Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 I went down to the boat earlier this week and found the House battery flat and the bilge almost full of rainwater. Guess the auto-bilge pump had been doing overtime and had drained the battery. At least on the drystack I never need to worry about her sinking. What solar panel type chargers can the Outlaws recommend to keep my House battery topped up and my bilge dry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 Because my deck drains into the bilge. The boat has no scuppers. So all the rainwater that falls on the deck collects in the bilge and has to be pumped out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzook12 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 43 minutes ago, Andy135 said: Because my deck drains into the bilge. The boat has no scuppers. So all the rainwater that falls on the deck collects in the bilge and has to be pumped out. Can't they stack it the other way up? 🤣 Geoff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 7 minutes ago, JonC said: Oh ? Why don’t you buy some scuppers? Good plan Batman... 🤦♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 1 minute ago, suzook12 said: Can't they stack it the other way up? 🤣 Let me ask them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 7 minutes ago, JonC said: Could you Hotwire your bilge pump to a sacrificial leisure battery when you are out of town? I'm contemplating this, but what happens when it's flat, and how would it get recharged? As a fit and forget solution a solar panel charger with controller hooked up to the House battery seems to be the most practical solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzook12 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 MPPT controllers are the way to go...... Prob around a 20A panel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaByte Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 If you're dry stacked can't you leave the bung out, that's what I did when I was dry stacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, MegaByte said: If you're dry stacked can't you leave the bung out, that's what I did when I was dry stacked. No bung. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaByte Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Just now, Andy135 said: No bung. That won't work then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 Just now, MegaByte said: That won't work then. I like where you're going with that question though. I would consider installing a bung, but for the fact that the majority of the bilge seems to be lower than the lowest point on the transom that I could install a bung in, so water would still pool in the transom up to a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Get a rain cover if you don’t have self draining decks. You ain’t going to get much sunshine this time of year but you will get a lot of rain.... JonC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 1 minute ago, JonC said: I think you should consider re fitting the deck so that it drains out through a pair of scuppers. is your existing deck above the water line? Agree.... Most modern boats are self draining. What happens when you get hit by a big green one over the bow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintly Fish Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Just get a cover made. I can give you the number of a good local guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 So... about this solar charger then... no recommendations anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintly Fish Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 3 minutes ago, Andy135 said: So... about this solar charger then... no recommendations anyone? Where’s BK when you need him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 14 minutes ago, JonC said: I think you should consider sorting the deck out to be self draining Agree, but that's not a job for now. And let's face it, I'm a fair weather angler and I'm very unlikely to go out or be caught out in the sort of conditions that would make fitting scuppers worthwhile. Plus I don't know if the deck is above the water line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 So, solar charger recommendations?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, Andy135 said: So, solar charger recommendations?? Something doesn't seem right here ... When were you last at the boat ? what is the time period in which the battery has become flat ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 1 minute ago, GPSguru said: Something doesn't seem right here ... When were you last at the boat ? what is the time period in which the battery has become flat ? About 4 weeks ago. And yes, whilst it's been wet it hasn't been biblical. Now you mention it, I have an idea that it may be the forward bilge pump (Whale Supersub) which I caught not switching off once, and had to pull the fuse to get it to stop. It has an auto-sensing switch which didn't cut out when dry. If it had been running on then it could easily have drained the battery. Probably worth replacing the pump just to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 1 minute ago, JonC said: Easy way to tell is to take a drill with you next trip out, drill from the inside as low as you can through the side. If water comes in then it’s likely you are bellow sea level. Awesome! Thanks Jon - knew I could count on you 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 13 minutes ago, Andy135 said: About 4 weeks ago. And yes, whilst it's been wet it hasn't been biblical. Now you mention it, I have an idea that it may be the forward bilge pump (Whale Supersub) which I caught not switching off once, and had to pull the fuse to get it to stop. It has an auto-sensing switch which didn't cut out when dry. If it had been running on then it could easily have drained the battery. Probably worth replacing the pump just to be sure. Yes, that sound more like the problem. A pump switching on a handful of times every hour under torrential rain conditions would not flatten a decent battery, and over 4 weeks it hasn't rained 24/7 ! (Seems like though). Those subs are good, but the sump well has to be kept very clean. I had one on my last RIB and it would stay on until the pump housing was cleaned. I think I would change it for something like a Johnson or rule. solar charging is ok but you need to fix the illness and not the symptoms 😉 JonC and Andy135 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 15 minutes ago, JonC said: Going back to @Odyssey’s points, when you take one over the top how fast does it pump out? My boat is a bit smaller than yours so different, but when it gets snotty I get a fair bit over the top. I’ve got a walk round, so when I get a decent wave I can get a few hundred litres running down the walkway. Yes, it is surprising how many litres there are in a decent wave ! On the rare occasions when I take one over the bow, I just drop the elephant trunks and the water disappears at the rate of almost 40,000L/Hr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 25 minutes ago, JonC said: Going back to @Odyssey’s points, when you take one over the top how fast does it pump out? My boat is a bit smaller than yours so different, but when it gets snotty I get a fair bit over the top. I’ve got a walk round, so when I get a decent wave I can get a few hundred litres running down the walkway. Never taken one over the top, so I don't know. The aft bilge pump is a Rule item that pumps 800 gallons/3000 litres per hour, and the forward pump would probably kick in too if it was really bad, but again, I'm unlikely to ever be out in risky conditions. I'll look into how easy (or difficult) it might be to get scuppers fitted through a twin skinned hull, but it's a low priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 9 minutes ago, JonC said: I guess you don’t have an engine room to flood so there’s no panic to bail out. Yes and no ........... a lot of water slopping around the deck in bad weather will cause a huge amount of instability ............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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