100 amp alternator. Does that mean it charges 100 amps in an

[#71]

Thanks for your responses.  Stu to answer your question.
 The goal is to have hot water offshore.  

 The problem is its too loud and takes way to long to fire up hot water in the morning using the engine and heat exchanger.

I have a 100 amp high powered alternator and 4 trojan t105 batterey's and a starting battery and an 11 gallon hot water heater.

I am trying to decide on weather to go with a inverter alone a generator or both.

with the inverter it would use about 170 of my 220 amps and my hot water heater is a 1500 watt so I would neet at least a heart 15 but it would give me hot water quick and quiet.  With the 100 amp alternator I could run the engine for a couple hours  later in the morning to recharge the batteries.

Or just get a generator and run that for about a half hour in the morning and not run down the batteries although more expensive.  

Any thoughts comments.

[Stu Jackson]

Doug

Have you considered the Good Old Boat reference I noted earlier?  Not a joke.  We also use a Sun Shower, which hangs up fine inside the head on hooks we have installed above the head sink.  A few minutes of heating hot water on the stove goes a long way.

One idea we have used a few times is to run the engine when the inverter is running the hot water heater.  A law of dimishing returns, but not too bad for fifteen minutes and some hot water without complete dependency on only the batteries, since something's going in while a lot is coming out.

Also, don't forget, in your arithmetic, what you've used the night before from the house bank.

It sure seems like a pretty expensive way to get some hot water, but your boat, your choice.

I continue to suggest some more time to get used to the boat before you make more major moves.

Good luck,

Stu

PS now you're #71. Hi!

[sailingdolphin]

Thanks for all the posts :)

[Paul Blumenfeld]

Jim,

What size solar panels do you use?  I'm looking to just keep the AB fridge and some lights running for three or four days at anchor. Have an 8D house battery plus two starting batteries.

Paul

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim Kane, "Jentine", #1207:
I am sorry that you paid so much for your solar/wind generation system.  Two Kyoceria solar panels and a charge regulator are only $1050 (the same cost as a Honda EU2000 generator).  The major difference is that the solar panels will run for 25 years without fuel or maintenace, do not viberate (all internal combustion engines vibrate) or annoy the surrounding boats (Honda gives the decibal rating at 1/4 load and idle, but not full load).

Mounting on top of the dodger, bimini, or davits keep the panels from under foot.  Mounts are commercially available to mount the panels on the life lines.  They hang vertically until deployed and they are raised to a horizontal position to take full effect of the sun.

Jim Kane
p.s. look  at the below for prices and information
http://www.solar-electric.com <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[hdevera]

Anyone thinking of a small generator such as the Honda 1000 or 2000 should be clear on the amperage requirements.  Some inverter/chargers will draw more amps for charging then the generator can output.  If you have a Heart or West Marine 1500 or larger, you will likely have be able to program the charger output to your batteries by using the remote link.  But if you cannot change the inverter/charger output, be clear on your requirements before purchasing the generator.

[hdevera]

Ron,
Note that I said SOME inverters/chargers may require more amperage than a generator may be able to supply.  That does not imply ALL.  I was only suggesting that before one buys ANY generator, beware of what you require.  I have the Honda 2000i and had to program my link system to decrease the inverter/charger output so that the generator would not continually require a reset.  Hope that clears things up.  Perhaps I was not clear on my original reply.

[Mike Smith]

Donna and Doug -

If you are interested in a propane generator at a reasonable price, consider this:  I just bought a Honda EU200i and am converting it to propane.  Here is the link if you haven't already read it.

http://www.c34.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2036&sid=6d3cb5e94f5ee4c3382b2f16c50337a5

Mike