house battery location quest

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classicone
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Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:09 am
Location: Hertford, North Carolina, USA

house battery location quest

Post by classicone »

I spent a few minutes on the boat today.

One of my next projects is relocating the house batteries to a lower more balanced position. I have decided that the foot well in the port aft berth has enough clearance for a strong battery box and the four Trojan T105's I have purchased for this project.
I dry fitted the batteries today and have just enough room for a custom made box to hold them in place.

The plan is to build the box out of 1/2 inch ply similar to the plans in Charlie Wing's "Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook".

The two hundred and sixty pounds of batteries are much lower in the hull than before (not on cockpit level) and will offset the weight of tools, frig, generator and bicycles stored in the starboard aft berth (our storage room!) hopefully making for a better balanced and stable catamaran.

This decision also means locating our additional electrical equipment (solar charge controller, echo charger, high capacity 120v battery charger, inverter, battery monitoring gauges and additional breakers.) on the port side. I have acquired most of this equipment and have just been procrastinating the installation until I decided on the house battery location. The previous installation of similar equipment was in the storage room, but with the house batteries on port, so will the additional equipment.

This is a work in progress and I plan on taking photos as I work through this project.

On a different note, I'm seeking suggestions on mounting our 160 watts of solar panels. I removed these panels from my house and am finally getting ready to install them on SunStar2. Four panels about 1.5x3 ft each. I know, I know....these panels are really old and they don't make this size anymore. But they worked great on the homestead.

My ideas range from the sublime expensive radar arch to existing davits to hinged on the pushpit railing. I've even considered a cheap wooden mounting....
Any ideas?

Terry
SunStar 2
Sailorman
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Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 4:29 am
Location: Beaufort, NC, USA

Post by Sailorman »

Terry, I am planning to move my single house battery out of the cockpit and under the port aft berth. I also like the lower position. I was gong to add T105s but was considering the next larger size to take advantage of more amp-hours to draw down. I already have had new larger cables to run from the alternator and to a new distribution panel. Where did you get your batteries from?
Ed
Classic Cleavage
1974 Prout 34 Snowgoose
classicone
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Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 3:09 am
Location: Hertford, North Carolina, USA

T105's

Post by classicone »

Hello Ed,
I purchased the batteries at a golf cart dealer in Sanford, Fl. I was down there during Thanksgiving. I am very excited to be finally moving the batteries down below. Now I need warmer weather.....
ChrisH

Post by ChrisH »

Hi,
I have also relocated batteries out of the engine bay, which didn't have enough room for my needs.

I have placed them under the chart table in the portside hull, again in the interests of having the weight in a centre location and low down. At present I have 2 x 110ah domestics and one 85ah engine start, but the domestic batteries are completely shot away. I am replacing them with 3 x 110ah for domestics - I want as much as I can get in as we have a diesel air heater, a diesel water heater, a fridge, a TV (against my better judgement) and all the usual lights, instruments, autopilot, radar etc.

The engine battery will be one of these little jobs that are allegedly indestructible, mount it any which way you like types - have to find a space for it yet that doesn't involve a lot of rewiring.

Chris
svgeru
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Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Re: house battery location quest

Post by svgeru »

For your solar panels why not mount them on deck?

Our Large panel is centered, with two more either side (you can just see the edge of one), and a flexible right up against the mast. (290 Watts in total)

Image

Geoff.
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