Inverter draw

[admiralslater]

I have not dealt with an inverter before and have just had one installed on your boat .My question is does the inverter draw power when it is turned on but there is no 110 demand . and if it does not is there any reason to turn it off
David

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by admiralslater

I have not dealt with an inverter before and have just had one installed on your boat.

Thanks but I already have one.

My question is does the inverter draw power when it is turned on but there is no 110 demand . and if it does not is there any reason to turn it off
David

yes albeit only a few watts. If it was installed correctly, it should be switched at or near the fuse to simply cut the power source.

[belizesailor]

Depends.

More sophistocated inverters may only draw a very nominal amount unless there is an actual load. Less sophisticated may draw more. Best to look at the specs of your specific Inverter.

My good old Freedom 20 has a configurable minimum load threshold. Below that load level it does not produce any output except a very low power pulse to check for load. A few years ago someone working on my boat accidently left it on....for 6 months...no loads so no problem. Fine piece of gear, going on 14 years old.

I do still turn mine on just as needed though to manage energy use, especially with guests aboard. The remote control panel is at the nav station, next to my usual cabin, which helps.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by admiralslater

I have not dealt with an inverter before and have just had one installed on your boat .My question is does the inverter draw power when it is turned on but there is no 110 demand . and if it does not is there any reason to turn it off
David

The answer to your first question is, yes it does draw current when there is no demand for 120 volts AC. You can check the specifications to find out how much but it won't be a lot.

Many inverters have a remote control switch either standard or as an option so it's not necessary to use a 200 amp rated switch in the DC conductor.

[colemj]

It can be a lot of draw - depending. Full sine-wave inverters will draw much more than modified. In standby mode, some of them draw 2.5A with no loads connected. All of them of any useable size will draw at least 1A. One can use load search functions to bring this draw down considerably to ~250 milliamps, but these do not always work well for particular applications.

For example, any wall-wart chargers left in outlets will trip the search mode into full standby power because their transformers draw power even when nothing is connected. Also, things like a microwave will never activate an inverter in search mode to provide full power because its clock doesn't draw enough to activate the inverter.

Search mode adjustment is a fine-balance act that I have never mastered. I just switch the inverter on and off as needed.

Mark

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by colemj

....
For example, any wall-wart chargers left in outlets will trip the search mode into full standby power because their transformers draw power even when nothing is connected. Also, things like a microwave will never activate an inverter in search mode to provide full power because its clock doesn't draw enough to activate the inverter.

Search mode adjustment is a fine-balance act that I have never mastered. I just switch the inverter on and off as needed.

Mark

True, its not a perfect solution. Works in my case most of the time, but I do have to flip on a load sometimes to trigger it to sense load.

Small power supplies are evil. Imagine how many bazzilions of kilowatts they waste world wide!