Most reacted posts

Thought I'd share some pictures of the upgrade I did on my 27' sailboat First, the main DC electrical compartment. On the top-right side of the image is a 460Ah 2p4s LiFePO4 battery, managed by a REC ABMS. The Blue Sea 7713, and Lynx Distributor are on the high side. The low side of the DC...

Just thought I'd share my shiny new 460AHr, 2p4s LiFePO4 battery bank: Each pair of cells is paralleled using the bus bars that shipped with the cells, and each cell pair is chained to the next with two 2AWG jumpers. In turn, the class T fuse connects to the bank with equal length parallel...

I'm happy to pay the "Peace of Mind" tax. The system I built is on my boat, which when not in use sits unattended at the dock. It absolutely needs to be safe and reliable, and be remotely monitorable. When we are away from the dock, I'm also literally sleeping right on top of it, so again safety...

Be design, mix valves will fail safe (ie cold). This is a safety critical system as 90C water would be exceedingly dangerous coming out of a tap or shower head. That said, all the hose we use for our plumbing system is rated for 90C.

Don't even need to do that. Mate the connectors, then apply a small blob right where the connector touches the body. That's enough to hold the connector in against vibration, but easy enough to pull out again if you need to undo the connector. Source: Worked for a small defence contractor that...

On my Ericson 27, there just isn’t much room for solar panels. I’ve got 120W on the dodger, and another 200W portable that I can unfold. The rest of the boat is primarily sailing hardware. Plus, the dirty secret when it comes to sailing on my part of the world is that realistically, you’re...

Almost by definition you can’t do this. I presume you’re not a PE (Professional Engineer), and if you were, you’d likely be in a conflict of interest. What you can do is contact various companies that can do this, and see what you can do to make their job as simple and as cheap as possible.

Reminds me of the Lucas Electric Guide for Fuse Replacement: https://mgb1967.com/lucas-guide-to-fuse-replacement/lucas-fuse-replacement-chart/

Doesn't matter if you're on or off grid. If you're doing electrical in a permanent structure, you're still subject to code whether you like it or not. I work with an organization that is way off-grid in WA. You had better believe that we still need to pull county permits, and get inspections for...

Well, by definition, they’re 100% efficient. It’s just that there are even better ways to achieve the heating.

Another happy customer here. Purchased 8x 230AHr w/ welded studs from Docan. They arrived at my package delivery place in Point Roberts within just a few days of my order, from the Houston warehouse. Packaging was great, and using a calibrated Fluke multimeter I was able to verify that all...

Thought I would share an updated photo now that all the high current wiring is complete. Next up is the AC wiring (inverter chargers is just out of the picture) and control system. Probably a day’s work, but unfortunately I’m off on a business trip for a week.

Best way is to put it under max load (say full inverter load) and observe the joints with a thermal camera. If you have a good crimp, they’ll stay cool. If you have a bad crimp, they’ll heat up due to increased resistance.

It all really comes down to how its implemented. At the nonprofit I work with, we have our own private hydro-electric power system. In the power house, there is 2400V delta 3 phase running through open cable trays using relatively simple insulated wire. However, said cable trays are hung a good...

Just to let you know, it’s entirely possible to drive the ML-RBS “properly” from the REC BMS, if you add a couple of passive components. All it takes is a couple of capacitors (100 microfarad 36v electrolytics will be fine), a couple of resistors, and a couple of LEDs. As the REC flips the main...

When I bought my cells from Docan, I just had them shipped to Point Roberts, WA and brought them across myself. Had to pay GST/PST, but nothing other than that.

I mean, we could, but I also admit to a bit of vanity and don't really want her to look like a floating power station. The reality is that we're probably motoring 4 to 5 hours a day when we're actively using her, so that's more than enough to keep the batteries topped up. When we're doing a...

If it isn’t specified, my rule of thumb is to apply just enough torque to pull the split washer flat. Standard buildup should be flat washer, split washer, then nut. You do also have to be careful as in these situations, the stud or threads are often made of brass or copper, which is much...

The problem with something like that is it means I’m now carrying two types of fuel on my boat. Diesel for my main engine, and a Jerrycan of gasoline for the range extender. The beauty of modern alternator regulators is that they can do everything needed to achieve the same goals while not...

On the topic of 24V being useful or not, it is the second most common voltage in the marine industry. Most recreational stuff is 12V, most commercial stuff is 24V, and dual purpose is 10-36VDC. The system I’m building for my boat will be 2p4s, mostly because then I don’t need converters for...

So my REC, with all the needed bits, other than contactors (which would also be needed for the Taos) cost me around $500. For a solution that’s known to integrate with both my alternator regulator and power system. Looking at the comparison chart, I don’t know that the Taos is $400 better. But...

GFCIs are (the only) permissible way to provide a 3 prong outlet when you do not have an actual Protective Earth. They work by monitoring the current in the hot and neutral wires and, if they differ by more than 5mA, tripping the outlet. The site where I've done a lot of electrical work (under...

While this is wildly off topic for this thread, I’m just going to point out that the whole McDonalds coffee case is wildly misunderstood. It’s often portrayed as a frivolous, oversized lawsuit, but the reality couldn’t be furhter from the truth. Prior to the incident in question, McDonalds had...

We have 120W of solar on the dodger (2x 60W 24V solar panels). We could probably add more capacity if we didn't mind turning the boat into a floating PV power station, but I'll admit to some vanity in how she looks on the water. The rest of deck space is taken up by control lines and halyards...

So, what you need to look at your loads. If most of your loads are AC, then yeah, going for a 48V system will make sense. If a lot of your loads are 12VDC (lighting, refrigeration, bow thruster, etc… ) it might make more sense to be 12VDC. If your 12V loads are relatively modest, it likely makes...

In the end, only two things really matter. First, is it safe? And secondly will your AHJ sign off on it.

As a rule, if it is a permanent installation connected to a structure, it needs to be permitted. How you define permanently installed is where you can get into the argument with your AHJ. The bigger issue is if you ever do have a situation where you wind up with a fire, or something else where...

Normal for the marine environment, I believe is actual tin plated. (literally "tinned").

If you’re near a coast, your local marine store will have them tinned, as pretty much all electrical on a boat/ship is tinned due to being in a marine environment. Of course, you’ll pay the marine premium for your pleasure.

NEC typically kicks in for voltages > 48VDC, which is why things like lawn/garden lighting and so forth is 48VDC. The question is whether the AHJ and insurance company would treat a 48v nominal battery as 48V, or consider it to be closer to its true voltage of 56V. If the latter, then NEC...