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Old 12-03-2013, 16:24   #31
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Re: How many watts? And how many 12v batteries

When all is said and done I think my Link Battery Monitor is one of my best gear investments. It shows the power going in and out of the batteries and keeps track of usage like a fuel gauge. You can't use a full percentage of amp/hour capacity if you are running several things at once. The Link keeps track of the rate of usage over time to give an accurate gauge on battery consumption. Over discharging is a quick way to shorten their life. You can only run your batteries down to half full at the most, so count on at least double the amp hours you are going to use between charges to figure how many batteries you need. Once you deplete below the 85% level they like to be charged till their full again. If you are going to be out for away from a plug for more than a day or two than a small inverter generator is a great way to go. If the boat sits by its self all week on a mooring then a small solar panel will due fine.
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Old 12-03-2013, 16:50   #32
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Re: How many watts? And how many 12v batteries

toddedger,

Did you mean 85% DOD (depth of discharge) or 15% DOD? Lead acid batteries give a decent life span by not going deeper than 50% DOD, around 500 cycles. I no longer use lead acid, instead have upgraded to LiFePO4, and they will tolerate 80% DOD and return over 2000 cycles.
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Old 12-03-2013, 17:33   #33
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Re: How many watts? And how many 12v batteries

I'm sorry, I met 15% discharge, or past 85% left in reserve. That's how I think of the state of charge when I use the link monitor. I use AGM batteries.
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Old 28-03-2013, 16:17   #34
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Re: How many watts? And how many 12v batteries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sea Flyer View Post
I have 350 watts of panels and 5 house batteries.
Tend to use more in port than at sea due to more computer time. Plus at Sea My wind generator helps. Runs Refer/Freezer and a few gps and Vhf no problem. Only have SSB on for an hour or so each morning. have gone more than 35 days at a time without running engine.

You said 5 house batteries? What size?
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Old 09-04-2013, 03:43   #35
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Re: How many watts? And how many 12v batteries

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Originally Posted by Ryan H View Post
Either way, if you're planning to do any amount of work on the boat on your own grab a copy of This Old Boat, by Don Casey, either at the library or bought from a book store. I just checked my copy for price but I lost the dust cover long ago.
Here you go: This Old Boat: Don Casey: 9780071579933: Amazon.com: Books
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