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Isulating Ice Box

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Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2012 : 11:00:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">How long can you go without shore power on that configuration (two Edsen fridges and your 80w panel)? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The last long trip we took was last spring. We spent ten days cruising down, and then back up, the west coast of Florida. We were on the hook for the first three days/nights, then four days in marinas and the rest back on the hook. The Engel is fairly efficient and only runs about 4-5 times an hour for short periods. The only time I had some concern was at night when both coolers, occasionally, were running at the same time. But I never had any power issues. Once the sun came up, the solar panel gave the batteries a boost. And it was back to cold beer....

Another nice thing about it, is that once the unit detects 110 AC power it switches to that source. So once we were tied up in the marina and the shore power hooked up, it gave the batteries a break.

Edited by - on

Davy J
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1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2012 : 11:07:29

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Could you go indefinitely, a week, or only a couple of days with your setup without shore power?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
My feeling is, with appropriate sun, I could go indefinitely.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'm still making the assumption/argument that shore power and ice are approximately the same cost and availability. That seems to be the case here in the Puget Sound.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Chasing ice when you are anchored in a nice secluded cove is a very big hassle. The last trip before the Engle, I rowed the dinghy for about three hours to find some ice. Not anymore....

Edited to add: probably not cost effective if you don't spend more than two nights out at a time.

Edited by - Davy J on 07/27/2012 11:42:32

GaryB
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USA
4316 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2012 : 21:58:09

For about $50.00 more than the MT35 cooler Davy has you can buy an Engel drop in ice box conversion kit and cool up to 100 qts or freeze up to 45 qts if the area is properly insulated.

http://www.engel-usa.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=vmj_genx.tpl&product_id=166&category_id=30&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=176

BTW... how do you add a link using just a word or two instead of the long link I did above? Someone told me how to do it a couple of years but I lost my notes.

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Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 04:45:35

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">BTW... how do you add a link using just a word or two instead of the long link I did above? Someone told me how to do it a couple of years but I lost my notes.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
In the reply box, the second line, "Format Mode". Switch to "Prompt". Then click on the button for links, a box will open and ask for the word, then ask for the link.

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 07:55:49

Davy: It would still be interesting to see how long you can go without shore power, just using your batteries and solar. It sounds like your longest period without shore power was 3 days, which is also a reasonable time to go between picking up new ice if you have a good cooler.

I agree that getting ice when you are out on anchor is not very fun, but getting shore power while you are out on anchor is also generally impossible.

I have a strange obsession with staying off of the grid when I'm on my sailboat and have never used shore power. Our boat has a shore power connection and basic AC circuits, but they aren't hooked to anything useful like a battery charger. I realize that not everyone is going to feel this way, and you guys down in TX and FL probably benefit from shore power ammenities like air conditioning.

I'd also like to see your 80w panel if you have a photo of it. We just have a 20w one.

Edited by - on

Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 08:54:16

The electronics on the boat are virtually running off the solar panel and not the batteries while there is sunlight on it.

Here is a link to the thread when I installed the solar panel:

[url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=22843&SearchTerms=new,toy"]Solar panel install[/url]

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Davy J
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1511 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 09:44:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Davy: It would still be interesting to see how long you can go without shore power, just using your batteries and solar.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
After thinking about your question, I think you may need to look at the solar panel/battery combo differently.

Consider the solar panel as a electricity generator and as a battery charger. When the panel has sun, and there is electric demand, it supplies the power. As long as the demand is not greater than the output of the panel, the batteries are not technically being used. When there is no sunlight, the batteries are supplying the power. When the panel again gets sunlight, if there isn't any power demand, it then acts as a battery charger. It will then also supply power if it needs to. There is no time limit.

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 14:32:13

I think of it more simply. The solar panel is a battery charger capable of putting C amp hours of power into the batteries per day. The load that you run pulls down L amp hours per day. If L>C then you can't run indefinitely without shore power, but you can stretch it by using batteries that are charged from shore power. If L<=C (normal on my boat) then you can run indefinitely.

If L>C then you can increase your runtime with more batteries. You can't have zero batteries unless your load is only on when you have sun, which is pretty unlikely.

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Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5430 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 17:16:18

Don't forget the engine's alternator in your power budget. In my case I can generate approx 2A in full sun with the solar panels, but can generate 12A using the engine. Figuring the Amp-Hour equation (which is how the battery budget works), if you motor for one hour you equal 6 hours of solar panel charging.

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2012 : 20:50:44

I rarely motor for more than the few minutes necessary to get in and out of port. The one exception is at the start or end of long trips when I need to get through the locks. I agree with you that if you do motor a lot then that can help with your charging.

It is always interesting to me to see how different people outfit their boats. A few weeks ago I went through the locks with someone who had an ice maker, largish TV, fridge, and other items on a 27' sailboat. He had 5 group 24 batteries and a generator. The Pardy's are the far other end of the equation and advocate sailing without any power system onboard. I'm somewhere in between.

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