Re: C-Drive vs Linecutter
Danny and Yvonne SIMMS
Hi Tim, Amel recommend replacing the 3 c drive shaft seals and the wearing bearing every 1000hrs. Most of us do the change biannually regardless of hours. It is an easy and relatively low cost preventative maintenance item done conveniently at a programmed haul out. If yours are over 4 years I would place that very high on the probability scale for water ingress. Both the seals and the wearing bearing should be replaced. I wont express an opinion on the sealing of the plug. Regards Danny SM 299 Ocean Pearl
On 08 September 2019 at 07:23 CW Bill Rouse <brouse@...> wrote:
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Re: C-Drive vs Linecutter
It looks to me that there is some sort of O ring at the top of the threaded portion. It is black. What is that? I would guess the chance of having water inside the C-Drive 4 years beyond service date is very high. Regarding the drain plug area, is the GRP also cracked? See below: I am sure it must be an illusion, but the mark in the metal appears to be raised. I am going to assume that it is an indention. The shell of the C-Drive is made of GRP, and there are metal inserts that support bearing connection points, seal points, and this particular drain plug hole. I think you need some expert advice from someone knowledgeable of the manufacturing process of the C-Drive in order to find the best solution. I will offer a temporary recommendation, without any direct knowledge of the C-Drive manufacturing process: Since there is not any significant positive or negative pressure inside the C-Drive, I would be tempted to use Silicone RTV to fill the indentation of that scratch and also on the O Ring...at least until someone can offer an expert solution. Best, CW Bill Rouse 720 Winnie St Galveston Island, TX 77550 +1(832) 380-4970
On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 9:41 PM Tim Melbourne <tim@...> wrote: Here's a related problem- either a crack or deep scratch along the surface that seats the V-plug O-ring (see attached photo).
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Re: Aqua Signal Series 44 LED port/starboard bow nav lights
Thanks Ryan, I'll prepare to replace the working as well. No issues yet, but is getting of the age. I had the same thoughts about replacing with the white. Here is the exact description of the Series 44 from the Aqua Signal site: "Series 44 LED Navigation Light – It will keep you safe! HousingPolycarbonate, black or white, It looks good, but it is nice to have confirmation from someone who has actually installed it on the same boat. Which of course is the value of this Amel owners group. Sharing real life experience. Best regards, Daniel Carlson, SM #387, sv BeBe
On Sat, Sep 7, 2019, 11:51 AM Ryan Meador <ryan.d.meador@... wrote:
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Re: Aqua Signal Series 44 LED port/starboard bow nav lights
Thomas Peacock
I’m sure one can reverse engineer most any light, but, FWIW, the Series 44 is described on Aquasignal’s web site as being a deck mounted light. The 34 series is listed as side mount.
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Tom Peacock SM 240 Aletes Chesapeake Bay
On Sep 7, 2019, at 6:51 PM, Ryan Meador <ryan.d.meador@...> wrote:
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Joerg Esdorn
Thanks, Scott. Lots to think about. What happened on my overcharging episode was that the sensing wire was loose at the alternator. Result was that the voltage read by the regulators was some 3V lower (!!!) than the voltage I measured at the battery. Hence the regulator put the alternator in bulk when float was indicated! The only way I could see that was by connecting my laptop to the alternator via the Mastervolt Masterbus. Once I tightened the connection, the sensing wire read .3V HIGHER than voltage at the batteries which makes sense because of the resistance in the wiring. Stuff happens!
Joerg Esdorn A55 #53 Kincsem Currently in Cádiz
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Re: Aqua Signal Series 44 LED port/starboard bow nav lights
We did the Aquasignal 34 series for vessels under 50 meters. Fit nicely on the back plate, even the holes lined up with the those left behind by the old Aquasignal incandescent fixture.
Mike Ondra Aletes SM#240
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> On Behalf Of Dan Carlson
Thanks Ryan, that's very helpful.
No issues with the wiring? One of buyer commented on the wiring connections that came with the package.
Also, did you go with the black or white fixtures?
Thanks and regards, Dan and Lori Carlson on SM #387, sv BeBe
On Fri, Sep 6, 2019, 4:01 PM Ryan Meador <ryan.d.meador@... wrote:
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Re: Aqua Signal Series 44 LED port/starboard bow nav lights
Ryan Meador
Hi Dan, I replaced the wiring from the lights, through the bow pulpit, all the way back to the port deck locker. This let me get the length of the wire exactly correct. I was having wiring issues anyways. The routing of the wire inside the light housing took a little thought, but wasn't difficult. I ended up bringing it in through the cut-out at the bottom of the housing. The supplied connectors are very large, but designed to fit snugly inside the housing. Sliding the two halves of the rubber boot together took a few tries before it was overlapped to my satisfaction. I think it will be quite waterproof and I don't anticipate ever needing to take it apart for the life of the light -- that's the joy of LEDs. One of the mounting screw holes that matched the existing light fixtures was covered by the electronics module inside the housing, so I had to carefully remove it, secure the nuts on the back with tape, mount the housing, reinstall the electronics, and then pull the tape out. It sounds more complicated than it was. I went with the white fixtures, primarily because I thought they'd look better on the boat and are more unique. They may also stay cooler in the sun which should prolong the lifespan of the electronics inside. Ryan and Kelly
SM 233 Iteration Boston, MA, USA
On Fri, Sep 6, 2019 at 7:51 PM Dan Carlson <carlsdan61@...> wrote:
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Climma AC fan speed will not change
Mohammad Shirloo
Hi All;
The aft cabin AC fan speed selection had been working intermittently for a while. Speeds 1,2 and 4 would work fine but sometimes when the selection was changed from 2 to 4 it would not speed up and sometimes when it was turned off and on, the speed would go up to 4. The blower fan stopped working completely a few days ago and we had zero air flow. I changed the blower fan capacitor (the small one 2 microfarad) and the fan started right up, much quicker than before and with a lot more air volume being pumped into the cabin. However, now we have zero fan speed control. It stays at what appears to be maximum fan speed at all settings of 1-4 and automatic. Any ideas would be appreciated. I do have a spare transformer, controller and wall display unit plus the other 2 capacitors. Thanks in advance Mohammad and Aty B&B Kokomo Amel 54 # 099
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Very interesting article
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~~~⛵️~~~Matt
On Sep 7, 2019, at 5:11 AM, Joerg Esdorn via Groups.Io <jhe1313@...> wrote:
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Scott SV Tengah
Paul,
I don't read SOC but rather cell by cell voltage via bluetooth. I rarely see more than 0.02v difference between cells. -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com
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Re: Location of the fuse for the chain washing pump requested
Two possibilities: 1.) The motor is not turning because of some physical or electrical issue. 2.) The OEM pump does not have a pressure switch. If the pressure side of the water line is blocked, the breaker will open. Best, CW Bill Rouse Amel Yacht Owners School - www.YachtSchool.us 720 Winnie St Galveston Island, TX 77550 +1(832) 380-4970
On Sat, Sep 7, 2019, 4:43 AM Willem Kroes <kavanga@...> wrote: Thanks Bill. I found the fuse in the engine compartment. "eau mer" was out. I pushed in 'in' and switching it on the light of the chain washing pump went on for a second or 4 and then the fuse came out again. Is it possible that the pump is frozen by salt deposits as Bob and Suzanne suggested?
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Hey Scott,
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What individual SOC do you read on each battery in respect to out of balance with each battery please once a month before you recharge to 100%? As I have mentioned, my #1 battery is dropping approximately 30% lower the the other 3 after around 2 weeks while the balance with the other 3 batteries are almost the same SOC by 2-3%. I’m discussing this issue on Monday with a Mastervolt technician to hopefully shed light on it. I expect the batteries should not be out of balance by a large degree. Regards Paul - Fortuna II A55/17
On 7 Sep 2019, at 1:53 pm, Scott SV Tengah <Scott.nguyen@...> wrote:
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Scott SV Tengah
Joerg,
Thanks for the link. I think your charging takeaways are for extreme longevity. I'm curious what the data is with respect to how longevity is affected by high charge currents. I do know that cell imbalances are more likely to occur at very high charge rates. I think Delos has over 220amps of 230v chargers and only 400ah of battery capacity, so they're doing over .5C! The 90% max charge makes sense for the "normal" charge. I do know that Victron requires 100% every once in a while to (1) reset the battery monitor and (2) allow for intra-battery cell balancing. My procedure is keep it below 80% except for the once a month or two 100% charge for reasons (1) and (2). Then once a year do the battery-by-battery rebalance with my little 1.5amp charger. Seems to work well so far, but then again I haven't done a full capacity test. I don't think the requirement to have a buffer battery applies to Victron. On an over voltage condition, the VE.BUS BMS simply turns off chargers - it does not disconnect individual batteries. There are downsides to Victron's way of doing it, but it does remove the need for a buffer battery. Yes, lifepo4 is very intolerant of overcharging (over voltage) and taking the batteries too low (under voltage). One uncorrected fault and the battery could be dead. The BMS is supposed to monitor and trigger a response via the charge disconnect and load disconnect to stop that from happening. Of course, that means the disconnects need to work perfectly. I think an additional safety measure would be to rig up a cheap piezo alarm that goes off when the BMS detects a fault. That would require human intervention, but at least if you're around, you have a chance to fix the problem if your automatic fault correction systems fail. I thought for the Mastervolt 24/110 the reg-on wire WAS the voltage sense wire? So if it's disconnected, the alternator would stop charging. But perhaps your loose connection showed (true voltage - 5v) or something, making the alternator think the battery bank wasn't fully charged? Again, all these complexities lead me to choosing a single brand, to the extent possible, with a good warranty. I would rather not invoke the warranty, but I installed the system per their engineer's recommendations and if something went wrong, hopefully they will take responsibility. Try that with a Chinese battery combined with Brand X charger! -- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com
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Re: Annapolis Boat Show
Patrick McAneny
Kent ,would Friday about 6:30 work for you & Iris.
Pat
SM Shenanigans
-----Original Message-----
From: karkauai via Groups.Io <karkauai@...> To: main <main@amelyachtowners.groups.io> Sent: Fri, Sep 6, 2019 7:02 pm Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Annapolis Boat Show Hi Pat,
Tell us when and where, I will be there, Iris may be able to come too.
Kent
SN243/Kristy
Speed of Life
Amel 50, #27
~~~⛵️~~~Matt
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Re: Location of the fuse for the chain washing pump requested
Willem Kroes
Hi Bob and Suzanne,
Thanks for the info. I just answered Bill that I found the fuse in the engine compartment. "eau mer" was out. I pushed in 'in' and switching it on the light of the chain washing pump went on for a second or 4 and then the fuse came out again. So may be it is possible that the pump is frozen by salt deposits as you suggested. Do I have to remove the casing of the pump before I can reach the vent blades? So I have to find the pump. I will check the manual. Best regards, Willem SM#351 KAVANGA
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Re: Location of the fuse for the chain washing pump requested
Willem Kroes
Thanks Bill. I found the fuse in the engine compartment. "eau mer" was out. I pushed in 'in' and switching it on the light of the chain washing pump went on for a second or 4 and then the fuse came out again. Is it possible that the pump is frozen by salt deposits as Bob and Suzanne suggested?
Best regards, Willem SM#351 KAVANGA
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
Joerg Esdorn
Thanks again, Scott, for all your thoughts and help on this topic. I wanted to share with the group a quite technical article I downloaded quite some time ago based upon advice from the Delos guys. They apparently relied on the guy who wrote the article quite a bit in putting together their system.
There are several articles in the link but the first one is a good start - although quite technical. My key takeaways include:
*Charge current should not exceed 30% of the battery capacity - ie 30A for a 100 Ah battery
*batteries should not be charged to 100%, only 90%
Another article linked here says that you have to have a system that takes up charge currents generated by any charging source in case the battery management system shuts down the batteries. If you don’t, the charging sources (alternator, charger, combi) will blow up. The guys at Delos, if I recall correctly, rigged up the starter battery to take up the charging current in this case.
One more thing: according to the article, Lithium batteries are totally intolerant to overcharging whereas Lead Acid batteries give you some wiggle room. This gave me particular thought because I had an episode of overcharging this summer because of a loose connection of the sensing wire of the alternator regulator. Charging voltage was up over 31V for at least 10 minutes until I shut down the engine. My gel batteries survived the episode without missing a beat. Would Lithiums have been destroyed? There's obviously a lot to learn about Lithium. Hope this helps!
Joerg Esdorn A55 #53 Kincsem Currently in Cadiz
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Re: Aqua Signal Series 44 LED port/starboard bow nav lights
Thanks Ryan, that's very helpful. No issues with the wiring? One of buyer commented on the wiring connections that came with the package. Also, did you go with the black or white fixtures? Thanks and regards, Dan and Lori Carlson on SM #387, sv BeBe
On Fri, Sep 6, 2019, 4:01 PM Ryan Meador <ryan.d.meador@... wrote:
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Re: Converting my Amel 54 to lithium batteries: what I did, what I like and what I don't like (after one year of full time live aboard use)
svperegrinus@yahoo.com
With regard to:
Big Box Charger vs Charger/Inverter: So far the discussion has been dominated by the Victron Charger/Inverter set up. One of my cruiser friends (non-Amel) has switched his boat over to keeping the chargers and inverters separate, with good logic. Thoughts? [...] What would Henri Amel do? This may depend on one's boat and its wiring. In our case, when we went all-MasterVolt in 2013, I wanted to install an inverter-charger. If I recall correctly, with it came fancy advantages, such as being able to compensate for low-amperage shore connections, which we have come across of late in the Baltic and in the North Sea. However, my electrician warned me against it. I did not want to re-wire the boat and he said the existing engine room to battery box cables were not sufficient for the MV Charger/Inverter 100A/3500W we were considering at the time. Not because of the nominal capacity, mind you, but because the inverter was able to supply double its rating for a limited time. You'll recall Scott of Tengah's different course of action: "you need to break the epoxy seal between the engine compartment and the passage berth, located on the floor on the forward end of the “passage”. After this, you will re-epoxy the hole so the watertight separation is re-established". One altermative the electrician gave was to install the charger/inverter in the wet locker, that is, close to the batteries, and with fat wiring, but when I asked what exactly did Henri Amel do for boats of our (now ancient) generation, the answers were, one, he put the inverter in the engine room; two, it was not a combo device; and three, it was the Xantrex 1800 (230v). So that's exactly what we did. The installation has proven to be bullet-proof. Having said that, if I had the thicker cables, either because the boat came with them or because I was willing to break and re-do the epoxy seal, I would not hesitate to install a combo unit for the main charger. Like Scott says, there is a smaller charger as backup anyway (a 30A MV in our case). The advantages of these units when one has an integrated monitoring and control system, such as Scott's Victron or our MV are too many to be dismissed out of hand. Cheers,
sv Peregrinus currently Delfzijll, Frisia
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Re: Annapolis Boat Show
Scott SV Tengah
Friday would work for us, too. It's my girlfriend and I. Boat name and model below. Thanks!
-- Scott 2007 A54 #69 SV Tengah http://www.svtengah.com
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