Clive Crane

Reply by CliveCrane: @BayJason Worth mentioning the time of year will make a massive difference here.

Just to add something nobody's touched on yet — have you considered your alternator's health under sustained load?

Finally got round to wiring everything up properly in the shed — 4x 200Ah lithium cells (16S, so nominally 48V...

CliveCrane replied: Good shout going LiFePO4, @Gazza82 — you'll wonder why you waited! One thing I'd add specifically to the narrowboat context: think carefully about where those batteries are...

CliveCrane | 847 posts @BigAl31 short answer — yes, absolutely go bigger on the battery if budget allows.

Been meaning to post about this for a while. Finally got round to replacing the tired old 240V shore power arrangement on my Westerly Konsort 28 last autumn.

CliveCrane | Posts: 847 | Location: Yorkshire @AshDawn - you cut off mid-sentence there, but I think I know where you're going with this!

@Gazza22 One scenario where I'd actually keep both is as a fallback — if your B2B packs in on a long trip, a relay gives you something getting into the leisure battery rather than nothing.

Great points all round here. One thing I'd add — if you're running a modern Euro 6 engine with smart alternator (variable voltage charging), a basic isolator will genuinely struggle.

Good points all round from everyone above. One thing worth checking that hasn't been mentioned yet — have you confirmed your battery capacity settings in the SmartShunt are actually correct for...

Ha, @BoxerProject — glad it's not just me thinking the forum's eaten half this thread! Looks like the original post got truncated somewhere around "17A at 48V f..." which is a shame...