Simple Inverter install...if there is such a thing.

liv2ryde100 said:
Could u run an air conditioner on this inverter?
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I put the Mastervolt inverter/charger in mine to replace the broken original one. It is 1500 watt and will run the microwave and a few other small electronics no problem. To run the AC it would depend on the size of the AC and the Battery bank. I would just recommend that you don't.
 
Hoplite808 said:
I put the Mastervolt inverter/charger in mine to replace the broken original one. It is 1500 watt and will run the microwave and a few other small electronics no problem. To run the AC it would depend on the size of the AC and the Battery bank. I would just recommend that you don't.
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Makes sense, but I would love to run cockpit ac without generator lol
 
liv2ryde100 said:
Makes sense, but I would love to run cockpit ac without generator lol
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My gen set is locked up. Was that way when I bought it. I am thinking about ripping it out and going LI PO batteries. But that will be far from a simple inverter install.
 
Flyer5 said:
My gen set is locked up. Was that way when I bought it. I am thinking about ripping it out and going LI PO batteries. But that will be far from a simple inverter install.
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No impeller and oil changes in those Lipo batteries lol
 
Flyer5 said:
My gen set is locked up. Was that way when I bought it. I am thinking about ripping it out and going LI PO batteries. But that will be far from a simple inverter install.
Click to expand...

If you built a rack to hold the lipo’s where the old genset was then dedicated a charger/inverter like the Mastervolt one I have it would work rather well until the batteries discharged. Just plug everything in to the gensets output wiring and it’d function the same as the generator. Odds are you could mitigate the discharge with solar panels or a wind turbine to recharge them with or hook up a battery isolator to recharge them from the alternator on the engines. If you kept these lipos separate from the rest of the boats 12 supplies it should even be able to let you start the main engines even if the lipo’s die from use.
 
Hoplite808 said:
If you built a rack to hold the lipo’s where the old genset was then dedicated a charger/inverter like the Mastervolt one I have it would work rather well until the batteries discharged. Just plug everything in to the gensets output wiring and it’d function the same as the generator. Odds are you could mitigate the discharge with solar panels or a wind turbine to recharge them with or hook up a battery isolator to recharge them from the alternator on the engines. If you kept these lipos separate from the rest of the boats 12 supplies it should even be able to let you start the main engines even if the lipo’s die from use.
Click to expand...
 
Hoplite808 said:
If you built a rack to hold the lipo’s where the old genset was then dedicated a charger/inverter like the Mastervolt one I have it would work rather well until the batteries discharged. Just plug everything in to the gensets output wiring and it’d function the same as the generator. Odds are you could mitigate the discharge with solar panels or a wind turbine to recharge them with or hook up a battery isolator to recharge them from the alternator on the engines. If you kept these lipos separate from the rest of the boats 12 supplies it should even be able to let you start the main engines even if the lipo’s die from use.
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24zbmw-2093890542.jpg
 
Creekwood said:
Its easy to spend other peoples money, but I would definitely go for the new AC/DC marine fridge. Here is why:
1. Inverters are inefficient. They consume power to convert 12vdc to 120vac. So you will use more battery power running a 120v fridge via an inverter. Maybe not a big deal for one night, but a few days it might make a difference in how long you can stay out.
2. If I was buying your boat and saw that you had a dorm fridge wired via an inverter, I will have "red flags" and sirens going off about a poorly maintained boat and lots of other issues that had be repaired "on the cheap". I would probably pass on your boat unless I bought it for a really low price so I could find and fix all that kind of stuff. There are others that might not notice or care, but I think your resale will be lower by more than the price difference on a new fridge.

A properly installed inverter is great though, but its pretty costly to install properly. It can't be installed in the bilge, so you need long 12 heavy gauge wiring and fuse and battery switch, and then if you want to wire direct to the 120v panel that is another process that may cost money to do right (safely).

I have an inverter, mounted in a cockpit storage locker, with about 4ft of wiring down into the batteries in the bilge. I did not hardwire the AC side yet. I run a shorepower cable around to the shorepower inlet on the boat. My fridge is an AC/DC model so the 120v inverter power is really only used for the microwave and TV. Mine is a 1800 watt Xantrex.
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I purchased a 3000W xantrex Pur Sine, to go on my 86 SD, but have yet to do so. Got it at a nice price. Dont know yet where i'm going to put it. Any Ideas are welcome,
. 4ft of cable?
 
Flyer5 said:
My gen set is locked up. Was that way when I bought it. I am thinking about ripping it out and going LI PO batteries. But that will be far from a simple inverter install.
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I’ve got most of the parts to do this, but every time I start to install them on the boat, my wife sends me a link to a bigger boat. It never fails whenever I get ready to spend money or time on an upgrade, she can sense that shit.
 
For these 12v and 120v powered fridges. What are they doing internally? Are they converting 12 -> 120 or vice versa?
 
jmauld said:
For these 12v and 120v powered fridges. What are they doing internally? Are they converting 12 -> 120 or vice versa?
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It depends. Some take both the incoming power and convert it to a "nominal" working voltage for the compressor circuit... changing the 12VDC to 24VDC and the 120VAC to 24VDC and then use a relay to select which one (defaults to AC). Others take the 120VAC and convert it down to 12VDC, then use that and the boat 12VDC into a relay to select which source to use.

Some of the older Norcolds use a simple transformer on the 120VAC side to drop it down to about 30VAC and take the 12VDC (or up to 24VDC) and run it through an inverter to create a 28VAC. Those two voltages go into a relay to select which source (defaults to AC input).
 
@km1125 thanks for that detail.

Seems like an unnecessary amount of converting. Maybe just find a 12v fridge, and run it off a house battery. Then keep that battery on a charger while at the dock, and/or with the engine(s) running.

I’ve noticed that one of my fridges won’t stay cold on 12v or 120v. But it works fine if both voltages are available. That seems to be the worst case scenario.
 
Creekwood said:
Its easy to spend other peoples money, but I would definitely go for the new AC/DC marine fridge. Here is why:
1. Inverters are inefficient. They consume power to convert 12vdc to 120vac. So you will use more battery power running a 120v fridge via an inverter. Maybe not a big deal for one night, but a few days it might make a difference in how long you can stay out.
2. If I was buying your boat and saw that you had a dorm fridge wired via an inverter, I will have "red flags" and sirens going off about a poorly maintained boat and lots of other issues that had be repaired "on the cheap". I would probably pass on your boat unless I bought it for a really low price so I could find and fix all that kind of stuff. There are others that might not notice or care, but I think your resale will be lower by more than the price difference on a new fridge.

A properly installed inverter is great though, but its pretty costly to install properly. It can't be installed in the bilge, so you need long 12 heavy gauge wiring and fuse and battery switch, and then if you want to wire direct to the 120v panel that is another process that may cost money to do right (safely).
Click to expand...

This post really helped me make my decision. I wondered why a stock AC/DC fridge can run on such small wiring while an inverter requires much higher (lower?) gauge wire just to do the same thing. To do an inverter I'd have to run the wiring almost six feet to get it out of the bilge area to a locker in the cabin, which just doesn't seem like the smart way to go, and couldn't/shouldn't be done on the cheap. The second part is that while I did a good job of trimming around the cutout when I did the dorm fridge, it just bothers the heck out of me that it's not stock. I don't have plans on selling my boat anytime soon, but money talks and everything has a price. Now I'm looking at the various fridge models: Isotherm, Norcold and Domestic, all of which are basically plug and play.
 
Cheap Guy said:
This post really helped me make my decision. I wondered why a stock AC/DC fridge can run on such small wiring while an inverter requires much higher (lower?) gauge wire just to do the same thing. To do an inverter I'd have to run the wiring almost six feet to get it out of the bilge area to a locker in the cabin, which just doesn't seem like the smart way to go, and couldn't/shouldn't be done on the cheap. The second part is that while I did a good job of trimming around the cutout when I did the dorm fridge, it just bothers the heck out of me that it's not stock. I don't have plans on selling my boat anytime soon, but money talks and everything has a price. Now I'm looking at the various fridge models: Isotherm, Norcold and Domestic, all of which are basically plug and play.
Click to expand...
Also check out Nova Kool. I replaced mine with one. Excellent fridge. They have a size conversion chart to all the other brands so I you know what model the original one is you can pick the one that fits.
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...849262027/Crossreference_Norcold_Novakool.pdf
 
Cheap Guy said:
....I wondered why a stock AC/DC fridge can run on such small wiring while an inverter requires much higher (lower?) gauge wire just to do the same thing. ....
Click to expand...
Some is the difference in capacity. A lot of marine fridge units - even the "full size" 60" tall ones, only consume something like 80-100 watts when running. That means their inverters don't typically have to handle much current. A "home" or dorm fridge the same size might use twice that because they're not really worried about running out of battery capacity (they're always plugged in!).

The other difference is that when you integrate all the components you can size them EXACTLY for what's necessary, because you know EXACTLY the specs on each component. When you "piece them together" you have to make some assumptions (like surge current) and usually overcompensate for what you actually need, using say, a 500W inverter to power a fridge that only consumes 80w.
 
So after a couple of weeks trying to decide whether to go the inverter/dorm fridge or new AC/DC fridge route, I ended up buying an Isotherm Cruise 65. I chose this one because it had the largest capacity, the dimensions were perfect, and the choice of two mounting methods. If you have an older Sea Ray with the old Norcold Tek II, this will slide right in with no modifications. I did make three 3 inch holes at the top rear of cabinet to improve cross flow air circulation, and I’m thinking about making vents in the side cabinet doors, but other than that, it was just a matter of connecting the AC and DC and sliding it right in, mounted using the side mounting holes instead of the flange. I went this route because even though this fridge cost $1000, I didn’t have to deal with all the electrical issues associated with an inverter, plus it just looks nice to have a proper fridge back in after 20 years of a dorm fridge. One thing I did notice was that the old dorm fridge was very hot on the sides and rear when I took it out, while the Isotherm is running much cooler. The Isotherm is also a LOT lighter - I’d say almost half the weight - remember this is a 20 year old dorm fridge - but it would freeze everything if I cranked it up all the way - hopefully the new fridge will do the same and last as long. Thanks again for all the advice and recommendations!
 
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