Quote:
Originally Posted by a64pilot
Your not going to get much heat from an average Marine refrigeration system. The average system pulls about 60 W when operating.
Average Human radiates about 100W.
But every bit helps, just don’t expect much.
I believe there are systems that use the boats fresh water system to cool their condensers or augment cooling anyway.
The heat gain is so small that thankfully they don’t have to drink tepid water, I believe the tank loses the heat about as fast as it’s added.
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Using energy which would otherwise be wasted is a great ecological practice.
In buildings we manage the potable water delivered from
reverse osmosis process
commercial plants is 40c. In summer with roof top
tanks this water can reach 50c. So we circulate the water through a heat exchange using exhausting chilled water from the
HVAC system. The potable water is then delivered to the building occupiers at 26c. Pleasantly cool!
What is described above is similar. The ambient temp and the rate of flow of the small energy source will limit the effective result. But if it works where you live then great. Running main
engine raw water coolant (sea water) through a heat exchange - something most marine hot water heaters provide for - will have a better effect as there is more flow and the temperature of the exhausting water is much higher.
My
boat has taught me so much about energy conservation. It's where I
experiment. I use lessons learnt in tall buildings saving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Understanding of
battery charging and balancing transfers to
battery bank management for firefighting
emergency systems. The use of colour changing LEDs results in day /night
lighting throughout the
boat using the same light source. We get some funky party
lighting also. Energy management of lighting of
electronics like
radar the turn off / turn on of same verses putting
parts of the system to sleep saves significant energy. The use of waste water to heat is significant in certain ambient conditions. The use of variable frequency drives on pumps. The list goes on.
Saving milliamperes on the boat and converting the same principals to kilowatts in buildings I find most rewarding.