Silentwind wind generator thoughts

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

I know that you said that weight may be an issue for you but my vote goes to the D400 which are very quiet units. Several charter boats run them here on Sydney Harbour. One skipper has 2 of them on a Seawind 1160 catamaran which speaks for itself - you would not want wind gens driving your customers crazy with noise which is why he went for the D400's and is very happy with them.

Thanks Ozbullwinkle, but weight really is an issue for us, so unfortunately I think the D400 is simply too heavy. It's at least 50% heavier than most of the other options. This wouldn't be a problem for most setups, but our mounting is out on our boomkin.

[colemj]

Our friends, who we spend a lot of time with, replaced their AirX blades with the Spreco ones and the difference is astounding. Very much worth the price - virtually silent at all speeds. I would have bought the blades for them...

Mark

[witzgall]

Ok, here was my thinking that let me to choose the Silentwind:

1. We had an old air 403 (predecessor to the air-x, looks the same) that we fitted with the Spaeco blades. It is very quiet with those blades, so I was a big fan of Spraeco.
2. I wanted to add solar, and I have 2x85w panels that are going on the bimini. The solar controller is PVM, not MPPT, but I am ok with that. The 120w tilt-able panel we have is on a mppt controller.
3. I read this review: Air X Marine long term test
It showed that the Silentwind would perform as well as the Breeze in lower winds, and out preform it in higher winds. It also came out with slightly more output in 10kt winds than the others tested.
4. I could better control the charging setpoints with the external regulator.

Our Biggest, best improvement in our energy system would have to be the LIFEPO4 batteries. To me, this is the best single improvement that a cruising boat can make. We had all of the power we needed (refer, water maker, movies) with the old air-x and one 120w panel, and the LIFEPO4 batteries) in the winter down in FL/Bahamas. My hope is that with the extra solar and newer wind gen, we will still have enough to avoid engine use during the summer as well, when the winds are much lighter.

Chris

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by witzgall

Ok, here was my thinking that let me to choose the Silentwind:

1. We had an old air 403 (predecessor to the air-x, looks the same) that we fitted with the Spaeco blades. It is very quiet with those blades, so I was a big fan of Spraeco.
2. I wanted to add solar, and I have 2x85w panels that are going on the bimini. The solar controller is PVM, not MPPT, but I am ok with that. The 120w tilt-able panel we have is on a mppt controller.
3. I read this review: Air X Marine long term test
It showed that the Silentwind would perform as well as the Breeze in lower winds, and out preform it in higher winds. It also came out with slightly more output in 10kt winds than the others tested.
4. I could better control the charging setpoints with the external regulator.

Thanks Chris, great info. I am leaning towards the Silentwind b/c of the power output (especially at lower wind speeds), the noise levels, and the controller. The D400 would be a great option, but it's now off our list due to weight. I still like the Airmaax as well, but not sure if it is worth the added cost over the Silentwind.

[Mike OReilly]

My thanks to all those who've helped me with this question. Unless I get more info regarding the Airmaax (I have some questions into the company) I plan to go with the Silentwind. It appears to offer the best combination of power, simplicity, expandability and quietness.

I plan to have it installed for our summer cruising. I'll try and remember to report back in the fall on the results.

[ngmayo]

Originally Posted by witzgall

2. I wanted to add solar, and I have 2x85w panels that are going on the bimini. The solar controller is PVM, not MPPT, but I am ok with that. The 120w tilt-able panel we have is on a mppt controller.

Our Biggest, best improvement in our energy system would have to be the LIFEPO4 batteries. To me, this is the best single improvement that a cruising boat can make. We had all of the power we needed (refer, water maker, movies) with the old air-x and one 120w panel, and the LIFEPO4 batteries) in the winter down in FL/Bahamas. My hope is that with the extra solar and newer wind gen, we will still have enough to avoid engine use during the summer as well, when the winds are much lighter.

Chris

Have you done any research to see if the silentwind controller is compatible with the LIFEPO4 batteries?

[Singleprop]

Originally Posted by witzgall

We looked at the lot of them at the Annapolis boatshow last year. I really liked the Elecromaxx, but it did not allow us to change some of the charging parameters, so they would be compatible with LIFEPO4.

Chris

So is the Silentwind compatible with LIFEPO?

[Singleprop]

The manual says that the charging voltage can be manually adjusted - according to the battery type - but it doesn't specify exactly what the voltage range is.

[Singleprop]

3 discussions about the Silentwindgenerator:
SSCA Forum • View topic - A first hand experience with Spreco Silentwind, anybody?
SSCA Forum • View topic - New wind generator Spreco ("noiseless blue blades"
and the best one:
SSCA Forum • View topic - LITHIUM BATTERIES - INSTALLATION

[witzgall]

The charging voltage on the charge controller is very easy to change - almost too easy. You just select it with the selection buttons, and then change it with the +/- keys. So from my viewpoint, yes, it is compatible with LIFEPO4, and this is one of the reasons I bought it.

Chris

[Singleprop]

Thanks Chris,

Do you know what the max and min charging voltages are?

[Wirewiz]

I am an Ampair dealer (if that's OK and allowed) so take a look at the Ampair 100 and Ampair 300. The A100 has an adapter for 1.5" sch 40 pipe and the A300 has an adapter for 2" sch 40 pipe. All Ampairs are marine grade. Wirewiz - Marine and Renewable Energy Systems

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

My thanks to all those who've helped me with this question. Unless I get more info regarding the Airmaax (I have some questions into the company) I plan to go with the Silentwind. It appears to offer the best combination of power, simplicity, expandability and quietness.

I plan to have it installed for our summer cruising. I'll try and remember to report back in the fall on the results.

Having had two AirMaax wind gens personally fail on me in addition to three controlers I wouldn't touch one again with a 15ft pole. As a former dealer of them, I've also had to fully refund 3 clients their money after the company wouldn't stand behind the warranty. My 3rd Airmaax is up on my mizzen at the moment sounding like it's about to fly apart. Even when they worked they never produced anywhere near the rated output. And to top it all off, the made in China controler doesn't have a battery float mode as advertized so I had to use the break all the time to keep from overchaging my battery bank when plugged into shorepower. To be fair, maybe they have worked out the bugs since I stopped selling them, but the 1/2 truths I was told about them and the horror stores I saw would send me far away from an ElectroMaax product.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

Having had two AirMaax wind gens personally fail on me in addition to three controlers I wouldn't touch one again with a 15ft pole. As a former dealer of them, I've also had to fully refund 3 clients their money after the company wouldn't stand behind the warranty. My 3rd Airmaax is up on my mizzen at the moment sounding like it's about to fly apart. Even when they worked they never produced anywhere near the rated output. And to top it all off, the made in China controler doesn't have a battery float mode as advertized so I had to use the break all the time to keep from overchaging my battery bank when plugged into shorepower. To be fair, maybe they have worked out the bugs since I stopped selling them, but the 1/2 truths I was told about them and the horror stores I saw would send me far away from an ElectroMaax product.

Interesting ... I never did get any response from the company when I posed a few specific questions, including some around their controller. I never heard a peep back, so I went with the Silentwind from Spreco. Perhaps I was lucky they didn't respond .

[charliehows]

i researched this a while ago and i settled on the rutland 913 - or 914 as is the new model, unfortunately cant remember much of the details in coming to this conclusion...BUT...i noticed a guy anchored near me a couple of weeks ago had one so i went over and had a chat - he loved it. I spent a couple of days anchored near him and noticed the thing spinning its arse off but i never heard a peep from it. If you're researching what to buy dont forget to check out the rutland.