Trojan wiring

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jmeirhofer

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So i am reading up on inverters and such (yes already starting to plan projects) and have run into some questions.

I know my input is 250v 50amp service. Since there is nothing that is 250v on the boat I presume it splits it into two 120v circuits. I know that I can operate just one side or the other. Murphy's law tells me that some of what I would want to operate with an inverter would be on one circuit and some would be on the other.

So my question then is would it be prudent to put an inverter/charger on each side with separate battery bank for both. Or an inverter/charger on one side and an inverter on the other side with one battery bank feeding both. Or option number three; One inverter charger with 250v out that is then split to the two banks (not sure if this one is possible) and a 24v input for the batteries.

I also want to add solar. I was considering two 85-150 watt panels hooked together but if I went the two separate sides route with two battery banks then I would separate those as well.

The current charger that is on the boat charges the starting batteries for both motors and the generator. My thought is I would leave that system as is and separate from anything I set up for the house system. Does that make sense?

This is a project for next fall so I have a good 6-8 months to plan it out. I am just trying to figure out what plan makes the most sense to start with.
 
This will be real simple one side is just for your air conditioning which you can't run on an inverter so this is not a problem.
If you look at your breakers you will see there are two main switches for your ac power to switch between shore off and generator beneath the upper switch are only three breakers forward AC rear AC and AC pump that all that this side of the feed powers. Everything else is on the other feed.
 
John, there's a guy at the marina you need to talk to. He does a lot of electrical and A/C work and is well regarded. ask around for John Olivier.

John,
I sent you an email.
 
Thanks Dave and CW. That is a big help Dave. I would have figured it out when I went to the boat here in a couple of weeks but this makes it easier to research stuff now. Judging by the Solar thread going on up above, I may just skip that whole plan. It does not seem like the cost provides enough benefit. Unless I can get a deal like Kurt on two 200watt panels.

CW-I will have to get in touch with him. I am looking at this as a DIY project but he sounds like he would be a good guy to know for advice. I sent you a message back. Sorry I missed you yesterday. Weather up here was not that great so we decided to go today. I got the four winns, polished out, de-winterized and cleaned inside and out. Took some pics of it and will be putting it in the for sale section towards the end of the week. All in all a productive day and a real nice day at the marina. In talking with Steve though we may have to have a different slip. He is not sure we are going to fit into the slot he currently has me assigned to.
 
John,
That 40' Bluewater that was in the slip pretty much filled it up. Your boat may be too big for it but if you can squeeze it in, you'll like being on that "T".
My brother and I used to have a 38' Carver that we squeezed into a slip with 2" (yes, that's two inches) on each side, but it worked and we never had a problem. Even rode out Hurricane Isabelle in it.
 
I am sure with practice I will be able to put it in there just fine. The problem is I may be lacking the sufficient practice by the time I arrive. I think Steve said it was just about 17' wide and 40' deep. The fareway looks about 75' wide right about there. Plus side is there does not appear to be any current. Worse case scenerio I spend a couple hours trying to get it in the first few times.
 
Hi John, My boat came with a big inverter and lots of house batteries, if you like I can give you some info about what I have. The whole bilge compartment between the engines are full of batteries. The system works great when you are on the hook, don't have to run the genny that much.
 
Odvar- thanks. I am game for looking at looking into anything at this point. If you have the chance to get your inverter charger model number and take pictures I would be most appreciative. thanks.
 
John, Not a problem, I'll get some pics and data for you to look at this weekend.
 
John, Here are some shots of my setup. The unit is a Trace Engineering model; Mariner M25 12 mounted under the aft cushion, it has run 24/7 for 10 years, the remote panel is mounted in the aft cabin close to the main el panel, it will tell you anything you need to know about the status of the system. In the engine room you can see 2 of the 8 6volt house batteries, next to the starting batteries. One of the engines also has a bigger alternator for charging.
IMG_2766.jpg


IMG_2765.jpg


IMG_2764.jpg


IMG_2767.jpg
 
Thanks Odvar. The photos are great. With your system how long can you spend "on the hook" before running the genset?
 
John, It all depends on what you are running, however the meter will tell you how many hrs are left at the present burn rate. But I would say we run the genny an hr or so in the am and pm. Again the meter will tell you how many % the batteries are charged to.
 
John let me make a suggestion. Now that there are many good 31 series AGM's look at Sears version they are about the same size as the Golfcart batteries which are only 6 volts. I would look at installing 6 to 8 31 series with the same inverter charger shown above. As long as your not expecting to run your AC you will get 880ah's or using the 50% discharge point as your base before recharging 440AH's of current. Also look at replacing as many if not all interior lights to LED. LED fixtures have come a long way in the last 5 years. Most are brighter and can even give you that warm feeling like regular bulbs at 20 to 30% of the current draw. In the last year I started replacing my older LED's with dual color fixtures. In my older Mainship I had almost 30 incandescent light fixtures that drew over 20 amps when they were all on. I now have almost 40 fixtures that draw less than 3 amps.
Bill
 
Odvar why isn't your Trace unit grounded? The ground lug is empty.
 
Dave, you are sharp, I have to look at that and fix it, thank you.
 
Odvar I was just busting your chops but it would be a good idea to look into it.

BTW that looks like a great setup. Although I have an inverter it's not even in the same league as yours. I really like the LCD display info center.
 
It must be a PIA to get those batteries out. How do you get to the port battery to check the water?
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

It must be a PIA to get those batteries out. How do you get to the port battery to check the water?

Click to expand...

That is why I suggested AGM batteries. Especially with SEARs running specials on the 31 series. Plus it's all 12VDC no worrying about series/parallel or checking water levels.
Bill
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

It must be a PIA to get those batteries out. How do you get to the port battery to check the water?

Click to expand...
If you think that bad you should see the aft most battery on mine it's under the bucket for the cable master. I have to use a mirror and a turkey baster to check and add water.

AGM sounds like a great idea.
 
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