Gasoline, noise, storage, necessity.
Anyone use battery-powered "generators?"
- Thread starter bsangs
- Start date
I use this thing at the dock. It makes one K-cup, fast. When on battery power I use a cone filter, which can take some attention when filled with boiling water in a seaway.
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
I have something similar for the dock and plan to use it on the hook/mooring with the Bluetti too. If I can't, a percolator is my backup, and while perc coffee brings back fond memories of my grandma's cigarette smoke-filled kitchen, it also makes me wince because God love her, her coffee was terrible.
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
Basically all those things Christian listed above. And look, I don't know if I'd be better served with a true generator over the Bluetti (or something similar), as I'm still new to this cruising thing. I'm going to give it a try though, and time my purchase/experience to be within the 30-day return period. I'll let everyone here know how it went.
We boil water in the kettle, and add it to a measured amount of freeze-dry *coffee, in a cup.
For those with sophisticated & sensitive taste buds, a small shot of Kahlua may be added.
Never a complaint... in several decades...
*The brand does indeed make a difference, but not hugely.
We retired our small SS percolator a long time ago; it got to be too much hassle.
And then, the Admiral likes her cup of hot chocolate in the morning, as well. Everyone has different priorities, is about the only takeaway.
For those with sophisticated & sensitive taste buds, a small shot of Kahlua may be added.
Never a complaint... in several decades...
*The brand does indeed make a difference, but not hugely.
We retired our small SS percolator a long time ago; it got to be too much hassle.
And then, the Admiral likes her cup of hot chocolate in the morning, as well. Everyone has different priorities, is about the only takeaway.
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
So you two are living one of those 80's/90's Taster's Choice commercials when on-board?We boil water in the kettle, and add it to a measured amount of freeze-dry *coffee, in a cup.
For those with sophisticated & sensitive taste buds, a small shot of Kahlua may be added.
Never a complaint... in several decades...
*The brand does indeed make a difference, but not hugely.
We retired our small SS percolator a long time ago; it got to be too much hassle.
And then, the Admiral likes her cup of hot chocolate in the morning, as well. Everyone has different priorities, is about the only takeaway.
Adventure4Me
Junior Member
Marlin Prowell: Respectfully, I think your math is off by the power of 10(understandable when we are flipping from 12 volts to 120 and sometimes back again!). I've lots of experience with battery banks, inverters and panels. My 1200w coffeemaker which also draws 10 amps from the inverter adds up to over 100 amps at the 12 volt battery. Thus 10 minutes of coffee making use equals 10 amps @ 120 volts: 100 amps @ 12 volts and with a 100 amp/hr battery you've used up 1/6 of your capacity(10 minutes being 1/6 of an hour). I would only use my coffeemaker or microwave if I had the engine running, and while the alternator would keep up with the coffemaker, I'd still watch my battery voltage drop if I was using the microwave.
The Bluetti advertises as having 1152 watt/hours of power which is about the same as a 100 amp/hr battery(12 volts x 100 Amps = 1200 watt/hours. The Bluetti being Lithium is going to take the deep discharge cycles far easier though and will demonstrate superior performance and lifespan over the long run.
Without a doubt, refrigeration will be most people's main power draw(if you don't use the hair dryer, microwave or toaster when the engine isn't running.
I agree that if a person already has the other components of a system, the Bluetti may be redundant, but still not a bad price for 1152 watt/hour source if it indeed can provide those numbers.
Cheers!
Gerald
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
You guys are great with the math on this electrical stuff. I'm not there yet, but math has never been my strongpoint. It's the 12v refrigerator that makes me most leery, honestly. The hotter the weather gets, the longer it seems to cycle each hour, so I obviously worry about the battery draw. I keep it at 40 degrees, and have attempted to insulate it as best I can, and will of course use ice when off the grid. I'm hoping the 200w solar panels can keep up with it, and feel having the Bluetti around will allow me to offload other 12v needs, along with using its AC capabilities.
Marlin's inverter solution isn't an option, at least not this year, but it's an interesting notion.
Marlin's inverter solution isn't an option, at least not this year, but it's an interesting notion.
Adventure4Me
Junior Member
I lived on a motorboat that I built for 14 years. I installed a small bar fridge, about 4-5 cubic feet and ran it from an inverter, about 100 amp/hr battery and 400 watts of solar. I found it would just break even during the summer months with full sun, but would gradually draw the battery down if I was anchored for several days in September. The fridge I had drew about an amp at 120 volts, so about 10 or 11 amps from the battery and when set to 37 or 38 degrees would cycle on about 1/3 of the time. There certainly could have been insulation added to the outside of the fridge to increase it's efficiency, but it suited my needs at the time so I didn't. These fridges typically only have an inch or so of insulation, so there's lots that can be improved upon. Any top loading icebox should be more efficient than one of these.
Filkee
Sustaining Member
Stovetop espresso pot. But I digress…
Marlin Prowell
E34 - Bellingham, WA
@Adventure4Me Yes, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately, I cannot edit my wrong post to, say, strike through all the text.
Which begs the question: if you have a 1200 watt inverter that draws 100 amps(!), how have you wired that to the battery? Did you use something like 2 AWG wire?
This is why I make pour-over coffee with boiling water and freshly ground beans.
This box has a 36ah LiFePo4 battery, 1800W inverter, 12 amp charger, and 10A solar charger plus some usb and AC outlets and it's all packaged in a ready-to-go easy to use and transport form factor. It's easy to look at the $1k+ price tag and say "I can have the same thing on my boat by just adding X", but it really isn't a 1:1 comparison.
Just looking at the battery, a 36ah LiFePo4 battery is roughly equivalent in usable ah to a group 24 battery, but you can use all 36ah through 3,000+ charge cycles. A flooded acid group 24 will get 500-1000 cycles when used between 50%-90% of it's capacity. At roughly $150 for a cheap Interstate flooded acid battery, to get the same charge cycles (assuming perfect care and 1000 cycles and average usage on the lithium) you'll end up paying at least $450 to get 3000 cycles and you won't get any of the benefits of the lighter weight and faster charging LiFePo4 battery.
Looking at the other components in the system and comparing them to components available off the shelf:
The box, and others like it, start to look like a better proposition than the initial sticker shock may indicate.
Whether or not you actually need it is a whole other discussion, but I will say next to the sink replacement, our upgrade to LiFePo4 battery has been my family's favorite upgrade because they don't have Dad following them around the boat turning everything off as soon as they're done using it and unplugging every unnecessary doodad and trinket charging on USB.
Just looking at the battery, a 36ah LiFePo4 battery is roughly equivalent in usable ah to a group 24 battery, but you can use all 36ah through 3,000+ charge cycles. A flooded acid group 24 will get 500-1000 cycles when used between 50%-90% of it's capacity. At roughly $150 for a cheap Interstate flooded acid battery, to get the same charge cycles (assuming perfect care and 1000 cycles and average usage on the lithium) you'll end up paying at least $450 to get 3000 cycles and you won't get any of the benefits of the lighter weight and faster charging LiFePo4 battery.
Looking at the other components in the system and comparing them to components available off the shelf:
| Battery | 36ah | $ 299.00 | 50ah Renogy |
| Inverter | 1800w | $ 279.99 | 2000w Renogy (this is really overboard for a small battery and should use something closer to 750W) |
| Charger | 12 amp | $ 323.00 | ProNautic 15 amp (there's much cheaper ones out there) |
| Solar Charger | 10amp | $ 159.99 | 15 amp Renogy |
| Total: | $ 1,061.98 |
The box, and others like it, start to look like a better proposition than the initial sticker shock may indicate.
Whether or not you actually need it is a whole other discussion, but I will say next to the sink replacement, our upgrade to LiFePo4 battery has been my family's favorite upgrade because they don't have Dad following them around the boat turning everything off as soon as they're done using it and unplugging every unnecessary doodad and trinket charging on USB.
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
Well I bought it, along with a 200-watt solar panel, and am on Day 2 of my test, living off the grid at my dock. Looks like a keeper so far. Couple of high 80 degree days. Day 1 went very well. It powered a couple fans, recharged my phone and tablet, made coffee, and even gave me about an hour of watching the HR Derby last night. Kept one fan running all night, and woke up to it this morning with 13% remaining. More than enough for two cups of coffee. It’s currently charging via solar, and while I’m not getting the full 200 watts, it’s charging at about 150. (Sailboats and a four panel portable solar panel with built in legs that recommends being placed at a 45-degree angle don’t harmonize perfectly.)
Have kept the 12v fridge running, but outside of the electric head, kept my other 12v use to a bare minimum. Still, I needed to run my engine for a bit this morning to top off the house batteries, as the solar panel array that came with the boat is pretty damn flaky, and I don’t know enough about solar yet to fix it.
Have kept the 12v fridge running, but outside of the electric head, kept my other 12v use to a bare minimum. Still, I needed to run my engine for a bit this morning to top off the house batteries, as the solar panel array that came with the boat is pretty damn flaky, and I don’t know enough about solar yet to fix it.
Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
PSA: I don't know if this is the exact same unit you bought, but Amazon Prime is today -
Though if you already bought yours, Brian, you may not want to see this.
Though if you already bought yours, Brian, you may not want to see this.
Solarken
Member II
Good Morning, here anyway!Our electrical needs shouldn't be extensive when living on the hook, or mooring ball. No air conditioning, and the on-board heater is engine powered. We have two lead acid 12v batteries, 55amp alternator, two 100-watt solar panels, and the main power draws will be the 12v fridge, some 12v fans, the water pump and electric head. Our 13-day trip on the Long Island Sound in August will have us bouncing between mooring balls, anchorages and docks with power. Didn't want to resort to a portable gas-powered generator for the days/nights without AC power, so am taking a look at this:
BLUETTI AC180 Solar Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh
Stay powered up wherever you go with BLUETTI AC180 Portable Power Station. With 1152Wh capacity perfect for camping, outdoors, and emergencies.www.bluettipower.com
It'll mainly be used for making coffee; watching a couple hours of TV (maybe); using non-12v fans, charging phones, tablets, lights, our Torqeedo battery; and might be needed if the admiral wants to blow dry her hair. Should be easy enough to recharge during the dock days, and also comes with 200w solar panels to recharge in the wild. Anyone have experience with this, or something similar, on a boat?
Im all electric on my 32-2. First, do you have an inverter aboard?
The unit you show might be fine but 100% of its Wh capacity would run my refrigerator aboard for 4 days. The things you list like charging the Torqeedo are far more than that capacity. You will need a gas generator or you will be constantly running your boat motor. I would invest in far more batteries and solar with charge controls. Maybe an added shore power charger as well.
I live on my 32-2 and in November it will be 8 years. Watch tv on an iPad Pro.. Don‘t use much AC. Make coffee ☕️ with your stove. Try your hair with a towel. Save power every way you can! I’ve been on hook for 25 days now. Had to run my gas generator for 2:15 two times to keep my batteries near topped. I have a wind generator also. It’s not fantastic but adds.
happy to answer questions.
Captain Kenny
& Barnacle Billie the sailor kitty
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
Thanks for that breakdown Kenny. Your situation is quite different from mine though. I'm just cruising - a couple days on a mooring ball/anchor, followed by a couple days at a dock with shore power, etc. (And my fridge is connected to the 12v batteries, so this portable unit doesn't even come into play there.) Much different set of needs. Sounds like a nice setup you have there. Enjoy.
Solarken
Member II
Good morning,
we will see….
please post how it goes. And my refrigerator is 12vdc 65W … uses about 275Wh a day. 300 max. 200 if never opened. I have a shunt meter on it that records all of that for me. It’s on a 220Ah 8D AGM.
you have a windless I’d guess… that may run 50A.
fair winds and following seas! To you!
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
Thank you. And to you as well.
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
Am very pleased with this device after about week. Takes a while to charge via solar, but charges very quickly when connected to AC power. Small footprint, no need to carry gas for a generator, and is able to power whatever I need. Needs may change down the road, but for now it'll make a nice coastal cruising companion.