136. Beginners guide to narrowboat 12V electrics: batteries, inverters, chargers, solar and so on
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- Опубликовано: 23 июн 2018
- #narrowboat #narrowboats #canal #canals #liveaboard #cruisingthecut
Following a few recent questions and comments from viewers, here is a beginners guide to how electrics work on a narrowboat. It may also have general relevance to people in campervans, motorhomes, caravans and RVs although there are slight differences but the gist is similar.
Please note I am not a qualified boat electrician and I have intentionally kept this superficial and left some things out so as to keep it simple for novices.
Please also direct questions not in the comments but to the 12 Volt Boating group on Facebook, which is at / 144684286108763
*NOTE*: this should not be confused with the very-similarly named, but different, "12 Volts Boating Group" (notice "volts" not "volt") which is also on Facebook and is run by someone else.
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Please if you want to join the facebook 12 volt boating group could you either belong to other boating groups or have friends in it or answer the question saying why you want to join. The reason is that I try to keep it as focused and relevant as possible and so try to restrict membership to those who really have an interest and reduce the chances of Trolls and Advertisers. Thank you.
I'm an electronics engineer and your video is the best "12 Volts for Beginners" ever. It should be mandatory viewing for all the so-called boat/caravan/RV experts "out there" - and there are so many - !
Thank you!
I consider myself fairly well versed in electrical systems. I say that to provide background for my next comment. This was a VERY EXCELLENT beginner's tutorial. You've put a lot of effort into the script and production of this video and it really shows. Tremendous effort and wonderful outcome. Thanks!
Cheers :-)
As you admit that you’re a non technical person as far as boat electrics are concerned, I was expecting lots of mistakes, and hoping there would be no dangerous advice! Actually you did very well, and although I’ve been into electrical work (non boat) all my life, you presented it far better than I ever could hope to. Well done.
Still hoping to get my own narrowboat one day!
I am a ships electrician and fully approve of all the info in this video. Well done !
Alien Creation Yes that is true. The art is to leave those details out. It is only confusing people...
Conventional current flow; electrons flow + to -
Actual current flow; electrons flow - to +
BANG! . . . in all its glorious colors. It's one thing to have knowledge and quite another to take that knowledge and communicate it effectively. Well done.
As an electrical engineer, renewable energy guy who deals with off-grid solar systems more often than he wants (mostly because most casual users are idiots and need my help to keep from murdering their batteries), you've done an outstanding job of explaining this for the layman. You indeed "get it". I salute you, Mr Johns. Clearly, you will always have the energy you need. Cheers!
Thank you
David, Well done tutorial on the basics of boat electrics. As a retired electrical engineer it is good to see this subject covered well by actual users as we engineers are not always the best instructors and tend to use shorthand terms in our explanations. Sometimes we (engineers) forget that not everyone is as interested in our subject as we are and having a layman such as yourself give a good explanation based on study and experience is important and very helpful. Keep up the good work on the vlogs. Have a good week.
Thank you!
Considering that was a beginners guide to electrics you cover a lot of really valuable information in a very short video and all spot on! Nice one David, very well presented too.
I'm 66 and don't have a narrowboat but am working my way through your videos from the beginning. Most enjoyable. Having reached this one I now have more understanding of electrics than I've ever had before. Thank you.
As Always a simple yet excellent Blog on Narrowboat Electrics. and this does come from an Engineer. Cheers
Thank you
After tonnes of research and a lot of swearing, this vid became the ultimate "penny drop" moment. Bravo sir!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been using and teaching electronics for many years. Your explanation was excellent for beginners. Well done.
Thank you very much!
As an electrician this was an excellent put together video and one I've been waiting for.
I'm an electrician and you explained everything very well. And like always I could understand everything, bc you speak like I learned it in school :-)
When I was 14 I had a 12v car battery blow up in my face due to it being on charge and me accidentally shorting it out with a spanner earth to live . Luckily for me there was someone near by with a garden hose but still in the few seconds it took for them to realise all my clothes melted and I looked like I'd got bad sunburn for a month and I couldn't hear for 2 weeks . There was only the bottom of the battery left and my face was only a foot away from it , on that day I may have been the luckiest kid in the world .
Oh my; lucky indeed. I'm going to pin this atop the comments so others can hear the story. Cheers
Even though I kind of knew most of that I have to say that you really put that across well - a well packaged guide that I’m sure will be very useful to many people 👍
Brilliant - this has gone a long way to de-mystifying the weird world of boat electrics for me. Thank you!
Ever thought of taking up Electronics as a Career? You have done so well at explaining this, I have worked all my life in Electronics and could not fault you in anyway. Keep up the good work, love every Vlog you turn out. Allan NZ
Boy David, can you hold an audience! I haven't a clue what you're going on about, but I still watched it to the end! 🤦🏼♂️More please 👍
Spot on David. Covered everything a 'non' electrician should know (layman). Pretty much anything after your explanation should be done by a qualified person. It's dangerous stuff as you've already said. Brilliant well done.
i love the graphics...keep it up!!!!!!
That was really interesting and very clearly explained. It reminded me of Take Hart!
I don't think David is quite that old .......... his TV is in colour!
He certainly is. I remember Take Hart from my childhood very well!
Excellent explanation. You should have been a teacher! Thanks.
Wow, fantastic tutorial on the electrical systems in the boat. Very well presented and I didn't feel like you were talking down to the audience.
Much appreciated!
Very good, Mr CTC. Before I watched this video I had a good understanding of the physics of electricity and afterwards I still understand everything. You failed to confuse me. Very good. I also need to mention that you picked a very appropriate title for the video. I currently cannot think of a better one.
Hiya, very well done, thank you. As an ex-spark I'll only say one point, a fuse just protects the cable/wire after it, not what you may have plunged in. Steve...
This would have been handy forty-five years ago, when I started my railroad career in the signal department. Took a year, without help, to get to the end of your fifteen minute vlog. Well done. And yes, I did blow a hole in the blade of a long screwdriver by dropping it across a 12 volt battery. Noise and flash to match Hollywood's best pyrotechnics.
Excellent - so many of us need to be educated on this - general jist will do, layman's terms is what I need👍
My God , I think I’ve got it ... very well explained for the not so bright ones such as myself , many thanks .
I once installed electronics on boats as a job and this is an excellent video! I did not know steel boats had a negative ground, most boats in Canada are obviously fibreglass or wood. Great that you advised that we do not use the entire capacity of the battery bank. Note that the only pumps on my 24 ft. sailboat are operated by hand!
Well done sir! Positively electrifying!
One of the best description of a combine ac and dc systems. This also applies to most RV's in the USA. I am well versed in both AC and DC. One item to add to future discussions is that all batteries are not equal. Example Boats and RV nromally use Deep Cycle Marine (of RV ) batteries. Automotive batteries are built for a quick heavy current load for the engine Starter and RV have a "house" battery for the 12 VDC systems such as water pump, lights, even some TV's. Keep up the good work, Joe in Arizona, USA
Excellent job! I'll be recommending this clip to many of the boaters I work with. Many thanks.
Cheers!
Well. Now I am current on 12V boat electrics. Thank you.
Nice one David a very straight forward way to describe the battery system in a boat plus great graphics.. not too technical and given out in layman's terms easy to understand...
Well done video you shook be a technical teacher as it was easy to follow and explained well.The steel boats I work on are what's called "above earth" where all the electric wiring and switches are double poled so there are not any stray voltages to the hull
I've just rewatched this and it's a great video.
You made a great job of explaining everything in real laymen's terms & in a way that was easy to follow. I imagine many of your subscribers will get a far better understanding of their boats electrical system, how it operates....and much more importantly....how to ensure that it doesn't let you down (Or burn your boat down! ;) )
Brilliant piece! Job well done.
Thank you David, for walking us through the basics of boat electrics.
Nicely done.
This is a really good simple introduction to boat electrics. Well done, David!
Thank you for that. That was a very impressive breakdown of the electrical workings of a narrowboat. I'll have to go away and study this more in depth. Thanks again for sharing.
Great Vlog! it was good for me to recap some of the things we've still yet to finish. Thanks for psoting. Best, Martin
Thanks for a very enjoyable and informative video. For some reason when watching your brilliant drawings, the music from "Vision On" was playing in my head.....
Great Vlog. I came to your channel around no 60. I enjoyed it so much I’ve gone back & watched them all, adding likes as I went . Keep up the good work.
Good to see you making another brilliant vlog on cruising the cut! About time I've been waiting for a new episode! Thanks a lot and all the best!
Speaking as a mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership...WELL DONE! You made what can be a very confusing topic easy to understand and entertaining as well. WELL DONE SIR! Go reward yourself with a G and T!
Nice video. I’m a novice and knew everything you have said. However, you said it clearly and the sketches were great so I feel like I’ve learned something. You clarified what I already knew and explained it in such a way as to make it even more understandable for me. The only thing I didn’t really know before was why earthing to a boat hull causes corrosion. I hope you do a vid on lithium ion batteries one day as I haven’t a clue about them and have never investigated. Anyway, thank you for the informative video. I appreciate how clearly you explain things.
As prospective boat owners, we found this extremely helpful. Thanks ever so much!
Well David, I agree with many of the other comments. Your ability to explain things simply and clearly are excellent. I'm sure this video will help a great many people understand their boat electrical system. Although I think you touched on it, I think the only thing you missed was that you need to use electricity SPARINGLY i.e. turn the bloody telly off and read a book lol.
You explained it so well that you make it sound simple. I hope people will take heed to what you said. You explained it very well. I learned about the OHM's Law back in 1956, before I got involved in communications. You surely have a nack for teaching the basics.
Splendid electrics video.
Yes, I am still grinding through the vids, one by one. Still enjoying myself. Thanks.
First Class Video....very informative! Thank You Dave
A most comprehensive overview of boat electrics. Proper job.
Great video, I think you've found your new calling in life. Best instructional vlog I've seen in ages. Splendid job old boy !
That was so helpful. I've looked up information on batteries previously and just ended up totally confused. Thank you so much.
What a great job in explaining electrics, batteries, etc. It was a puzzle to me before.....
Hi David, I am an ABYC certified marine electrician and want to applaud you for making such an informative video. You made some excellent and very important points. There is a lot of talk about lithium but people generally do not understand there are several types of lithium are not all are suited for a boat. Also, the charger, discharge, and storage characteristics of lithium are so different from conventional batteries that installing lithium requires a complete battery management system designed for them alone.
Thank you. Yes, lithium would need its own video (or more!) I reckon
Great video David, I think that you pitched that just right and covered all the salient points.
Ye gods, first it's galvanic electrodes dragging me back to education, now it's electricals - all I need now is 'Differential Calculus on the Cut' and the horror is complete. I once encountered a question on a physics exam that required me to read a circuit diagram and explain where the fault was (and how to correct it); I wrote 'The electrons got one look at this diagram then they were so frightened that they all jumped on their megacycles and pedalled off - try bribing them to come back with biscuits'. That was not the correct answer.
Wow! Thank you. Electrics have never rocked my boat but you made it so clear here, the diagrams solidified your words instead of them going straight out my proverbial other ear in a ridiculous jumble of non-retrievable , fragmented and distant memories.
Thank you, really very enlightening. One of the most useful videos I've seen about boats. Thank you Sir and may the force be with you!
Why oh Why can't I like more than once! Great explanation. Thanks Dave.
Thanks Chris!
We’re new to narrow boating and the electric system looked like a minefield. Thanks so much for your simply explaining it to us in an interesting and informative way. ;0)
Thank you very much for this. I did have a reasonable understanding of the power system but this style of presentation cements the basics. The description of the calculation for energy consumption was particularly helpful - I’ve never been confident that I had that right, looking at it in written form as you explained made it so clear and simple. My husband set up the solar power system for our caravan, as for him explaining it to me, well, I handed him his notice as an instructor decades ago.
Thank you so much for this vlog about batteries.
You ecplained so cleary that even I understanding the working of batteries better now 😊😊
I surely do hope you make another vlog about batteries.
I wish you a very nice evening
Thanks so much - an excellent crash course!
Excellent video, easy to follow and understand. Particularly liked the big "BANG!!!" graphic lettering.
I meant to add a sound effect bang under that as well but forgot!
From your timidness of electrical thingamajigs at the onset of your adventure to your journeyman knowledge of nautical electronics, it has been a joy to watch your mechanical aptitude flourish. Thanks for the adventure!
Wow! Such a wonderfully clear and concise presentation of the basics of what is an INCREDIBLY complex topic. So VERY well done David.
Thanks Steve!
An absolutely excellent tutorial!
Great presentation David.
Excellent video as usual! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for this. Really accessible and interesting.
Good explanation David, missing your cruise videos but understand you have other things on your plate.
Thank you for this video you have saved me lots of work. Emma from Narrowboat Girl is homeschooled and intended to teach her some basic electrics. Now I have a perfect lesson for her. Thank you Narrowboat Mum.
natural learning
That was a very interesting and informative video, thankyou David.
That was a well done informative introduction. You were very clear and accurate in your descriptions, and particularly your warnings. Well done from an engineer.
Thank you
For a first time boater this was the entry level on how canal boats electrics tick a great help. I personally found the calculation on how to work out what you are connecting to the batteries really helpful and hopefully this will stand me in good stead for the future when we are moored up running just off the batteries. Thank you.
Liked that very much 101 level....just going to wait patiently for 102! thanks!
I do get to do a fair bit of work with12v & 24v stuff on cars and lorries, and I also look after and maintain some 48v & 72v electric forklift batteries at work. However, it seems to be a whole different world when it comes "floating" electicals. I have found your explanations very enlightening and educational, and its made me want to find out more on the subject. Many thanks again David, I have got really hooked on following your channel.
Very nice drawing David. I loved the video. When my Dad built are houseboat, solar power had not hit yet. So he ran both 110v & 12v. 110 bc I live in the US. So when we was out on the lake or coving out on shore we would use 12v. & when we was connected to shore power we would turn the 110v lights on. He had them marked so we didn't forget. To me it was a neat setup, but I was only 12yrs old & 42yrs old when he past. So I didn't really get to ask a hole lot. Bc it was always there. And you don't think about that stuff till it's to late.
Thanks for the neat info,
Chris
Cheers Chris
Very useful, I don't actually own a narrowboat at the moment, but I' m researching it.
Blind leading the blind! What could go wrong! Kath with you David? There we might have a chance! Love it well done this man. Cheers
got to save this vid, ill be going over it again and again and again, very very helpful .
I don’t even own a boat and am saving this vid. Greatly explaining David! 👍🏼
Great video bro, everything in it can be linked to land based things like caravans and or motorhomes whether home built or custom made also. Thanks for going to the effort of doing this video. ATB.
Excellent introduction to electrical engineering onboard your narrowboat, well done David.
Ken (electrical engineer)
I'm glad to see it looks like your drawing skills have now progressed beyond crayons. This will be helpful for my looking at NB ads from a North American Luddite electrical perspective.
Brilliant! To me and many others this subject is a black art onto which you have thrown some light. I wholeheartedly agree with the comment regarding the Facebook 12v page and in particular Phil Brooke-Little who is a fantastic source of information and generous with his time and expertise and very helpful as are others on that ‘forum’.
Very helpful video, thanks for this. At the moment I'm dead in the water... literally! I've no Internet access of my own at the moment, have to use other access points like friends and cafe's. Can't wait to get my electrics on the boat done. I'm learning how to do all the necessary wiring myself. It's a hell of a job but I think I can do it.
Brilliant informative video. I'll be coming back to this again and again, and thank you for the Facebook link, great example of how people in this community spread the help and expertise. If only life off the water so communal. It'll be one of the best chapters of your book which is surely on its way.
haha, I hate writing!
Hello, I love your blog and appreciate the work you put into it.....Now my comment my father was and industrial (mining) electrician plus I lived next door to an very qualified electrician for 40 years and they could not explain this as well as you did. For that I am very grateful!! Dan
Great! Haha, thank you
An informative and well-presented video Sirra! Cheers!
As an electrician, very well put. I wouldn't call it glossed over more along the lines of a satin finish! =]
Very well explained, thank you 😊
most enjoyable youtube thank you!.ive just sent you a payment as a token of my appreciation for the youtubes that you produce that I enjoy watching
I have received it and sent you a reply by email - thank you indeed :-)
Well done sir! A nice introduction to the black magic of 12V, which can be both fun and frustrating at the same time. Must say I really enjoy your videos :-)
Thank you
Really well explained and even clearer with the diagrams. Thank you 😊. Electrics - not the easiest thing in the world though 😳😳
another superb presentation David,.. i'd consider buying a TV license and watching it if you were presenting a program on it. Alas it appears the general UK population is happy to pay to watch repeats of programmes made decades ago. I'm glad you joined the internet.