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Showing results for tags 'inverter'.
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I'm in the process of taking over maintenance of a lovely narrow boat that my dad's getting too old for unfortunately. I'm very much a newbie and the kindness of local boat people has got me pretty far. However, while I've managed to install a new leisure battery and so have power, I need to do some maintenance that means plugging in a drill, but none of the 240v sockets work. I've tried flipping the switch on this control, but it had no effect. With each setting I continue to get power from the battery, but never via the sockets. Am I warm, or barking up completely the wrong tree?
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This weeks oddity from the towpath. A boater has a 24v Victron inverter charger combination. He can get power either from his shore line or the inverter. It charges his batteries when connected to the shore. The inverter shuts down then as it should. It has worked fine for a long while. The one night whilst on the shore line it starts to hum loudly and gets hot. Unplugging the shore line it drops to being an inverter only and shuts up. He now has power. But the shore line will no longer power the boat when it is in charge only mode. Most odd, worried that it sounds expensive. Disconnecting shore line and switching everything to off, reconnect and everything is working normally again ! Any ideas what causes this tantrum?
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Hi, I have a charging issue it seems. I have just bought 4 new leisures at £600.00 and had them proffesionally fitted. But they are down to 11.5 v . The weird thing is the engine battery is getting fully charged. I have not used the inverter as that's how I killed the last lot. Only had the new ones on 3 days and I have been very careful. My system is 24v so they are linked - to + in the bank. The alternator is quite new and it's pushing out 17v. Not sure if that's right. The control panel says my batts are at 100% but that's obviously incorrect. And on another setting my amp hours said 280 but every second it dropped 2 hours until eventually saying zero hours left. I have a split charge relay and it reads the same as the alternator in motion. I'm just getting fed up now trying to sort this out as it's ruining my time on the boat. There's more info I want to add but I can't remember atm. So guys what dya think? Alternator, fuse, spilt relay or control panel.? Oh yeah when the last lot of batteries died my voltmeter shot up into the red zone as I reved the engine. Thank's.
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Hello! When we got our boat 18 months ago, it had a very simple 12v system, and all I've done so far is modernise it slightly - a few more cigar lighter sockets, all LED lights etc. But we still don't have any kind of 240 power setup. We've got by so far with just 12v and that really fits most of our needs - charging phones, laptops and so forth. But the odd luxury here and there (blender, juicer, hoover) would not go amiss. We don't have any immediate plans to get an inverter (£ flow) but probably will someday. So in the immediate future the only times we'll be using 240 power is when we have landline hookup (very rare as we are CCers) or when we run the gennie. I only really envisage fitting one double socket in the kitchen area, but might also put one by the bed and in the living area (thinking about future users if we ever decide to sell). With all the above, what do I need to do in order to have this? I've had a look through the BSS website but couldn't quite understand what it all meant! Can I simply put a hookup socket on the outer cabin, run it to a socket in the engine room into which I'd plug in the battery charger, and a line running into the main cabin to a socket? Does there need to be a fusebox of some sort? Excuse my ignorance, as you can tell from above please assume no prior knowledge! Many thanks!
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Hi there, We have recently been having problems with losing power on our batteries, so around 4 weeks ago, we have 4 new leisure batteries fitted. However the problem has continued. Our inverter has started beeping and the fridge is cutting off, so i think the batteries have lost power. -We had the batteries fitted by experts, so I think they were fitted properly. -We charge the batteries from the engine. And have been running the engine for at least an hour a day and sometimes up to 4 hours to attempt to recharge. -We have only been running lights, fridge, tv (sporadically) and water. No charging/laptops etc. -We only turn the inverter on when we need power from the sockets, which is around an hour a day. -We have been reassured that they were top quality batteries If anybody can help with advice as to why we are losing charge/not charging up, any advice would be appreciated, as we have no power at the moment. I am also worried that the £450 we spent on new batteries has gone to waste and that the batteries are now dead. Thanks
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Forgive me, I have searched and I cannot find the answer. We have three leisure batteries, we have a Victron inverter, which is used to charge laptops, phones (one a smartphone), the MiFi unit and a couple of lamps. Last night, we had my smartphone and OH laptop plugged in and the inverter started singing. So turned it off - it had been on for about four hours - this morning, when we turned the engine on, it started and the charge in the batteries was 13.5, so, is it the batteries not holding charge (the alarm going off due to.low power) or something wrong with the inverter? We do not have microwave or TV (from choice) and washing machine & vacuum cleaner I use when engine is running only. Just puzzled really & looking for some ABC answers
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Afternoon! Quick(ish) query. We are continuous cruisers with a 63ft narrowboat - no shore-power. We are planning to get a washer dryer, just to do a couple of washes every fortnight or so. We have an inverter (Mastervolt 12/2000 - power 2000w, max 4000w), battery bank, charge from engine type set up. The washer dryers we are looking at all have a power rating of around 2100 to 2200w. I just want to know whether the inverter could handle this machine (with the engine running of course)? We have a 3.2 genny but it is noisy and would rather not use it and also I see that there can be problems with washing machines not working from gennies cos of the sine wave blah blah (I know nothing about this). I know that they are thirsty on water etc etc and some people don't agree with having them if you are a cc without shore-power etc etc, but if we run it once a fortnight for maybe 4 or 5 hours can we do this using our present inverter whilst running the engine (either whilst cruising or stationary)? Does the 4000w maximum inverter spec mean that it can comfortably deal with a machine drawing 2200w?? Hope you can help! Mike
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Can anybody help me? When we woke up yesterday the newish 12v fridge and shower pump wouldn't work and when the water pump ran all the lights dimmed. Our batteries are less than a year old and the engine was new in February (Beta 38). The batteries seem to charge up normally when the engine is running but as soon as the water pump runs the power drops right down and the lights flicker. To make things more confusing even when the gauges state that the battery power is really low, the Victron inverter still works. I thought the shower pump might have been the cause so I replaced the impellor but still no joy. I've disconned the fridge and replaced a 15A fuse in the engine bay but the wiring looks so confusing I don't know where to start. Please help an electrically challenged bumbler if you can.
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Can someone advise? We move onto Gracie at the end of the week and are cruising for a fortnight anti-clockwise - she is a 1978 boat and so works on 12 volt lighting and has gas fridge etc. this is fine for us; however, we do have two laptops, a Blackberry and a mobile to charge - I have a car charger for the BB, and phone; but wonder what is the best inverter to buy - because time is now limited, i have checked Halfords (I live near Broadheath Bridge #30 on the Bridgewater) and see they sell inverters - my question is are they any good and can anyone suggest elsewhere. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_183975_langId_-1_categoryId_255206 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_242529_langId_-1_categoryId_255206 There is also a Maplins adjacent to Oxford Road Bridge in Manchester http://www.maplin.co.uk/600w-12v-inverter-48724 I am unsure on which is the best - please be nice!
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hiya quick query!! our narrowboat started life as a holiday boat and so there is an absolute proliferation of unwanted 230v/115v shaver sockets!! these are big and heavy with internal transformers, currently unused but connected to our 230/240v system powered by our inverter. can these unwanted sockets be rewired into normal 240v plug sockets?? also, can someone enlighten me as to whether we (terrestrial, and riverine with inverters) use 240v or 230v?? i always thought it was the former, but someone told me this has changed to the latter?? am i being wound up?? is the earth not flat? SB -
Our Trace charger/inverter was installed some 12 years ago. It is giving problems. We can find nobody to advise on its checking/repairing/replacement. Can anybody help? Boat based in Banbury area.
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Hello We are getting a wide beam canal boat built and are planning on constantly cruising and would really appreciate some advise on a few things! I was hoping to have a full length bath onboard, and 4-6 radiators but I have now been told that unless you have a diesel run boiler radiators are pretty useless, and you’d have to have a huge boiler to be able to heat enough water for a full length bath. Anyone have any experience with either of these? Is it possible at all? Are diesel boilers very expensive to buy and run? Would I have to have a huge boiler? Also I want to be able to use kitchen appliances fairly regularly (nutribullet - 600w magimix - 1100w) and wanted to have low watt floor lamps and maybe some fairy lights (not to run all the time, but when i want to make it super cosy) - I've been told this wouldn't be possible but I've seen lots of boats with these things in them! Do you have to have a very high watt inverter (and is this very expensive?) Or would I have to get a generator? Or are these things only possible to have if you have a mooring and are connected to the grid? I have been quoted £4800 to have the boat painted which seems slightly ridiculous to me! Does anyone know how much it would cost to employ someone to come and paint an overcoat and then do some stencilling? Does the price we’ve been quoted sound right? Really appreciate any advise or guidance! Thanks :-)
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Hi All, I am just doing the sums on my electricity usage and requirements in order to choose the correct fridge, i want to make sure i am doing the correct maths on this. I have a Victron Quatro 12/3000/120 and am trying to work out what the "no-load consumption" (correct terminology? I mean when it its turned on, ready to power equipment but not powering anything) is. http://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Quattro-3kVA-10kVA-EN.pdf From the link above I understand it might be 4 watts (search mode?) or 15 watts AES power (I cant work out what AES is and therefore don't know if it) or 15 watts. Can anyone help please? Thanks
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I know you get what you pay for etc etc but if I pay for a pure sine wave inverter then I expect to get one, so, has anyone bought one and if so how is it? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000W-4000W-Peak-PURE-SINE-WAVE-POWER-INVERTER-WITH-DIGITAL-DISPLAY-DC12V-AC240V-/360551732856?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item53f28ed678 Does seem too good to be true but may be it will do for us for the odd trips out we have? Our existing one is a 1500w MSW and our equipment mostly hates it. Thanks David
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Does anyone have any experience with IBS inverters? At £1,764 inc VAT for a 1600W PSW it seems good value and it can handle starting loads up to 4.5kW. I particularly like the fact that it can power a Nespresso! http://www.tbruk.com/us16012v--us16024v-inverter-4753-p.asp It's made in Switzerland.
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Hi everyone, I have just moved onto a canal boat and am looking to update my electrics and install some solar panels. I am a newbie so really appreciate any advice you can give. I have been attempting to do an electrical audit (using a template I found online) Firstly I wonder if someone could have a look over it and see if I have made any glaringly obvious mistakes?? I have done my best but I must admit I do find the electrics a little confusing !! I am continually cruising and my boat is 57x10 I am looking at installing: - 3x 260w or 305w solar panels (with the plan to add a fourth in the future) - 2x 40A MPPT controllers - Victron Multiplus Inverter/ Charger - A monitor of some kind recommendations apreciated! I will also have a Honda EU20i generator to top things up. The questions which I am struggling to find answers to online are... What is a good size battery bank to match this system? I have been told it's important not to go too big as it means lots of time spent trying to charge them up. Not to mention the expense. Is it a good idea to get a multiplus inverter and charger or a separate inverter and charger? I am thinking about purchasing a washer dryer which will need 2.1kw to run (not shown on audit) would it be acceptable / advisable to run this of my setup while the generator is running? So the batteries / inverter would only need to supply the extra bit of energy as the Honda is only rated at 1600w continuous. Is there any other major bit to the system I am missing. My understanding is Batteries / Inverter / Charger / MPPT Controllers / Solar Panels / System monitor. Do I need fuses or any other bits? Thanks in advace for your time. Look forward to hearing your opinions. (Please be gentle I am new and still figuring it all out) Martin just figured out how to attached the file hope that works ok : http://www.martin-price.org/downloads/boat.pdf -
I have one of these: It doesn't appear to look like anything on the Sterling web site or anywhere else for that matter. Does anyone else have one? If so do you have a manual for it? What I'd really like to know is whether it has a starter battery charging circuit or not.
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A friend of mine has just rung me to say that he has just fitted a new 350W Sterling Quasi sinewave inverter. Measuring the output voltage with a meter it was only reading 180 volts. Now this is something I have never tried but we are wondering if its faulty or is it the crap waveform confusing the meter?
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Before embarking on installation of my AC system, if anyone could share any information on the following I would appreciate it. According to the RCD (recreational craft directive) is the following AC system acceptable? (I shall start form shoreline connection to AC outlets) Shore line connection plug fed into an RCD (residual current device) within 0.5 meters form the plug, the RCD shall be housed in a waterproof box next to the plug (a garage box). This RCD shall feed into two single pole MCBs, one connected to the diesel immersion heater, and the other connected to the inverter. Out of the inverter I propose to feed another RCD, housed within the electrical cupboard which shall feed two other single pole MCBs, a 10A MCB for a ring circuit of ac sockets (12 sockets, which I know is a large amount for one ring, but with 2.5mm cable and a smaller MCB this will reduce loading the sockets with the full whack of the 3KW inverter), and the other 12A MCB for a washing machine. My main question is... Does the galvanic isolator need to be connected at both RCDS or would connecting it to the first RCD ground the inverter through the galvanic isolator? Or do both RCDs and Inverter require grounding through the galvanic isolator. I will also be connecting the inverter to the batteries but that shall be for another day. Thanks, Will
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Hi all. I should begin by saying that I'm not the most talented when it comes to matters of electrickery, so please be gentle with me if I've overlooked something glaringly obvious! I'm hoping to be able to pick someone's brains about a problem with my inverter/charger. It's a Studer Compact C-1312, and I'm also connected to shore power. The other evening, the inverter suddenly went off - completely dead, no lights on the display panel, and won't come back on. I'm also not getting any 240v in the boat through the shore line, and neither are the batteries charging (apart from when I run the engine). The 12v still works fine (water pump, lights, fridge, freezer, 12v sockets etc), and I've checked that the shore power hasn't tripped. The shore lead is also fine, and there are no obvious loose wires anywhere that I can see. I've also got a Travel Pack, and I get 240 when I run that, but nothing otherwise. I've got a manual for the Studer, but the English isn't the best (especially for a numpty like me!). I'm hoping it's something simple (and cheap!) like a fuse blowing, but I can't see any fuse holder on the outside of the casing. I haven't yet removed the cover, but does anyone know if this inverter has a fuse inside? Or any other possible causes/solutions? Many thanks in advance
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Hi all, We have a Multi Plus 12v 3000va 120amp inverter which has stopped working (unit is 4 years old) When I unplug / turn off the shore power to our boat, the inverter fails kick in to supply 240v power (It is on) I have checked the 12v terminals going in to the inverter which are fine (12.8v), but it seems the inverter wont switch and turn on (no LEDs on the inverter side on panel either). Perhaps there is an internal fuse that needs replacing? - I've had the cover off, and cant see anything, Its worked fine until now, (and works fine on shore power) I did trip the power recently due to a faulty set of fairy lights, perhaps that's fried something? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Hi all I have a power master 3000 inverter and it keeps cutting out with hardly any load it also does it with engine running . Any ideas ?I know nothing about inverters and it came with the boat Many thanks in advance
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Can you put a 12v battery onto an inverter and put a battery charger from the same inverter so it loops and provides a continuous charge. I live on a narrowboat and pondering the question. Thank you.
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Hooking up a Victron MultiPlus 2000w 12v Inverter/Charger
Jim Batty posted a topic in Boat Equipment
Our old PowerMaster 1500w Inverter/Charger just blew up (quite dramatically, issuing smoke and flame at 4am). I'm looking to replace it ... probably with a Victron multiplus 2000w 12v Inverter/Charger. (Victron 2000w) Knowing little about electronics and electrics, I'm wondering, Is it a fairly simple matter of unhooking the old PowerMaster (Battery + / Battery - / AC In / AC out / ground wires) and wiring in a new Victron inverter/charger. Or is the Victron much more complicated than that? Also, with the old PowerMaster I was able to configure things like battery bank size, battery type, charging routine, etc. by reading the manual and pushing buttons on the front. Is it the same with the Victron or is it more complicated and really requires a technician? I don't want to bugger up a new, expensive piece of electronics. Anybody have experience hooking up Victrons? -
My son inherited this inverter when he bought his wide beam. It seems to work but there is no maker's name on it. Looking on the web these 2000W inverters can cost anything from £100 to nearly £800 so it would be good to know at which end of the spectrum this one fits. If anyone can recognise it and can give me a maker's name or a link to where one can be found I'd be very grateful. (The small LCD appears to show the power being drawn in Watts and if I try to draw too much current the thing beeps at me)
