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Hi all Looks needing to use power tools on the 2kw pure sine inverter. When running these large loads with high inductances how wise is it to push the inverter? Or should leave a good over head like push no more than 1.5kw? Thanks again James

Mastervolt 2000w combi charger/inverter Mains input is not going anywhere, will not charge the batteries. Mains up to the connections underneath OK. Inverter works fine apart from showing led fault code for overheating even from stone cold switch on. Its not any connections, resetable thermal fuse, or duff batteries. No signs of a burn up. Any ideas please?

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?

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?

Has anybody experienced this problem before? Let me know if you need any more information. I am no electrician, so might have used the wrong terminology here and there, do forgive me! We live on a 60ft 2009 narrowboat in a marina, always connected to shoreline when moored. Problem: 230V power will suddenly cut out when connected to shoreline, regardless of time of day/temperature outside/what is running When power has gone off, lights (indicating battery on float charge/fast charge/inverter on) on inverter (Sterling Pro Combi S) not displaying Power can be turned back on by switching from shoreline power to inverter, which comes on, then switching back to shoreline - BUT has also switched itself back on When shoreline power is back on, inverter shows battery is on fast charge - takes approx. 1 hour to reach float/trickle charge Last occurrence: 21:30 Tuesday: 230V power turned off, 12V remained on. Nothing special turned on using 230V apart from usual fridge/freezer etc. Reading on DC Distribution: 12.7 and -07 Didn't check inverter panel Switched to inverter - working, and back to shoreline - working again Checked inverter panel - battery on fast charge (Switched between BATT 1/BATT 2 on DC Distribution. BATT 2 (starter battery) not showing on panel - discovered that was because isolator had been switched on. Switched off isolator and starter battery working as normal, engine started. Probably not related, but noting here just in case.) 22:30 Tuesday: battery on float charge 07:00 Wednesday: battery still on float charge Later on: Switched engine on, unplugged from shoreline, switched inverter on - working 08:50: Plugged back into shoreline while engine still running - no 230V power, 12V still working. Inverter panel lights not showing 09:00: 230V turns itself back on, engine still running, inverter panel - battery on fast charge 10:00: inverter panel - battery back on float/trickle charge Might also be relevant: When connected to shoreline, inverter won't switch on. Will only switch on when disconnected from shoreline - so when we are able to switch the inverter on when the 230V power goes off, does this mean that the inverter isn't registering that it is connected to the shoreline? Is one battery on its last legs/dead and causing the whole thing to cut out/drain so suddenly? I have pics of 230V/12V circuit I can attach if needed. Could there be a problem with an isolation switch for the domestic batteries, hence why 230V still off when engine running/connected to shoreline? Batteries last changed 3-4 years ago. Why did the power cut out while the engine was running, and the battery was on fast charge when it came back on? Why does whole inverter system go off when power cuts out?

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.

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)

Hi. I want to build a strictly leisure battery bank with two 70Ah batteries and 2500watt inverter that will be used only for things like kettle, low power microwave, digital gadgets like phones and laptops, maybe cool box from time to time. I do not want to connect my new leisure bank to the boat's engines and intend to charge it by petrol generator only. I have an area near helm where I can place batteries and inverter - like a wooden box/cupboard. My question is... do I have to ground the batteries and the inverter? Thanks, t.

Hello, I need some advice please - I'm slowly getting my head around things but struggling with electrics, so please excuse the very basic questions! Spent ages searching for the info, but none the wiser... I don't have an inverter on my boat, I'm currently on shore power. I'm going to leave the marina and start cc'ing. What would be the best option for being able to charge a phone sometimes & maybe plug in a radio & a lamp? I don't have any other appliances to run. There are a couple of 12v plug sockets & the rest are 240v. Can you get something to plug into the 12v socket to allow you to plug in a 240v appliance? Would one of those USB car charger things be best for the phone charging? Do they convert 12v to 240v? Basically, I don't think I need a big inverter installing, I don't need to use most of the sockets, or use much power. But I don't know a simple solution to this. Sorry if these are silly questions, I appreciate any advice

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.

This is, I hope, an academic and hopefully generic question to ease my concerns. We're on shore line most of the time but, when cruising, the cable is a bit short to stretch so we use an inverter, primarily for telly, etc. We have a recurring debate as to whether the inverter should be switched off when we are not using 240v. Having read debate elsewhere about unplugging your home mobile phone/tablet charger when it is not actively charging ('cos the primary winding is still powered up and, if faulty, could overheat) I feel the inverter should be turned off. But it is not working, ...or is it?? Discuss.....,

Hello Any advice or tips on the following energy problem would be much appreciated! We recently bought a dutch barge that we've just cruised down to it's new mooring. On the way down the the inverter only worked occasionally, most of the time the 'low battery' light was on. It has a 'Victron Energy phoenix multi plus' inverter with a 'Victron multi control' panel. I assumed the batteries were spent, but we'd be fine once hooked up to shoreline (32 Amp) And we were...for a few days. All was well but we no longer have any power - the inverter is once again just showing 'low battery' So....does shoreline bypass the batteries making it irrelevant if they are in good condition or not? (making it a problem with the inverter?) And should we still have the inverter on when using shoreline? (The switch options are 'on' 'off' and 'charger only') Thanks for your help, sorry if it's obvious!

I wanted to start looking at the settings on my Victron 3000 phoenix multiplus. (get that equalisation charge a bit higher!) I didn't think it had VE capability because it doesn't specifically mention it on the case, but after investigating, I now believe that it does. Which is handy, as trying to set anything with the dil switch on the pcb is a cryptic process indeed. So, I have 2xethernet sockets on my pcb. It appears that one has to connect a cable from that, to a special black adapter called an MK2b, then on to the pc serial com(?). Or looking on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Victron-VE-Direct-to-USB-Interface/272760914869?epid=6005290134&hash=item3f81d143b5:g:wQQAAOSwLdBaBBYH there seems to be a different thing that goes direct to usb but the other end doesn't look like an ethernet connection. TOTALLY confused, so if someone could kindly put me straight I'd be grateful. My first thought is that an ethernet to ethernet cable would make sens - but I remember when connecting pc's that way you need to get one with crossed over wires (I do have one somewhere). The serial number on the chip on the pcb is 1809149.HEX which doesn't quite correspond to anything on the Victron document I found online https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Manual-A-Guide-to-VEConfigure-EN.pdf Of course, the next hurdle is that I normally use Ubuntu

Yet another query, sorry folks. after almost buying a rubbish inverter, we took all the lovely advice off you guys and got a victron inverter/charger. For a few days whilst cruising we managed to get some use out of it, but feel like the leisure batteries may have seen the end of their days. Our issue now is though that whilst connected to mains electricity we still have no use in our inverter/charger. Like, nil puit! Have we bought something dodgy? Are we still that novice that we haven’t sussed it out? Can anyone (in simple language) spell it out to us? cheers in advance!

Hi there new to the community so I hope it's alright to create a new thread. The narrowboat I'm currently looking to purchase is set up with an alternator, 3 new 12v batteries, no inverter, mains cabling throughout. There is also a generator on board. I'm sorry I can't provide specifics at this point, but even general advice much appreciated. If I continue with the purchase, I'm intending on putting on 4 Renogy 100 Watts 12v Monocrystalline Solar panels and doing my best to use the engine for power as minimally as possible (going into winter I realise that the solar is not going to give much power). The current owner will also be putting on a new 12v Fridge if I go ahead with the purchase. The appliances I intend on running would be a toaster, iron, TV, record player, iMac (I already own this and not looking to replace it), Laptop charger, Mobile charger. I'll be replacing all the current lighting with LED. There is currently a Washing Machine on board but the owner says its best to remove it as its on the mains (makes sense, although I would consider keeping it if anyone could provide a realistic solution). Stove and oven will be gas, have yet to decide on a water heating system. The current gas boiler is defunct. Currently considering a new gas boiler or a back boiler for the burner (no burner currently on board looking to purchase) to fuel hot water (taps, shower) and heating (there are radiators throughout but I'm not sure if they would be necessary once I purchase the burner - she's 63'. To be clear I will not be mooring up and 'plugging in', so everything needs to be off grid power. My knowledge is limited so being completely open, I apologise if my questions appear naive any support appreciated: Is it better to consider investing in a good inverter, or should I look at transformers on an appliance by appliance basis? If primary usage was 12v, would installing an inverter affect functionality or can you run both 230v and 12v with an inverter? I'm not particularly keen to keep the generator but would anyone advise that I do and why? Instead of an inverter or transformers would anyone's opinion be that I simply run the engine (with alternator) when using non-12v appliances, and why? I want to reduce emissions and costs from over using the engine unnecessarily wherever possible. Will the current 'all mains' wiring cause any problems with purchasing 12v appliances e.g. the fridge. If I wanted to consider keeping the washing machine what would you recommend having in place? Thank you for your advice.

I tried to shut my inverter off, however even if I shut off the power switch at the front it stays on, Any ideas as to how to fix that?

Mastervolt 12/2500-100 Mass Combi Inverter Charger So, we're onboard, on the shore electrical supply, all boat 240v circuits working fine, charger whirring away doing its thing very happily. Along comes electrical test man safety testing shore supplies, off goes the shore power, he the tests the shoreside installation and RCD so power trips a couple of times, all done, power restored. Didn't realise quick enough to disconnect my boat before he started, but had we not been aboard then I wouldn't have had the opportunity anyway. The issue was noticed immediately on restoration of the power and, whilst the electrician was quick to explain it was nothing to do with his testing, the coincidence is rather too glaring. Not necessarily his work, perhaps a power spike on restoration? Anyway, he beat a hasty retreat. So, I now have AC input to the boat again, but all is silent. Investigation reveals 240V at input terminals to Combi, 240V on AC output "power" terminals (shore supply only - immersion heater cct in my case), 240V not present at AC output "short break" terminals (so no shore power to sockets, etc). AC input led on Mastervolt front cover is 'off', battery charger not running. The thermal fuse has not popped open, hence doesn't reset. Switching the inverter on works as it should, supplying 240v to sockets, etc, from the boat's 12v bank. From these symptoms I believe can ascertain that no shore supply is reaching the short break circuit (from which the charger is also supplied) - I suspect that the transfer relay is not closing. I have the User Manual and it's helped so far, but I've run out of technical information now. Can anyone provide further enlightenment or does anyone know 'a man who can'? The situation is made rather more difficult as the boat comes out of the water tomorrow for blacking (self employed and we're staying aboard), so I can't run the engine to keep the batteries topped up if I use the inverter. I'm considering a temporary connection of the unaffected AC output power to the cable leaving the short break terminals to give me domestic 240V whilst the boat is on the blocks, so if anyone sees reason not to do that, do shout! I'm still in head scratching mode at the moment, I and wanted to get a thread started in case you guys are able to provide ideas and info. Help, advice, or appropriate phone numbers, much appreciated. The boat will be on the hard in Droitwich Spa Marina from Friday. Thanks in advance.

We have a 1000w inverter. From my basic knowledge of boat electrics i understand this converts my battery 12v DC power into 240v AC to my 4 x 3 pin sockets. Away from the marina, moored up on the towpath and no engine running we have the inverter switched on. We have radio on and maybe a phone charger plugged in and but no internal lights on we do however have the fridge running. So why then when we run a tap and the water pump kicks in does a loud constant bleep eminate from the inverter? Ive got a feeling answers might involve me heading off to Screwfix for a multimeter....(we do have a digital battery monitor fitted if that helps?) Diagnosis options gladly recieved...

I have been successfully using my Victron 3000 multiplus inverter for nearly a year now, but have a couple of questions. I'm unclear about the earthing arrangement - the manual seems to say that it has a relay that takes care of things (my words) but I notice from the previous owner there is a snipped off earth wire and I'm wondering if I should be attaching it somewhere. I have mains hook up, incoming to the unit (only been used once) then the output 230v goes to a consumer unit and onto the ring. My recent concern comes as as I consider connecting a generator via the ac hook up. (And wondering about its earthing). Also - I can't find it in the manual but is there a special means for connecting an immersion heater in such a way that it is only supplied with ac if the hook up is active (ie so as not to kill the batteries in five minutes flat!). I intend to use the genny to heat water via 230v as well as charge batteries, to further save engine run time - I don't know how effective it will be with a 1kw element in an 85litre cylinder though. thank you

A few weeks ago our inverter started whistling like a boiling kettle. It wasn't switched on (as we are on landline) but was connected the 12v system as per normal. I disconnected the inverter and discovered it was wet - upon further investigation it turned out that a moisture absorber in the cupboard above the one the inverter lives in had overflowed. There were still crystals in the top section but the water container was completely full so it seems it can absorb more than it can hold. It is similar to the one pictured below.... I have opened up the inverter and had a look and can see 2 resistors that have corroded and a transistor that has gone pop. I have cleaned out all the slimy water (contaminated with calcium chloride) which had managed to get inside and think I could make an attempt at replacing the resistors without too much trouble (they are pennies on eBay) however I'm unsure where to get a similar transistor as Google doesn't help with any of the numbers stamped on it (well it's neighbour). Can anyone please help identify a suitable replacement transistor? Many thanks David

Hello there, what would you say is the best over all investor/charger I should get for my boat? From genty

Hi All Another newbie here. I have an old boat which is stationary at the moment, and hooked up to a landline. One)brand new leisure battery on constant charge via a 12v battery charger (as recommended by neighbouring boaters). Been fine for months then suddenly - battery dies. Battery charger red light on (for power) but not charging, Went and bought another 115ah battery, checked battery charger, all fine - lights came back on, water pump works again., hurray! Few weeks go by, lights die, water pump not working. Battery dead. Charger still plugged into mains socket and attached to battery but not charging. My multimeter registered 00 charge!!! Got out a very old small battery charger 6V and put battery on charge - bingo,it's now charging (I found out from internet about smart chargers not 'recognising' very low/no volts in batteries). Now what do I do? I have even found out what 'parasitic drain' means and checked that nothing is switched on, but am lost for ideas. Is it something to do with the inverter? (I flipped a switch upwards on it yesterday and the TV went off so I have now put it back down). I can wire a plug and change a fuse, but other than that, the sum total of my electrical knowledge is written above. (I have impressed myself with having got this far!). Any advice/suggestions very much appreciated, as I am determined to crack this. OliveOyl

Hi I noticed, when I took my boat out on t' cut this weekend, that my inverter beeped every now and then. It stopped too quickly for me to see what the issue was but I'm guessing it might be my 240v counter-top freezer. I'm assuming that when the freezer kicks in there is a surge of power being drawn. I've tried to find out what the wattage rating is for my freezer, but even the manufacturer's website doesn't reveal this. I've attached a photo of the label on the back of my freezer and I'm hoping that someone marvellous on this forum with better electrical knowledge than me could shed some light - what do you reckon? Cheers Adam

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.