We are normally on
shore power but before we
head south this fall I want to install an
inverter so that I can maintain
refrigeration (X3) without always running the genset. I've determined that all three draw about 1100 watts so a 1500W
inverter will handle everything.
I have two 8D house
batteries. If I wire the
refrigeration directly into the inverter then from now on both the friges (2) and seperate
freezer (1) will always be on the inverter.
If thats not desirable then I suppose I could install some kind of selector switch like the one that switches from
shore power to gen
power and use it to switch the frig/freeze from inverter to shore. Or is it ok to just leave it hooked to the inverter forever?
I could just use the genset to charge the batts like I do now although they charge from the engines when we're underway (Twin
diesel trawler) or from shore
power when we're at the
dock.
Is there a way to figure how long my batts will handle this inverter draw on a full charge assuming good batts? I imagine it would shorten the batt life some but that's just a guess. How have others dealt with this?
Any input / Ideas
Thanks Greg