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  1. #11

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    And, after you make the switch, let me know and I'll buy all of your 32v stuff for spares.
    __________________

    Your missing the point I'm not thinking of changing anything except the batteries and charger. I'm thinking of running all the 32V stuff on 36V

    Brian

  2. #12

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    Like I stated. If you don't have an electrical back ground it could be a problem. But then again you don't know back ground of the person that changed the system over. That could be the problem. It could have been a real goober that did the work. I didn't say it was for everybody.


    BILL

  3. #13

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    So you are going to buy 6 chargers, one for each 12v batt?

    Then, lets think about the loads. You're going to run a 32v Windlass, 32v exhaust fans, 32v lights, a 32v alarm panel, a 32v spotlight and 32v starters all at 36v. With the current draw of those starter motors and the windlass motor, are you sure they can handle that? And you still haven't solved the $15 lightbulb issue. If you still use the 34v bulbs and they burn out quicker, that could add up. And how about that Halogen bulb in the old spotlight? I think I paid about $60 for that.

    Now, what about an inverter? Do you run that on 24v? If so, will the 2-12v on one bank have enough capacity?

    I'm not saying that it can't be done. Just make sure you take all of these things into consideration before taking the plunge. If I were buying a boat like yours, I would feel more comfortable buying one with original systems and wiring diagrams that are still suported by Hatteras when I need to call them, than to buy one that was converted.

    Sorry to be so negative on this, but I think you know my opinion now. I just don't want you to get into something that is more than you bargained for. The 32v system is outdated, but you can still make if function and function well without major expense. I'll shut up now and let others comment.
    Sky Cheney
    1985 53EDMY, Hull #CN759, "Rebecca"
    ELYC on White Lake--Montague, MI

  4. #14

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    In a nutshell, the previous owner's captain tried this on my boat right before I bought her. He put 3 brand new huge 12v batteries on the 32v charger. It does NOT work and Ed and Mario had the pleasure of removing all that.

    I don't know enough about it argue the hows and whys, but I do know it doesn't work. I'm back to 4 8-volt batteries in each bank and it works fine.
    Ang
    1980 58MY "Sanctuary"
    www.sanctuarycharteryacht.com

  5. #15

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    So you are going to buy 6 chargers, one for each 12v batt?

    No it would require 3 chargers the banks can be split to service both sides.

    I do believe that everthing would work with good life on the aditional 4 volts but the alternators would not have enough voltage to fully charge the batteries and as Angela experienced the batteries won't last.

    Another question Could you build a 32V bank from 2 12V and one 8V battery. Would the differance in AH and voltage have any efect?

  6. #16

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    Perhaps I'm confused. Are you considering this because the 32v system in your boat is "shot" as you described the 70 footer or because you just prefer having a 36v system?

    If the latter, then frankly I don't understand why you'd consider it. The 8V batts are not at all hard to find nor are 32v Chargers. True, you won't find the 8 volters sitting in Kmart but, as Sky said, buy a set of Rolls/Surrettes (oem on our '80 53MY) and forget about it for many years. I will also admit that the 32v chargers seem to all be the ferroresonant types but they give good service and are essentially bulletproof. They require checking the batt water periodically but that isn't much of a chore. I found that in our 53's 8V batts water will drop to just above the top of the plates in 4 months. How much of that is "boiling" and how much is evaporation, I don't know. In any case I check and add water every 3 months. Takes maybe a half hour.

    I also totally agree with Sky re the advantage of leaving the oem system in place with support/wiring diagrams, etc available. You will be reducing the value of the boat by switching to a different electrical system than was oem. Adding an additional system - like maybe a separate 12V - is one thing but replacing the oem with a different system is quite another when it comes to resale. If I was looking at boats and the listing stated that the electrics had been "upgraded" to a different spec than oem, I wouldn't touch it. Obviously the resale issue may not be of any concern if you don't plan to sell the boat but it's at least worth considering in the overall plan.

  7. #17

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    The batteries are are old and tiried and the constavolt is just old. 8V large wet cell batteries are going to cost me $238 each so $1900 12V wet cell of the same AH will cost me $95 each (a special deal we buy a lot of them) so $570 total. The $1300 saved goes a long way towards buying a charger. I agree there are a lot of down sides previously posted and it may not work. I don't agree with it harming resale simply because it's not original OEM not if it's a good idea that works and maybe this one isn't.

    Brian

  8. #18

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    Hi Brian, I have a 1972 Hatt, certified for carrying passengers and have owned it for some 20 years. About the same time I bought her I had to replace the 8Volt batteries, total of 8 in two banks of 4. Instead of replacing the large surette batteries I opted for two regular size 12 volt and one 8 volt for each bank or 32volts by two 12's and one eight. I have been using that configuration for 20 years now without problems. .....Capt Woody

  9. 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    36 volts instead of 32 volts is an increase of 12.5%. For comparison, a 12 volt system when being charged to 14 volts (before float) is running almost 17% higher than "normal". At 13 volts charging, the system is about 8% above "normal" . But many loads applied at this time would draw down the voltage and the heaver the load, like a starter motor, the more the voltage drops back to 12 and likely below that. In addition, many circuits are designed for a 3% voltage drop and this would also offset such a source voltage increase to some extent.

    In theory, with a higher voltage source, motors would draw less current, but in practice they'll likely spin faster and draw more current than at 32 volts. So wiring would have to be at least as large as original because loads will operate above nominal design power levels and draw a bit more current.

    I would think two 12 volt plus an 8 volt battery in series ( for 32 volts) would work if you don't want all 8 volt batteries. Place the pair of 12 volt batteries closest to ground, the 8 volt near the 32 volt end of the string. Pick your 12 volt supply from the battery directly connected to ground. You can also e-mail or telephone a battery manufacturer for information...but the few times I have done that I have NOT gotten "engineering" knowledgeable people.

    My GUESS is that everything will work ok, but there could be problems. 32 volt light bulbs that die prematurely could be replaced with 36 volt bulbs. One thing for sure: in a 32 volt system, active components (like motors, starters) operating at 36 volts cannot last longer than the original design. How much faster they die is anybody's guess. If there are any 32 volt HALOGEN bulbs aboard, they will almost certainly die faster as they are quite sensitive to voltage.

    If you separately charge a 12 volt battery in a series string, I'm unsure how effectively a 32 volt charger would handle the others. Again, in theory it should be ok, but the 32 volt charger now sees a parallel load at the 12volt battery charger level. Ferroresonant chargers taper down as battery resistance increases due to batteries becoming charged; three stage smart chargers use more sophistictaed regulation and might be "fooled" by the presence of another charging source. Correspondence with a battery charger manufacturer might provide authoratative feedback.

  10. #20
    q240z Guest

    Re: 36 Volt In Place Of 32V?

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Degulis
    The batteries are are old and tiried and the constavolt is just old. 8V large wet cell batteries are going to cost me $238 each so $1900 12V wet cell of the same AH will cost me $95 each (a special deal we buy a lot of them) so $570 total. The $1300 saved goes a long way towards buying a charger. I agree there are a lot of down sides previously posted and it may not work. I don't agree with it harming resale simply because it's not original OEM not if it's a good idea that works and maybe this one isn't.

    Brian
    OR, you could buy the $64 Sam's Club 8v batts and save yourself money over the 12v units. lol

    What we need to do is bury Xantrex's president with letters and emails, DEMANDING that they build something special just for us. Or is that too Chris Craft for you guys?

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