what size marine wire do i need to rewire my boat
Installing a High Power marine alternator on your gunkhole.
Arguably, there is no more than worthwhile electric projection you can undertake on your boat to improve comfort and convenience than the installation of a high ability alternator. Having a high power alternator will provide you with a substantial comeback in the availability of electrical power on lath. This volition atomic number 82 to greater prophylactic, improve ability to run electronics, ameliorate lighting, colder beer and the ability to run a watermaker, windlass, inverter and other loftier consumption devices. It is not the merely component that matters in a fully functional marine electrical system, other parts will be addressed in later articles, but in many cases the alternator serves as the foundation of a mod high performance system.
This drawing courtesy of Balmar shows a typical high output large example alternator. This model has a dual pes mount and a dual caster for ½" belts and an external fan.
A typical small to medium marine diesel fuel has a standard alternator with a rating of 55 amps; still this rating is obtained under the nearly favorable weather. The typical sustained output from these stock alternators is 25 – 30 Amps. It is like shooting fish in a barrel to see how the addition of a 100 Amp high output alternator which has an actual output of 100 Amps could more than triple the amount of ability available on board and substantially reduce engine running time.
Fortunately installing a replacement alternator is not difficult. It does involve some basic electrical and mechanical skills. I have attempted hither to give quite detailed instructions and to cover all of the bases making the text that follows a scrap long, just at the end of the day the job is not that difficult. To go started y'all first demand to place what kind of alternator you currently have.
Case size
Most smaller 4 and 6 cylinder diesels have what is known as a "small case alternator". The bore of these alternators is about five ½" and the length including the pulley is nigh six". They often have a single caster for one belt although the more than powerful ones will have double pulleys or a serpentine chugalug. Bigger engines normally have "large example alternators" which tend to be most seven" in diameter and almost 7" long and having a double caster or caster for a serpentine belt. There are also "actress large instance alternators" available for the biggest engines. If you are having problems identifying yours this commodity will help you effigy out which instance size yous have. The photo below shows the typical small example alternator found on a Yanmar
Mounting type
The next call back to notice is the mounting type. You need to see how the alternator is fastened to the engine at its pivot point. Does the alternator have a single foot or does information technology have ii?
Dual human foot alternators:
Yanmar engines take alternators with ii feet, known as a "dual foot mount". The standard spacing between the anxiety is 3.15", this is also known as a "Yanmar mount". This standard dual foot mount is also oftentimes constitute on Mercruiser and Mitsubishi engines equally well every bit others. Many Westerbeke engines have alternators with 2 anxiety that are spaced closer together; the spacing betwixt the anxiety is a bit less than two". Larger alternators may have what is known as a J-180 mount with dual feet that are iv" apart. These are oftentimes used on larger Cummins, Detroit and Caterpillar engines.
A modest case dual human foot alternator for utilise on a Yanmar or similar engine. The spacing between the anxiety is 3.15", This model has a single pulley and has multiple places to attach the aligning arm. It has an internal cooling fan. Drawing courtesy of Balmar. Take a look at my Web log Post Installing a Balmar alternator on a Yanmar 3JH3E for a description and photos of an bodily project.
Single human foot alternators:
Unmarried foot alternators autumn into ii categories, one" foot and two" foot mounts. The 1" or 2" refers to the dimension of the foot itself measured fore and aft. You will just have to await and measure just in general the 1" foot is used on some Caterpillar engines too equally Universal, Crusader, Atomic 4 and some Westerbeke's. The 2" pes is found on many Volvo'southward, Perkins and Lehman engines.
This photo courtesy of Balmar shows a pocket-sized case alternator with a single caster and a single 2" mounting pes. There is no way to be certain of the mount without looking carefully at what y'all already take, there are just likewise many variables out in that location.
Mounting bolt
The next thing to await at is the mounting bolt that attaches the alternator to the engine at its pivot point. The larger alternators have ½" bore mounting bolts while most intermediate alternators have a iii/viii" or 10 mm bore mounting bolt (Note that these diameters are almost identical). The smallest alternators take a 5/xvi" or 8 mm mounting bolt. (Again these diameters are almost identical) Information technology is of import to get an alternator with the right size hole for the mounting bolt otherwise it wont fit or will wobble, it is commonly possible to club a bushing to arrange to another size commodities, don't forget to enquire when ordering.
Pulley
Finally you need to look at the pulley: If your alternator has a single pulley you need to know the width of the belt. This is measured across the tiptop of the belt, the widest part. Most single pulley alternators have a ½" belt, smaller ones have a 3/eight" chugalug, and you volition occasionally notice some wider single belts. You may as well detect double belts or a serpentine belt. These are designed to transfer greater loads and have greater surface area in contact with the pulleys. If you have a serpentine pulley y'all need to count the number of grooves in the pulley and the overall width of the belt. The picture to a higher place and to the right shows an alternator with a single 1/ii" drive belt, it likewise shows the alternator pulley perfectly in alignment with the engine pulleys. If yous accept a single 1/2" bulldoze belt like this you are limited to an alternator of around 100 Amp output and if the belt is three/8" bore you are limited to an alternator of about 70 Amps output. These are not hard and fast rules and occasionally I have installed a single belt alternator of 120 Amps with a single 1/2" belt but to practice that you take to exist prepared to monitor wearable on the belt more closely and be prepared to supplant the belt more frequently. What virtually if you need more output than 100 Amps and are stuck with a single pulley system? One choice is to employ the Balmar Serpentine Conversion kit to change your engine over to serpentine pulleys. This clever organisation allows y'all to fit new pulleys over the superlative of your existing crankshaft and water pump pulleys allowing you to install a much larger alternator. When used in conjunction with the Balmar AT-Series Alternator it allows yous to install a 200 amp minor case alternator on many small-scale boat engines
Other mounting considerations
Occasionally there are other things to expect at. Is there sufficient room behind the alternator in case the replacement is slightly longer? Volition the pulley line upward with the onetime pulley? Will the adjustment arm fit the way the former one did? These are snags that don't normally occur and accept to be dealt with on a example by case ground. Earlier purchasing a replacement alternator information technology is worth discussing any unusual or unknown aspects of the installation with a professional. The photograph below shows the Balmar Belt Buddy aligning arm with tensioning device.
Electric considerations
All of the remaining part of this article refers to "P" type alternators, where a positive voltage is applied to the alternator field coils. It is possible to accept the contrary, an "N" type alternator, with a negative connection to the field coils, but they are extremely rare.
Autonomously from noting the alternator voltage you should as well look to see if you have an isolated ground engine; these are sometimes found on engines with saildrives or on engines with electronic controls. To determine if you lot take an isolated ground engine configuration just check for continuity between the engine block and your battery negative final using a multimeter. If you have continuity then it is not an isolated ground engine and you lot tin use any alternator, otherwise you have to apply an special isolated basis alternator.
Sample output curves for alternators at various RPM. Note that the RPM we are talking about is alternator RPM, typically 2.5 times engine RPM. Typically alternators have their full output rated at 6000 RPM only can proceed to spin up to 12,000 RPM or more than without any additional increase in output.
Choosing your alternator
Now that you have thoroughly examined what you currently accept you lot are ready to select an alternator. You need to start with an appropriate voltage, example size and mounting foot. And then you have to select an output size based on your electric demands, battery size, and the pulley type you lot take. If you have simply a single three/8" wide chugalug you will be limited to well-nigh lxx amps for a 12 volt alternator. If you have a single ½" belt you will be limited to about 110 amps for a 12 volt alternator. Everything more 110 amps for a 12 volt organisation volition crave either double belts or a serpentine belt. The picture below shows you the wide choice of alternators on sale at shop.pkys.com
Source: https://shop.pkys.com/Installing-a-High-Power-marine-alternator-on-your-boat_b_111.html
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