Inverters

[dgadee]

I have a rotary switch that switches between shore power and inverter. Once switched to inverter, it will power all the circuits in the boat except the battery chargers. They are inhibited via the rotary switch.
We have a second smaller inverter that serves a single double socket in the nav station for small loads.

Sounds good. How? My battery charger comes directly from the installed "garage" box.

 

[geem]

Sounds good. How? My battery charger comes directly from the installed "garage" box.

You need to be able to wire a rotary switch. Mine is 3 position. Circuit 1, OFF, circuit 2. 4 pole.

 

[rogerthebodger]

To be angle to feed your inverter into the same supply as the shore power you need to be able to synchronize the frequency a as geem and I have done is to have the inputs on a rotary switch mine is off inverter generator or shore power.

My battery charger is on a separate isolator/overload and only connected via the shore power switch position

 

[geem]

To be angle to feed your inverter into the same supply as the shore power you need to be able to synchronize the frequency a as geem and I have done is to have the inputs on a rotary switch mine is off inverter generator or shore power.

My battery charger is on a separate isolator/overload and only connected via the shore power switch position

I installed two rotary switches. One that switches between shore power and generator power. This one lives in the engine room. The second switch, on the face of my distribution board allows you to switch which ever one of these supplies you have selected or the inverter. When we are cruising, the engine room switch would be set to generator all season. You could then choose on the front panel, generator or inverter. We are now in a boatyard in the UK. For the first time in a long time, the switch got selected to shore power or inverter. It was a little easier wiring the rotary switches this way as inhibiting certain circuits on a 4 way switch was going to get head scratching

 

[rogerthebodger]

Yes just a different and acceptable way of doing thinks and if it works for you who am I to say differently

This is how I set up some of my control panels

https://flic.kr/p/WonvgQ

Top one switches my navigation lights and displays what has been selected

The next one down is my generator control panel. with meters measuring current, voltage and frequency

The third one down is the mains distribution panel wit RCD's and switch to select source inverter, generator, or shore power and an off position. this switch selects the power source feed to the distribution panel with MCB to feed power appliances and outlets, SA used 16 amp round pin power plugs not the squares as in the UK

The small panel on the lower left side of the distribution has a switch and neon to switch on my inverter and to display that its supplying mains.

The small panel above that is the engine and generator run hours

Below the distribution panel I now have an SSB radio and one of my VHF radios