This number represents the total amount of energy that the fully charged battery can release when discharged at a stable rate over a 20 hour period. Read the following Ĭapacity – While the power output of a battery is rated in several ways, the only rating generally useful to the cruiser also happens to be the most common and is referred to as the 20 hour amp-hr rating. It is only possible to select right alternator(s) after the capacity and type of battery bank has been determined. To fully appreciate why the acceptance rate is so important it is first necessary to gain an understanding of the relationship between alternator size and battery bank size. One of the best and most enlighening articles we've come across regarding lithium batteries for marine use comes from Rod at and can be found here. There is a lot of information online about lithium batteries and even some specifically for lithium batteries in marine applications. However, this weight savings and performance efficiency comes at a premium as most lithium batteries will be at least 2x the cost of a traditional battery.Īlso, the prices for lithium batteries vary drastically, from low cost Ali-xxx or eBay options to premium Battle Born, ReLion or Lithionics options, but the bottom line is you get what you pay for! And, just like all other marine-grade components, quality is very important and this is definitely not an area where you should be looking to cut costs or corners. They are lighter and at least twice as efficient as traditional lead-acid, gel or AGM battery technology, meaning you can purchase half the number of batteries you currently have while maintaining your usable capacity. More and more boaters are making the switch to lithium. So it is seen that by using the energy analysis method, the calculation of appropriate battery bank size is made purely on the basis of energy usage and the frequency of your recharge cycles. This in combination with their estimated daily energy consumption forms the basis for calculating the battery bank size required. The cruiser must now decide how often they wish to run their engine or generator to recharge their batteries. In the next step of the analysis it is assumed that our cruiser will not want to discharge their batteries more that 50% since it is commonly believed that doing so will disproportionately shorten their life span. As you can imagine the totals will vary tremendously from boat to boat, however for illustration purposes, let’s assume that our particular cruiser calculates a total estimated use of 140 amp-hrs per 24 hours. Nevertheless, to complete the analysis the total estimated energy consumption of all such devices is added together to provide an estimated average total daily energy consumption in amp-hrs. Making accurate estimates for some items is relatively easy, for others such as electric autopilots it is nearly impossible to estimate. The refrigerator draws 6 amps while it’s running and runs an average of 18 hrs per day. Three reading lights drawing 1 amp each will be used an average of 3.5 hours per day. An amp-hr (current draw x operating time) total over a 24 hour period is then calculated for every device which consumes electrical energy. will be operating and the amount of current they will draw while they are on. To perform such an analysis, assumptions are made about the length of time the lights, appliances, navigational equipment, water maker, etc. It is common practice among the energy gurus to perform an energy analysis of a cruising boat and advise a battery bank capacity based on the results.
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