On 24 Feb 2008, at 10:24, Neil Arlidge wrote: > Andy Greener wrote: >> On 23 Feb 2008, at 21:55, George Pearson wrote: >>> I had often read that one should avoid running a diesel engine >>> unloaded >>> (i.e. without the prop turning) as this will result in glazing of >>> the >>> bores. This is usually mentioned relative to the idea of running >>> the >>> engine for electrical needs. >> >> I think you mean "e.g. without the prop turning" - there are other >> ways of loading an engine, such as a heavy duty alternator as you >> suggest or, let me see now,... ah yes, an 11kVA genset. Perfect ;-) > > But you have to have it loaded?...what do you do, turn your cooker > on? :-)
Well, yes, actually. A regular mix of propulsion use and static use of the heavy duty appliances keep the batteries well charged most of the time almost as a side-effect (certainly enough for a couple of days stationary if needed on "silent operation" with the inverter). We rarely run the engine just to charge batteries, but even then it's under some load driving a 100A charger. A pity the PropGen is no more. -- Andy Greener n.b. Whisper Pangbourne, UK http://www.nb-whisper.com "Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid"
