Inverter installation

Steve36

Member
May 17, 2007
177
Lake Ontario
Boat Info
2010 540DA
Engines
Cummins 8.3L Zeus Drives
Hello everyone, I am planning to install an inverter into a 2005 420 Sundancer. The inverter will be a 2800Watt Pure sine model.
I would like to know if anyone out there has done this installation in a simillar sized boat. I have a buddy coming to help me out. He has done numerous installation of inverters on cars but never on boats. One of the items we are concerned with is how to wire the inverter to the Generator/Shorepower switch. This would let the inverter charge the batteries whether its on shorepower or genny.
Best thing would be a wiring diagram of a typical installation on a boat. Maybe someone out there has one or can fax me one.
Just need to know what I should look out for.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Inverter

We have a 38 Aft cabin and had a 2800 watt pure sine wave put in. It charges at 125 AMPs. We put 10 six volt gulf cart batteries with it. We use the ice maker all the time and it is good for 2 days before the batteries go to fail with no generator input. We run the generator 2 to 3 hours a day. Once every 4 days you will need to run your generator for 4 to 6 hours to fully charge the batteries.
If you use it to make coffee it will suck the batteries down in no time.
We got it installed with a remote. The installer put all the light use items on one leg of the house electric panel. The three AC units, hot water heater, watermaker and stove are not hooked to the inverter at this time. I intend to get this done this winter.
I changed the charge set up so I could charge it off the engine alternators and that seems to help with not having to run the generator all the time.
I do not have a wiring digram of what was done.
When you get the inverter get one that has two legs so you can make both sies of the electric panel hot. Mine has two hot sides and I will get the other side of the panel made hot this winter. A remote is a very good idea.
 
Hello everyone, I am planning to install an inverter into a 2005 420 Sundancer. The inverter will be a 2800Watt Pure sine model.
I would like to know if anyone out there has done this installation in a simillar sized boat. I have a buddy coming to help me out. He has done numerous installation of inverters on cars but never on boats. One of the items we are concerned with is how to wire the inverter to the Generator/Shorepower switch. This would let the inverter charge the batteries whether its on shorepower or genny.
Best thing would be a wiring diagram of a typical installation on a boat. Maybe someone out there has one or can fax me one.
Just need to know what I should look out for.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.
I know this is an old thread, but I am also considering installing an inverter on my 2005 420. Steve, did you complete your install? I would appreciate any advice.
 
That is a bit confusing, a inverter uses a DC input to create AC . The battery charger will charge the batteries on shore power or generator .
 
That is a bit confusing, a inverter uses a DC input to create AC . The battery charger will charge the batteries on shore power or generator .

I just looked up the nomenclature.

Aways wondered why our battery charger switches are called converters.

Converter vs. Inverter. Converters and inverters are electrical devices that convert current. Converters convert the voltage of an electric device, usually alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). On the other hand, inverters convert direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).
 
That is a bit confusing, a inverter uses a DC input to create AC . The battery charger will charge the batteries on shore power or generator .


Actually, my Inverter (3000W) while suppling the entire boat with 110 vac it also runs the house battery charger and charges the house batteries , by far my greatest upgrade to date.
 
Actually, my Inverter (3000W) while suppling the entire boat with 110 vac it also runs the house battery charger and charges the house batteries , by far my greatest upgrade to date.
So you have an inverter that enables you to run 110 from your batteries and one of the 110 items you run is the charger which in turn charges the very batteries you are drawing from?
Do you do this on the hook with no genny running, or is the something you use while cruising?
I love it!
 
We installed (4) golf cart 6vdc batts (2) in front of each engine in battery boxes they are strictly for the Inverter. the Inverter is a Xantrex 3012 pure sine wave unit.
When you unplug from shore power or shut the generator down the Inverter signs on instantly, you never lose connections. The Inverter runs the entire boat (except heat and AC ) as they are 220vac
The house bank battery charger is on while the Inverter is on.
We use the Inverter all the time and rarely start the genny now we went from 600 hrs /year on the genny to /120 this year. Not to mention how quiet it is now on the hook which is the majority of our time spent.
This spring I will install the Auto generator start option when the batts get to somewhere around 50% the Inverter will start the generator to charge them.
My son is a union Electrician so it helped me in a big way he did all of the big stuff.
 
Havana
How do you find the auto start for the generator. Our system has the auto generator start but have never used it. Does your auto start time out or just keep turning over the generator until it starts. To start our generator I need to turn it over for 5 seconds. Then turn it over again and it starts. I assume the initial 5 seconds fills the system with fuel.
 
Northern, we havent installed the AGS yet the xantrex model has to be wired to your specific gen type as in: (start w/ glow plug then run). Indicators or thermomstat temp indicators allow the switch over Im assuming if these parameters are not met it terminates the start process these are set by the owner you can also have settings such as: heavy load then the gen starts, or temperature , starts the generator for AC cooling, Quiet times to keep it off during those hours etc. Ill update here when its installed and give some feedback unless others have done it already?
 
I have the Xantrex w/AGS on DiamondGirl, It fires the genny up either when the batteries are low or when a really heavy load. It can time out if it attempts to start 3 times unsuccessfully. It's configurable as well. It also shuts back down after the batteries get recharged and enter into float. I also dont run the AC or Hot Water off of it.
 
We do not run AC, stove or hot water off inverter. We have ten 6 volt golf cart batteries. Water heater draws 1500 watts. Batteries produce 225 AMPS times 10 divided by 2 (50% load use). Watts of usable power = 1100 takes an hour to fully make hot water so would run batteries down.
 
That sounds like a fantastic set up.
 
As I said, we cannot run the Ac (220vac) anyway but we make hot water , use the microwave, and have gone 17-1/2 hours on the Inverter and wasn’t near the shut down limit we just had to go home so prob would have gotten more out of the batteries.
 
We installed (4) golf cart 6vdc batts (2) in front of each engine in battery boxes they are strictly for the Inverter. the Inverter is a Xantrex 3012 pure sine wave unit.
When you unplug from shore power or shut the generator down the Inverter signs on instantly, you never lose connections. The Inverter runs the entire boat (except heat and AC ) as they are 220vac
The house bank battery charger is on while the Inverter is on.
We use the Inverter all the time and rarely start the genny now we went from 600 hrs /year on the genny to /120 this year. Not to mention how quiet it is now on the hook which is the majority of our time spent.
This spring I will install the Auto generator start option when the batts get to somewhere around 50% the Inverter will start the generator to charge them.
My son is a union Electrician so it helped me in a big way he did all of the big stuff.

P.O. had our system installed it sounds like yours... We have 4 golf cart 6v batteries and it is tied into the 120v side of our panel. It's nice to have and you don't have reset the clocks on the microwave & coffee maker every time you disconnect shore power or turn the gen off. :)
 
My Water heater is 220V and my inverter is only 120V. It would draw the batteries down really bad i would think..

It would not be affected by anything 240v as it only powering the 120v side of your panel.
 
I put an inverter in my 77 weekender 240 sda and only have one group 26 deep cycle battery. It is charged by the on board battery charger when on shore and 50 watt solar charger when not. I at this point am going to only use it for running the fridge on 120v and maybe small fans on 12 volts, the inverter has both plug ins plus the ability to charge computers and phones. I mounted it in the cabin closet near the fridge. This boat did not have a on board charger so I had to install that too. I keep track of battery voltage for all three of my batteries with small led voltage gauges mounted on the dash. This boat is still in the restoration stage because just when I think it is ready for the lake something else needs fixed. Now it is the outdrives one doesn't want to shift correctly and the other has water in the lower end fluid. Hopefully this will be the last for a little while. Oh well it does stand for BRING ON ANOTHER THOUSAND.
 

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