Everything that you say has merit, Glort -- but, everything that you are saying seems to add complexity to the system and my goal is simplicity. My Starter/generator worked fine --- the battery slowly died (and fan slowly died) because I failed to re-adjust the voltage regulator after adding the cooling fan. I didn't feel like doing that in the middle of the night - (time consuming) - hot 'roid, hurricane and all that! Disconnecting the drive belt and hooking up the battery charger was a lot easier and quicker. The 100+ hour run showed me some of the weak points (or less reliable points) in my system. The fan didn't fail, the fan controller didn't fail, the radiator didn't fail, the starter/generator didn't fail - (but any of them could have). Going to a tank system eliminates all of those things. A 55 gallon drum, some fittings and hose, a 195 degree automotive thermostat, a temperature gauge - all with a low risk of failure --- just add water and some anti-freeze (I'm in Florida, so it doesn't take much) and the problem is solved! I'll leave the starter/generator in place - but disconnect the belt. It's there for when I get too old or feeble to hand crank it! BTW - the starter/generator works very well --- but it's still another belt driving something -- another potential failure item! A hand crank is hard to beat when it comes to simplicity and reliability!! ------ Cheers,
Charlie