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...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 7 minutes ago, Andy135 said: So, solar charger recommendations?? 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. 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...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 1 minute ago, Andy135 said: Awesome! Thanks Jon - knew I could count on you 👍 No problem ginge. oh, and don’t mess about with anything smaller than 20mm, you will be wasting your time. Just put it on hammer. Andy135 1 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...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 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. 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...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, Andy135 said: 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. That’s only 50 litres per minute, a Donkey bucket full though I guess you don’t have an engine room to flood so there’s no panic to bail out. 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...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Just now, GPSguru said: Yes and no ........... a lot of water slopping around the deck in bad weather will cause a huge amount of instability ............. It’s never going to be a good thing, but deck swamped isn’t such a bad thing if your engine is still going is what I meant GPSguru 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzook12 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Andy135 said: So... about this solar charger then... no recommendations anyone? 3 hours ago, suzook12 said: MPPT controllers are the way to go...... Prob around a 20A panel I did answer the original question........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Just now, suzook12 said: I did answer the original question........ Yeah but wouldn’t it be nice to see him ripping his deck up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 11 minutes ago, JonC said: Yeah but wouldn’t it be nice to see him ripping his deck up? We need a "You're such a dick..." emoji... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 12 minutes ago, Andy135 said: We need a "You're such a dick..." emoji... That’s gratitude for you 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, JonC said: That’s gratitude for you You'll get gratitude when you answer the original question 🧐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonC Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 6 minutes ago, Andy135 said: You'll get gratitude when you answer the original question 🧐 If you want a sticky plaster to go over the gaping wound then crack on with your solar panels. They won’t help you though when you’re wading about on the deck trying to bail out with a tea cup. Andy135, Saintly Fish and GPSguru 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 On 12/18/2020 at 8:43 PM, GPSguru said: 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 😉 I replaced the Supersub with a Rule pump this evening. The Rule is activated by a float switch, so no more dodgy sensors to keep running on. Interestingly when I tested the new pump after installation it was getting no power. Turns out the old pump had blown the fuse - guessing it ran dry and seized but will inspect it in the morning to find out the cause. Good news was that the House battery was still showing 12.46v, so either the fuse stopped the Supersub from draining the battery or the weather has been drier than forecast in Pompey over the last week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Andy135 said: Turns out the old pump had blown the fuse - guessing it ran dry and seized but will inspect it in the morning to find out the cause. The supersub (as with most small bilge pumps) is not designed to run continuously, so I suspect it overheated and took out the fuse, which is a whole lot better than setting fire to your boat ! .................. We have certainly had plenty of rain along the coast over the last week !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captin slows old outlaw Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 if you have the boat in the stack ,would the boat be in the shade from the boat above. if you have a cuver on it. at the top of the stack would it blow off ? would be a long way to come to fix it. so i soppose sopoase that scuppers would not be pretty or bling but would work sun or no sun, or flaten your battery, Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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