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Electrics again. First, the starter battery could only be charged using clips. Second, the 7A CTEK Zafir 100 clearly wasn’t designed for a 220Ah bank. Third, charging domestic AGM batteries directly from the alternator is undesirable: the voltage is unstable and too low.
In January, I bought a 25A Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger for €180, plus a battery-terminal connector with a 30A fuse for €10. Connected the charger to shore power, ran the connectors to the batteries, and selected the AGM preset over Bluetooth.
In February, I bought a 2.5m extension lead for the CTEK charger for €14, plus a terminal connector with charge indicator and 15A fuse for €9. That reached the starter battery in the starboard locker. Now both starter and domestic circuits charge from shore simultaneously.
The final wish was alternator charging. In April, I paid €160 for a Victron Orion-Tr Isolated 12-to-12V 30A on the local classifieds site. If only the box alone had been enough. I also needed ferrules and crimping pliers for 0.08–16mm² cable, €34; five metres of 16mm² cable, €22; five metres of 6mm² cable, €10; a 60A fuse, €17; three sets of cable lugs at €12 each; and crimpers for up to 50mm² cable, €23. I already had a 30A fuse and heat-shrink tubing. At least something I didn’t need to buy. Installation took a full day, plus a couple of evenings working out whether an isolated model could be used in a non-isolated installation, and which fuses and cable sizes were needed.
All this helped consolidate my knowledge of marine electrics, especially calculating cable sizes. I updated the wiring diagram I’d drawn earlier. It’s in this post, together with cable-sizing tables for length and expected current. Last year’s version of me would have found it invaluable.
#maintenance
In January, I bought a 25A Victron Blue Smart IP65 charger for €180, plus a battery-terminal connector with a 30A fuse for €10. Connected the charger to shore power, ran the connectors to the batteries, and selected the AGM preset over Bluetooth.
In February, I bought a 2.5m extension lead for the CTEK charger for €14, plus a terminal connector with charge indicator and 15A fuse for €9. That reached the starter battery in the starboard locker. Now both starter and domestic circuits charge from shore simultaneously.
The final wish was alternator charging. In April, I paid €160 for a Victron Orion-Tr Isolated 12-to-12V 30A on the local classifieds site. If only the box alone had been enough. I also needed ferrules and crimping pliers for 0.08–16mm² cable, €34; five metres of 16mm² cable, €22; five metres of 6mm² cable, €10; a 60A fuse, €17; three sets of cable lugs at €12 each; and crimpers for up to 50mm² cable, €23. I already had a 30A fuse and heat-shrink tubing. At least something I didn’t need to buy. Installation took a full day, plus a couple of evenings working out whether an isolated model could be used in a non-isolated installation, and which fuses and cable sizes were needed.
All this helped consolidate my knowledge of marine electrics, especially calculating cable sizes. I updated the wiring diagram I’d drawn earlier. It’s in this post, together with cable-sizing tables for length and expected current. Last year’s version of me would have found it invaluable.
#maintenance
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