110v or 220v Inverter on a boat

[vechnyak]

Hi All,

I live in US where generally home appliances and small devices operate on 110v. I am looking to install a small coffee machine on my boat. I dont own the machine and I dont own the inverter yet. So i was looking at the exact same model of the coffee maker in 110v requires 1750 watt (about 15 amp) and if purchased as a 220v model it requires only 1250 watt (less than 6amps).

I can also get either 110v or a 220v inverter. Wire gauge and length of the run is very short (3-4 feet from the house battery). 1500WATT inverter is less expensive than 2000WATT inverter and the coffee machine costs about the same in either voltage.


Can anyone chime in if there is any benefit to going with a 220v inverter and a 220v coffee maker?

Thanks

Val

[Tillsbury]

The principal benefit of 220/240V is that all the currents are way lower, and thus all the wiring can be much thinner.

Remember that inverters are often rated optimistically, and you might need a bit more headroom than you think. Yes, probably a good 1500W inverter will run a coffee machine that claims to use 1250W, but don't go any closer than that.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by vechnyak

I live in US where generally home appliances and small devices operate on 110v

stick to that

unless the boat's going to take you to stay in 240V regions

but NBD either way

[Gtstricky]

If it were me I would go with the 110 just for the comparability with other items: TV, charging phones/laptop, CPAP (if I ever need one).

[Adelie]

I would go with 110v for the slightly lower risk of shock.
The one with the lower wattage is also going to be slower heating up the water and so will use more energy to boil the same amount of water.

[smac999]

A watt is a watt. The 220v maker must be different.

I would go 110 so you can run other things.

Get a pure sine wave one.

[ranger58sb]

Were it me, I'd choose a 110V coffee maker, a bigger PSW inverter... and I'd use the inverter to run more 110V loads too, rather than only the coffee maker.

-Chris

[s/v Jedi]

You should choose what you’re gonna be using : 110V 60Hz or 230V 50Hz. Living in the USA, you should probably go for 110V, unless you plan to bring the boat to Europe.

[vechnyak]

Thank you all for your replies. I guess the part that I didn't ask but was curious about is battery consumption. Watt for Watt if the drawn amperage is less does it mean same battery would last much longer?

[john61ct]

No, if a small difference in the Ah drawn per "coffee session" affects your bank longevity, you really need a bigger bank.

Of course an Aeropress etc, not using electricity for that purpose at all is a better option from that POV, true for any load devices producing heat.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by john61ct

stick to that

unless the boat's going to take you to stay in 240V regions

but NBD either way

Val, this goes along with my thinking. It sounds like going 220 you are buying a single use inverter to make a cup of coffee and unusable for your other appliances?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by vechnyak

Thank you all for your replies. I guess the part that I didn't ask but was curious about is battery consumption. Watt for Watt if the drawn amperage is less does it mean same battery would last much longer?

No the battery won't last longer. The 220v draws less on a moment to moment basis but has to run longer the heat the water to the same temp. Ignoring the inverter it will use a little more energy because it takes longer to heat, heat is escaping from the pot at it heats the water and the longer you heat the water the more escapes.

There is likely an efficiency difference between the 2 inverters.

If you are going to cruise the US and Caribbean, get the 110v.
If you are going to Europe get the 220v.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by vechnyak

Hi All,

I live in US where generally home appliances and small devices operate on 110v. I am looking to install a small coffee machine on my boat. I dont own the machine and I dont own the inverter yet. So i was looking at the exact same model of the coffee maker in 110v requires 1750 watt (about 15 amp) and if purchased as a 220v model it requires only 1250 watt (less than 6amps).

I can also get either 110v or a 220v inverter. Wire gauge and length of the run is very short (3-4 feet from the house battery). 1500WATT inverter is less expensive than 2000WATT inverter and the coffee machine costs about the same in either voltage.


Can anyone chime in if there is any benefit to going with a 220v inverter and a 220v coffee maker?

Thanks

Val

I may be wrong here, but I think a watt is a watt. The 1,750 watt coffee machine is going to draw about 134 ah off your 13v battery bank (1750w divided by 13v= 134 amps)). I imagine it won't run for a full hour, but even for 10 minutes or so you'll need a good battery bank to keep up with the draw. What size battery bank do you have? I'm curious because I was using a 450w drill on the boat through my 120v inverter and the low voltage alarm went off frequently (220ah battery bank).

[roland stockham]

If you are going to issolate the electrical system from shore power or not connect to shore power then you can chose which system to go with. There are significant advantages in doing so for international cruising. If not you definitely want to stick with local power.

Having said that US split phase does in fact supply 220v to homes and some marinas have 50a 4 pin hookups which can deliver it to the boat. The coffe machine may not care about frequency but check as the control circuits might.
This is all much more complex than your post seems to suggest, mains pawer needs designing not just buying an inverter and dropping it in.

[john61ct]

Unless it's an all-DC boat and the coffee machine is the only AC load device,

in which case just dropping in a matching inverter is a great approach for cost simplicity and safety.