220vdc Marine Inverter - What's the Best Value?

[Designgeek]

I am looking for a good marine grade inverter for a friend of mine. The battery bank is 12v, the output needs to be 220 European. It should have a constant output of 2000v with a peak between 3000-4000. 50 Hertz. Does anyone have any suggestions for a unit that is a good balance of value and reliability? Their previous inverter crapped out and cannot be repaired. They hate to have to replace it, and want to get the most bang for the buck. All advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[James S]

Welcome to the forum geek.
If you go to the google search function at the top and look for inverters you will find more info than you probable would have time to read this week.
Like so many things there are so many opinions.
I went with Victron...its not cheep, but given the reputation for reliability, it was the best "value" for me...if an inverter stops working how would you determine its value?
Good luck.

[David M]

Welcome to Cruisers Forum Designgeek.

In looking at your specifications, its apparent that you want a 220 volt, 50 hertz inverter. In looking at your power requirements, am not certain what you are looking for. Are you looking for a 2000 watt inverter that is capable of a continuous 2000 watt output? There are 3000 watt inverters as well. For use on yachts, inverters generally do not provide a power capacity above 3000 watts. At that point you would need to purchase a second inverter and run it on a separate AC circuit unless you buy a pair capable of phase matching.

Many people on this forum like Victron inverters. There are also people with Statpower (Xantrex) inverters.

[feelsgood]

We have used the company below for all oour 12 volt needs and always been happy with them
Regards Pete and Sally
Barden for Inverters, Studer, Pure Sinewave, DC to AC Power

[CharlieJ]

Designgeek- Welcome to the Forum!

Without a doubt, Victron is my recommendation. Note that 2000 watts continuous at 230 VAC will require a very thorough system design for the battery bank and the recharging sources.

[btrayfors]

Another vote for Victron. They have a build quality second to none and, while not cheap, are really worth it in the long run.

They make inverters (only) and combination inverter/chargers. I assume your friend wants an inverter, as you originally stated.

Agree with Charlie 100%. Pulling that much power from a 12-volt battery bank is gonna require some thorough engineering. A load of 2,000 watts continuous @ 230VAC is going to pull well over 110 amps continuous from those batteries!

Bill

[feelsgood]

Well folks I thought we all went to sea to get away from all the hussel and bussel of the world. If you are looking for 2000Watts on a yacht I think you need to have your head read. Hey Its not a house so dont treat it like one. I cant understand the people that go to sea in a yacht that needs soo much electric. If you need a hoover remember that a brush and pan has worked for years (no elec) if you need a cooker you an have either spirit, diesel, wood burner or gas ( no elec) if the sails and gear are too big to use without elec get a smaller boat and enjoy it (no elec) I suppose there is always someone that will justify loads of elec on a boat but I think over all we are missing the real reason we go to sea

[CharlieJ]

feelsgood-
And your response helped the original poster...how?

[James S]

Originally Posted by CharlieJ

feelsgood-
And your response helped the original poster...how?

Exactly.
Many of us go to sea because we want to "go to sea"...not sure how that has any thing to due with how much power you use.
We are all so different.
Being judgmental doesn’t really contribute much.

[feelsgood]

Hey Guys and Gals I apoligise if I have upset any of you I was only voicing an opinion, In future I will think a bit more before I answer anyone OK!

[James S]

No worries...I delete alot of my own rants at the last minute.

[Zanshin]

I vote for Victron as well. Note that if you draw continuous 2000 Watts (as I do when I fire up the espresso machine) then you are using 166Amps at 12V which is a big drain. Note that the output wattage is temperature dependent, my Victron is a 3000W device, but at 40C (104F) it only produces 2200W.

[James S]

Feelsgood
Just a BIG question...is this your post?
I dont understand?
What size is your inverter?

Enough Power
We live aboard our Colvic watson 32 all year and have a washing machine (220v/250W) a spin dryer (220v/ tv, dvd player, laptop, webasto heating, wayco fridge freezer 25lts (12v), also we have a calorifier (220v/660W) our power comes from a 85 Watt Solar panel and a 100W Honda generator. We spend all our time at sea in the summer and stay at anchor where we use an inverter to do the washing and sindrying, watch the tv/dvd on we t nights charge the batteries and keep the freezer on all the time and we have never had flat batteries the only thing I would like to get to save on the use of the generator is a wind generator and I would buy the D400 as we have friends that have one and are very pleased at the performance.

[DotDun]

Geek,

Please note that 2000 watts is a lot of power. From a design/engineering standpoint, that's ~170-200 amps coming from your 12v batteries. Depending on how much lead you plan to carry, you may only get an hour or two before you need to charge the batteries. Also, don't skimp on the cables between the batteries and inverter, as current goes up voltage drop goes up and the inverter will pull more power trying to keep up. Larger cables will help this dramatically.

I personally chose a smaller (1000w) inverter to run the occasional drink blender, laptop, or watch a DVD on the TV. Anything requiring more power, I fire up the genset or if we're underway running an engine and charging at the same time, we'll use it for the coffeemaker, toaster, hair dryer, etc.

[goboatingnow]

in my experience, stay away from the cheap stuff, it inevitably fails. Victron, Mastervolt, expect to pay around 1 euro/1.5 dollars a watt.