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Planning for Solar Panels part 7 – Buying the cable and Circuit breakers

After a lot of hunting around and looking at lots of different web sites I ended up purchasing 25 Meters of both Red and Black 6mm Solar PV cable from Superlec Direct who at the time seemed to have the best per meter price for this length at 99p per meter plus VAT (£1.19) with free delivery for orders over £50. I also added some MC4 connector to the order as these also seemed reasonably priced.

Cable from Superlec Direct

I could have used 4mm cable for this and made a small saving, but just to cover future upgrades and I don’t what to have to do this twice I went with the 6mm cable, also this is the maximum the MC4 connectors can handle.

If you have been following this blog you will know I purchased a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 a few weeks ago, and the manual for this recommend a fuse between this and the batteries of between 55 & 70 Amps for this I have selected a RED WOLF 60 amp Circuit Breaker which came in the end from Amazon.co.uk

Red Wolf 60 Amp breaker

This comes in midway between the Victron requirements, we will see how well this operates when it arrives.

Reading and watching all I can find on installing fuses and circuit breakers in solar systems, most of the ready-made kits I have seen for canal boats do not include any isolators or fuses.

In domestic systems there are always large breakers and fuses as a domestic solar array will be much larger and we are then working with much higher voltages often over 350V for a just a small 4Kw PV array, so much more dangerous in terms of power and much greater risk to life from electrocution.

What does a fuse/circuit breaker do?

A fuse in a circuit is to protect the wiring and other devices from excessive current flow that could damage them, it is designed to blow before any further damage can be done.

Fitting fuses/circuit breakers between the Solar Panels and the MPPT Controller?

The solar panels have a rating for “Series Fuse Rating” which in our case is approx 20Amps which is the maximum Amps this panel can withstand being dumped into it without damage . In our case with the panels in series our max output will be about 10.5 Amps, so we are well within that and safe without fuses on each panel.

But If we wired the array in parallel, then the Amps would increase with each panels fitted, if a panel failed the output of the others would find the route of least resistance through the broken panel, potentially exceeding the 20A “Series Fuse Rating”, to prevent this from becoming a problem, 15A fuses should be fitted for each panel in the array so that in the case of a problem the faulty panel is disconnected from the array before any damage is done.

Next week we will be selecting and ordering the panels and hopefully also deciding on the mounting system so I can get them delivered direct to the marina ready for my next visit.

Also see
Planning for Solar Panels – Part 1
Planning for Solar Panels Part 2 – Panel Mounting Options
Planning for Solar Panels Part 3 – Types of Panels
Planning for Solar Panels Part 4 – MPPT vs PWM solar controllers
Planning for Solar Panels part 5 – Cable sizes, lengths and resistance.
Planning for Solar Panels part 6 – Panels in Serial or Parallel
Planning for Solar Panels part 7 – Buying the cable and Circuit breakers
Planning for Solar Panels part 8 – Buying Solar Panels and Mountings
Planning for Solar Panels part 9 – Wiring
Planning for Solar Panels part 10 – Drilling, Tapping and Fitting

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August 2023 – Screwfix almost saves the day

A busy day ahead as Mary is leaving us by Train at about 2pm, but before we get started we now have a very low leisure battery bank and the voltage must be very low as the fridge has stopped working, it little internal LED is flashing away. Luckily in the freezer box we had some packs of Obi’s dog food acting as freezer blocks and helping keep things cool.

Looking at the alternator for the leisure batteries it’s possible that belt is also now loose, it does seem looser that yesterday, but I may be getting paranoid and unfortunately the tools we used yesterday just don’t want to fit well enough to get the bolts loose without damaging them or me.

Now a sudden inspiration strikes ‘Screwfix‘ I look on their web site and see they have a one hour service in this area with deliver just £5.00, all I need is a postcode to deliver to. Luckily the local business we are moored near is happy to help, so within an hour we have some smart new spanners and five minutes later the belt is a little tighter.

With the engine running we still no charging taking place, now I check the wiring, wish I had done this first, as the single yellow and black wire that connects to the alternator just comes away in my fingers. Probably all the vibration from the engine a couple of days ago and is has finally given up holding on to it’s spade terminal.

The wire has given up holding on !

I need a bit of luck as unfortunately I have also left my crimp tool at home in the tool bag, but in my box of boat bits I find a spade terminal with approx the right gauge wire already attached and manage to strip back both ends and twist them tight enough that they will hopefully get us home once covered in some insulation tape.

With Mary safely on the train, by 3pm we are on our way out of Birmingham, the plan is to go as far as possible before it is to dark to chug along.

Finally at about 8pm we moor up just before the Shortwood tunnel entrance, under the cover of some trees, Antony and Ellie cook tea and it is off the bed.

Today we have travelled 12 miles in about 5 hours.

August 2023 – Part 1 – A little adventure, Droitwich to Birmingham
August 2023 – Part 2 – A really Tardebigge adventure
August 2023 – Part 3 – Birmingham Engine Lows and Highs
August 2023 – Part 4 – Lost dog and diner out at Ju Ju’s Cafe
August 2023 – Part 5 – Screwfix almost saves the day

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August 2023 – Lost dog and diner out at Ju Ju’s Cafe

I know this is not very special, but another late start and after some coffees from Nero and 4 of us showered we finally managed to emptyed our water tank. But before we refill we decide to head to McD’s for breakfast, just making it before the 11am cut off (its relatively cheap and you have to love the hash browns).

On the way back Mary and I found a DJI shop ( 2-6 Corporation Street, B2 4RN) with lots of interesting gadgets, I could not resist the Oslo Mobile 6 Smartphone Stabiliser (Approval was sort from the boss before purchase, I’d not that stupid). On the way back we stop off for a quick photo on the Black Sabbath Bridge, it is not often clear of tourists.

Black Sabbath Bridge, Broad Street Birmingham

While the rest of the group then headed to The Birmingham Sealife centre, which is just the other side of the canal, I decided to stay, write some of the blog and then have to hunt for the dog who has taken himself off for a walk. He does not get far, I am told he visited the Lego centre and then was captured by the kind people at  Sommar which is a microbrewery just above us, they found my number on his collar and call me, but in my panic I had left my phone on the boat, but I soon returned and got their voicemail. Obi (The dog), is very please with himself having been well looked after, but is pleased to see me and follows me back to the boat then under my stern glares he quickly falls asleep in his favourite place under the table.

When the others returned, we start the engine and reverse with the assistants on some crew on the lines to the canal roundabout, before chugging to the water point, just opposite The Cube and just outside Noel’s Bar and Restaurant and we moored while we waited for another boat to complete filling up.

After we had filled our tank, we then reversed back and moored up again at the 4 day moorings.

I did notice that the leisure batteries where a bit lower than I expected, but as we were going out tonight and as we planned a ½ days chugging tomorrow, I hopped going to be a problem.

That evening we had wanted to go to Dishoon, an Indian restaurant highly recommended by Jason (Sonia’s No.2 son) who was joining us that evening, unfortunately we could not get a table booking at a convenient time. I then did a quick dive into trip-advisor and somehow found a small restaurant call Ju Ju’s Cafe that looked interesting, most of my family seemed think I was nuts, but we had an truly excellent meal, which did contain an extraordinary amount of garlic, but we are all family on the boat , high recommended.

Mary on the boat roof, I was playing with the Oslo Mobile 6 Smartphone Stabiliser

August 2023 – Part 1 – A little adventure, Droitwich to Birmingham
August 2023 – Part 2 – A really Tardebigge adventure
August 2023 – Part 3 – Birmingham Engine Lows and Highs
August 2023 – Part 4 – Lost dog and diner out at Ju Ju’s Cafe
August 2023 – Part 5 – Screwfix almost saves the day

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August 2023 – Birmingham Engine Lows and Highs

Not a very early start this morning, we walked Obi the dog, then get a coffee from the local Nero before the family leave me and Obi to work on the engine problem. They all head to the Bullring for some much-needed retail therapy.

We are on a 4 day mooring, but we need to get back at Droitwich Spa by the following Sunday (4 days time). Hunting online for a fuel pump is proving a little difficult, I cannot seem to find a part number for what we have got and the pictures I find look nothing like what I have?

Then I have a little inspiration, with the engine battery so low, maybe the pump, which I am told is electromechanical? may be not getting enough power to keep the pressure up. Also why is the engine battery so low.

Not my Isuzu 42 engine, but on this you can see the two belts driving the alternators

A quick check of the engine and one of the belts, the one it is hardest to see and get to has worked a little loose, in the image above it is on the right hand side, in the boat this is very close to the bulkhead. I have spares belts, but my hands (poorly thumb joints) are not up to reaching behind and below the alternator to release the bolts, unfortunately I have some tools, but had left my main tool kit at homeland at this point I could really do with a set of normal spanners. All I have adjustable spanner and a universal ring spanner, but it is too large to fit well behind the engine and my hands by this time are painful.

I did search on google maps for a local tool shop, but everything was well outside the centre of Birmingham, I could have got an Uber, but luckily when the family returns Antony (Son) after much effort manages to tighten the belt with the adjustable and we then start the engine and the battery start charging.

Things now run smoothly, the volts are increasing rapidly, it is relief all-around, now we leave the motor going for an hour to get some charge back in the batteries.

Happy now with finding and fixing the problem and while writing this things can seem obvious in hindsight but there is more to come in the next few days….

August 2023 – Part 1 – A little adventure, Droitwich to Birmingham
August 2023 – Part 2 – A really Tardebigge adventure
August 2023 – Part 3 – Birmingham Engine Lows and Highs
August 2023 – Part 4 – Lost dog and diner out at Ju Ju’s Cafe
August 2023 – Part 5 – Screwfix almost saves the day

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August 2023 – A really Tardebigge adventure

7:40 am and we are the first to the bottom lock and off we go, the first few locks are going fine, then a CRT person on a bike warns us that lock 36 had been closed and the pound had been drained for an emergency repair to the lock gate, so could we hold where we are, it will take about an hour to refill the pound and check the repair.

As the repair was at the next lock up, I walked up to get some pictures, as you can see there is not much depth at the sides.

Tardebigge Lock 36 repaired and empty pound

About an hours later, the pound is full and we were back on our way.

Sonia was at the helm and I was working the locks, the next time she catches up with me, she reports the engine is playing up, so I take over for a while and all seems fine except it is not settling down after changing gear.

This slowly gets worse over the next few locks until it stalls when trying to leave lock 49 and so we pull over to take a look.

While doing this the next boat coming down the TB seem to drain the pound leaving us at an essessive angle with most of our worksurfaces cleared and cupboards emptyed. Luckly a CRT crew member jump to our aid and refilled the pound and kept us safe while we diagnosed the problem.

We can hear a ticking from the fuel pump that lasts for a 45 seconds, after that the engine will start, but soon boggs down and stops.

Sounds like fuel starvation, I know we have fuel, and I have a spare filter so we whip to the old one off and replace it, now nothing, luckly a very helpful man traveling on his own stops to take a look and thinks we may have an air blockage in the diesel lines, much tinkering later we are running, but very erratically. 

Note: We later discover this engine will automatically clear any airlocks in the pipes/injectors.

Bravely we decide to continue and see what happened as we only have about 10 lock to complete to the top of the Tardebigge.

Mary very happy to be at the top of the Tardebigge

At the top things are going OK’ish and we decide to push on the Birmingham or as close as we can make it. We can manage about 2-2.5mph but the engine is not run stready. All the advice we got was the pump was on it way out, lots of phone calls and we cannot find one… We call supplier after supplier all of whom send us onto someone else, who either has not got or heard of our engine (Isuzu 42), but may know someone who could help. We give up for today.

The now famous Birmingham Canal roundabout

After 3 tunnels, including the Wast Hill Tunnel at 2,492 m, which is worrying with a engine we don’t trust. But we carry on as at least in Brum I should be able to get parts delivered or hire an Uber to go and get some.

It is slow progress but finally make it to Birmingham and find a mooring just outside the Lego centre. We have been chugging for about 13 ½ hours now and are all greatly relieved to stop.

Doing some final checks before stopping for the night, both our batteries banks seem low, the leisure batteries are below 90% and the engine battery is showing only 11.3 Volts. 

We are all too tired to think so it’s time for food and some to sleep before I start looking at the engine tomorrow.

Today we have completed 17 Miles and 29 locks in about 13 ½ hours

August 2023 – Part 1 – A little adventure, Droitwich to Birmingham
August 2023 – Part 2 – A really Tardebigge adventure
August 2023 – Part 3 – Birmingham Engine Lows and Highs
August 2023 – Part 4 – Lost dog and diner out at Ju Ju’s Cafe
August 2023 – Part 5 – Screwfix almost saves the day

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