inverters, batteries etc

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (melelana) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:39:41 GMT

Randy,

I have no windlass battery (2 water tanks went under the sole and space was "created" for the windlass battery during 1991 production) and no windlass. Might be nice on occasion, but I'm on the Chesapeake and 20 feet is a really deep anchorage so at most, I'm lifting about 55 lbs. I'd defer to others to answer that question. One thing to consider is voltage drop between batteries. I would suggest the finest and heaviest gage wire you can find for the...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (tinolanza) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:28:30 GMT

Unless you have a separate switch that combines the house and windless batteries, you will need to re-wire them to be in parallel to create a 3 battery house bank.

In looking at the BlueSea, I like the simplicity but I do not think it would have helped us when our battery failed. With a dead battery in the bank, it will drain the good ones and incapacitate the entire set-up. You need to isolate the bad battery and take it out of the circuit. I do not see that option with this...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:33:30 GMT

Thanks Larry.....I like your solution. One question that I am still not sure on. How do I get the windlass battery and the house bank batteries to act as a single house unit?? Does this require re-wiring anything??
Randy

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (melelana) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:39:17 GMT

Randy,

That's the one. For me it really simplified the system. I turn on the system at the beginning of the season and leave it on. Inverter/charger keeps the batteries topped up at the dock with the reefer running. Isolator keeps the start battery charged and keeps it from discharging to house loads. Combine position lets me direct house amps to the starter in the case of a start battery failure and alternatively allow me to power up communications in a emergency if the...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:38:25 GMT

Larry, is this the switch your talking about?

http://ca.binnacle.com/product_info.php?cPath=58_192&products_id=6077
Randy

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (melelana) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:13:15 GMT

Randy,

Short answer is that I don't know if your current layout has a separate starting battery and how it's wired into the system. I don't know what Catalina is delivering on the new boats today. Somehow, your alternator needs to charge all batteries. "Standard" systems usually don't include an isolated start battery and if your starter loads come from the house bank, leaving the selector in "all" will, one day, leave you without enough power...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:17:27 GMT

Thanks Larry for your thoughts and for the welcome. Very nice and helpful group of people here.

I'm leaning toward the configuration that you suggest; a single bank with a separate starter battery. As per Tino's post, I assume the Perko switch in the "all" position will effectively achieve that without having to change any wires around. I'll just keep an eye on the state of the batteries and run a portable generator through the Freedom inverter/charger...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (melelana) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:59:41 GMT

Randy,

Welcome aboard!

I think you are on the right track in waiting a bit to see what you have and how you will use your boat. There really are 2 camps on battery arrangements. The first prefers 2 house banks that keep you from putting all your amps in one bucket as a failed cell in a single battery will rapidly degrade that "bank". The second opines that a single large bank allows you th operate more often in the ideal discharge range (roughly 40-80% of...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:04:19 GMT

Fellas......thank you very much for your replies.

Ken, I won't make it down this year but will definitely be there at the next one. I'd love to spend some time chatting with other owners. Thanks for the invite

Tino...thanks for your info. The configuration you describe is the info that I was looking for and what I assumed would be the case. Does that mean that the inverter will charge all banks (Perko in...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (tinolanza) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:17:18 GMT

As you can gauge from this thread as well as many others on the forum there are many opinions on battery configuration. On our boat, the inverter was installed by the factory. It came with the basic 2 X 4D house bank (wired as #1 in the Perko switch), and the a 4D "windless" (wired as #2). Everything went through the switch, so depending on the switch setting that determined the bank getting charged from shore power, or the bank supplying amps to the inverter. To combine...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (ajchan) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:43:10 GMT

Hi Randy

I know all about money flying out the door! The good news is that eventually you no longer feel it and just end up in a trance like state where you mutter your credit card number, expiry date and cvv2 in your sleep. That said, when I bought my boat, I specifically went looking for a slightly older boat with as few bells and whistles as possible. HAving owned a C320 previously I had an idea of the weak points of Catalinas and the intent was to selectively upgrade to my...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (lakandjc) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:05:26 GMT

Randy:

Sorry, I don't know how your boat will be configured RE which batts are together and which are called what on the battery swith; your broker or Catalina will for sure, so an email to them will help you. I do know that on my 1994, which I bought used, the windlass batt WAS NOT part of the "house" and we rewired it to make it so.

I second Addison on wire size and upgrades, in general. I know the outflow of money is a shocker, but if you are actually...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:19:02 GMT

Addison...thank you as well for your reply and well wishes .

I think at some point I will replace all my batteries with 6V as you suggest. I did that on my RV with good success. In these times where money is flying out the door like I've never experienced before I'm not really keen on doing that right now. I suspect you know what I'm talking about...ouch.

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:58:31 GMT

Thanks James for you well wishes and thoughts.

Do you know offhand whether Catalina wires the boat so that the windlass battery is part of the "house" or do the folks you refer to reconfigure it that way. If not part of the "house" which batteries are bank 1 and 2, the two batteries in the garage?? Regarding the starter battery; if not the "house" and not the windlass, then which one comes configured from the factory to act as the starter (or is there...

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (ajchan) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:47:46 GMT

Hi Randy

You've picked a great boat, and I hope you will enjoy yours as much as we have enjoyed Threepenny Opera.

FWIW, I replaced all of my 4D's with 6volt Trojan T-125's and tied them into a single large house bank. I am adding a separate group 27 for a starting battery as part of this season's pre-launch stuff. As James pointed out, a larger bank is more useful in heavily loaded environments, provided you have the means to charge the battery back up....

Re: inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (lakandjc) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:07:50 GMT

Randy:

Congrats on your new boat; may it keep you safe and happy.

For What It's Worth, RE the batts, there are many opinions on this but some folks wire the boat so the windlass batt is part of the the "house" i.e., the two batts in the garage. This gives one a deeper battery system which can take charges faster (generally) and not be drawn down as deeply. (if you take three quarts of water from two gallons in a bucket, you will notice the loss more than if...

inverters, batteries etc

feeds@yuku.com (randybc) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:45:19 GMT

Hello all....my first post here.
I'm the proud new owner of a 2007 Catalina 42 #982 (Knotty Buoy---(I'm a surgeon)). I've done a lot of reading and searching on this forum about all sorts of topics. Great forum you have here. I'm currently having a Freedom 2000w inverter with Link 2000 installed aftermarket before taking final possession from the dealer. I'm not terribly knowledgeable about such things so I'm having Nav-Sol out of Vancouver Washington do it...