3000 watt 12 volt inverter

[sdowney717]

I bought a peak inverter 3000 watt continuous.
Do inverters use battery power if the switch is off?
OR do you need a 12 volt disconnect switch to keep the inverter from draining the battery?.

this inverter started my fridge and so far anything I have plugged into it.

its the 3000 listed in this list here.
I snagged it off ebay for $165 which I thought was good price. I bid 3 minutes before the end, lost the bid and then got a second chance offer. I always wonder though if it was a shilled bid but still price ok.
http://www.peakantifreeze.com/electronics-mobile_power_outlets.shtml

ebay item
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330562585203&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[rockwithjason]

if the inverter itself is switched off they use very little to no power. to confirm you could always take a current measurement with the unit connected and switched off.

 

[ishiboo]

I bought a peak inverter 3000 watt continuous.
Do inverters use battery power if the switch is off?
OR do you need a 12 volt disconnect switch to keep the inverter from draining the battery?.

this inverter started my fridge and so far anything I have plugged into it.

its the 3000 listed in this list here.
I snagged it off ebay for $165 which I thought was good price. I bid 3 minutes before the end, lost the bid and then got a second chance offer. I always wonder though if it was a shilled bid but still price ok.
http://www.peakantifreeze.com/electronics-mobile_power_outlets.shtml

ebay item
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330562585203&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

That's a pretty low quality inverter, and it's not a marine inverter. Non-marine inverters have the ground and neutral connected, and may also connect the battery negative with AC ground/neutral. This is an invitation for galvanic corrosion for your boat and others in the marina near you, as well as potentially putting swimmers/etc. at risk of electrocution.

I'd buy a small marine inverter with transfer switch to handle things properly.

 

[sdowney717]

All I going to say is.
My marine genset is neutral bonded to ground inside the control box of the generator.
and that is according to Onan and been like that since installation.

AND, the genset neutral, ground and 12 volt DC ground are all the same on the boat.
It has been this way since 1970.

 

[pentavolvo]

when the switch is off it draws nothing, i have a smaller version of same inverter in my work truck for laptop etc

 

[theoldwizard1]

this inverter started my fridge and so far anything I have plugged into it.

Your fridge probably uses at least 1000 watts to run. Add in the losses in the inverter and you are probably sucking about 100+ amps out of your battery. You average car battery (or even deep cycle marine battery) will be out of juice pretty quick.

That's a pretty low quality inverter...

Biggest issue will be that the inverter is likely not a "pure sine wave" inverter. This means electronics may not work at all or work poorly (old CRT television). Anything with a motor will run hot.

 

[sdowney717]

starting current on the fridge is high like you say. I tried a 750 watt and it would not start.
I recall run current is only around an amp so perhaps at most 150 watts. I can pull it out and look again. The fridge is non frost free and has the same size compressor as a dorm fridge.
fridge though is mid sized single door about 5 feet tall.
The idea is to only power that fridge when the motors are running.
yes it is MSW so I have read inductive motors perhaps run hotter. Dont have any crt on the boat.

have LCD with a computer on board.

 

[Keith_MN]

You did not say if your boat is gas or diesel, but just be aware that this inverter does not look to be "ignition protected." Therefore, it can not be installed in any location on the boat that also has any gasoline components (i.e. fuel tank, hoses, filter, etc.).

-Keith

 

[sdowney717]

yes, I plan to put it under kitchen counter top on the shelf.

I measured the output volts with a load running and got 120.8 which I think is good.
His listed specs were wrong on his Ebay add. The cutoff voltage is 15.5 not 14.5

I am confused though about why people even fuse this. It will have a rotary disconnect.
I plan to just add it into that circuit. The inverter will basically be sitting on the other side of the engine room within 5 feet of the connection.
The engines starter wires are not fused. It has been 40 years and the starter wires have not shorted. How many engine cranking wires are fused? The inverter is not going to be moving around and the wires will be secured so what can I say.

I also wonder about the grounding stud on the back of the case.Since the main 12 volt circuit is grounded thru the negative cant you just jumper that over to the negative terminal?
Basically if you run a separate ground wire, your creating a second redundant wire.

curiously, I took the end caps off the inverter to see how they made this.
It is 2 1500 watt inverters, one on top of the other, There are 4 30 amp green plug in fuses on the 12 volt side of the end cap.
On the other side with the outlets, there are 4 power outlets.
The on switch turns on both inverters 4 wires into the on switch, 2 from each inverter, (very light weight red and black wires for the on switch). The neon power light also is fed from the bottom inveter and has 3 wires, the light is green for good or red for fault.

I found out looking more closely that each inverter powers all 4 plugs simultaneously.
So each plug in theory has the full power. when I first looked I thought the output was split but no they are synced up all together.

It should be easy to run a remote switch to this thing. Would be nice to have a plug socket for the remote wire installed into the metal end cap.

I think I will do this using a computer PS socket connector made for a hard drive.

here is the plug, I soldered to the switch terminals and plastic tied to the end plate
second picture shows before I added the plug for a remote on - off switch