How many Amps Hours do you use a day?

[MLOI]

Cruising Queensland in winter we used around 120 AH per day at anchor
Current Draws;
Fridge 8A @ 30% duty cycle = approx 50 AH per day
Anchor light 2.5 A =30 AH per day.
1 - 2 hours of TV per day
laptop / tablet / device charging
house lights
Fresh water pump
Anchor winch

When sailing the auto pilot seems to draw around 5 amps on average. If sailing overnight I'd hand steer at times to keep myself entertained and to reduce power consumption if we were not motoring. Often we'd end up having the motor going for a couple of hours anyway, which pretty much covered the autopilot consumption overnight.

We have 400 AH of new lead acid batteries plus 400 watts of solar - 4 panels: two lots of two panels in series into parallel MPPT controllers.

We never got below 12.8 volts at the batteries. There was only once or twice that we pulled more than 100 AH from the bank. Never ran the engine for power generation only - but if we started the engine we would run it for 30 mins minimum to ensure it was fully up to temperature.

Sitting in one location for 5 or 6 days we'd be well into float by mid afternoon. All devices were charged in the afternoon when we had excess power from the panels.

Mike

[Stu Jackson]

The All-Important Energy Budget:
Energy Budget

IMPORTANT BASICS What are amps & amp hours (thanks to StuM from CF.com)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1933764

Record of Daily Energy Use of 100 ah per day:

"Breaking In" New Wet Cell Batteries

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by MLOI

Cruising Queensland in winter we used around 120 AH per day at anchor
Current Draws;
Fridge 8A @ 30% duty cycle = approx 50 AH per day
Anchor light 2.5 A =30 AH per day.
1 - 2 hours of TV per day
laptop / tablet / device charging
house lights
Fresh water pump
Anchor winch

When sailing the auto pilot seems to draw around 5 amps on average. If sailing overnight I'd hand steer at times to keep myself entertained and to reduce power consumption if we were not motoring. Often we'd end up having the motor going for a couple of hours anyway, which pretty much covered the autopilot consumption overnight.

We have 400 AH of new lead acid batteries plus 400 watts of solar - 4 panels: two lots of two panels in series into parallel MPPT controllers.

We never got below 12.8 volts at the batteries. There was only once or twice that we pulled more than 100 AH from the bank. Never ran the engine for power generation only - but if we started the engine we would run it for 30 mins minimum to ensure it was fully up to temperature.

Sitting in one location for 5 or 6 days we'd be well into float by mid afternoon. All devices were charged in the afternoon when we had excess power from the panels.

Mike

In the morning when you wake up with sun very low your never below 12.8v?

[MLOI]

Originally Posted by daletournier

In the morning when you wake up with sun very low your never below 12.8v?

Never is probably an exaggeration, I'm sure occasionally when we had sailed overnight we were below 12.8. And I did a capacity check where I pulled 200 AH out of the batteries which got us down to 12.4 from memory.
But certainly the majority of mornings were over 12.8 v It's one of the typical checks I'd do upon waking.
(Now you'd probably be correct to point out that I'd be unlikely to be up before the sun after any night when I'd been up late - so perhaps a self selecting sample)

These batteries are not yet 12 months old and have been well looked after.

Bank is sitting at 13.69 volts currently with no load, measured with a Victron battery monitor. (so that probably represents the float voltage from the MPPT controllers, rather than actual battery voltage.) Would typically be in the 13 v range at sundown.

Mike

[conachair]

About 40Ah overnight, laptop in the evening, fridge, raspberry pi boat computer on 24/7, anchor light about 0.1A. Leds for inside lighting.

2 x t105 batteries rarely under 12.6v in the morning.

[Simi 60]

About 180ah from 5pm to 6am and batts are usually around 24.3v
9 x 250w panels smash the juice back in on a sunny day
7.5kva genset for other times or an hour head start in the morning in winter.

[arsenelupiga]

have 4 x 120 ah exide batteries closing on 6 years. Use on average 35ah from sunset to sunrise at anchor. Batteries around 12.6 V in the morning which means they are roughly 70 % full as per manufacturer sheet. Manufacturer recommends boost at 12.5 V, so I am thinking they are still okay.

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by Mr B

I was on a swing mooring in a bay surrounded by other yachts on swing moorings and motor boats scorching past at all hours,
I kept my lights on, I want to be seen,

Deck lights all the way at night, not running lights. In a tight spot I'll light up whatever I can on deck or below deck, just nothing nav, no red and green up the mast or on the bow. Plus AIS to anchor. Anyone gets into a mess because they thought you were underway, you might have liabilities.

Also, you run the hot water off batteries as a usual thing? Why not run the engine for the last half hour of the ride before anchoring...heat up your tank with engine heat and top up the batteries to boot? Then anchor and have a nice hot shower before popping that prosecco...

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

About 180ah from 5pm to 6am and batts are usually around 24.3v
9 x 250w panels smash the juice back in on a sunny day
7.5kva genset for other times or an hour head start in the morning in winter.

Should add that we still have approx 84% on the battery level on morning wakeup.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Deck lights all the way at night, not running lights. In a tight spot I'll light up whatever I can on deck or below deck, just nothing nav, no red and green up the mast or on the bow. Plus AIS to anchor. Anyone gets into a mess because they thought you were underway, you might have liabilities.

Also, you run the hot water off batteries as a usual thing? Why not run the engine for the last half hour of the ride before anchoring...heat up your tank with engine heat and top up the batteries to boot? Then anchor and have a nice hot shower before popping that prosecco...

Like I said previously, I dont know what power im using, No Idea,
I had a day and a half to learn systems I knew nothing about from the PO of my boat, Then he left, I was on my own,
I also couldnt sail for ****, I spent six weeks mainly learning to sail my boat,
GPS, self steering, Water maker, Dunny, Etc Etc Etc, were things I figured out as I was learning, Lucky I had all the books and manuals on board,
We were all learners once, It was a crash course, I am not a sparky, I am a mechanical person,

As I was in a swing mooring surrounded by other yachts, I used the motor to get in and out of the mooring,
The Fijians knew we were on anchor as they went past, They do live there, Taking passengers and workers to and from the Islands,

The hot water was always hot, I assumed it was off the running motor,
Putting my electrics back into the boat, I have found it also runs on 110 volts,
Which up until now, I didnt know, It ran off the invertor off the batterys as well as the motor,
I no longer have 110 Volts, Its all 12 volt,
I am putting a whole new system in my boat as the remains of the last lot is on my RV, the rest went into the rubbish bin, It got drowned, and I am updating and beefing up what I am putting in new on the boat,


I learnt to sail and use my sails from the other yachtys at night at the bar, and sailing every day around Fiji, to put it into practice, and any thing else I needed to know,
I was there two weeks before I even took the cover off the mainsail and put it up, I had no idea on how it worked either, I was never shown,
I went everywhere on the Genoa and motor, Learning the self steering and how to make waypoints and track where I had been,

I am on here to learn, Thats why I am asking, Try and be helpfull,
I didnt pull it apart either, It was all chopped out by the salvagers when they salvaged my boat, and the repairers, Repairing the hulls,

I just have to put the mess back together again and make it work,
None of you started off as experts, keep that in mind before you start on me,
Im an amatuer in electrics,

Cheers, Brian,

[OceanSeaSpray]

Originally Posted by Mr B

I am on here to learn, Thats why I am asking, Try and be helpfull,
None of you started off as experts,

Get a book and study it or go to a sailing school. It is helpful and it beats being a liability on the water.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by OceanSeaSpray

Get a book and study it or go to a sailing school. It is helpful and it beats being a liability on the water.

I can sail now, 3000 Nmiles sort of helps, 50 years of previous motor boats also helps,
Like I said, Try and be helpfull, I only want to know about the electrics,

[jlcnuke]

Originally Posted by Mr B

I can sail now, 3000 Nmiles sort of helps, 50 years of previous motor boats also helps,
Like I said, Try and be helpfull, I only want to know about the electrics,

I think everyone here is trying to be helpful. Years ago the countries of the world came together to address how boats should do things to avoid problems and they put together a set of rules now used worldwide commonly called the "Colregs" (COLREG). Your post earlier mentioned that you were doing things in violation of those worldwide rules for boating and that concerned some members, both for the overall safety as well as your own personal liability if your actions in violation of those rules resulted in a problem. Everyone on the water should be aware of those rules and I think the members that discussed it here with you just want you to be aware of those regulations and follow them to benefit yourself as well as the others on the water.

If you're knowledge of electrical systems is very basic, this is a great resource for getting to know boat electrical systems in my opinion 12-Volt Basics for Boaters - boats.com

There's also some good, more specific information in this thread: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...all-10632.html

[B00B00]

My battery voltage is seldom above 12.35v by 6am when the sun comes up and voltage starts to increase from the solar. That's a loaded voltage with up to 10amps being drawn from a 660ah agm bank thats 6 months old and with a total consumed energy of around 100-150ah. This voltage increases a fair bit if i switch the fridge and freezer off for a while.

[john61ct]

Voltage is thus a very poor indicator of SoC, too many variables.