We arrived in Opua a few days earlier than planned anxious to get started on the new generator install project. The project task list included remove the old genset from Whisper, clean up the engine room, prep the space to receive the new genset, upgrade the fuel delivery system, clean the old sooty exhaust system out, get the new generator in the boat, installed, tested, and working to our satisfaction — in just a few weeks. We had two weeks scheduled at the Ashby's boat yard work dock (which extended to almost three weeks) and lots of other work to do before leaving for Fiji.

Fuel System Upgrade

The only system that required upgrading from the original Fischer Panda installation was the intake fuel line. All other systems — exhaust (1.5"), electrical (4/0 AWG), raw-water cooling (3/4"), anti-siphon (1/2"), and fuel return line (1/4") were sufficient for the new generator.

The fuel line replacement project required that the main salon floor be removed. The floor cannot come out without first removing the dining table. The dining table contains over a case of wine/spirits and is quite bulky and heavy (on the settee in the photo, right), but once removed, the fuel lines are easy to trace, disconnect, thread new, and re-connect. However, running this one new fuel line took almost an entire day from start to finish.

A later addition to the fuel system was a manually-switched 4-6 psi fuel pump. Adding a 30A relay and a basic wiring diagram for an automated on/off switch is on the future project list, but the manual switch works fine for now. Upgrading the inexpensive automotive fuel pump to a nice Facet pump is also on the list of "future" projects.

DCGen 482M-12/200 Genset Arrives!

On the same afternoon the Panda came off the boat, the new DCGen arrived in Opua. Good timing, huh? The platform was clean, the fuel system upgrade was complete, and the boat was ready to receive the new DCGen482 solution.

As a quick recap, the DCGen 482 from Onsite Power Systems in Australia (sold through PowerStream) is a 12V DC genset. It's a Kubota 482 2-cylinder diesel engine direct driving (via a spider coupling) a large hot-rated (to 205F) 200 amp Prestolite alternator. The alternator is the same one used worldwide on emergency vehicles and RV's and can be configured as an N-type with a built-in regulator and/or external regulator (default, and most common in Europe/UK), or easily converted to a P-type alternator with an external regulator only (common in America and New Zealand). As we roughly understand it a P-type is wired with the voltage regulation upstream on Positive brush or an N-type downstream on negative brush. Or something like that.

The genset starts and runs at a preset throttle level providing 8-12 horsepower at around 2800-2900 rpms and consumes fuel (with slightly fluctuating rpm) based on the alternator loading. A 200 amp alternator requires a minimum 8HP motor, so the Kubota 482 is a good match. Because it is direct drive and there is no 3:1 pully driving the alternator up to 4500-6000 RPM (at 1500-2000 engine rpm) as with most engine alternators, the sustained amp output sits comfortably around 180 amps (200 when cold, 180 when hot). Fuel consumption is approximately 1 liter per hour at the 2800 rpm setting. That's enough on this for now, back to the installation...

It's Alive!

First, Duncan mounted the new DCGen in place. The base-frame/engine mounts were carefully positioned, marked, shifted, drilled, shifted back, bolted, and/or lag-screwed down to the platform. Amazingly, all the holes lined up and the unit ended up correctly positioned in the available space.

Sterling Pro Digital Alternator Regulator (PDAR)

Although the engine was running and the alternator was putting out some decent amps (just over 200 when cold), we realized after a couple of test runs that the voltage never climbed above 14.1 volts. The PDAR regulator was wired and configured correctly for our batteries. It should have been cranking out 14.7 volts. It wasn't. Why not?

This problem was the biggest hassle of the installation and delayed things by at least a week. Without going into all the detail about the symptoms, lack of information, misinformation, local NZ electrician opinions, the manufacturer's response to their opinions, Sterling Pro's response to any of the issues, and our reactions to all their various responses — suffice to say we eventually go down a different path.

Onsite Power was very supportive and quickly sent another PDAR to try, but they were not confident it would solve our problem — and in the end, it did not. Onsite did not, however, have great documentation, troubleshooting, wiring diagrams, or support for this particular electrical problem — and therefore we had a hard time narrowing down the root cause of the issue. The New Zealand local marine electricians would not even look at an N-type alternator, because 99% of what they deal with is P-type (usually Balmar).

For a moment, Duncan thought the internal regulator on the alternator was an adjustable kind and needed to be tweaked a bit higher (like 14.25 volts) in order to trip-on the Sterling Pro. This was according to a guy on a Canal Boat Forum that had just installed one on his boat. Maybe this was the problem? If the internal regulator never made it to 14.25V, it would never kick-on.

When we attempted to confirm behavior this with Sterling, the note back from Charles Sterling indicated we could "tell the person [on the forum] they are an idiot" and we should use his name when posting. There was no explanation provided of how the Sterling PDAR actually did work, and no additional information or documentation provided that might help debug our problem. Very helpful.

In the end, the insufficient voltage probably had nothing to do with the Sterling regulator (the problem was a wiring issue with the field wire on the internal regulator), but the level of support and information forthcoming from Sterling made us uncomfortable, so we looked for alternatives.

In contrast, Prestolite support was a DREAM and we were extremely impressed with the level of knowledge, information, and support provided. Plus, their product seems to be excellent as well. We learned their alternators can be either a P-Type or N-type! This opens up some good alternatives.

If the broken solder-point on the negative regulator power wire (instead of a brush post) was a valid the indicator of where it was connected — the field wire was wired up incorrectly at the factory. We never did receive a wiring diagram that indicated exactly where the field wire should be connected, but it should probably have been somehow connected to the negative-side brush contact. The electrician that eventually helped solve this problem confirmed it was in fact wired incorrectly — it was soldered to a tab on the regulator power ground instead of the negative brush post. This would short the field to ground and an external regulator would never work correctly. Well, that explains some things.

We put the alternator on the local electrician's test bench. He looked at the internal regulator, and confirmed the field wire was wired incorrectly. After a quick discussion of options, we decided to change the N-type Prestolite to a P-type. We had a spare Balmar MC-412 voltage regulator that we know can deliver 14.7 volts. The electrician quickly converted the alternator to a P-type by replacing the internal N-type regulator with a simple mounting plate and brush-contact assembly ($65 US). We kept the internal regulator if we ever need a an emergency 14.1 volt output. We connected everything up and cranked it on with the Balmar MC-412 voltage regulator and got 14.7 volts! Progress!

Finally after reaching the end of our troubleshooting rope, a local electrician put the alternator on his test bench. He quickly converted the alternator to a P-type with this simple mounting plate and brush-contact assembly he made. We connected-up our spare Balmar MC-412 voltage regulator and we got 14.7 volts and 175-200 amps, no problem. We were back in business.

As an aside, we learned from Prestolite support they offer an off-the-shelf part to easily convert their alternators to P-type. They also offer a Prestolite branded OEM external P-Type regulator made by Balmar. They have had good luck with this configuration on marine and RV installations, and based on our final solution, we believe them. If we had easy, quick access to these Prestolite parts, we might have purchased and used them instead of building our own solution.

Now that we finally had a working solution (that used the exact same model voltage regulator as our main engine alternator), we started to feel like we were making progress in the right direction again. We bought another spare Balmar ARS-5 regulator, and believe we now have a decent solution that will work long term.

We shipped all the Sterling stuff back to Onsite Power and got a prompt refund.

Installation Complete, sort of...

Duncan wanted to do this generator installation himself for two reasons. First, he would be intimately familiar with the unit by the time it was all done, and second, we did not want to pay someone several thousand dollars for the installation.

Additionally, we spent only about $850 on parts. It took Duncan much longer to install and debug than expected (overall about 4 weeks, including 2 weeks of testing time at anchor), but we saved some money and Duncan now knows the unit very well.

Some of the other mini-projects we worked or started during this install are outlined here:

• We added an external 4-6 psi fuel pump as a fuel booster pump. We had a spare fuel pump from our last round of Fischer Panda fuel pressure testing, so used it for this purpose. In retrospect, we probably would spend the money on a Facet pump. The current pump has an integrated 50 micron filter which is not necessary (it's between the tank and the 2-micron Racor filter). Currently, this pump is manually switched. We have the parts (wiring/relay) needed to automate the on/off switching of this pump, but have not yet installed them.

• Duncan modified the stainless exhaust elbow. The bend in the exhaust elbow brought the exhaust line too close to the thru-hull of the water separator outflow. A small cut was made and the tube was carefully bent and welded to enable the exhaust run to stay well clear of the thru-hull. Having an identical stainless steel spare made in the field will cost about $100-$200 US — not much.

• Late in the testing, we had a problem with the New Zealand made BEP marine ANL fuse block installed on the genset frame. It melted and broke the fuse. After a couple days of research, we realized the 125 amp fuse (and 125A spare fuse provided by the factory) was providing too much resistance (125A fuse on 200 amp alternator). It heated up the single shared fuse and wire terminal post (mounted in a plastic support) to the melting point. The plastic port melted, twisted the fuse, broke the ceramic fuse cover, and melted the inside of the plastic BEP fuse block cover before breaking the fuse. We may have contributed to the heat-up by using stainless steel washers between the cable terminals and the fuse. As we learned, stainless is not a great conductor and may have contributed to the failure. We changed to a 200 amp fuse and upgraded the fuse block to a Blue Sea 750amp ANL model. This works really well and stays nice and cool.

An installation review

In late April, our friend, Todd Rickard, from Seattle visited New Zealand and stopped in to see us in Opua. Todd is the person that originally installed the Fischer Panda. He inspected Duncan's install and made a few suggestions for improvement. Now, we have several small projects to do on rainy days in a tropical anchorage somewhere.

Postscript

Lots was learned during the installation...

1. The issue with the alternator not putting out 14.7 volts was a big time-sink for us. It is possible the field wire was knocked loose in-transit or during installation, but there should have been some sign of connection to the negative brush — there wasn't. If a wiring diagram was provided from the manufacturer, the problem could have been identified the first time Duncan took the alternator off and found the broken wire hanging there. If we had carried the unit off to a qualified New Zealand electrician on day-one, we would probably have had it working a week sooner. We would also have kept the Sterling stuff, having never asked Sterling for documentation and support information.

2. If Duncan had installed a DCGen more than once, the install time would come down dramatically. A skilled installer could have done this in a week and would have had fewer troubleshooting issues after the install.

3. This install invalidated all of Fischer Panda's previous blame-the-installation red-herrings. The new unit uses all the original Fischer Panda exhaust system (1.5" 20 Ft exhaust hose, 1.5L water lift muffler, same water separator), fuel system (with one intake line upgrade), wiring, and raw water cooling/anti-siphon solution installed in 2001. The new generator works great, runs consistently well, and burns very clean. The old Fischer-Panda was a lemon. Period.

Well, how do we like the DCGen 482?

With over 90 hours on the genset, we are still very happy with it. It's simple, appears to be very reliable thus far, and puts out some decent amps. We have only a few minor issues that are all compromises we knew about and were willing to accept.

First, it's a bit loud — maybe 2-3x louder than the old (1-cyl) Panda. Robin said it sounds like a lawn mower sitting just outside. We could look at options to get the sound level down (they offer a sound shield), but we are already getting used to it — so probably not. We've even looked into a simple sound insulating thermal blanket that would just velcro over the engine itself, but it would end up being custom and likely expensive. Our engine room insulation is sufficient.

Another idea would be to add a manual or automated throttle control to "turn down the volume" and reduce fuel consumption as the demand from the alternator tapers off — but this all adds cost and complexity. We will continue to live with it the way it is at a fixed rpm. It's still much quieter and more efficient than a 76 HP Volvo running at 1500 rpm driving our small Balmar alternator and generating only 70 amps!

The 180 amps or so output from the Prestolite alternator is sufficient for the batteries, but 250 amps would have been nicer. 200 amps is about right for this size engine and leaves some headroom for belt driven accessories. The Onsite Power DCGen 722M (3-cyl) may handle a larger alternator, but we just didn't have room for it in the engine room.

The Genie 280/12 solution from Ample Power, with basically the same engine as the DCGen 482, belt drives (therefore at a higher rpm) a 280 amp alternator. Of course, then you have the additional concern of pulley alignment, as well as belt wear, slipping, and tension setting. You also don't have a platform to drive accessories. A Genie 280/12 might be a good option if you have a large battery bank or Gel/AGM batteries that can handle high charge rate (up to 30% of capacity). We are okay with the DCGen482's 180 amps and can fully recharge our 745 Ah bank (when discharged 250 Ah or so) in less than 2 hours of run time.

So far Duncan's ecstatic with the simplicity and ease of maintenance of the Kubota 482 engine. With the transverse mounting everything is right there and within easy reach (although you still must lay over the main engine). It even has a real oil filter and the oil stays clean for many hours (the Panda oil turned tar-black 10 minutes after an oil change). We had a minor oil leak at the oil pan gasket early-on, but tightening the pan seems to have stopped it for now. If it is still a problem down the road, we will have Onsite Power fix it when we get to Australia. The 482 exhaust is also very clean and we are no longer spewing black soot into the anchorage through the water separator! Someday, we may add a few Murphy gauges (engine temp, exhaust temp, oil pressure) to assist with troubleshooting, but if the generator never has any trouble, maybe not.

Another minor suggestion is to move the relays and fuses out from under the fuel bleed screw, oil dip stick, and coolant drain-cock. These electrical bits might be better off located away from all the potential drips. It wouldn't be that difficult to move them off the unit altogether.

Well that's about it for the DCGen 482. The DCGen is a well-constructed, simple, and solid unit that works as advertised — after resolving the few initial glitches. We will post on the blog if anything changes, but all is well on Whisper's electrical front. The batteries are happy and behaving exactly according to the Toyama specification. The charging system is working very well now, with a smooth temperature-compensated charging curve. It shows diminishing returns on the charge when it gets down to about 40 amps in, so we only do an 80% charge and let the solar handle the rest. The Kubota engine reliability looks great so far, and fuel consumption seems right for the load. Also, we have done much less over-cocktail-hour complaining about generators than at any time in the last six years.

Now, go get ready to go!

With this major work behind us, it is time to provision and prepare for the passage. We left Ashby's after three weeks, tested everything at anchor for two weeks, then returned to a mooring in Opua to start getting ready for the passage to Fiji. The socializing begins while we wait for weather windows to open. Enough work! Let the fun begin!