Wind generator

[JMorgan]

Has anyone installed a wind generator on a 350?

I'm trying to locate some pictures to determne the optimal location for the mounting pole.

[jtptdallas]

I looked into this as well to run AC when cruising in an anchorage overnight. We're on Lake Texoma and it gets a little warm in the summer. Everything I heard said that models available were not only cumbersome but noisey. Have you actually purchased a wind generator and if so which one and from whom? thanks, Jeff Thurston, Lake Texoma

[JMorgan]

I came very close to purchasing a wind generator this spring- until I got hit with the price for the installation.

My plans included Air Breeze Marine wind generator, and adding an additional AGM starter battery to enable me to utilize the two existing 4D batteries as house batteries. Such a system could easily maintain my refrig during the week, while sitting on a mooring. However, due to installation costs and travel time costs, the final estimate came in at around $6,100, which is much more than I want to spend merely to run the refrig during the week.

I'm not sure that a wind generator can provide enough amperage to power an AC unit. Also, are AC units available running off of DC?

[EvenKeel]

There are some DC powered units out there, such as the "DC Breeze", but they would draw a minimum of 48 amps when running. There's probably no way you could run such a unit on any combination of wind and/or solar. With the refrig drawing 2.5-5 amps, I'd still be surprised if a typical wind generator could reliably keep up unless the wind was constant.

Speaking of cranking batteries, a local shop gave me an estimate of $1600 to add one, which included $700 just for cables and 8 hrs of labor. I ended up doing it myself in 4 hours and $300 in materials, including the battery, isolator, and custom-made cables. And no, I had never done a project like this before. But I wouldn't know where to start with a wind generator.

Gary B
Even Keel II #288
Herrington Harbor North, MD

[JMorgan]

Gary:

I'm curious... what location on the 350 did you place the new cranking battery?

[EvenKeel]

My cranking battery is under the port settee, just on the other side of the divider from the main batteries. The isolator is mounted on the divider. This made it easy to run the cables up to the "Engine" rotary switch under the chart table. I don't have a third water tank under the port settee, which I suppose would rule out a battery in that location.

I did have to add a new cable from the alternator output to the 1-2-Both switch because the standard layout simply ties the alternator output to the starter motor terminal. The starter motor is now connected only to the cranking battery.

My only worry so far is that whenever the house bank is being charged, the Blue Sea Systems isolator (or "Automatic Charging Relay") closes and is charging the cranking battery whether it needs it or not. Does anyone know whether this will cook the cranking battery after a time?

Gary