Anyone use battery-powered "generators?"

[Solarken]

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

All interesting points and true. A 10W 12v anchor light will use 9Ah overnight in summertime much more in winters. Charging that cell takes 15W all the math is easy.. ohms law

 

[Solarken]

All interesting points and true. A 10W 12v anchor light will use 9Ah overnight in summertime much more in winters. Charging that cell takes 15W all the math is easy.. ohms law

Actually the best option other than more batteries is from these people. Efoy.com

 

[Solarken]

Actually the best option other than more batteries is from these people. Efoy.com

I should say in addition to more batteries

 

[Bobby Steele]

We have the Jackery 1000W Solar Generator and one 100W panel. It’s served us well, though their panel isn’t waterproof. We plan to eventually get a better all-weather panel. We can run a microwave, coffee pot, or induction stovetop on it.

 

[Solarken]

We have the Jackery 1000W Solar Generator and one 100W panel. It’s served us well, though their panel isn’t waterproof. We plan to eventually get a better all-weather panel. We can run a microwave, coffee pot, or induction stovetop on it.

What is the Watt Hour rating?

 

[Mr. Scarlett]

paranoia of turning the key and hearing nothing but a "click" is registering high, and I'm thinking of ways to mitigate that

If that's all then why not a 12V emergency jump starter?

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08WYKD6TY?maas=maas_adg_CA581EED39E4348120C962F2A8834356_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItPG4soPCgAMVsQx9Ch0LzgoMEAAYASABEgIvffD_BwE

 

[Christian Williams]

A $100 portable jump starter is pretty handy to own. It's there to pump up bike tires, car tires, jump start an old car, or provide emergency power for the boat. I have a dedicated emergency starter battery, #3 in the house bank, so no longer carry a portable on cruises. Lithium not necessary for my purposes.

 

[Loren Beach]

I wonder.... if some of the perceived need for an emergency battery is driven by some owners (not necessarily of Ericson's) who are dismayed by the inherited DC systems that they find on a 40 or 50 year old vessel. And often... the original "rat's nest" further modified by a chain of prior owners, some of whom paid zero attention to correct or safe practices. i.e. Idiots.

The thing is -- it's better in the long run to just have a basic DC system that Functions all the time. i.e. a large enough House bank for everything including starting the typical small diesel, and a charged-up "emergency/spare/extra" battery bank for just those very few times when it's needed.

When we were in the 9th year of our prior main bank of the two large GC batteries and it suddenly dropped to 10 volts one night when we were tied to a no-utilities park service dock, I switched over to the fully charged 12 volt bank #2 and we carried on. A few days later I replaced that main #1 bank.
Now after about 6 years we are seeing a reduction in charge capacity on the current house bank and are shopping for two more 6 volt GC batteries.

Redundancy is vital, but having a redundant battery for the secondary/emergency battery bank just seems like overkill. At some point the multiple "redundancy" starts to veer into OC territory. Perhaps.

I shall hop back off of my 12 volt soapbox now.

 

[bsangs]

I wonder.... if some of the perceived need for an emergency battery is driven by some owners (not necessarily of Ericson's) who are dismayed by the inherited DC systems that they find on a 40 or 50 year old vessel. And often... the original "rat's nest" further modified by a chain of prior owners, some of whom paid zero attention to correct or safe practices. i.e. Idiots.

Well in my case, the answer is simple Loren. It's my first sailboat, it's my first long distance cruise, I'm still very much in the learning phase of not only the electrical system, but other boat systems, and I'm not confident enough to know exactly how it's all going to function. Once I become a little bit saltier, it'll probably be like most things in life I've grown comfortable with. Until then, redundancy is my friend. Even if it might seem OC.

 

[Loren Beach]

Well in my case, the answer is simple Loren. It's my first sailboat, it's my first long distance cruise, I'm still very much in the learning phase of not only the electrical system, but other boat systems, and I'm not confident enough to know exactly how it's all going to function. Once I become a little bit saltier, it'll probably be like most things in life I've grown comfortable with. Until then, redundancy is my friend. Even if it might seem OC.

I agree/understand completely. And after a cruise you will have a better idea of which part of a project you want to complete and in which order. Our boat was a real "fixer upper" when we bought it, and we tackled several different parts of it in the first year. Almost the first upgrade was replacing the old 1988 ferroresonant battery charger, which had killed both batteries in the boat before we bought it.
Thanks be to the Viking gods, EY had used good quality wire and connectors throughout when they built it, so not much was (poorly) added by vendors working for the first owner.

 

[bsangs]

I agree/understand completely. And after a cruise you will have a better idea of which part of a project you want to complete and in which order. Our boat was a real "fixer upper" when we bought it, and we tackled several different parts of it in the first year. Almost the first upgrade was replacing the old 1988 ferroresonant battery charger, which had killed both batteries in the boat before we bought it.
Thanks be to the Viking gods, EY had used good quality wire and connectors throughout when they built it, so not much was (poorly) added by vendors working for the first owner.

Don't get me wrong, I've come a very long way in a little over a year - and boy has this place helped - but I know there are some surprises on the horizon.

 

[Nick J]

I agree/understand completely. And after a cruise you will have a better idea of which part of a project you want to complete and in which order. Our boat was a real "fixer upper" when we bought it, and we tackled several different parts of it in the first year. Almost the first upgrade was replacing the old 1988 ferroresonant battery charger, which had killed both batteries in the boat before we bought it.
Thanks be to the Viking gods, EY had used good quality wire and connectors throughout when they built it, so not much was (poorly) added by vendors working for the first owner.

I think Ericson used good quality wire and connectors for the era they were constructed. Since then, tinned wire and heat shrink terminals have become more available. I've been ripping out the old wiring and have to remind myself of this frequently before I go down the path of swearing to the Ericson gods and claiming it to be crap. Specifically their use of non sealed butt and 3M tap connectors in the lighting circuit has been the source of most my electrical issues. Craftmanship of the original wiring was fantastic though. All wire was carefully installed without wrapping around adjacent wires, use of wire clips and ties to keep it organized was not done sparingly, and all the connections I've found were solid after 40 years. 40 year is a long time though and moisture has found its way into the connections and create corrosion and resistance. Since it isn't tinned wire and wasn't sealed at the connections, moisture has wicked up and I'm finding corroded copper inches away from the connector and in some cases even mid span.

 

[Kenneth K]

They've figured out that if they build it, someone will buy it.

$1900. Includes flashlight.