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Old 22-03-2018, 06:06   #1
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Frequecncy converter by GoHz

Has anyone installed one of these units?

10 kVA Pure Sine Wave Frequency Converter | GoHz.com.

We have a 220V 50 hz boat and want to plug into to 110 or 220 V 60 hz shore power. Also I would just like to hear from someone who has actually installed a frequency converter.
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Old 22-03-2018, 06:36   #2
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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Has anyone installed one of these units?

10 kVA Pure Sine Wave Frequency Converter | GoHz.com.

We have a 220V 50 hz boat and want to plug into to 110 or 220 V 60 hz shore power. Also I would just like to hear from someone who has actually installed a frequency converter.
Maybe call GoHz and ask for (Yacht) references. I received the tip from a serious shipbuilder in The Netherlands.
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Old 22-03-2018, 06:39   #3
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

I have not installed one in a boat. But I have used something very similar on land. They are more expensive than a simple inverter designed for a boat. Plus they generate a lot of heat (think several fans).

You can get the same thing by using a marine inverter to create 50Hz 220V and charge the batteries with a standalone 60Hz high current charger plugged in to shore power. Plus you have the benefit of some run time when unplugged from shore. That's essentially what is inside the GoHZ box minus the batteries.
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Old 22-03-2018, 06:43   #4
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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You can get the same thing by using a marine inverter to create 50Hz 220V and charge the batteries with a standalone 60Hz high current charger plugged in to shore power. Plus you have the benefit of some run time when unplugged from shore. That's essentially what is inside the GoHZ box minus the batteries.
Even better would be to just use a standalone universal charger that takes both 110V/60Hz and 220V/50Hz, and indeed run everything of the inverter. Added advantage is that your shore connection only needs to carry the average load, and no longer the peak loads generated by your boat.
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Old 22-03-2018, 09:44   #5
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

Thank you all, but if a boat has 4 air conditioners that use 240 V 50 hz with locked rotor amps of 6 - that is 240 * 6 * 4 = 5.76KVA - An inverter that size would be heavy and expensive even if you could find one. I know there are soft start solutions etc etc but I just want a simple plug in answer that will run everything on the boat just like our 11 KVA generator does at 240 V 50 hz.
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Old 22-03-2018, 10:31   #6
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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Thank you all, but if a boat has 4 air conditioners that use 240 V 50 hz with locked rotor amps of 6 - that is 240 * 6 * 4 = 5.76KVA - An inverter that size would be heavy and expensive even if you could find one. I know there are soft start solutions etc etc but I just want a simple plug in answer that will run everything on the boat just like our 11 KVA generator does at 240 V 50 hz.
Buy a tapped transformer. 50 or 60 cycles is not likely to make a difference when the voltage is right.
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Old 22-03-2018, 11:03   #7
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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Thank you all, but if a boat has 4 air conditioners that use 240 V 50 hz with locked rotor amps of 6 - that is 240 * 6 * 4 = 5.76KVA - An inverter that size would be heavy and expensive even if you could find one. I know there are soft start solutions etc etc but I just want a simple plug in answer that will run everything on the boat just like our 11 KVA generator does at 240 V 50 hz.


On our boat we have a control box that prevents multiple ac units starting at the same time. Maybe not an option for you but something to look into.

Locked rotor amps will be 20% less on 60Hz. But I think there may be an error in your numbers. Locked rotor amps should be something like 15-20A for your AC compressor without a soft start device. My 16K BTU 110V AC has about 45A locked rotor current.

11KVA is a really big inverter system. It will not be cheap.

Marine rated step-up transformer will be the least expensive and most reliable. It will weight about 40kG I guess. You don’t really need all the electronics in the GoHZ gizmo. I would not want to have that much electronics involved when simply going from 50->60Hz. Some vendors under specify transformers for boats. See if you can find a suitable 15kva rated 110-220 transformer.
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Old 22-03-2018, 12:07   #8
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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On our boat we have a control box that prevents multiple ac units starting at the same time. Maybe not an option for you but something to look into.

Locked rotor amps will be 20% less on 60Hz. But I think there may be an error in your numbers. Locked rotor amps should be something like 15-20A for your AC compressor without a soft start device. My 16K BTU 110V AC has about 45A locked rotor current.

11KVA is a really big inverter system. It will not be cheap.

Marine rated step-up transformer will be the least expensive and most reliable. It will weight about 40kG I guess. You don’t really need all the electronics in the GoHZ gizmo. I would not want to have that much electronics involved when simply going from 50->60Hz. Some vendors under specify transformers for boats. See if you can find a suitable 15kva rated 110-220 transformer.

Sorry, yes you are right I was looking at FLA which is full load amps, Locked rotor is 28 amps, I guess that is why the Aircon system has delayed starting sequence.

Charles do a 12KVA transformer internet special for $2k
https://www.boundlessoutfitters.com/...ixfmr12t-a.htm, weight 235lbs, I was looking for a more precise solution.
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Old 22-03-2018, 15:09   #9
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Frequecncy converter by GoHz

The delay start is necessary because if the power fails and comes back on within a few seconds then the AC compressor will not start at all. The compressor motor is not big enough to start against a full high pressure head. It takes about 30-60 seconds for the pressure at the compressor inlet and outlet to equalize.

If you go with either the transformer or GoHZ solution be sure to provide plenty of fresh air for cooling. These things get hot without air flow.
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Old 22-03-2018, 15:55   #10
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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Originally Posted by Bean Counter View Post
Sorry, yes you are right I was looking at FLA which is full load amps, Locked rotor is 28 amps, I guess that is why the Aircon system has delayed starting sequence.

Charles do a 12KVA transformer internet special for $2k
https://www.boundlessoutfitters.com/...ixfmr12t-a.htm, weight 235lbs, I was looking for a more precise solution.
This begs the question, however -- where will you get 12KVA of shore power? Just because the transformer will handle it, doesn't mean you've got it coming in. I've never seen a shore power connection that size in any marina. That's 109 amps at 110v.

Most inverters will handle about 2x their rated capacity for start-up. So a 5kW inverter might be able to run that. The sustained power needs to be somewhat less than the fine print rated max power (note that they are heavily derated at higher temperatures).
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Old 22-03-2018, 16:38   #11
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

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This begs the question, however -- where will you get 12KVA of shore power? Just because the transformer will handle it, doesn't mean you've got it coming in. I've never seen a shore power connection that size in any marina. That's 109 amps at 110v.

Most inverters will handle about 2x their rated capacity for start-up. So a 5kW inverter might be able to run that. The sustained power needs to be somewhat less than the fine print rated max power (note that they are heavily derated at higher temperatures).
US 240V 50A shorepower is 12KVA.
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Old 22-03-2018, 16:44   #12
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

[QUOTE=Dockhead;2601854]This begs the question, however -- where will you get 12KVA of shore power? Just because the transformer will handle it, doesn't mean you've got it coming in. I've never seen a shore power connection that size in any marina. That's 109 amps at 110v.

Every marina I can think of provides 12KVA (125/250 @ 50amps) at their smaller slips and up to 480/200/3ph at their largest... times they are a changing...
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Old 22-03-2018, 16:56   #13
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

[QUOTE=Scott Berg;2601905]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dockhead View Post
This begs the question, however -- where will you get 12KVA of shore power? Just because the transformer will handle it, doesn't mean you've got it coming in. I've never seen a shore power connection that size in any marina. That's 109 amps at 110v.

Every marina I can think of provides 12KVA (125/250 @ 50amps) at their smaller slips and up to 480/200/3ph at their largest... times they are a changing...
Not over here! And the poster's boat apparently comes from Europe.

In Europe, 16 amps x 230 v is luxury. 10 amps, 8 amps, even 4 amps is what you get in some places on the Continent. There is 400v 3 phase power in some places for commercial vessels or superyachts, but not for mere mortals -- even a 54' boat.

But wasn't the poster asking about 110v? What is the capacity of his shore power system?
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Old 22-03-2018, 17:05   #14
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

[QUOTE=Dockhead;2601915]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Berg View Post

Not over here! And the poster's boat apparently comes from Europe.

In Europe, 16 amps x 230 v is luxury. 10 amps, 8 amps, even 4 amps is what you get in some places on the Continent. There is 400v 3 phase power in some places for commercial vessels or superyachts, but not for mere mortals -- even a 54' boat.

But wasn't the poster asking about 110v? What is the capacity of his shore power system?
The US 12KVA shorepower delivers up to 100A of 120V or 50A of 240V or a combination of each equal to 12KVA.
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Old 22-03-2018, 20:46   #15
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Re: Frequecncy converter by GoHz

Our boat was built for Asia power (230v, 50Hz) and all the AC machines were selected accordingly. When we got to the Caribb, we ran into the power issue you describe. We bought an isolation transformer to step the 110v shore power up to 230v. All our installed machinbes work well with the 230v, 60Hz power...except 1 of our 2 aircons. It worked OK on the genset(230v 50Hz) but not on transformed 110v shorepower.....and in the marina is where we needed the aircon! After checking options, we elected to replace that aircon with a new one...a model that is both 50Hz and 60Hz power. Problem solved, and we have a new, modern aircon that works without the old issues.
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