Running an inverter

[MASTER Brian]

Is there any reason I couldn't run a small inverter on my boat? I think my small one is 400watts.

I realize I'd want to be careful about getting anything converted to 110v wet, but would this hurt my boat's electrical system in any way and would my 30(35) amp charging system on my E150Xp be able to keep my battery at a decent level of charge if I were to run a small appliance such as coffee pot or something.

Part of the reason I am curious about this is because a lake I go to does Christmas in July, where they decorate their boats up with X-mas lights and I wondered if I could power some with an invertor vs putting a generator on my boat.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Running an inverter

Run a coffee pot, lights, and what else, and for how long? Check the rating on the bottom of the coffee pot. Sure this will work but you need to understand inverters are not miracle devices. Whatever you plug into that inverter must not exceed the wattage of it. And these devices are not very efficient so there are power losses involved in the conversion process. The higher the wattage the quicker the battery dies. You would be advised to run an inverter from a separate and largest deep cycle battery you have room for. Starting batteries are not intended to be deeply discharged and unless you run the engine continuously at fairly high speed, the battery will run down quickly and leave you stranded.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Running an inverter

A coffee pot is about 1500 watts, so no, you're not going to be using one of those with a 400 watt inverter. A 400 watt inverter will use about 35-40 amps @ 12v if you have a full 400 watt load. You could run that intermittently, but not continuously.

And these devices are not very efficient so there are power losses involved in the conversion process.

Actually, they are pretty efficient. Most are around 90%+ these days.

 

[MASTER Brian]

Re: Running an inverter

Ok, my small one is 200watts. So coffee pot is out, which isn't a big deal, I probably wouldn't run one on the boat I have anyways. Just curious for other stuff. I don't really have a lot in mind, except maybe X-mas lights or some other small items.

Length of time would never be that long, if I used it for the lights, then maybe 30-45 minutes max at one setting.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Running an inverter

[colour=blue]A small inverter is not worth the trouble. Most stuff (christmas lights included) are available 12v.

90% efficiency is still a pretty big slab of juice wasted.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Running an inverter

I agree with Dunaruna get the 12v stuff and nix the inverter. However I have a friend here that puts his little cuddy in the Christmas Cruise every year. He likes to use those big outdoor lights on his boat. He uses a battery that he takes onboard just for the cruise and an inverter to power them. I am not sure of the wattage but I know its not a real big one. Maybe 600 watts? The cruise lasts several hours and I have never heard him complain.

 

[MASTER Brian]

Re: Running an inverter

12v lights might be an option, I'd have to price them out and see if I could even find any local. I just have lots of the 110v ones lying around...

My boat is a fish/ski, so I could always run the inverter off of the troller battery(s). I also have a 1200(?)watt inverter as well, I just figure it's overkill for anything I'd need on the boat. I normally have it hard wired into my suburban, but it comes out easy. I purchased the smaller one on a trip with a buddy to power my laptop because it plugs into a 12v outlet.

Thanks for the replies, I really doubt I use it much if at all, I was just courious how hard it would be on my boats chargeing system. There have been a few times I've had things that I might want to plug in that I don't have a 12v converter for.