Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 08-06-2010, 03:56   #1
CLOD
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
Wind Generator for Refrigeration

I'm tried of dealing with ice! My boat has refrigation but I don't use it because it's on a mooring all week. I have a radar on a pole that I have only used twice and it OLD, so the pole would make a great place to mount a wind generator instead.

So I have read for years on the solar and wind story so don't want to go into a new discussion of which is best, how they work, etc etc.

All I what to hear is from real experience whether a wind generator will keep the batteries up if running refrigation for a week with no one on the boat (I have 200 AH house bank).

Of course I figure the pay back for the wind generator is about 240 bags of ice! Which for the most parts equals 240 weekends!

Thanks
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 04:01   #2
Registered User
 
Vasco's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
Depends on the wind! I would say no in your area, especially with a 200 amp bank. For most wind generators to keep up with a fridge you need a steady 15 to 20 knots.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
Vasco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 04:06   #3
Registered User
 
fishwife's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South coast of England, moving around a bit.
Boat: Long range motor cruiser
Posts: 750
From experience, in a word, no, but that was my experience with utilities that ran on 120v via an inverter. I think you'd need to give more information for a more exact answer. What is the power use of you unit, how much wind can you rely on, can you or will you install solar as a backup/supplement to the wind generator?

P.
__________________
The message is the journey, we are sure the answer lies in the destination. But in reality, there is no station, no place to arrive at once and for all. The joy of life is the trip, and the station is a dream that constantly out distances us”. Robert Hastings, The Station
fishwife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 04:35   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Santa Cruz
Boat: SAnta Cruz 27
Posts: 6,711
The answer is no--you would be much better off with about 200 watts of solar panels. The fridge should draw about 50-70 amp-hours or 600-850 watt hours of power per day in the Northeast US, and you should be able to count on about that much from the solar array during the summer. You would need an average wind speed of 15 knots to get that much from a typical wind generator, and the solar panels are quiet, need much less maintenance, and cost about the same or less.
donradcliffe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 04:37   #5
Registered User
 
Strygaldwir's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Boat: Privilege 37
Posts: 1,036
Images: 5
I'd have to give a qualified no.

My wind generator kept up with my refrigerator usage for about 3 weeks. But, It was a fairly windy month as these things go and it was a VERY well insulated and efficient refrigeration system (Frigoboat). Normally, in the areas I put the boat, we don't get much wind, that's the predominate issue. If you have average wind speed of say 10 knots, you'd probably be able to do it with an efficient system.
Strygaldwir is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 11:49   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 21
My Air-x more then well keeps my fridge running.
Joshua1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 13:00   #7
Registered User

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upcountry SC
Boat: 36 Cheoy Lee clipper
Posts: 26
there are too many variables to answer either way!!! How well is the fridg insulated? 3" of foam? how often do you open it?.. how much average wind is at your mooring? and even how well your fridg system is balanced? ie sized ... I have been experimenting with my homebuilt from parts fridge in my boat (i even sand cast my own keel cooler) and I cut my energy usage by 30% using a hydrocarbon refrigerate.(redtek 12) works Great! I know I'll hear from the peanut gallery about hydrocarbon refrigerants

The short story ..is a wind generator will go a long way towards powering it...but 120 watts of solar or so would be a nice addition...as well as a larger battery bank.

I beleive Kollman is the expert..he has written alot on the subject and tested quite a bit...
FreeSC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2010, 14:20   #8
CLOD
 
sailorboy1's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: being planted in Jacksonville Fl
Boat: none
Posts: 20,364
Thanks. I didn't think it would do it but figured was worth asking. Solar too much of install at the moment and am going to put it off till I'm sure I'm going to keep the boat longer. In the end the ice hauling doesn't borther me as much as having to take things like salad dressing off/on the boat each trip. I have a small 12V cooler for the car that I bet would work fine on the boat for this with a wind generator.
sailorboy1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
generator, refrigeration, wind generator

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Best Wind Generator seandepagnier Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 10 15-06-2010 05:37
Cost of Wind Generator and Refrigeration? DennisM Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 6 31-03-2010 08:16
Wind Generator mparent Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 6 02-03-2010 12:45
Wind generator captden Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 2 30-06-2009 00:59
wind generator capt lar Electrical: Batteries, Generators & Solar 10 31-08-2005 18:46

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 19:10.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.