Inverter

you do not have the battery capacity to run even a small inverter let alone one to power a kettle.
i have a 345Ah domestic bank on a sail boat. my Struder 1200 inverter retails @ around £700.
take a look @ Gas /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
I had the same thoughts and need for 240v as you have, I went down the same route and fitted an inverter and bought a 1000w kettle.

Its all pretty useless really, you only need it when you dont have power and when you dont have power you dare not draw so much from your batteries.

Kippor generator is the only option in my opinion.

Inverter has has been used once in 4 years to hoover crisps up while at anchor.
Put your £200 quid towards a kippor
 
here
http://www.velleman.be/be/en/product/list/?id=341677

are affordable invertors
we have been using different models succesfull in different applications, (mobile transmission OB-Vans)
I am not sure if they have a dealer in UK, but I guess the will.
FWIW
I find it always usefull to have a invertor onboard,
(Chargers, water cooker, PC, ...)
used to have 1600W
now looking at 3500W for a very special application with an extra alternator on the engine, (diving air compressor)
 
Thanks for all the input guys - really really helpful.....

I have had a re-think, I have found a kettle in Argos (http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/catalogId/1500001501/partNumber/4230278.htm) that only uses 1kw so the highest load I want to power is 1200W.

I reckon all I need now is a 1500W inverter.

I reckon therefore I can get away with the pure sine wave one mentioned up near the top of the thread, as I couldn't afford a 2000W one, but that 1500W one is in budget for sure.

Taken on board the current draw, but I reckon that if I connect to both batteries in parallel then each one wil be providing around 75A - which means the smaller battery would last 1hr and the bigger one 1 & 1/2 hr - bearing in mind that I only actually want to run items that will run for 3 or 4 mins (kettle and Microwave) and I will ALWAYS run the engine at the same time (delivering around 40-60A to the batteries (may even upgrade the alternator if I can) then I reckon it's perfectly do-able.

The generator shown is brill, however at £495 I can't justify it for a few cups of tea etc, and it's another 26kg added to the boat weight, which again I can't really afford to do.

I'll update people once I've spoken to the inverter sellers and get some more info from them!

Thanks for everyones help though - excellent as usual.
 
Just a small suggestion on the kettle front...

It seems a bit extreme to have to fire up the engine each time you fancy a brew.

I don't have/want to store gas bottles on my boat. So I don't have a gas system.

You can get hold of small camping stoves quite cheaply. They're very safe/efficient, and use disposable aerosol type gas canisters like this.

Get a kettle like this one and you no longer need to fire up the engine each time you fancy a cuppa. Just a thought...
 
I've looked at these, and they work well.

I actually have a gas cooker on the boat, the problem is I don't like gas. Plenty of people say they'd never have a petrol boat, but more fires occur from the gas cookers than the engine fuel, and I never feel totally comfortable with it around.

I will look at re-connecting the gas - I will need to have it checked by a CORGI registered installer though as the Insurance co insist on it - hence why it was disconnected in the first place.

After all the advice i've not ruled it out though.
 
I've had gas on previous boats, but each and every time it was finished with I turned it off at the bottle.

But your comment re. petrol/gas fires/explosions I believe to be true.
 
[ QUOTE ]
He'll struggle with the hoover and microwave with gas.

[/ QUOTE ]

But then that's typical of HLB - full of gas! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Mucky what?
 
My parents had a boat with gas for 15 years without problems....

I think the danger is when there is a slight leak in a pipe or the cooker itself, however saying that, as long as the pipe is replaced regularly then I guess it should be fine.
 
I've never had a problem with gas. Well not till a corgy guy fitted the new cooker. Then it always smelled of gas. Mended now due to none corgy, maybe a Labrador. WE have two hoovers, the little one and big one. The little one just needs charging up, then it does most stuff. WE could easy manage without the bigger one. Microwave. Hardly ever use it. Anyway it dont work without shore power. The little fag lighter inverter is the way to go. Anything else will murder the batteries..
 
Go the gas, if your current systems are old and corroded, replace them and use the proper gas thread tape on every join that requires it. Install a Gas Fuse at the bottle, and get into the habit of shutting off at the bottle.
Insurance assessors that I speak to, claim most stove fires are related to faulty white spirit ones.
Keep your gear in good condition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top