Power Inverter Connected to AC Batteries?

[Pearl]

I have a 1500 watt Cobra power inverter on my 21-EC. The power inverter is connected to the house battery. Every time I make coffee the low voltage alarm comes on. I have run the engine at around 1200 rpms for the alarm to go off. I am on a waiting list for a boat slip, so I do not have access to shore power for the AC. I do run the AC for a few minutes while underway just to keep things lubricated. I would like to know if I could connect the power inverter to the AC batteries instead of the house battery, if so where would be the best connections? I noticed a positive cable coming from the AC batteries to a bus bar that is located by the startingg battery. Would it be possible to tie in power from the inverter to the bus bar? Thank you

 

[Andrew Custis]

I would first suggest that the battery voltage is low when you are starting to invert. I would put a volt meter on the batteries before you start and note the voltage. With the same volt meter connected, watch your voltage and see what it drops too while making coffee. Some coffee makers can take a high load. I ran one hooked to a 4 battery house bank and could see the voltage drop a large amount with brand new batteries without running the engine. Best thing to do is to continue to run the engine with some RPM while you are making coffee. Just curious, i would like to hear how you are running that inverter. I don't know of any inverters in the 1500 watt range that plug into a 12 volt outlet but I want to make sure this isnt what you are doing. The wire size is also very important for an inverter. If you could direct email me with the specifics, I will give you some pointers.

andrewcustis@rangertugs.com

Thank you,

Andrew Custis