Benefits of an inverter
- Thread starter NYSail
- Start date
Dom, It's an Igloo.. 14"x12"x9". Quick bracketed to the top of the gimbaled stove will allow it to make ice while carrying a small heel...
I had the same shocking realization - there are EIGHT 120V receptacles on a Catalina 36. I'm never more than six feet from one. Not a single factory-installed 12-volt DC, but I can use an electric shaver in the head. Why anyone would shave with anything on a boat is a different question. Now if only someone would come up with a good, standard 12V DC plug rather than the silly "cigarette lighter" thing. //End Rant//
Here is my 12 Volt source, USB charger, portable dingy pump power source, emergency engine Start battery, 12 VDC battery charger, emergency light, etc.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--700a-jump-starter--15808504?recordNum=4
On special from time to time $49.
I carry one in my car too, no more jumper cables.
I have lent it out at the marina, more than I have used it.
Jim...
PS: It has a 12 vdc thingy plug in too.
PSS: With a small inverter, makes great toast too!
I didn’t have an inverter in a boat under about 40ft. There just isn’t enough stuff aboard to need it and not enough battery capacity. But on my current 55ft ketch with 800 AH of battery we use 110v at anchor for toasters, hair dryers, TV, coffee maker, microwave and many others. I’ve always found the stand alone inverters a pain. If your boat is big enough it’s far better to get an inverter/charger like the Victron Multi. It is always on. When we are plugged into the dock it automatically feeds the shorepower AC to the outlets while keeping the 12v stuff charged with a smart charger. When we unplug shorepower, the inverter automatically and instantly takes over. No switches to throw. If you need a large battery charger (100amp) then you’ll find an inverter/charger costs only a little bit more than just the charger. I haven’t found the inverter/chargers to fail any more often than just a charger. They use the same parts.
When I was reworking my charging system I looked at the 100 A inverter/charger systems and went with a 100A smart charger only. It was much smaller and didn’t need to be moisture protected. I also have a genset that makes everything 120VAC light up, including the 12VDC charger. So that is different. A 120A externally regulated alternator fills most of the gap. Unless we are running A/C heat pump we rarely use the genset. The alternator provides better power output anyway, and a house built of high acceptance AGM batteries give us the ability to use the amperage we can generate.
At this point everything 12VDC on our boat is internal battery powered, with 12VDC charging cables. Radios, handheld nav, phones, tablets, cordless tools, flashlights, laptops - all power up / charge up from a 12VDC source at the nav station. There is no reason to have any of that stuff dependent on a 120 VAC source.
At this point everything 12VDC on our boat is internal battery powered, with 12VDC charging cables. Radios, handheld nav, phones, tablets, cordless tools, flashlights, laptops - all power up / charge up from a 12VDC source at the nav station. There is no reason to have any of that stuff dependent on a 120 VAC source.
We've got a Freedom 10 (1,000 W) inverter and and a microwave so it is very handy for doing heating of food items instead of using the stove. Also, have a small inverter like others for charging electronic items. There are four golf-carts, Balmar alternator, and a pair of 130W solar panels to support the electrical system so we're comfortable even on the hook. Forced air heat, just like down town when we're out cruising.
That is a really cool idea.
What does it draw for watts?
I've got a cobra 400 watt inverter that plugs into a 12 volt outlet that I use for charging 18 volt power tool batteries & running a bose wave radio. I see a potential birthday present in my future.
The manual says 120 watts or 2 amps. https://www.nostalgiaproducts.com/user-manuals/igloo/ICEB26BK_WL_TRI_IM_BW.pdf
I installed a BIG ONE..lol 12,000. watt inverter. You say why so big.. I wanted to never be bothered with "OH god I need to stop to figure out what I need to shout off to let me run the hair dryer or oop's I'm I overloading a thing.. So far no problems running AC, Refrigerator, Microwave, coffee pot computers etc. Heck.. I could even light up the town...LOL
In my opinion, more means the unit runs cooler and more reliable.
In my opinion, more means the unit runs cooler and more reliable.
The thing about inverter is it can run anything with a 110 plug and don’t need anything else
so if I forget that adapters no big deal.
The inverter/ charger was cheap to add when we ordered our new H-36 and has come in very handy many times but do I really need it maybe not but it is nice and easy and no buying any
12 volt adapters.
Nick
so if I forget that adapters no big deal.
The inverter/ charger was cheap to add when we ordered our new H-36 and has come in very handy many times but do I really need it maybe not but it is nice and easy and no buying any
12 volt adapters.
Nick
I'm not the OP on this thread, but it has answered some of the questions I've had. Installing an inverter has finally reached the top half of the boat improvement list. One question I had was how large an inverter I would need. This discussion has led me to believe I need a much smaller inverter than I was considering. We don't use hair dryers, micro waves, TVs or other high draw electrical devices. We do use cordless tools that will need to be charged, an electric toothbrush, and a computer, all need 120v but less than 150 watts. With the addition of the ice maker this summer, will need AC for that.
Tomorrow a 150 watt pure sine wave inverter will arrive that should meet my needs. It has a 12v plug and can be hard wired, which it will be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Tomorrow a 150 watt pure sine wave inverter will arrive that should meet my needs. It has a 12v plug and can be hard wired, which it will be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
When I rewired my boat, I made sure to have 2 - 12V plugs that are each a separate 20A circuit, 12 gauge wire, less than 2' long.I'm not the OP on this thread, but it has answered some of the questions I've had. Installing an inverter has finally reached the top half of the boat improvement list. One question I had was how large an inverter I would need. This discussion has led me to believe I need a much smaller inverter than I was considering. We don't use hair dryers, micro waves, TVs or other high draw electrical devices. We do use cordless tools that will need to be charged, an electric toothbrush, and a computer, all need 120v but less than 150 watts. With the addition of the ice maker this summer, will need AC for that.
Tomorrow a 150 watt pure sine wave inverter will arrive that should meet my needs. It has a 12v plug and can be hard wired, which it will be.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
The only problems we've ever had with portable inverters are voltage drop that may have been the wiring or the plug.
No problems now, in fact we've only used the smallest inverter for laptops, camera battery recharge, cordless tool batteries, etc.
12,000W at 12V...?
12,000W/12V = 1000A X 1.15 for inverter inefficiency = 1150A load
They don't make wire large enough, without doubling it or tripling it, to even handle a 12,000W inverter. The maximum allowable ampacity on a 4/0 wire is 445A.. 4/0 wire is close to garden hose size.
Are you sure you don't have a 1200W inverter?
Only thing with a smaller inverter, the fan will run to cool it increasing 12 volt consumption.
I very rarely hear the fan run on the 400 watt unit fwiw.
I had similar thoughts, so a quick web search revealed several inverters rated at 12,000 watts peak and much lower sustained. Here's one on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2RDxd77
I'm not sure I'd put one on my boat.