Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Bow-Truster overheat
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Beaute Olivier
Hello all AMEL 54 owners, there is indeed a thermic switch on the bow-thruster motor. It is connected to one of the carbon brushes. If you have already had it stop the motor, several times, or you purchased a used boat and you don't know about the over-use of the bow-thruster by the former owner, it may be time to check the carbon brushes of this motor. Indeed, worn out brushes lead to warming up where the brushes make contact with the rotor. And worn out brushes make the motor less powerful, then you may use it a longer time for the same amount of thrust. If you see a lot of carbon dust around your BT motor, it's time to check/replace them. Moreover, when AMEL says that you should turn ON the generator when using the bow-thruster (and the 100A battery charger), this is because the bow-thruster will work with higher voltage (the voltage drop will be less if the charger is ON, and as the main engine alternator is not charging much at low revs). With higher voltage, the amperage will be less, the warming up of the thermic switch too and the wear of the carbon brushes too. Now, I agree that you don't absolutely need to turn on the generator and battery charger in any conditions. But do it if you enter a harbor that you don't know (you may use the BT a lot) or if the wind is strong. In the french Navy, when a vessel enters a harbor, every means of power is systematically turned ON, in case one fails. Bill R will tell us how they do in the US Navy, but it may be the same. This was the idea of Captain AMEL and Mr. Carteau when they decided to give the "Generator ON when docking" advice. Rüdi, don't worry about too much wear on your generator, it is a very resistant piece of hardware... Keep enjoying easy dockings!! Olivier
On Friday, June 29, 2018, 5:42:37 PM GMT+2, 'Mohammad Shirloo' mshirloo@... [amelyachtowners] wrote:
Reudi;
The
main reason to run the Genset while using the bow thruster is not to reduce the
load on the batteries. Putting out 400-500A for short bursts will not have a
significant negative effect on the batteries.
By
running the Genset you are maintaining a higher voltage to the bow thruster,
reducing the current requirement and thus reducing the heat generated in the bow
thruster and all associated wiring supplying the bow thruster.
This will maximize the time the bow thruster will function before the
thermal cutoff kicks in. Therefore for us it is not a calculation of
battery vs. generator life, but an issue of safety. A few extra seconds of bow
thruster availability may make a big difference in the result of the
maneuver.
Respectfully;
Mohammad Shirloo
323-633-2222 Cell
310-644-0908 Fax
From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...] Sent: Friday, June 29, 2018 8:32 AM To: amelyachtowners@... Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Bow-Truster overheat
Thanks for all your thoughtful responses. This is a great forum and I have
learned a lot within a short time about AMEL. I love it!
Here some comments on your responses:
I’m not using the bow truster more than 5-6 seconds per burst. When I use
it, I’m carefully not to overdue and I usualy waiting to cool down a bit between
2 burst. Thats why I was wondering how fast it was paused by the system….
No, I don’t use generator while use the bow truster, as AMEL and many
others recommending. I agree with Thomas about it.
- In one hand the Engine is running always when use the BT and is
supporting the batteries as well .
- On the other hand I do not extensively use the BT so my Batteries should
be able to carry the load.
- AND most important; I don’t want to shorten the live of my GenSet just to
help the batteries a bit.
In my opinion is; The live of a Diesel engine is shorten by too many short
usage without much load and without running it at leased 30min at a time. When I
turn the GenSet on, I use it for many things at the time, Laundry, Water-maker,
heater, charging, whatsoever. Therefore it runs at leased an hour when it’s
on.
BTW:
We don’t had the 425A fuse on #55 either. Olivier recommended to install it
and also an emergency shutoff in the BT compartment . So we did. ;-)
Fair winds!
Ruedi
WASABI A54/55
Kithnos
Von: <amelyachtowners@...>
on behalf of "'S/V Garulfo' svgarulfo@... [amelyachtowners]"
<amelyachtowners@...>
Antworten an: <amelyachtowners@...> Datum: Donnerstag, 28. Juni 2018 um 13:33 An: <amelyachtowners@...> Betreff: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Bow-Truster overheat Hi Mohammad and Aty,
So you don't have that 425A fuse on Kokomo?
It'd be interesting to have other data points.
When we started seeing A54s for sale, someone from the yard in Hyères told
us Amel started to fit the emergency disconnect on 54s after instances of
incidents where the bow thruster wouldn't stop. The thermal switch should
provide that safety stop, but maybe they felt there should be a manual override
too, in case.
By the way, it was in the same sentence as "have the genset running when
you use the bow thruster" that raised a few eyebrows in this group a while back.
At the time, not knowing better, I took it for granted. Sufficient and safe,
yes. Necessary?, I'm not sure. We don't do it anymore as we don't go to marinas
that much and when we do, we try to play the game of least-bow-thruster-usage to
improve our handling skills, and our batteries can handle the high current
discharge.
Fair winds!
Thomas
GARULFO
A54-122
Curacao
On Thu, 28 Jun 2018 at 05:38, 'Mohammad Shirloo' mshirloo@...
[amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...>
wrote:
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