ricram
Member
I'm a new member to the forum, just signed up but have been reading for a year. I just posted in the new member area and here comes post #2. What prompted me to sign up now is I thought you all might have some insight on an idea proposed to my noisy AC arrangement.
I have a 16k btu unit in the main salon with a 6k btu 110v window unit in the hatch of the rear cabin. I also have an original (1983) 7.5 Onan diesel generator, which works flawlessly and is immensely noisy. Single perkins, with a 120amp alternator , 2-8D house batteries and one each isolated engine and genset batteries.
My personal situation: My wife and I like to go on quiet overnight and weekend trips. We both still work so a few days at a time is what we can take right now. My wife (and truth be told, myself) like to sleep in a cool (70ish) room. We have done this exactly 2 times in this boat. The first time, my daughter, sleeping in the front v berth, begged me to turn off the genset because it was soooo noisy. She didn't have to wake me since by 3am or so, I hadn't slept a wink, worried about the untested (for me) genset and the noise. The second time was because I couldn't believe that it had been *that* loud the first time. It had. So for a while my wife and I would overnight on the boat in the slip on shore power. Being tied in the slip, enjoyable as it may be, is not the reason we bought this boat, it was to take it out and enjoy it while on the hook.
Two paths considered: I am researching sound insulating blankets for the genset. I know of great southern insulation in Fort Lauderdale and am looking for others. If this is reasonably effective, it my just solve my problem but this last week at the ft.laud. Boat show I saw at least 2 12v AC systems that looked interesting. As I asked around a bit I got several "that won't work" kind of answers. It seemed to come down to how long the thing (3.5k-6k btu) would run. I wrote off the idea as not practical and moved on but then a Freind suggested I take another look. My rear cabin is about 475 cu/ft. I have some space under the bed for extra batteries. If the whole thing would cool the space for say, 8 hours, in silence, and then charge using the engine alternator while we cruise the next day, it might be a better solution than the genset. I realize I must learn something new, something alien to me, that is the amp hour/watts/btu/battery capacity formulas. Until I master that, what do you guys think? Why haven't I seen this on another similar boat before? That makes we wonder.
Have mercy.
I have a 16k btu unit in the main salon with a 6k btu 110v window unit in the hatch of the rear cabin. I also have an original (1983) 7.5 Onan diesel generator, which works flawlessly and is immensely noisy. Single perkins, with a 120amp alternator , 2-8D house batteries and one each isolated engine and genset batteries.
My personal situation: My wife and I like to go on quiet overnight and weekend trips. We both still work so a few days at a time is what we can take right now. My wife (and truth be told, myself) like to sleep in a cool (70ish) room. We have done this exactly 2 times in this boat. The first time, my daughter, sleeping in the front v berth, begged me to turn off the genset because it was soooo noisy. She didn't have to wake me since by 3am or so, I hadn't slept a wink, worried about the untested (for me) genset and the noise. The second time was because I couldn't believe that it had been *that* loud the first time. It had. So for a while my wife and I would overnight on the boat in the slip on shore power. Being tied in the slip, enjoyable as it may be, is not the reason we bought this boat, it was to take it out and enjoy it while on the hook.
Two paths considered: I am researching sound insulating blankets for the genset. I know of great southern insulation in Fort Lauderdale and am looking for others. If this is reasonably effective, it my just solve my problem but this last week at the ft.laud. Boat show I saw at least 2 12v AC systems that looked interesting. As I asked around a bit I got several "that won't work" kind of answers. It seemed to come down to how long the thing (3.5k-6k btu) would run. I wrote off the idea as not practical and moved on but then a Freind suggested I take another look. My rear cabin is about 475 cu/ft. I have some space under the bed for extra batteries. If the whole thing would cool the space for say, 8 hours, in silence, and then charge using the engine alternator while we cruise the next day, it might be a better solution than the genset. I realize I must learn something new, something alien to me, that is the amp hour/watts/btu/battery capacity formulas. Until I master that, what do you guys think? Why haven't I seen this on another similar boat before? That makes we wonder.
Have mercy.