Made it home

[Pennie]

Move from Sawley to Zouch was very plain sailing. I felt confident once I got through the electric lock and had a wonderful first night (but a tad cold due to not being able to carry more than just a sleeping bag in rucksack I packed) at the trent lock. Then the turn onto the Soar felt like a piece of cake despite the wind saying we weren't allowed near it lol.

 

Just having a pint at the Otter before pulling into the repair dock at East Midland Boat Services (for fitting the new stove next week) when the wind settles and the fishermen finish for the night this evening.

 

Not wanting to leave the boat now, I'm addicted. So I'm spending another night aboard just because I can. The only issue is: where the heck is my inverter to turn on the sockets? I can't work it out and neither could two experienced boatmen when they had a look this morning. They were scratching their heads and decided to leave it as an unsolved mystery lol.

 

Hope everyone enjoys this blissful sunny weekend :-)

[kris88]

One things for sure if you've got an inverter, it will be connected to your batteries by thick cables and won't be far from the batteries

Regards kris

[Naughty Cal]

Perhaps a silly question. Do you actually have an inverter?

[MtB]

What makes you think you have one?

 

Was it listed in the boat sales spec perhaps?

 

MtB

P.S. I mean your 240v sockets might only work when plugged into a shoreline...

[Pete & Helen]

I'm assuming that this is the "Rose of Yorkshire" that was for sale on Appolo Duck and berthed at Sawley.

 

If so then the spec says that " New sterling battery charger fitted in 2014 along with Galvanic Isolater." but no mention of if that's a combi with inverter so maybe non fitted

[DeanS]

and before you freak out thinking an invertor is going to cost you thousands, you do get cheaper ones which do the job just fine. (£300) If you were to start a thread asking..."what inverter should I get". you will get a very wide range of answers, based on peoples own pocket/wallet sizes.

[cotswoldsman]

Best thing I ever did was go 100% 12v no need for inverter and batteries last much longer

[Dave_P]

Forget £300, £150 will buy you all the inverter you'll need. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-Silverstorm-444658-Inverter-2000W/dp/B002QRWHBK

 

Of course you'll need to fit it and install wiring.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Dave_P

[Naughty Cal]

Best thing I ever did was go 100% 12v no need for inverter and batteries last much longer

Nice to have the option though.

 

Ours is set up for both 12v or 240v.

 

We tend to use 240v in the marina but when out cruising live comfortably with 12v when out cruising.

Forget £300, £150 will buy you all the inverter you'll need. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-Silverstorm-444658-Inverter-2000W/dp/B002QRWHBK

 

Of course you'll need to fit it and install wiring.

We have just got one of those to replace our cheap 300 watt inverter. Not fitted yet, that's a job for next weekend.

[Alan de Enfield]

Glad you made it home safe & sound.

 

Well done for waiting the odd few days until the weather calmed down. - If you are in a hurry then boating is not for you

[Pennie]

Maybe it doesn't have one then. Just surprising that she's been a live-aboard for over a year and been 100% shoreline power; how boring having a boat and not going anywhere.

 

Well I'm having the solar panels fitted 16th April so I will get one fitted and installed then. Was going to spend another night on tonight but really needed my laptop to be usable this evening so I'm back on land but got to study; I can play tomorrow if I get enough done tonight

 

What can and what can't run off 12v? I'm guessing some of the things I plan on using will need 240v though

[Naughty Cal]

Have you not got any power at all?

 

Your 12v systems should be working.

[Arthur Marshall]

What can and what can't run off 12v? I'm guessing some of the things I plan on using will need 240v though

Lights, radio, TV, you should be able to charge a laptop using a car charger. Your fridge and water heater are probably gas as 12v fridges eat batteries. Apart from marina based boats, 240v stuff is a relatively recent innovation - I'm not sure inverters had been invented when I started boating. OK, they probably had, but I expect they cost as much as my boat!

[Paul C]

Personally for me, there's items which can be grouped into 3 groups:

 

12V Items

 

Lighting

Fridge

Water pump

Shower (waste water) pump

Horn

Bilge Pump

engine starter, other engine electrics/instruments etc

television

stereo (radio/CD/MP3 player)

 

Items which I could buy as 12V but in fact I have 230V AC versions of, mainly due to cost/simplicity/I already have them

 

laptop power supply

mi-fi power supply (this would be very easy to get a 12V one though, just haven't yet!)

phone charger (as above)

vacuum cleaner

 

Items which I'd struggle to obtain as 12V, but are easy to get as 230V AC, possibly because they're high power

 

Nikon camera battery charger

walkie talkie charger (base station)

torch charger (large rechargeable torch)

jigsaw

circular saw

3x chargers for power tools: Hitachi drill, various other drill/drivers,multitools

Dremel

Microwave

 

If you can do without the items in lists 2 and 3 (or obtain 12V versions) then its perfectly possible to go solely 12V. However for me, the cost of this would be greater than the cost of installing the inverter. In fact, the boat has 2 inverters, a large 1500W one which has a standby current draw of 2A (which is used only for the microwave) and a 150W one which has a much smaller standby current draw and is left on most of the time, just being switched off at night - sometimes if for example the phone is flat, we'll leave it on through the night though.

[Naughty Cal]

Personally for me, there's items which can be grouped into 3 groups:

 

12V Items

 

Lighting

Fridge

Water pump

Shower (waste water) pump

Horn

Bilge Pump

engine starter, other engine electrics/instruments etc

television

stereo (radio/CD/MP3 player)

 

Items which I could buy as 12V but in fact I have 230V AC versions of, mainly due to cost/simplicity/I already have them

 

laptop power supply

mi-fi power supply (this would be very easy to get a 12V one though, just haven't yet!)

phone charger (as above)

vacuum cleaner

 

Items which I'd struggle to obtain as 12V, but are easy to get as 230V AC, possibly because they're high power

 

Nikon camera battery charger

walkie talkie charger (base station)

torch charger (large rechargeable torch)

jigsaw

circular saw

3x chargers for power tools: Hitachi drill, various other drill/drivers,multitools

Dremel

Microwave

 

If you can do without the items in lists 2 and 3 (or obtain 12V versions) then its perfectly possible to go solely 12V. However for me, the cost of this would be greater than the cost of installing the inverter. In fact, the boat has 2 inverters, a large 1500W one which has a standby current draw of 2A (which is used only for the microwave) and a 150W one which has a much smaller standby current draw and is left on most of the time, just being switched off at night - sometimes if for example the phone is flat, we'll leave it on through the night though.

We recently fitted some 12v usb charging sockets for the phones, camera and tablets.

 

Much less power draw then using the 240v chargers through an inverter.

[Paul C]

We recently fitted some 12v usb charging sockets for the phones, camera and tablets.

 

Much less power draw then using the 240v chargers through an inverter.

 

I might do it one day. Unfortunately, the USB socket would be needed at the front of the boat on the left, while the electrics panel/distribution is from the rear of the boat right hand side, and I'd need to make a significant (in distance and cost) cable run to properly supply any more 12V sockets. Our boat is probably more than twice the length of yours.

[Pennie]

The lighting and pumps were working and also the USB sockets which were on the boat (thank goodness as my phone is so old is barely holds a charge any more). There is a 12v/240v fridge installed and I'm guessing it is currently switched to 240v so I'll have to have a look when I'm back aboard.

 

The other thing that I will be using that I doubt exist as a 12v is my spin dryer. Though I'd love to get an old mangle and some how install it on the stern somehow.

 

Will see what they guy installing my solar panels suggests next month and for now I'll go the simple life with no lecky

[Naughty Cal]

It's not no leccy, just 12v leccy.

 

And don't forget it's not like a house. What you take out you have to put back in, plus a bit more.

[kevinl]

If you have car type sockets then to charge up usb stuff get one of the lighter to usd sockets from poundland, for ...£1.

Asda sell an inverter plugs into a car lighter socket output at 230V 70watts enough for a laptop, awesomely they were selling them for £3.75 a few months back (I saw it on a thread on here) I bought a couple and they work fine, they still had them in store last week (in Runcorn) but they're £15 now.

K

 

http://www.poundland.co.uk/leisure-and-entertainment/entertainment/mobile-phone-accessories/signalex-usb-in-car-charger

[junior]

I've just done 16 months living on a boat with only 12v electrics and never once needed 240v. Unless you need a washing machine I can't see a need for 240v.

[Dave_P]

Nice to have the option though.

 

Ours is set up for both 12v or 240v.

 

We tend to use 240v in the marina but when out cruising live comfortably with 12v when out cruising.

 

We have just got one of those to replace our cheap 300 watt inverter. Not fitted yet, that's a job for next weekend.

I've had mine for 3 years now with no problems. The only thing it gets confused by is the microwave, which I hardly use anyway. And I can't run my washing machine off it, but I think that's due to the size of my battery bank mainly. It runs all my other electrics including tv, dvd, laptop, hairdryer (not mine!), hoover, iron, amplifier etc.

[Naughty Cal]

I've had mine for 3 years now with no problems. The only thing it gets confused by is the microwave, which I hardly use anyway. And I can't run my washing machine off it, but I think that's due to the size of my battery bank mainly. It runs all my other electrics including tv, dvd, laptop, hairdryer (not mine!), hoover, iron, amplifier etc.

Liam has just installed ours after saying yesterday he wasn't going to do it while next weekend!

 

Seems to work fine. Runs the kettle and the immersion heater which were the two main reasons we wanted a bigger one.

[Dave_P]

Liam has just installed ours after saying yesterday he wasn't going to do it while next weekend!

 

Seems to work fine. Runs the kettle and the immersion heater which were the two main reasons we wanted a bigger one.

You use an inverter to run a kettle and to heat water? Have you ever heard of propane gas?

[MtB]

Gurl, innit!

 

[Naughty Cal]

You use an inverter to run a kettle and to heat water? Have you ever heard of propane gas?

Yes. However if your gas locker only held 2.7kg camping Gaz bottles at £30 a pop would you heat water and the kettle with it?

 

As it happens it will be the kettle that gets most use. Seems daft boiling the gas kettle when the engine is running, creating electric which in most cases is going to waste as the batteries are rarely deeply discharged.

 

The hot water is mainly for the rare occasions we moor somewhere for more than a day. Our engine heats the water when underway, but left ticking over isn't working hard enough to get it warm. It is only heated from the engine or 240v immersion. We would still run the engine with the immersion on otherwise the batteries will quickly suffer, but only for 10-15 minutes.