No. 29 Fitting a Victron solar charge controller to a small sailboat.

Рет қаралды 769

2 ай бұрын

Fitting a Victron solar charge controller to a small sailboat. What does a 10w panel produce?, how much power am i using?, what should i do next? The effect of partial shading on power output

Пікірлер: 24

@SailingWithDave 2 ай бұрын

Many thanks for the video. Always helpful to see someone tinkeriong with solar panels!! Solar efficiency is down to a whole bunch of things ranging from the angle of the sun, intensity, shaded areas, temperatures, wiring etc. Also the panels themselves come with an efficiency rating out of the box which people often forget to take into account, the older the technology, the worse the rating tends to be. Its not unusual to have 20-30% loss out of the box. You then have all the conversions going on from

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

All good stuff Dave, thanks very much. Loved your flying jib video btw. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aZh4gKd-17TcYKs.htmlsi=2KFk7u2Xv7qe_XPu I have an old mirror jib lying around that i'm going to play with as a staysail. pretty sure it'll choke my slot but should be fun trying.

@SailingWithDave 2 ай бұрын

@@Morningvicar Many thanks for that. I am still trying with the "Flying Jib". I have since pulled it up more so the sail flies a lot higher and this seems to work, although i am wondering if the general shape isn't quite right. I added a line at the bottom to do this. I also have a much better way of securing the sheet. The wind always seems to little or too much when I test it though. In a few more videos time you'll see me almost breaking the bowsprit with it!!! I had another go early this season, however I have now decided that I need to have 2 sheets with it. Using 1 sheet on the lake where you need to tack constantly was just too much hassle so watch this space!!!

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

I look forward to watching

@andrewcarr3650 2 ай бұрын

The charge controller you need depends on the battery you have, the cheap PWM works well with a lead acid battery. The MPPT controller is needed for Li ion, but will do fine on your battery. Go Lithium, it is lighter and lasts longer.

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks very much 👍

@mutley192 2 ай бұрын

that was a well timed vidio i needed a new one for my new boat so many thanks

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Glad to be of help 👍

@nathanburden4784 2 ай бұрын

Another great video. Personally i would add a solar cable connector that for longer trips you can just plug in another Flexi panel. Use the same approach on off grid camper we have works very well.

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks, that might be the best solution tbh.

@ianswales7219 2 ай бұрын

thanks for the video really interesting, I think its well worth paying extra for the Victron as like you say you can see what's going on. I added similar electrics to a CapeCutter 19 although just used a small alternator on a Tohatsu 6HP to keep battery topped up the best thing I added was a small tiller pilot (Raymarine) I thought the outboard alternator would interfere with the internal compass of the tiller pilot which was directly above the engine and was fine so could have autopilot even with engine running which a huge bonus . Keep us informed . Cheers

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. There is still a voice in my head saying “get the outboard charging”. Tiller pilot is my next project.

@rhodevans6523 Ай бұрын

Hi Paul - I'm sure you'll have thought of this but how about an alternator on your outboard for giving the battery a top up? I have an inboard and last winter fitted a second battery with a 'Blue Sea Systems Add a Battery Kit' which controls charging of the batteries, giving priority to the starting battery until it is fully charged and only then switching automatically to charge the second battery. Not entirely relevant to your situation but I thought it might be of interest.

@Morningvicar Ай бұрын

Hi. Yeah, I priced up having a charging coil retrofitted. Best part of £400 all in. It’s still a possibility but I’m probably going to go for more solar instead.

@rhodevans6523 Ай бұрын

@@Morningvicar That's a crazy price! Sounds like more solar is the way to go. Keep the videos coming - I enjoy them

@swsfrancais7289 2 ай бұрын

Hello again. I've done some work of this nature on my own boat. I am no expert so, sorry, no advice. However the things I've learnt/question are: * If you get a bigger solar panel fit a isolation switch as soon as the cables enter the boat so you can carry out safe maintenance on the system. * You may think you are using the right diameter conduit but trust me it won't - go up to the next size * Something I've yet to fathom - there is a possibility your outboard could be kicking out "angry pixies". I don't know how you incorporate the 2 different systems (solar & mechanical). Let me know when you find out, please. * Masthead nav lights. They are a pain & I am sure I've heard somewhere they don't comply with the regs. My nav lights are 9m above the deck & not working & there is no way this 70 yo 95k man is climbing the mast to fix them. Instead I'll fit a set of cheap lights with LED bulbs to each side of the hull so I can get to them easily for maintenance. * Finally, what I've learned from refurbishing my yacht is to keep things simple especially with boats under 25 feet. Good luck. But it's more than luck. The more work you do to your boat, the more you understand her & her systems. Chin-chin

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comments, always helpful. My outboard does not have a charging coil, I only use the solar for power. I have considered retrofitting (would cost a few £100) but am now thinking that i don't need to. I've done a separate video on the lights kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nKemgqZ3p63ZYp8.htmlsi=Jud7YRaZw7B55zyQ and come to more or less the same conclusion as you.

@user-lh1mp9to8e 2 ай бұрын

Very interesting, I understand solar much better now

@charleswhitehead7441 2 ай бұрын

Mast head lights do comply with coll regs when sailing but not when under power. Then your lights should be lower and you need a steaming light. See coll reg rules 23 and 25 to determine what is correct for your vessel. Note when you are under power you are a power boat regardless of your sails.

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks. I have a masthead steaming light for motoring and deck level navigation lights for sailing so we’re all good

@charleswhitehead7441 2 ай бұрын

Your mast head lamp must take more than a couple of milliamps. Typically they are 10W bulbs which means they should draw close on one amp. If you have an LED masthead light I would still expect 100mA. Check the lamp, it may not be working! Fit your solar panel where it is least likely to get shading, they do , as you noted, drop output dramatically even with a small shadow.. Leave the panel exposed all the time and you will always have a full battery. If the boat sits on a mooring or trailer then try to angle the panel at 45º due south for max solarisation. If your battery is a sealed type the disable the equalise function, you must not use it.

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Many thanks. You’re quite right, I meant to say “1 to 200 milliamps” which is what was reading on the app. It is an LED.

@paulcollins4932 2 ай бұрын

You need a bigger solar panel on top of the hatch I bought several 60w panels 680X800 at £36 each . Change your bulbs to led and keep your cables larger than you think you’ll need to cut out power loss

@Morningvicar 2 ай бұрын

Thanks.