Technology

I’m a big believer in technology being used well, and love it when I have the opportunity to design a system, within the constraints of the budget and the owners requirements of course, to fulfil their needs as well as possible.

Here the charter yacht Elizabeth G wanted to be able to run their fridge / freezer overnight and let guests charge their phones and cameras.

It’s designed to be a ‘fit and forget’ installation although we may add a Battery Monitor in the future to be able to reduce generator run time further.

Installation Video

The Equipment

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After working out the expected consumption, choosing the right gear is the next part of the job, I chose the following:

Victron Quattro Inverter / Charger 5Kw 120A

Victron Battery Protector BP 220

6v Platinum Deep Cycle 420ah Batteries

400A fuse and holder

Records, Records, Records

Unfortunately it’s so common to go on board a boat and find a lack of records, when for the sake of a quick diagram you can make life so much easier for whoever follows in your footsteps.

I use LucidChart to make simple line drawings explaining what I have connected where and any settings are recorded in the Manuals on board.

With Victron software you can configure the Quattro to charge at the voltages specified by the battery manufacturer, and also setup many other important details, such as relay / alarm functions and power consumption by the various sources so as not to overload the generator or shore connection.

Job Done!

That’s it! Job done, now to see how it performs during the season and make any tweaks and improvements next winter.

Have a great season Hebrides Cruises