I am replacing all my batteries this season. The previous owner had two Surrette 6 volts # HG-1 for "house" power, and a Autocraft silver plus 700 for starting.
I want to continue using Surrette ( Rolls in the US ), I don't see a corresponding number in the catalogs. What is your experence and recommendations for model and output.
I run the standard electronics, GPS, VHF, Stereo, etc, one factor is that I am considering installing the Isotherm ASU refridgeration system.
And what does one reccomend for the Starting battery?
Thanks,
Michael Heintz
Machts Nichts
CD 30 MK II 004
Mzenith@aol.com
Batteries
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Larry DeMers
Re: Batteries
I am also upgrading from 2 group 31's for the house bank to Trojan T105's (2) 6v cells for the refrigeration, a new group 31 deep cycle for the house lights and nav., and a standard old Truck Starting Battery for the engine. The 2 6v cells will be located under the sole in the cabin, through a trap door I have to cut (gulp) in a few weeks.
From reports on rec.boats.electronics and also rec.boats.cruising, I believe that the cost is too high for the Rolls/Surette cells when compared to the Trojan's. But heck, they do work obviously. I have heard of 10 years life expectancy from the Rolls even. But other things seem to mitigate that length of time expected, resulting in 3-5 years average life. So use a decent three step charger and alternator, use a battery monitor/computer, and do not allow a discharge below 11.0v. They will last for a good long time. As an example, I have a group 31 that is 10 years old. It still provides our DC power needs for 3 days without charging. This battery was my trolling motor battery in my bass boat 10 years ago..and is still going fairly strong. So they can last a long time if treated right. I paid $35 for this battery from Target..way back then.
By the way, I am also installing the Isotherm ASU/SP reefer system. Have it in it's box under my editing desk at home, waiting for the snow to get below 1 ft. before heading north for the work to begin. That is one honey of an engineered product! If the numbers are accurate, I will have refrigeration for a daily Ah useage equal to my anchor lights useage! Reports from Richard Feffer (on this board..hope you are feeling better Richard) indicate that Ah useage is 16 Ah/day as stated. He has 2 years experience with it.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
!~~~Yippee..it was 50 deg. yesterday, and the streets were rivers!~~
demers@sgi.com
From reports on rec.boats.electronics and also rec.boats.cruising, I believe that the cost is too high for the Rolls/Surette cells when compared to the Trojan's. But heck, they do work obviously. I have heard of 10 years life expectancy from the Rolls even. But other things seem to mitigate that length of time expected, resulting in 3-5 years average life. So use a decent three step charger and alternator, use a battery monitor/computer, and do not allow a discharge below 11.0v. They will last for a good long time. As an example, I have a group 31 that is 10 years old. It still provides our DC power needs for 3 days without charging. This battery was my trolling motor battery in my bass boat 10 years ago..and is still going fairly strong. So they can last a long time if treated right. I paid $35 for this battery from Target..way back then.
By the way, I am also installing the Isotherm ASU/SP reefer system. Have it in it's box under my editing desk at home, waiting for the snow to get below 1 ft. before heading north for the work to begin. That is one honey of an engineered product! If the numbers are accurate, I will have refrigeration for a daily Ah useage equal to my anchor lights useage! Reports from Richard Feffer (on this board..hope you are feeling better Richard) indicate that Ah useage is 16 Ah/day as stated. He has 2 years experience with it.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
!~~~Yippee..it was 50 deg. yesterday, and the streets were rivers!~~
Michael Heintz wrote: I am replacing all my batteries this season. The previous owner had two Surrette 6 volts # HG-1 for "house" power, and a Autocraft silver plus 700 for starting.
I want to continue using Surrette ( Rolls in the US ), I don't see a corresponding number in the catalogs. What is your experence and recommendations for model and output.
I run the standard electronics, GPS, VHF, Stereo, etc, one factor is that I am considering installing the Isotherm ASU refridgeration system.
And what does one reccomend for the Starting battery?
Thanks,
Michael Heintz
Machts Nichts
CD 30 MK II 004
demers@sgi.com
-
M. R. Bober
Re: Batteries
Question: Is placing the batteries below the cabin sole putting them in jepodary of flooding in the bilge? Not that any CD every took on water, but... If the house batteries are awash, I suspect bilge pump, electronics, et al would be lost. No time would be a good time, but some times could be a lot worse than others.
What do you think?
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
What do you think?
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
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Larry DeMers
Re: Batteries
True enough. If they were exposed to seawater, there would be health considerations even. No, what we are doing is fabricating a fiberglass pan to slip down in the area now occupied by that handy 'trough' from the head. This will be attached to the subfloor crossmembers and support, as well as have horizontal support to the fiberglass on either side (deep turn of the bilge). The fiberglass box will be closed off on top also, with ventilation grillwork inserted where possible.
Secondly, this bank is only for the reefer, so the nav and radios, lights etc. are on a second house bank in the cockpits lazarette, as before (wish I could move those forward too).
And lastly, I have a system of three '1-2-off-both' switches, one for each bank of batteries, with which I can select any of our 3 voltage sources for any of the three load centers: Reefer; house lights and radios, DC distribution panel etc.; and engine cranking. So even if there was a problem with two of the banks, I can still access the third for any use. It takes a bit more 2/0 cable, and 2 extra switches, but the level of redundancy we have is the maximum I could get out of this system. Considering where we will be sailing this year, and that we will be out of range of all towns, people and radios by 75 miles at least, this was deemed necessary. You can never have too many options!
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
demers@sgi.com
Secondly, this bank is only for the reefer, so the nav and radios, lights etc. are on a second house bank in the cockpits lazarette, as before (wish I could move those forward too).
And lastly, I have a system of three '1-2-off-both' switches, one for each bank of batteries, with which I can select any of our 3 voltage sources for any of the three load centers: Reefer; house lights and radios, DC distribution panel etc.; and engine cranking. So even if there was a problem with two of the banks, I can still access the third for any use. It takes a bit more 2/0 cable, and 2 extra switches, but the level of redundancy we have is the maximum I could get out of this system. Considering where we will be sailing this year, and that we will be out of range of all towns, people and radios by 75 miles at least, this was deemed necessary. You can never have too many options!
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
M. R. Bober wrote: Question: Is placing the batteries below the cabin sole putting them in jepodary of flooding in the bilge? Not that any CD every took on water, but... If the house batteries are awash, I suspect bilge pump, electronics, et al would be lost. No time would be a good time, but some times could be a lot worse than others.
What do you think?
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
demers@sgi.com
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Olli Wendelin
Reefer?
Larry,
Why are you adding a reefer? Can't you just hang the meat from the rigging and let it freeze solid?
Or hang it from a net bag in the icy water?
On a serious note, with your cold water temperatures, pumping lake water through coils in the icebox could provide good cooling. Wouldn't work in Charleston, our summer water temperatures are in the 80s.
Olli Wendelin
BLUE MOON
Charleston, SC
wendelin@spawar.navy.mil
Why are you adding a reefer? Can't you just hang the meat from the rigging and let it freeze solid?
Or hang it from a net bag in the icy water?
On a serious note, with your cold water temperatures, pumping lake water through coils in the icebox could provide good cooling. Wouldn't work in Charleston, our summer water temperatures are in the 80s.
Olli Wendelin
BLUE MOON
Charleston, SC
wendelin@spawar.navy.mil
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Larry Demers
Re: Reefer?
Olli,
Well it sure would work great for part of the year..but last summer, we had a water temp of 75 deg. in the Apostles, and we went swimming everywhere. This year is prognosticated to be a "regular, genuine normal as ever summer from the 30's", which is very hot and humid..lots of 90's-100's, 60-70 humidity and low water fall. So hope they are wrong, as the lakes will drop again, and we have no room left for that.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~Still making ice at night, on Lake Superior~~~
demes@sgi.com
Well it sure would work great for part of the year..but last summer, we had a water temp of 75 deg. in the Apostles, and we went swimming everywhere. This year is prognosticated to be a "regular, genuine normal as ever summer from the 30's", which is very hot and humid..lots of 90's-100's, 60-70 humidity and low water fall. So hope they are wrong, as the lakes will drop again, and we have no room left for that.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~~Still making ice at night, on Lake Superior~~~
Olli Wendelin wrote: Larry,
Why are you adding a reefer? Can't you just hang the meat from the rigging and let it freeze solid?
Or hang it from a net bag in the icy water?
On a serious note, with your cold water temperatures, pumping lake water through coils in the icebox could provide good cooling. Wouldn't work in Charleston, our summer water temperatures are in the 80s.
Olli Wendelin
BLUE MOON
Charleston, SC
demes@sgi.com
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M. R. Bober
Re: Reefer?--SUMMER????
I thought your summer was generally a Tuesday; Thursday some years?
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
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M. R. Bober
Re: Batteries--Redux
You've given this a lot of thought. Hope the execution goes well. Get some Ben-Gay.
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
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Larry DeMers
Re: Reefer?--SUMMER????
Well, that would be true in non-leap years only Mitch..hell, we gotta thaw our words out before people can hear us some winters!
Heh..well, several years ago, here at home..about 3 hrs drive away from Superior, we had 110 days above 90 deg. in the summer. That was a hot one..but seriously, our summers on the lake are generally 70-85 deg. during the day, 40-50 at night. The lake is an amazing heat sink, and reradiates the days heat all night long. This postpones the fall change-of-colors display on the lake itself, by two weeks over 5 miles inland. So we actually go through the fall colors twice. Of course, the flip side of that is springtime..when the snow is gone down here at home, we have 2 weeks more of snow to go thru up at the boat.
But it does get nice occasionally!
Larry
demers@sgi.com
Heh..well, several years ago, here at home..about 3 hrs drive away from Superior, we had 110 days above 90 deg. in the summer. That was a hot one..but seriously, our summers on the lake are generally 70-85 deg. during the day, 40-50 at night. The lake is an amazing heat sink, and reradiates the days heat all night long. This postpones the fall change-of-colors display on the lake itself, by two weeks over 5 miles inland. So we actually go through the fall colors twice. Of course, the flip side of that is springtime..when the snow is gone down here at home, we have 2 weeks more of snow to go thru up at the boat.
But it does get nice occasionally!
Larry
M. R. Bober wrote: I thought your summer was generally a Tuesday; Thursday some years?
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
demers@sgi.com