Brian, If you have not found this site yet here is one for the "Chimp"
Henderson pump you're looking for.  Good Luck sir.  ---Larry

http://www.marathonleisure.co.uk/acatalog/sitemap.html



-----Original Message-----
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
com] On Behalf Of Brian Gilbert
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 7:24 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: M_Boats: Re:Diodes on solar panels


Hi MC:

I'm certainly no wizard, but I know what the zenier diode is for. It's like
a one-way valve for electricity. Without it, reverse current will flow back
into the panel at night, heating the cells and draining the battery.

It doesn't protect from overcharging, but it does drop the useable voltage a
bit.

To keep from cooking your battery, you need to size the panel to your
battery bank. Unfortunately, I can't remember off the top of my head how to
size the panel, but Spurr's Boatbook devotes an entire chapter on the
subject. I think that the basic jist of things is that small panels are
really only good for keeping up with the self-discharge of the battery.
Bigger panels are needed to replace current... sometimes you need a lot of
panel to refill the battery if your electrical demands are high.

Hope this helps
BG

-- 
Brian Gilbert
Marine Media 
M17 "Tiny Dancer" (ex "Stargazer")
(423)876-9990
3404 Hartford Drive
Chattanooga, TN 37415
www.sailingsmall.com



on 7/18/05 7:49 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

> I am going to add a small solar panel on top of the hatch cover  - is 
> there an electric wizard in the group, I was told today that to 
> protect the battery from boiling dry, I should solder in place a 14.4 
> volt zenner diode between the solar
> panel and the battery to prevent overcharging when at the dock or on
trailer
> for a
> few weeks. Apart from the back-feed diode which is also needed when no
charge
> controller is used.
> 
> Thanks,
> MC


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