Pentargon has had a Dyson handheld DC 30 vac. from the beginning, the only item that needs mains to recharge its battery. But, charger and a battery fit in my pocket. Recharging may occur under a library desk or on a train. And I have two batteries! So, I am never without a vacuum cleaner.
My boat uses two entirely separate battery circuits. The 'starter circuit' uses a 12v car battery, wired up to the engine starter exclusively. That means what it says. The starter battery is dedicated to starting the engine and to nothing else.
This circuit causes the 'ignition light' to come on when the key is activated and is the source of the power which drives the starter motor to start the engine.
This circuit also has NO OTHER FUNCTION being designed to provide massive current for a very short period to turn the massive engine and start it. The cables and battery internals reflect this. Diesel engines do not rely on an electrical ignition system but you knew that. You DID know that, didn't you?
The 'leisure circuit' acts as a power supply for every other electrical device on board and on my boat consists of a bank of special batteries daisy-chained.
The internals of a leisure battery differ from a starter battery being designed to supply small amounts of electricity for long periods of time using fine cables and low current.
On my boat, the electrics have been pared down to LED lighting, phone charging and a small bilge pump which is mostly used to clear out the rainwater which accumulates under the engine during wet weather. This pump operates manually for good reason.
The boat does have other pumps but they are all disconnected to enhance the off-grid living experience and so 'nothing could go wrong' and I would not have to depend on shore power, marinas or petrol generators.
Recently, a significant solar panel was fitted whose only function is to stop the leisures discharging if the boat were to be unused for a long period. In the lighter half of the year ... it ensures a minimum leisure circuit reading of 12.7-12.9V. In the darker half it struggles to keep the reading above 12.3!
When the engine is running, the leisure circuit is 'charged' by the alternator. The solars are hardwired into the boat's wiring and I see no reason to add fancy and very expensive switchover devices
While the engine is being started it is electrically isolated, but as soon as it begins to whirl it sets about recharging any loss from the starter battery as a priority and the helm sees that red light go out.
As soon as the alternator senses that starter is voltage is restored, it focuses on to the leisure circuit. If there is any demand from electric devices, that demand will be satisfied by the alternator which runs the circuit at 14.5V.
At the same time any excess from the alternator is now fed into the leisure battery bank to recharge it and hold it at 14.5V while the engine is running. This is a useful aspect of alternator battery interaction. Knowing the circuit will be at 14+V while cruising means that USB points and other access points can charge VHF Radios, the AIS, mobile phones and all sorts of gear most of which would be used at sea. You did know Pentargon is 'sea-going' didn't you?
The above arrangement is not necessarily found on other canal boats but if it was, there would be no electrical breakdowns on canal boats and pigs would have wings and I would be polishing my brasses.
This circuit causes the 'ignition light' to come on when the key is activated and is the source of the power which drives the starter motor to start the engine.
This circuit also has NO OTHER FUNCTION being designed to provide massive current for a very short period to turn the massive engine and start it. The cables and battery internals reflect this. Diesel engines do not rely on an electrical ignition system but you knew that. You DID know that, didn't you?
The 'leisure circuit' acts as a power supply for every other electrical device on board and on my boat consists of a bank of special batteries daisy-chained.
The internals of a leisure battery differ from a starter battery being designed to supply small amounts of electricity for long periods of time using fine cables and low current.
On my boat, the electrics have been pared down to LED lighting, phone charging and a small bilge pump which is mostly used to clear out the rainwater which accumulates under the engine during wet weather. This pump operates manually for good reason.
The boat does have other pumps but they are all disconnected to enhance the off-grid living experience and so 'nothing could go wrong' and I would not have to depend on shore power, marinas or petrol generators.
Recently, a significant solar panel was fitted whose only function is to stop the leisures discharging if the boat were to be unused for a long period. In the lighter half of the year ... it ensures a minimum leisure circuit reading of 12.7-12.9V. In the darker half it struggles to keep the reading above 12.3!
When the engine is running, the leisure circuit is 'charged' by the alternator. The solars are hardwired into the boat's wiring and I see no reason to add fancy and very expensive switchover devices
While the engine is being started it is electrically isolated, but as soon as it begins to whirl it sets about recharging any loss from the starter battery as a priority and the helm sees that red light go out.
As soon as the alternator senses that starter is voltage is restored, it focuses on to the leisure circuit. If there is any demand from electric devices, that demand will be satisfied by the alternator which runs the circuit at 14.5V.
At the same time any excess from the alternator is now fed into the leisure battery bank to recharge it and hold it at 14.5V while the engine is running. This is a useful aspect of alternator battery interaction. Knowing the circuit will be at 14+V while cruising means that USB points and other access points can charge VHF Radios, the AIS, mobile phones and all sorts of gear most of which would be used at sea. You did know Pentargon is 'sea-going' didn't you?
The above arrangement is not necessarily found on other canal boats but if it was, there would be no electrical breakdowns on canal boats and pigs would have wings and I would be polishing my brasses.
