EcoFlow is running the Spring Sale up to £1010 off from 6th March to 2nd April. Click on the link in the description box and use my code for an extra 5% off. Purchase from EcoFlow official website: uk.ecoflow.com/pages/spring-sale?aff=11& 5% off Code: DanniandJoe Purchase from EcoFlow Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/982AADB9-1B02-4F32-91BC-67560D685BC1?channel=SP-DanniandJoe 5% off Code: J36HHKLY If you're already a member of the EcoFlow Shop, join the EF community now and you'll get an extra 2,000 points (100 Euro Coupon for next purchase) during the flash sale! bit.ly/3P7JgGu
Hi Joe, it was interesting don't think it wasn't, but you do need some sort of understanding how things work, I have on my wide beam everything the same as yourself but I do have a 240 amp leisure battery alternator which works wonders. Always look forward to your vlogs don't always comment keep up the good work. Hugs to danni hope she fine😊
I’ve not got a boat. Don’t understand electrics. Understood next to nothing of what you said. Enjoyed it a lot. Your like Stephen Fry, doesn’t matter what your talking about, it’s just relaxing to listen to you. Keep doing it.
Hi Joe, I hope you are doing okay in Danni's absence. Keeping busy makes the time go faster. I went through all the numbers on your solar system and have a few suggestions if you are interested (I have designed DC to DC converters, inverters, as well as a solar controller. I also have been doing solar at home since 2009). I recommend a parallel connection of your solar panels. Series connected panels are best if you have a long distance between the panel and solar controller. On a boat, the panels are so close wiring wise, the benefits easily outweigh the disadvantages. Your panels have 60 cells in series, with about 0.6 volt output per cell, your open circuit voltage should be about 36 volts. Taking wire losses and solar controller overhead into account, you need a minimum of 19 volts from your panels to run your system. Paralleling your panels causes the solar controller to operate slightly more efficiently and prevents a small shadow falling on just one cell in one panel, from taking down the entire panel system output by 80 to 90%. Series connected panels also require a special high DC voltage disconnect switch, as the higher DC output from the solar panel system can arc across the open contacts of a standard AC rated switch. Series connected solar panels don't improve low light output because, the panel voltage doesn't start dropping until its output drops below 5% output power, and it is a slow drop as light diminishes. When the panel output voltage starts dropping rapidly due to the light going away, the panels no longer put out current so, a series connection really won't help much.. The biggest drawback with parallel connected panels is, you need twice the wiring for your installation between the panel and solar controller. Solar panel ratings assume ideal conditions: New solar panels, the sun is directly overhead, the panels are pointed at the sun, the sky is perfectly clear, low humidity, and the panel temperature is +25 degrees Celsius or less. On a good day, I estimate your panels will put out up to 568 watts/40 amps of charge power/current. Assuming the battery is fully charged, 508 watts of inverter output. When the system is pulling more power than the system can provide, the solar controller will load the panels to the point where the panel voltage drops 20%, which is the maximum power point. It looks like you have just the one battery. The inverter will draw more current than the battery is rated for if you try to get the full 3,000 watts out of the inverter. If you can afford it, add a second battery. I think you mentioned your cloths washer draws 2,000 watts? Is this with water heat? If so, turn that off and cold water wash. 2,000 watts is a lot of power to pull from your system. I looked up your boat engine. It looks like the best all-around engine for narrowboats. Since it is an Interference type engine, just be sure the timing chain is in good condition.
Well explained.... Didn't think I needed a Cerbo in my van but now I have I love it. The only thing you have to be careful of if wiring in series is shading. If you have shading on one panel then the whole string is effected. But if you have them in parallel then one panel can be shaded and the other panel will still be fine. The amount of channels I see storing the centre line on top of the panels 😮.... Nate is a true bank of knowledge.. 👍
Yeah love the Cerbo! That's true with the shading, we find that if one panels in shade then the other is as well - been some lovely open bits of canal recently and have seen nearly 500w of solar coming in!
The other issue with series is the shock risk. Single panels or panels in parallel are pretty safe. Series panels can generate enough voltage to start to become an electric shock risk, so extra care needed handling wiring.
Boating always comes down to power. We have left the comfort of a marina on shore power and are solely reliant on engine and solar. It's a tricky juggling act Unless we have sun it's a no no not to use the inverter. Whilst all UTube vlogers have been gifted these power packs yes I agree they are an evening asset and I think we should have to buy one at some point in the future. The weather has been horrendous for the past 4 months. Boating is tough. Keep safe both Safe journey travels.
Thanks for sharing. Interesting video and comments, don't have a Narrowboat, considering an ecoflow to power lights for a market stall rather than petrol generator
Wasn't boring at all,I've watch a few try and explain it all.imho this is the best I've seen so far :) well done Joe :) top notch :) Wish I could like the video 100 times :)
Get on the 'Coffee Stout' from Aldi, for BOTW Joe. It's unbelievably good. Just had one watching this, so now my mouth is buzzing with coffee and Guinness type aromas, and I understand series wiring! Result!🤣
Really informative video, I was wondering if after all the news articles (fake or not), about EV's. Do you worry about the fire hazard of lithium batteries?.
Thank you! I think everything has it's risks. Personally i'm more afraid of a potential gas explosion than anything battery related. For scale an EV's battery bank is around 40KWH and this battery is around 3.5KWH so over 10 x the size.
I was first acquainted with Lithium batteries in 1995. They are unstable by nature. To make them safer, the added BMS (Battery Maintenance System) limits the charging voltage, charging and discharge currents, monitors temperature, and voltage sharing between cells within the battery. The BMS addresses most of the danger areas that will make the battery explode and catch on fire but, not all. Long term high discharge and charge currents, elevated temperatures, vibration, and high humidity levels can cause thermal runaway. In a narrowboat installation, thermal runaway is very rare. However, if they do runaway, there is a high probability it will kill you if you don't exit the boat within 15 seconds due to high levels of outgassing. The fire can't be extinguished, the heat can easily cut through steel and concrete, even with a medium size battery of 100 Ah.
hiya I've recently seen a canal boat that has had a full electric conversion where it hasn't got a diesel engine at all the whole boat was electric even the motor that powers it and it look amazing inside too i think you should do that with your boat bro you would save so much money as you wouldn't have to buy diesel anymore
They all have marine diesel generators though, because at least half the year you don't get enough solar! And those generators cost almost as much as a your normal narrowboat engine on their own. Add the cost of electric motor and batteries and it still makes a lot of sense to run a normal diesel. Unless you're rich enough to afford the extra cost for electric propulsion. Don't get me wrong, I'd love an electric boat (or car for that matter), but both are still very pricey options.
No, it was really interesting. Would you ever think of buying a hybrid boat( I know they are expensive), but would you feel they would be more energy saving 😊
Very interesting, thank you. 😂😂 Galvonic isolators are more than witchcraft 😂 as a boat owner and an electrician I totally believe they are just cash cow, the metal posts on the pontoons with the AC power supply don’t have them ???? Hope Dani is safe n well 👍👍
0:18 - Eeeeeeehh.... get a replacement cap for that as soon as possible. You don't want loose debris or a screw/nut/washer while working on something else falling inside.
That's a nice setup with decent redundancy. Like the video: good explanation. You've earned a new Subscriber. Looking forward to watching your journey.
Thanks for the explanation of the difference of wiring solar panels up in a series vs parallel. I have some solar panels that I wired in a series but never really knew the advantages of doing that. I'm not a boater. I live on a small farm in West Virginia, US but I have found your video very useful.
Because of you, I now own an ecoflow! I got in case of emergencies (earthquakes, floods ect) but I'm finding I'm using it another more . It's great. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿😊
Great overview, thanks Joe. I have just bought a narrow boat and I have lots of Engineering qualifications but I still appreciated the vlog. It was both informative and interesting. Your system looks to be robust, reliable and inherently flexible, well done. I am struggling to design something that isn't expensive and overly complex. :-)
Thank you! Yeah it’s hard to find the right balance without compromising performance and cost too much. I’d work backwards from what you definitely need to power and seeing what fits your budget. Renogy make good value alternatives to Victron (but some of the MPPT units aren’t actually cheaper than Victron!) so worth searching.
Hi Joe would you still need a galvanic isolator if you only used a generator? Has I'm in the throws of adding extra solar and generator on my boat. Love watching you and Dani
That’s a great question - I’m going to have a read up, found this thread which covers it but it’s a bit over my pay grade to say! www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/48508-galvanic-isolators-and-generators/
Your video has taken the edge of my lack of knowledge of all things electrical..such a mystery.. we are new to all of this and have been trying to decipher the spec of our new boat.Look forward to getting more adept of all this stuff! Thanks for the info 👌
Hi Danni, There is only limited amount of cash this year. Which would you go for first EG EcoFlow or generator. Hoping there may be some offers on at Crick 2024. PS I don't buy from the Internet. Great watch, thinking of options now. Cheers Julie
Hey Julie! If you’ve already got solar you probably won’t need a generator until October maybe, if you’re planning on any camping trips where you could utilise the EcoFlow through summer then I’d say go for that first. But if you’ll need a generator for winter then that would be a priority!
Hello Joe. Great vlog, as always. Does your alternator struggle with belt slip when under load? And.... Going back in time, can you explain what you use for your bed lifting system, please? I know you briefly covered it when you were building the bed, but I can't find it. Cheers Dave.
Brill vid, tons of info for those of us interested, I commented to 'the narrowboat pirate' that bifacial panels are now available that absorb light from both sides giving up to 30% more energy, tons better yield in overcast british weather... 1000mm x 700mm panels are rated about 200-225w, I believe, so a pretty big efficiency leap. it helps a lot to elevate them on brackets tilt towards the sun and paint the surface behind them like a boat roof white so it reflects light to the panel rear. They run a higher open circuit voltage tho, so need appropriate controllers, but I suppose each panel is like a solar parallel sandwich of two panels back to back with clear glass. I'm hoping somebody like Craig solar stocks 450-500w panels that are only the size of 350-400w panels in the near future as I've only seen smaller bifacials at the moment. 👍
Well explained Joe. Be aware that storing petrol onboard requires a stringent set of rules and regulations to be adhered to that most boaters’ ignore, possibly with dire consequences and potentially making your insurance void. Might be worth considering getting your generator converted to run from your 13kg gas cylinder.
They have a programmable relay in the multiplus 2 aswell people use them for a immersion solar dump you can just use it to power up all your lithium battery packs
Very interesting! Only someone with zero knowledge about finance would call the electricity free, though. With a large investment, the electricity is not free.
@@ItsOhJoe no music , zero, nada, nuffing. 😂 it’s a damn Yankee colonial thing banging riffs after every will it work statement (not you) or aaarrrghhhh lift music while your talking. Intro ok, outro ok but not in between. Let’s hear it, bumps, pumps clatters n all. When some Kidiot editor got his hands on the in America series they stuck riffs n crap all over it, viewing figures plummeted. Watched all yours and enjoy the adventures.