Interesting in adding ac unit to roof, what needs to happen power wise to do this? So I can run it offshore and not just on shore power. Without just using gas generator
Interesting in adding ac unit to roof, what needs to happen power wise to do this? So I can run it offshore and not just on shore power. Without just using gas generator
What boat do you have? Sorry to say this, but if you plan on running an A/C unit away from the dock you will need a generator, as there is not enough space/room onboard for a battery system big enough to do the job properly. There are some Parkers that have built-in generators mounted in 'boxes' in the cockpit. (Takes up a lot of 'fishing space'). There have been a couple that even run a Diesel gen set. (And of course requires installing an additional Diesel fuel tank/system).... There are some Parkers running roof-top A/C and some running modified home-style window-units, but even those are run by portable generators. I have a friend with a 47' Bristol who wanted to run his AC off batteries, and he was able to do so after filling half the boat (slight exaggeration) with batteries. It allowed him to run his AC about 3 hours.
Interesting in adding ac unit to roof, what needs to happen power wise to do this? So I can run it offshore and not just on shore power. Without just using gas generator
You could probably do it, for a couple hours, if you wanted to spend a fortune on Li-Ion batteries and hack up your boat making a ton of space to mount them. But you’re going to end up with an expensive, poorly functioning system that doesn’t end up meeting your expectations. So as others have said, there’s really no effective way to do what you’re trying to do without a generator. Hence why pretty much every AC system install comes with a 110v electrical system and a generator hookup.
I have a system using shore power and an inverter when not on shore power. It’s a Wabasto FCF 5K BTU marine system. I have a 200AH house battery and a Xantrax pure sign wave hardwired inverter. You outboard power is going to make the biggest difference in runtime based out stater/alt output. My system needs about 53 DC amps to break even with the compressor running. My current runtime to 50% discharge is about 2.5 to 3 hrs., engine running of course. I have the older F225 which only puts out about 45amps. The newer F225 to F300’s put out about 70amps. New Lithium battery’s would help with run time. I also agree that the newer DC marine systems would make this work better. They were not really an option when I did mine. I think they are more expensive units but you would save on the inverter and inefficiency of DC to AC conversion likely.
