I posted (on another page) there was a 12 volt hot water heater element so you could dump the wind generator to the hot water heater.
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Having trouble finding the link. Could you repost?
THNX
__________________
cruising is entirely about showing up--in boat shoes.
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