Inverter

Status
Not open for further replies.
Long Story

Long Story

.
Aug 24, 2009
444
Catalina 310 Sturgeon Bay, WI
Has anyone added an inverter to replace their charger? Is it pretty straight forward on the 110v side for slipping this thing into the circuit? I had one on my 42, but never paid much attention to how it worked or was installed. (just know it alarmed if you did not shut the hot water off and went to inverter) It was nice being able to microwave and such on the water. Comments, suggestions, photos, anything would be helpful.

Thanks
Russ
 
F

Forrest15112

.
Jan 22, 2008
423
Catalina 30 Mandeville, La.
An inverter converts DC to AC and a charger outputs a DC current flow into a battery. They don't do the same thing and aren't interchangeable.
 
C

CCHer

.
Jul 7, 2010
230
Beneteau 37 Cranes Creek, VA
Many manufacturers make a combo inverter/charger which presumably Russ is talking about. I too am considering that upgrade with a higher charging capacity than the stock 20 amp Charles and look forward to responses.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

.
Feb 26, 2004
22,783
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
If your charger is working now, then adding an inverter is far simpler than rewiring with a combo unit.

And Maine Sail has long made the point that a combined unit "when" not if it fails will shut down both functions.

That said, our Freedom 15 combined I/C is working fine since we installed it in 1998.

Your boat, your choice.

The wiring can be challenging, since you have to deal with heavy wiring and only one source of charging for your battery banks, i.e., and echo charger or ACR is usually used. Your house bank should also be connected directly to the alternator, and NOT through the C post of the 1-2-B switch. http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6604.0.html
 
shipwreck66

shipwreck66

.
Apr 5, 2010
565
Catalina 27- 1984 Grapevine
Depending on your needs, this doesn't necessitate a lot of complicated wiring or expense from your checkbook. When I disconnect from dockside power I immediately plug the 110 system into a 750 watt inverter to cover all my needs off a dedicated Group 31 battery. I can run a small microwave on this system as well as a microfridge, TV etc. Bigger inverters are not expensive unless you need one to start up a AC, and even then you can get a soft start capacitor for the AC. I currently run a 5000btu window unit on this system, allbeit only for a couple hours with only one battery, will add another this spring.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top Bottom