Power inverter

[pepmyster]

I agree with everyone here, you do get what you pay for. I will now go with a pure sine wave model. Looking at Victron models. Most likely a 370 watt model. If anyone has other suggestions, I would be great to hear different experiences.

[bud37]

Be aware of the wattage draw of the items you are going to power up, that will give you the amps at 12vdc draw for sizing feed wiring and inverter size which is an important consideration. Another thing to consider on units that have a fan to cool them is the noise level of the fan/fans when they kick in, especially when watching tv at night.
Also consider the draw on the house battery bank when away from the dock, remember what comes out has to be put back.

[tgebler]

Ok, I am going to ask a real stupid question. I have a 2000 396 aft cabin and do not have an inverter. I am not sure what exactly it does and whether I should have one. I have a generator to run things when away from the dock but it would be nice to not have to use it all the time.

Help??!!

[bud37]

Source of the post Ok, I am going to ask a real stupid question. I have a 2000 396 aft cabin and do not have an inverter. I am not sure what exactly it does and whether I should have one. I have a generator to run things when away from the dock but it would be nice to not have to use it all the time.

Help??!!

Have a quick search thru the electrical section .....there has been a number of discussion threads about inverters and battery banks/wiring etc......that should give you a good start.

[Viper]

Source of the post ....I have a 2000 396 aft cabin and do not have an inverter. I am not sure what exactly it does and whether I should have one.....

An inverter is just another way of getting AC power other than being plugged in to shore power at the dock or running your generator. In simple terms, the inverter takes DC power from your batteries and converts it to AC power for running AC appliances, accessories, etc.

BYW, there's no such thing as stupid questions here. Never be afraid of asking anything, we're all here to help and learn from one another.

[Midnightsun]

BYW, there's no such thing as stupid questions here. Never be afraid of asking anything, we're all here to help and learn from one another.

Whats the number for 911?

[pepmyster]

Nice come back Hans!!!!!!!!!
If any of users here have any model inputs with their trials, or errors, let me know!

[pepmyster]

Ok. Just hear me out. Way too many ways to do this. Hyper simple or really going for broke. I'm tossed. So, either simple inverter, pure of course, Or, get a 3000 watt and plug the main cord into it when I want to use it. That being said, I would build an outlet in the covered section where my wires are and then just use an adapter to make the connection. There forth, I would be able to even run my AC when on the hook , blah blah blah! Any thoughts?

[km1125]

The issue with the big inverter is going to be the DC wiring and the battery bank. You need to do that right or don't do it at all, because that will be a big issue if not done correctly. You can make a temporary connection to the output of the inverter, but most of the big ones provide for an automatic switchover if they are hardwired in. If I had a generator that could handle the big stuff, then I'd just get a small inverter for the small stuff, or convert the small stuff to just use 12VDC directly (a lot of the newer TVs can do that).

[pepmyster]

I hear you. Going through all the logistics of the connections and wires, thinking about it, I had the discussion with the Admiral even last night about all this. I mean, we have the genney to run the large loads, as Hans suggested, I guess the route to take is a smaller one just to do the ice maker and such.