Inverter replacement options

Dino

Dino

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Hi, I recently bought a boat fitted with a Victron Atlas 12v 1600w (2500w surge) inverter. It’s original to the boat from when it was built in 1998. Unfortunately it is a non-sine wave inverter so it won’t run my Nespresso machine and struggled with a vacuum cleaner recently. I have a 4kW generator that works fine and my only real use for the inverter is the Nespresso machine and occasional laptop charging.
So I’m wondering if I really need to spend €950 on the equivalent Victron Phoenix Sinewave inverter.
I have seen lots of 2000w-3000w pure sine wave inverters from generic brands for under €300.
Has anyone installed something like this and can you recommend a model.
 
Dino said:
Hi, I recently bought a boat fitted with a Victron Atlas 12v 1600w (2500w surge) inverter. It’s original to the boat from when it was built in 1998. Unfortunately it is a non-sine wave inverter so it won’t run my Nespresso machine and struggled with a vacuum cleaner recently. I have a 4kW generator that works fine and my only real use for the inverter is the Nespresso machine and occasional laptop charging.
So I’m wondering if I really need to spend €950 on the equivalent Victron Phoenix Sinewave inverter.
I have seen lots of 2000w-3000w pure sine wave inverters from generic brands for under €300.
Has anyone installed something like this and can you recommend a model.
Click to expand...
I used a super cheap (£35?) generic brand 1000W (up to 3000W was available) for 3 years really just to test out whether an inverter would be a useful thing to have, both for general charging then hot water heating. It was very useful but as I was increasingly leaving it on unattended I thought I should buy a “proper” one and went for Renogy. Total pain so far as it has all sorts of alarms and cut-offs which means I need to change the automated parts of the system but I feel safer.
 
Any cheap mosfits based inverter will run a resistive load pretty well. The problem comes when you run inductive loads and need pure sine wave. Cheapo inverters don't do this. The best inverters for inductive loads are pure sine wave and low frequency. They have large transformers and they are heavy. My 3000w LF inverter weighs 26kg. It runs a 2kw motor load without a problem and it's reliable
 
geem said:
Any cheap mosfits based inverter will run a resistive load pretty well. The problem comes when you run inductive loads and need pure sine wave. Cheapo inverters don't do this. The best inverters for inductive loads are pure sine wave and low frequency. They have large transformers and they are heavy. My 3000w LF inverter weighs 26kg. It runs a 2kw motor load without a problem and it's reliable
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Are you saying that "cheap" unknown brand inverters that describe themselves as pure or true sine wave may actually be quasi sine wave or square wave a bit like pwm solar controllers being passed of as mppt?
 
lustyd said:
Much cheaper and doesn’t need power. We use this with nespresso capsules and it makes better coffee than the electric machine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacaco-Minipresso-Compatible-Nespresso-compatibles/dp/B01M4J94WY/
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Yes, consider changing your appliances. My Intertek vacuum cleaner works fine with a square-wave inverter. So do all my other devices that are based on a heating element or electric motor. Its some electronic kit and appliances that use induction charging, that need sine-wave.
 
Adventures in Onboard Coffee-making - Practical Sailor

We boil water in a kettle, gas, and a use French press. We use a dust pan and brush :) - but we have vinyl floor coverings.

We have Victron inverter charge12v/1,000/50 - excellent product - but really its useful when we are in a boat yard, servicing and living on board and to charge the consumer electronics, laptop, camera, iPads. The grandchildren don't know how nice I am to have had the foresight to cater for their needs. :)

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
Adventures in Onboard Coffee-making - Practical Sailor

We boil water in a kettle, gas, and a use French press. We use a dust pan and brush :) - but we have vinyl floor coverings.

We have Victron inverter charge12v/1,000/50 - excellent product - but really its useful when we are in a boat yard, servicing and living on board and to charge the consumer electronics, laptop, camera, iPads. The grandchildren don't know how nice I am to have had the foresight to cater for their needs. :)

Jonathan
Click to expand...
Icemaker, large vacuum cleaner, watermaker( backup mode only if gen fails), food processor, power tools, desk fan, etc. Wouldn't be without our inverters. All 3 of them?
 
geem said:
Icemaker, large vacuum cleaner, watermaker( backup mode only if gen fails), food processor, power tools, desk fan, etc. Wouldn't be without our inverters. All 3 of them?
Click to expand...

Pah!

Fully electric galley (no gas onboard), 4 plate induction hob, microwave, oven, grill, toaster, food processor, electric kettle, instant pot, vacuum cleaner

.....12kva generator.



[/witty sarcasm mode]
 
Thanks folks, Inverters are new to me as I didn’t have one in my last boat. I like the ability to live away from shore power. Lots of the public harbours where I boat have limited shore power outlets. The old inverter fitted to the boat will charge most stuff we need. In fact, the only time I really needed an inverter was when I needed to log onto my work email and my laptop was dead. I’d prefer to not have to ruin the silence running a generator.
As for the coffee, I might be better off getting out my Aeropress or buying a new Bialetti.
 
Dino said:
Thanks folks, Inverters are new to me as I didn’t have one in my last boat. I like the ability to live away from shore power. Lots of the public harbours where I boat have limited shore power outlets. The old inverter fitted to the boat will charge most stuff we need. In fact, the only time I really needed an inverter was when I needed to log onto my work email and my laptop was dead. I’d prefer to not have to ruin the silence running a generator.
As for the coffee, I might be better off getting out my Aeropress or buying a new Bialetti.
Click to expand...
We use a £35 inverter bought from Amazon that plugs into the 12v socket if need to charge the laptop. Might be a cheaper and simpler option for you also.
Clearly if a regular / intensive laptop user (we aren’t on board, as mainly use tablets) a dedicated 12v laptop charger would be more efficient, but for occasional use the cheap inverter and mains charger is OK.
 
I wasn't judging! Nothing wrong with a genny, I can't imagine the extra diesel makes much difference on a decent motor boat, and realistically it's probably greener to not fit the extra gubbins in the grand scheme of things since the genny is already there. As I said, I'd do the same on a mobo.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Pah!

Fully electric galley (no gas onboard), 4 plate induction hob, microwave, oven, grill, toaster, food processor, electric kettle, instant pot, vacuum cleaner

.....12kva generator.



[/witty sarcasm mode]
Click to expand...
Our boat was built as full electric galley in 1981. Diesel generator. 1000ah of domestic battery. Converted to gas galley in 2012?
 
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