For instance, Termodinamica of Italy - mostly known for their large-scale and high-end superyacht air conditioning systems - has made a foray into the small boat market with a 16k btu air conditioner which runs on 24 volts DC. Inverter driven compressors, which allow compressor speeds to be regulated, have dominated the residential market with the prevalence of ductless mini-splits.Ī couple of manufacturers are applying this technology nicely. Meanwhile, we’ve seen major leaps forward in the terrestrial air conditioning markets. Year after year, the big manufacturers make minor improvements to their equipment, but the technology is still largely unchanged since the 1980s. Air conditioning on any vessel is almost always the greatest consumer of electrical energy. The problem here is one of power efficiency.
#12 VOLT AIR CONDITIONER FULL#
And what about the life expectancy of alternators running at full output most of the time?
So, for two motors revved to 1300rpms, amps consumed subtracted from amps produced leaves 55, not even half the 112 needed. The steering pump for each of those Mercury engines consumes up to 30 of those amps, while the other systems on the boat eat up another 25. The popular 6 cylinder Mercury Verado 350’s have a 70 amp alternator, and my testing has shown the Mercury alternator will produce full output at around 1300 rpms. Let’s also assume the engines (2) are running. Assuming no loss of efficiency through the inverter, 1400 watts equals 112 amps at 12.6 volts. Now let’s run it from an inverter connected to the boat’s 12 volt batteries.
#12 VOLT AIR CONDITIONER INSTALL#
If I were to install a traditional 16k btu 115v air conditioner from the leading brand, it would consume about 1400 watts of power. This means that it’s possible to generate and store energy in only a fraction of the time it took to consume it.īut what about the smaller outboard boats which still desire loads of cooling? Let’s do some back of the napkin math. Since the internal resistance of these batteries is so low, they have extraordinarily high charge acceptance rates. These systems are especially effective when storing energy in LiFePO4 batteries. In fact, the recently introduced Integrel System consolidates 9kW of main engine-driven power generation into an automated package.
An extraordinary amount of power can be generated in this way. Recharging the battery bank is accomplished with a high output alternator fit to the main engine. Many of them already have battery banks and big inverter systems sized to operate all of the 110/220 volt loads on the boat for an extended period of time. It’s a concept that may not seem so novel to owners of larger sailing and trawler yachts. By pairing DC air conditioning systems with advanced battery chemistries, we can finally install powerful climate systems on boats without generators. Ben and I are very pleased to publish the first guest entry from Phil Gutowski, owner of BoatRX and Sail contributor ~ Ben S.Īs the hands-on proprietor of a marine systems installation company - and as an avid cruiser on my own time - I’ve learned that new climate control technology is changing the way we go boating.
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