dreadnought Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 hi all,when out cruising would it be ok to leave the inverter running all day, or just switch it on when needed,many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulJ Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 (edited) Many do - and all night too ? Edited May 29, 2018 by PaulJ Grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendorr Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 I switch mine on when needed. Can't see it doing any harm, other than draining the batteries, but they will be topped up by the alternator, which will have to work harder and will probably, therefore, use more diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 3 minutes ago, dreadnought said: hi all,when out cruising would it be ok to leave the inverter running all day, or just switch it on when needed,many thanks You can leave it on all day if you wish, why would you want to leave it on if you're not using it ? Anything that consumes power won't help you're battery charging regime. I always switch mine off when not using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 My inverter stays on 24/7 as it is needed to power the 230v Freezer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 We certainly leave ours on 24/7 when out on the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 50 minutes ago, nicknorman said: We certainly leave ours on 24/7 when out on the boat. Same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said: My inverter stays on 24/7 as it is needed to power the 230v Freezer. We do this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 1 hour ago, dreadnought said: hi all,when out cruising would it be ok to leave the inverter running all day, or just switch it on when needed,many thanks Unusually, the response appears to be unanimous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said: Unusually, the response appears to be unanimous. Yes , but does the op have a pump out or cassette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 4 minutes ago, Rickent said: Yes , but does the op have a pump out or cassette. He seems a sensible sort of chap so it will certainly be a cassette. If it was already fitted when he bought the boat, and hasn't yet had time to have it replaced, it may just be a pump-out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain_S Posted May 29, 2018 Report Share Posted May 29, 2018 3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said: Unusually, the response appears to be unanimous. Just to be different, we only switch ours on when it's needed. Something to do with the 3A standby current ..... (Of course, another option would be to change the inverter) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknorman Posted May 30, 2018 Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 24 minutes ago, Iain_S said: Just to be different, we only switch ours on when it's needed. Something to do with the 3A standby current ..... (Of course, another option would be to change the inverter) Well this is a good point, ours has 0.75A standby current. Although whilst actually out crusiing (engine running) does 3A really matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain_S Posted May 30, 2018 Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 No, but even we spend more time stopped than moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detling Posted May 30, 2018 Report Share Posted May 30, 2018 Many inverters have a 1 to 2 amp no load current ie just ticking over, this is 24 to 48 amp hours a day. A 12 volt fridge uses about 40 amp hours per day so a 230 volt fridge will use about 60 to 90 amp hours a day. Whilst this doesn't make much difference if running engine 8 hours a day, if only cruising for 3 hours a day you will not be fully charging your batteries and they will gradually lose capacity due to sulfation. Unless you need to you should not run a big inverter all day for the sake of your batteries. Also many small inverters take 1 amp doing nothing. If you have 200 watts or more of solar panels these will usually compensate except when dull wet and miserable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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