Dibbo and Jules

That sounds exactly what we want to do. For everyone on here, we have sought advice from a mate, Andy Downing , at Stourbridge dry dock, who is very electrically savvy and a few other issues have emerged, so it's going to be with him soon , he's going to put right the issues, tidy up and make good.

I am aware of this, we are most of the time on shore supply and rarely need anything more amp wise than running the tv. The washing machine seems fine on the shore supply, but if it gets a bit more off the batteries if needed then that's ok.

I might just do that, Thanks for the vote of C

I agree . Ive re-wired houses, rebuilt and rewired motorcycles ( lots of them) and I drive 2800kw ( small power stations) engines with an excellent knowledge of exactly how they work, if I thought I knew exactly what to do I wouldnt be here asking.

It obviously was a mistake, but add in the incorrect understanding of the AC output and for someone who proclaims to be 'good with electrics', it does throw up some doubts. an honest typo, sat out in the sunshine asking a question. you dont know me or my abilities , so don't presume, I have not done so with you.

My mistake, we all make them, I think you know I've not got a small power station.

Ok folks, following a lot of in depth research ( talking to folk down the pub) we've invested in a Mastervolt combi 2200 kw with 100amp charger. It's seems to be the bees knees so looking forward to getting it sorted. It cost a small fortune , but hey hi as everyone has said , it has an important role , so should be right. I thought it might be an easy swap but it seems not. They suggest it's not in the same room , never mind above the batteries, well that's not likely to happen is it? Also it seems to have two outputs for AC power. A 50 amp and a 25 amp. This i can see but do I now have to separate the washer ,Tumblr dryer ( yes we have one) and immersion heater from the rest of the boats equipment? I also wonder about the input from the genny? Does this stay as a separate thing? I have a good knowledge of electrics and mechanical things but the Good Lady worries about letting me loose on nearly 2 grands worth of sparky box. Are they easy or should I get a "man" in?

Being honest, we are quite simple souls for liveaboards, if we are away "at sea" then generally the inverter gets used to run the tv, laptop ( which is generally charged whilst boating anyway) and charging the phones. The oven is fan assisted so it's used then but this is hardly a massive draw on power. We have used the current inverter (3kw) for a hot wash occasionally but as a rule we do this via the gennie. Tbh , I don't know why it was fitted out with such a large inverter, when it's got a 6kw gennie on board. .

Thanks for comments. I must admit there's a whole world of inverters out there. The Chinese cheaper versions, I bought one for our first boat, long since sold on, but it still works fine, but is too small to be useful. Of the the thousands sold how many burst into flames? (Beko fridge syndrome, loads had them but only about 2 caught fire, no big deal unless your one of the two?) . We only use the inverter when away from home mooring as we have a shore supply and again never when we are not about, but it is a worrying factor. I listed Sterling as they are the commonest electrical suppliers on boats, but agree prob not the best. I have no problem saving for a Mastervolt but would be gutted it's the same chinese electricery inside. As a thought. We have a washing machine,tv and a small microwave on board, as well as a genny, so if a bit wash is needed then we would use the genny if away from the moorings. Would a 2kw do us?

Hi all, our v old sterling inverter is dying a death and we think it's time to change. There's a load of different versions out there, but if we look at getting a 2.5 or 3kw pure sine wave we can a fortune for a Sterling or less for one from eBay ( China). We have a charger and don't believe in putting all your eggs in one basket, so will still keep the two items. The question is are the known brands like Sterling etc worth the extra price? We live aboard but use the invert generally only when we are away from home mooring and don't mind walking the 45 foot to turn it on..