What kind of inverter should I buy? - Maxum Boat Owners Club

cruz'r · 03-09-2014, 08:09 AM

I just bought my 2000 Maxum 2400 SCR (no generator) last September, installed 110 volt flat screen tv, hooked up DVD player and want to use the Keurig coffee maker, microwave oven, maybe stove, and water heater while anchored or tied up to the buoy. What kind of inverter should I buy and what's the power consumption of this inverter from my (2) 12 volt batteries? I'm worrying about draining the battery and not be able to start my engine in the morning and get stranded. Where and how you normally wire the inverter? I appreciate some expert advice...

mmwjr · 03-09-2014, 12:27 PM

You will need to calculate the load of each item and find an inverter that can provide that much power plus 25% more to ensure long life.
You will also need to compare this number to you batteries to see how long they will last and they must be deep cycle not starting batteries.

Forget the hot water heater not going to happen. Coffee pot and microwave are also big draws but for short times.

Let's see what others who do this have to say but I would think a portable generator on the swim platform may be better for all this.

biggerseagar · 03-09-2014, 03:12 PM

I think Mike is pointing you in a realistic direction with the genny instead of the inverter. I was in the battery business for a short while and what you need would be atleast a 4 bank of golf cart 6v's wired for 12v. At 80 lbs apiece you want all that weight? You would still have your starting batteries too. Not to mention the cost.

A nice little honda 2000 genny might be the way to go...

Roger

ertyqway · 03-09-2014, 05:54 PM

I also agree that a generator would be a better choice for those loads on a smaller boat such as a 2400. To run all that off an inverter, you'd probably need a 3000+ watt unit and a battery bank to match with sufficient amp-hour capacity to run it. That's probably an 8D house battery at least, maybe two. I doubt you've got room for them. Generally, I wouldn't expect to see that on a boat less than 30 feet with enough beam to leave some room in the engine compartment.

And putting an inverter like that on your boat is going to cost you. Maybe $3,000 to $4,000 all-in, depending on how nuts you want to get.

While a Honda 2000 portable on your swim step will cost you about $1,000 and give you power to spare. The only downside is that you have to run the genny to watch TV and other boaters in your anchorage might not take to kindly to that.

A possible alternative might be to do a hybrid system: Honda portable plus a smaller inverter connected to its own dedicated set of golf cart batteries (as your new house bank). That way, you can use the generator for normal power use, but switch to the inverter when you want to watch TV at night. And then you can use the genny to recharge the house bank the next day if necessary. This route will probably cost you about $2,000.

Hope that helps.

mmwjr · 03-09-2014, 07:22 PM

Hey cruz'r you were looking to meet some folks in your area, say hello to ertyqway. At least the same state

cruz'r · 03-10-2014, 08:26 AM

Thank you all for all your input, now I know what it takes to power those big items I mentioned, I definitely will not go to that extreme, even having generator on swim platform will not happen. I still appreciate any suggestion if I want to power just the tv and DVD player. If possible, what type of inverter, where and how you install this?, considering not to drain my battery.

mmwjr · 03-10-2014, 12:46 PM

What is the power (Watts = Voltage x current) draw for the TV and DVD? Inverter must be able to supply the total power of these plus some margin.

Say they each draw 5 amp, 5 x 120 = 600 W x 2 = 1200 W. Therefore use a 1800 W inverter. What this means is you would use 10 amps per hour plus another amp or 2 do to effeciency so 12 amps per hour.

In 3 hours you will have discharged 36 amp from the battery.

shrew · 03-10-2014, 05:03 PM

You're going to need to isolate your batteries. You're house should not be drawing from your starting batteries at all. Size the house batteries based on the aniticpated amp hour usage over time. I have 2 Group 31 AGM's as my house and a seperate dedicated starting battery.

cruz'r · 03-11-2014, 05:46 AM

Shrew, when you say to isolate the batteries, does it means when battery switch indicator is on battery #2, battery #1 (dedicated starting battery) is safe (not drawing any current) no matter how I use battery #2? Where should I set the switch dial if shore power is hooked up and battery charger is on and I want to charge both batteries? I appreciate expert advice...

Mike, I'm thinking to buy 2000 W inverter with pure sine wave output.

mmwjr · 03-11-2014, 01:09 PM

The battery switch will provide the isolation. You can switch which battery is reserved as starting battery every other trip. Are at least one of these deep cycle?

The battery charger should be directly wired to the batteries so even if the battery switch is off they get charged when the charger is powered.

shrew · 03-11-2014, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruz'r

Shrew, when you say to isolate the batteries, does it means when battery switch indicator is on battery #2, battery #1 (dedicated starting battery) is safe (not drawing any current) no matter how I use battery #2? Where should I set the switch dial if shore power is hooked up and battery charger is on and I want to charge both batteries? I appreciate expert advice...

If they are wired correctly, then yes. The shore power 120vac and the batteries are 12v dc. They are mutually exclusive systems. The closest they come, is the shorepower circuit is sending current to the battery charger and the battery charger is charging the batteries. When you're on shorepower, your lights are still powered off of the batteries. Your simply charging the batteries faster than you are drawing off of the them when the lights are on.

I would be directly connecting my battery charger to each battery. This is why I prefer to use the same type of battery. I use all AGM. Deep Cycle on the house side and Starter for the engine. Since I have two house batteries I have then wired in parrallel. I have a single 2 battery switch. The house series (parallel) is connected to the switch like a single battery. Mine is wired so Everything is either on 1 or 2. I can technically run my house or start the engine off of either bank. I start on 1, and sit on 2.

cruz'r · 03-12-2014, 08:49 AM

Thanks for helping the newbie...

cruz'r · 03-14-2014, 04:21 AM

Both batteries are deep cycle.