nb Virgo

Hi all

I'm a bit (only a bit) clearer about Virgo's various systems now I'm back at base after a week on the boat.

Among the other things I now know is that the fridge is a 12 volt one and keeps going OK overnight when we moor without flattening the batteries. I also know that the alternator puts out 14.5 volts without the help of an external regulator and that there's a Durite 180A split charge relay installed.

Following the previous responses to my questions I am a little confused by the suggestion that one needs a ginormous battery charger. Surely this is only the case if there's a heavy drain on the batteries when the engine isn't running and when there's no shoreline mains supply. I can't imagine a situation where the domestic batteries are very discharged and there's mains to drive the charger. If there's mains then per se the loads are going to be running off mains (breadmaker, microwave, laptop power supplies, power tools, TV etc) so not discharging the batteries and if there's no shoreline supply then the charger isn't going to be working anyway. Returning from a trip the batteries are going to be well charged from the alternator. Hence my conclusion that, in effect, the mains charger only needs to do a bit more than keep the fridge consumption balanced.

The only explanation I can see is if lots of things ran off 12 volts rather than mains. I can't see that happening on Virgo.

I'm obviously missing something but anxious not to spend a vast amount of money on a damned great charger if a 20A one will do.

WRT mains - as i suspected there's simply a 16A plug on the back end bulkhead and a "garage" unit in a cupboard feeding a couple of sockets independent of the inverter. No GI or the like. Questions. 1) I know all cable should be stranded but for mains does that mean round cable such as used for extension leads and the like? 2) What was the objection to cheap "site" isolation transformers such as sold by machine mart? I know they don't have a large continuous rating but am I really likely to pull 3kw for hours on end? I reckon not. The heaviest load is likely to be the immersion heater once installed which would be 1 or 1.25 kW AFAICS

So trying to keeep things basic I reckon I need a Gibbmo so I know what's going on battery-wise, a Gibbmo add-on to manage the charging regime, a battery charger of reasonable proportions (say 20A max) to just do a bit more than keep up with the fridge and a bigger inverter than the 400W one fitted ATM. I think maybe a 1300w one so I can run the vacuum cleaner if needed as long as the engine is running. I can't see any reason to have a true sine wave one ATM as long as all the various wall-wart PSUs etc will run on mod sine wave. The only fly in the ointment might be the breadmaker. All this assumes that at WFB everything except the fridge will run direct from mains not 12v or the inverter.

Now WRT water heating. I now know that Virgo has a calorifier with one coil fed from the engine and one from the back-boiler on the solid fuel stove. I've found a manual shut-off valve in the stove circuit which is presumably to stop convection cooling the calorifier via the stove and associated radiator. I've also now found an immersion heater boss on top of the calorifier (BTW why can't it just be called a hot tank like in a house?)

So my conclusion is that i need to fit an immersion heater to the tank. Anything I ought to know/do before attempting to unscrew the boss? Other than to turn the water off.

BTW none of this is likely to get done before I set off for Cropredy.

Cheers

Guy

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Guy Morgan
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