Recent content by Tom Hruby

As mentioned by others, two 12 V batteries will not provide enough power to heat the cabin overnight in October in Massachusetts. In my 22' cruiser I have found that I need about 500 watts to keep the cabin temperature above 65 degrees when the outside temp fall to the low 50's. Even with...

This discussion of how best to clean gunk off the gel coat on a boat has brought up some interesting questions about different cleaners and scrubbers. The basic conclusion is that pretty much anything that will do a good job of cleaning will also affect the gel coat. Your best bet is to apply a...

I have had good luck with the Star Brite deck cleaner which does not have oxalic acid in it. I also use a melamine scrubbing sponge that gets rid of stuff without impacting the gel coat (as far as I can see). Here is Google AI's response to the question of "effect on oxalic acid on gel...

Colby, I was just doing some research on electric brakes for boat trailers. I started trailering 30 years ago and that was a "no-no" at the time because the brakes were not up to being submerged, especially in corrosive salt water. Thus, I have always used hydraulic disc brakes. From what I...

I would suggest you avoid placing your plastic gas tank in the sun, or provide some kind of shade for it. Google AI has a fairly decent discussion of how the heat affect the plastic (see below). The other warning is that you should never try to release the pressure in the tank by opening the...

If you get on websites that cater to electricians you can find 3 way connectors. What I often do however is to use a slightly larger connector and double up the wires on one side and then remove a larger piece of the wire cover on the single side and fold over the bare wire before inserting it...

Yes I have tried liquid tape but it has never provided a waterproof seal.

There are marine grade heat shrink connectors with hot melt glue inside that waterproof the connection. For emergencies I carry the wire nuts with the goo inside. Problems I have had with lights have originated with leaks into the box. Also, only tinned wire should be used. If not you end up...

Bob, It seems that the two of us have had a radically different experience with chargers. Here is my situation: I keep, and have kept, my boats on a trailer. In the winter we can get several days with temperatures around freezing and the boat hull and equipment equilibrate to these...

If you decide you need a new charger, avoid any with an internal fan (a good indicator is a grill on the housing that lets air into the interior). I started by using these because they were less expensive, but they all failed within a year. After a lot of research and reading the fine print...

Don, 1 kWh of storage can be a lot or little depending on your power use. As a starting point a 12 V 100AH battery stores a maximum of 1.2 kWh of energy (12 V x 100 A = 1.2 kWh). However, a 12V High end lead acid battery only stores about 0.7 kWh of energy because they should not be drained...

Check the wattage of the solar panel. If you can't get at the label assume the maximum is about 20 watts/square foot. If the panel is flat, and not facing the sun at 90 degrees and your boat is moving in different compass directions, the actual value is much lower. Here in the Pacific...

Also, always use "marine" rated wires. That is tin coated copper. Never use aluminum, copper coated aluminum, or just plain copper. After 29 years of going electric I know from experience that any of the latter will eventually corrode (even plain copper). In my first electric boat I tried to...

First of all: if your battery is fully charged and only reading 12.08 V you need to replace the batteries. A fully charged Lead Acid battery (AGM or Flooded) should be reading 12.6-12.8 V when fully charged, and with no load on it. Also, if the voltage at your inverter (battery end) is reading...

The Dometic coolers/freezers now have their own compressors made by Dometic. The current draw on my two units (3.2 - 3.4 A) are actual measurements not what is listed in the specs.