Free Power

Remember my old wind generator that the crew were so enamoured with, until it managed to burn itself out ?  Well skip today (Monday), came down with a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of each cell that makes up the battery and all the batteries within bank 1.  Not only did he do that, but with the wiring finished for the new Rutland 1200 wind generator, he assembled the unit and raised it on its pole.

This much more advance peace of kit generates ac current which is sent direct to the controller, that converts it dc.  This time skip has wired it to both battery banks as he's of the opinion that the engine start battery, which has no other purpose than that, is well looked after by the engines alternator on its own.  Not only that but a set of jump leads to one of the banks would start the engine if the battery failed for any reason.

The controller that has been fitted adjacent to the Stirling shore powered charger, does look a little industrial and was the downside when it first came out however, a much more pleasant interface that provides readings similar to that they enjoyed with the old 914i unit.  The controller has indication lights two on the left and two on the right, the left shows whether a wind generator or solar panel is fitted and goes green if it does.  On the right a traffic light system indicates the state of the battery banks 1 & 2, green for above 13v, orange for between 12v - 13v and red if below 12v.

Rutland 1200 Controller Unit

After the Bank Holiday weekend sail, skip was a bit concerned that battery bank 1, that consists of four wired in series, was dropping in power.  The hydrometer showed that three had lost power, but this may be due to the sudden dilution from top up fluid and so the fact that the generator is now fitted and running means that the batteries will be subject to the same charging routine as the other chargers provide, bulk, absorption and trickle charge.  This ability to constantly recharge the deep cycle batteries at a level that they require, should give them the best chance for longevity preventing sulphate build up on the plates.

Display unit at the chart table

I'll keep you up to date as to whether the doggy three manage to pull their socks up, after all a sailing yacht like me turns the free power to get my crew from place to place, why not harness that same power to generate electricity too.