What is going on in this picture?
The alternator has been connected to the house bank with a heavy cable. -Okay (Hopefully it is fused on the battery side.)
Original wire from alternator to starter and start battery not removed. (House and start battery are now permanently connected with a small unfused wire.)
Internal regulation is still in place after connecting the alternator to a large house battery bank. (The alternator is likely to be damaged by overheating the next time the house bank is deeply discharged.)
November 2022
It’s been a good year making electrical repairs and upgrading yacht electrical systems. With all the excitement over new lithium battery technology, and new more powerful solar charging, it is important to make sure your current system is working optimally before deciding to make big changes.
Just this year I have tested and repaired four boats that were suffering from failing alternators. The original call was for me to come and give an estimate to add solar to the boat, and give advice on possibly upgrading to lithium batteries.. When evaluating a boat I look at the whole system of charging and storage, not just at solar or batteries as a stand alone project. In many cases the batteries were good, but the alternator had failed some time ago, but not completely, so the failure was not obvious. The owner had a general feeling that their battery system was no longer keeping up with demands the way they would like and knew something needed to be done.
In all but one case the alternator needed to be upgraded to external regulation as part of the repair to prevent future overheating, and damage from changing a large battery bank. The lesson is: It’s still important to check the basics before moving forward with new solutions.
