Running Engines After Dark.

[Vaughan]

10 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

I guess one easy fix to legacy boats to improve battery performance  - go 24v - then you halve the amperages of anything, from the lights,

I have had experience of this and I would suggest - don't go there.

I used to work for a company in France that had hire boats on 12v for the engine and 24v for the domestics, all on a common negative return.  The French do love to complicate things if possible and they even had a new Kabola heating and hot water system that needed 12v for the fans, 24v for the boiler and 220v via a 24v inverter for the electronics.

There is a basic principle with batteries :

If you connect two 12v batteries in parallel, you will double the amp/hours capacity.  If you connect them in series, you will only double the voltage.

This doesn't sound right, does it, but I assure you, it is true.

Edited to add : 24volts is for when you want "cold cranking amps", in other words, power to turn over a big Diesel engine. This is why trucks are on 24 volts.

[YnysMon]

6 hours ago, Smoggy said:

I found an easy way to cut the usage of hair dryers and curling brushes to help on battery life, cheap clippers from fleabay,  I doubt swmbo will go along with it but it's so much easier......

It can be done! A fortnight ago I got completely fed up of my long hair and persuaded Graham to get out the clippers. Mind you, he had cut my hair during the first lockdown, so I know he’d make a decent job of it.