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26-12-2012, 19:57
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Boat: Pearson Triton 28 (1960)
Posts: 180
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Inverter
Inverter crapped out, thinking of buying this one from westmarine (link below). Does anyone have any experience with this inverter? Got any feedback before I shell out over $100?
WEST MARINE Slim 1000W Inverter at West Marine
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26-12-2012, 20:10
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: daytona beach florida
Boat: csy 37
Posts: 2,976
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Re: Inverter
looks similar to the one i bought, although mine is only 750 watts. be sure to use a heavy guage wire from the batteries to the inverter. i also installed a large fuse and a large switch between the batteries and the inverter. i've had mine seven years now, but use it only intermittenly, such as for the vacuum cleaner once a week.
one thing i did do. i'm not sure how well protected they are against salt air corrosion, so after i bought it i opened up the cover and sprayed most of a can of boeshield t-9 (or some other electrical protectant like corrosion-x, not sure which) all over the internal parts. hopefully it protects the little bits from corrosion.
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26-12-2012, 23:07
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Boat: Pearson Triton 28 (1960)
Posts: 180
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Re: Inverter
Quote:
Originally Posted by onestepcsy37
looks similar to the one i bought, although mine is only 750 watts. be sure to use a heavy guage wire from the batteries to the inverter. i also installed a large fuse and a large switch between the batteries and the inverter. i've had mine seven years now, but use it only intermittenly, such as for the vacuum cleaner once a week.
one thing i did do. i'm not sure how well protected they are against salt air corrosion, so after i bought it i opened up the cover and sprayed most of a can of boeshield t-9 (or some other electrical protectant like corrosion-x, not sure which) all over the internal parts. hopefully it protects the little bits from corrosion.
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Thanks for the tip about the protective spray. My own electrical needs are very small so I'm sure this model will more than do the job I want but I always like to get first hand experience if possible.
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26-12-2012, 23:31
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Philippines in the winters
Boat: It’s in French Polynesia now
Posts: 11,368
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Re: Inverter
Quote:
Originally Posted by SayGudday
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Sent you a PM
__________________
Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend, but the Kisses of the Enemy are Deceitful! ........
The measure of a man is how he navigates to a proper shore in the midst of a storm!
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27-12-2012, 00:51
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: San Diego, California - Read about our circumnavigation at www.rutea.com
Boat: Contest 48
Posts: 1,056
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Re: Inverter
Some inverters are very loud when they're working. You might want to check to see if there's a spec for how loudly it hums. Our old Heart Inverter/Charger is a noisy old bugger.
Fair winds and calm seas.
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27-12-2012, 07:47
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Boat: Pearson Triton 28 (1960)
Posts: 180
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Re: Inverter
Quote:
Originally Posted by nhschneider
Some inverters are very loud when they're working. You might want to check to see if there's a spec for how loudly it hums. Our old Heart Inverter/Charger is a noisy old bugger.
Fair winds and calm seas.
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Yep. That's why I thought I'd ask here. See if anyone had one and if it was loud. I don't use mine much so it won't be a big hardship if it's loud but I'd prefer a quiet one, obviously.
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27-12-2012, 08:40
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Philippines in the winters
Boat: It’s in French Polynesia now
Posts: 11,368
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Re: Inverter
The Xantrec 1000w of mine, you cant even hear it run. That's one reason I went to a 2000w for an up grade.
__________________
Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend, but the Kisses of the Enemy are Deceitful! ........
The measure of a man is how he navigates to a proper shore in the midst of a storm!
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27-12-2012, 09:10
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#8
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Eastern Tennessee
Boat: Research vessel for a university, retired now.
Posts: 10,406
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Re: Inverter
Keep in mind the inverter you chose is a modified square wave type. This means it is going to be electrically noisy with some AC electronics. It may not work at all with with some AC loads or may not work very well.
__________________
David
Life begins where land ends.
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27-12-2012, 09:37
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Philippines in the winters
Boat: It’s in French Polynesia now
Posts: 11,368
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Re: Inverter
Quote:
Originally Posted by David M
Keep in mind the inverter you chose is a modified square wave type. This means it is going to be electrically noisy with some AC electronics. It may not work at all with with some AC loads or may not work very well.
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Anything with electronic circuitry will most likely not work at all on a modified sine wave. It depends in the transformer inside the unit and how it's routed.
__________________
Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend, but the Kisses of the Enemy are Deceitful! ........
The measure of a man is how he navigates to a proper shore in the midst of a storm!
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27-12-2012, 10:25
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Boat: Islander 34
Posts: 5,486
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Re: Inverter
The west marine inverter is a rebranded Wagan model. May find it slightly cheaper on amazon. I have the 750 watt version. The fan runs all the time but its not too loud. About 90% efficiency. I use it to run the fridge and power the netbook and USB charged items. Mine's worked quite well for over two years.
I do keep a spare available. It does not seem that electrically noisy, unlike my charge controller...
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27-12-2012, 15:17
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Boat: Pearson Triton 28 (1960)
Posts: 180
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Re: Inverter
@sailorchic34, you're right I had found it cheaper on Amazon but was thinking that, if I got it from WM, I could just walk into any store if it broke. Whereas, with Amazon, I'd have to ship it. Got any thoughts on that?
@ Delmarry & David M: tech question for you. Do you think it's likely (or possible) to damage the inverter if I run a laptop off a modified sine wave model? I'm not worried about damaging the laptop because I have run several off a MSW inverter before for long periods of time.
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27-12-2012, 15:25
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA, boat: Deale, MD
Boat: 1981 Nor'sea 27
Posts: 1,414
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Re: Inverter
I ended up getting one of these inverters from AutoZone. I like it because it has a meter to show you how much watts you are using. It's runs fairly quiet too.
Duralast/1000 Watts digital inverter (PI-1000W) | Power Inverter | AutoZone.com_
I got it because my boat is at a storage lot that doesn't have electrical outlets nearby so I connect this to my truck to power a few tools and to hook up shore power cable to it for keeping batteries topped off. So far, a 1.5gal shop vac is the biggest power hog using 650 watts, that I've used. I also have a small 200 watt inverter that I use with a laptop without any issues.
__________________
Daniel - Rhapsody Blog,
“A sailor’s joys are as simple as a child’s.” — Bernard Moitessier
"I don't need therapy, I just need my boat"
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27-12-2012, 15:37
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Philippines in the winters
Boat: It’s in French Polynesia now
Posts: 11,368
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Re: Inverter
Quote:
Originally Posted by SayGudday
@ Delmarry & David M: tech question for you. Do you think it's likely (or possible) to damage the inverter if I run a laptop off a modified sine wave model? I'm not worried about damaging the laptop because I have run several off a MSW inverter before for long periods of time.
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Usually laptops run off their battery, which runs off of a charger. Most chargers are an AC transformer with a rectifier for converting to DC. As long as the charger puts out the DC voltage it should be fine.
If your charger is internal, I'd contact the mfgr to see if a modified sine is acceptable.
__________________
Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend, but the Kisses of the Enemy are Deceitful! ........
The measure of a man is how he navigates to a proper shore in the midst of a storm!
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27-12-2012, 16:21
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#14
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Boat: 1976 Sabre 28-2
Posts: 7,505
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Re: Inverter
Some tools with electronic speed controls will not work with Modified Sine Wave Inverters. They also may damage some electronics like MicroWaves. In my case, burned through two sears MicroWaves and ovens before they stopped honoring the warranty and refunded my money. This was not on the boat. My newish Bosch Saber Saw won't run off the inverter. All my other corded tools run fine.
Have used the inverter to charge the battery in my laptop, handheld VHF, etc. without any problems.
__________________
Peter O.
'Ae'a, Pearson 35
'Ms American Pie', Sabre 28 Mark II
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27-12-2012, 17:37
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Boat: Pearson Triton 28 (1960)
Posts: 180
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Re: Inverter
@Rhapsody-NS27. That's almost identical to the one I had. Did yours come with any warranty? Mine did not, nor could I purchase any from them.
@Delmarry: thanks for the feedback!
@roverhi: thanks for the input. Most of my power tools run off batteries so I think they'll be ok. Famous last words...
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