Mains Power / Inverter switch?

[Tim Good]

At the moment I just have a hookup that runs to a socket in the main cabin which I need shore power for. If I then rigged an inverter, that is connected to the battery, via a heavy duty switch, to the same socket would this work?

I.e. when sailing I can switch to Inverter and the socket would be 240v from the battery. When I then hookup in a marina, I switch to the hookup and feed from mains.

Any reason that wouldn't work merely for the price of a good switch?

 

[prv]

If the system is that simple, then yes - but you must have a break-before-make switch so that the shore power is never connected into the output of the inverter.

The other thing to be aware of is the battery charger and water heater, if you have them - you don't want the inverter trying to run these!

Personally, unless I had a very large boat where complex systems are more at home, I think I would just have an entirely separate socket or two from the inverter, perhaps coloured red or something, and leave the others as shore-power only. As well as being simpler, this helps prevent someone unthinkingly plugging in a kettle or a hairdrier while at anchor.

Pete

 

[cliff]

As well as being simpler, this helps prevent someone unthinkingly plugging in a kettle or a hairdrier while at anchor.

Pete

Why should plugging a hair drier or kettle into the inverter while being at anchor be a problem? - I limit the power draw to 2kw so SWMO can have any two out of 5 running at any one time (hair drier, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, microwave oven) and a little left for mobile phone charging etc

 

[prv]

Why should plugging a hair drier or kettle into the inverter while being at anchor be a problem? - I limit the power draw to 2kw so SWMO can have any two out of 5 running at any one time (hair drier, kettle, toaster, coffee maker, microwave oven) and a little left for mobile phone charging etc

You must have a fairly weedy kettle if you can run it together with a hairdrier off 2kw in total! 3kw seems to be standard for a domestic kettle, which makes sense as it's just under the limit of a 13amp socket at 240v.

Personally I wouldn't like to pull even 2kw out of my batteries for any length of time - that's about 170amps. Clearly you have a system that can take it, but I was thinking in terms of a much smaller inverter. The OP doesn't say much about his boat, but it sounds like his current shore power system is little more than a hard-wired extension lead, so I doubt the inverter he has in mind will be huge.

Pete

 

[nigelmercier]

I considered a switch, but decided on a separate socket that is clearly marked.

 

[Cardo]

I considered a switch, but decided on a separate socket that is clearly marked.

And here I thought I'd been clever by having this same idea! Going to connect an inverter to the batteries and then run an extension cord with a mounted socket marked "Inverter". Much nicer than having one of those cheap looking 12v socket inverters!

 

[Tim Good]

Decision made. I'll do the same.