SC 25 INVERTER MOORING QUESTION

[Steadfast]

Hello All

Just had my Inverter serviced.

Looking back I tested it at our dock and all seemed well. (Shore power)


Took the boat out to a mooring ....switched the power switch to INVERTER and it didn't work??

Question....should the Inverter work with the engine turned OFF? I assume power would come from the battery, get converted to 120v and power my microwave.

OR.....should the engine be running for the Inverter to work? I have new batteries.

I didn't think about the engine having to be running until after I got home.....so I haven't been able to test my theory about the need for the engine to be running.

Any thoughts?

Thank you

Brian

 

[TexasEye]

Inverter is from DC (Battery) to AC so it runs off battery.

 

[Steadfast]

But should the engine be running?

 

[Shano]

This is one of those "it depends" situations. For your inverter to power your microwave (which is a high wattage draw appliance) you need enough power in your battery bank. For your situation you may need to run your engine. I am sure that others with a similar battery set-up will also answer. When you test your inverter at the dock you need to unplug the shore power cord and then test an AC device (maybe start out with a computer charger or something like that). When you tried the microwave did it trip a breaker? Kettles, hair dryers, and microwaves are all very big wattage draw appliances.

 

[Shano]

Also, it depends on the size of your inverter. Is it a 2000 watt inverter? If it is and you have 200+ amp hours in your battery bank it should run the microwave for a while at least. If you plan on being on the mooring float for multiple days then obviously better to not use any high draw appliances.

 

[ixlr8]

But should the engine be running?

You should not need the engine running to get output from your inverter. If you are at the dock, shore power should be unplugged to be safe. If you are going to be using a high draw item, like the microwave for any length of time, then the motor should be running to recharge your batteries. But the inverter power should be coming from your batteries.
I had no output from my inverter the first time I tried to use it... seems the dealer left the breaker at the inverter off when he prepped the boat. Do you have a breaker on your inverter and if so, is it on?

 

[Red Raven]

...
Took the boat out to a mooring ....switched the power switch to INVERTER and it didn't work??
...

A couple of thoughts.

On our boat, in addition to switching the main transfer switch to Inverter you have to turn on the inverter itself. Not sure if yours is different. The other thing to check is the GFCI on the output of the inverter. It may be tripped. The boat’s AC system is plugged into this GFCI outlet with a normal 15 amp plug. Pull the plug from the inverter outlet and reset the GFCI if it is tripped. You can also check for 120V AC at that outlet with a multimeter to confirm the inverter is working.

 

[Navigator's Son]

Question....should the Inverter work with the engine turned OFF? I assume power would come from the battery, get converted to 120v and power my microwave.

Yes. I have used the inverter to run my microwave several times without the engine running.

As Red Raven mentioned, what exactly did you do to test and subsequently run your inverter. Just to clear any assumptions:

Turn the inverter on first. The button/ switch is right under your seat. You should see the green light come on.

Then look for the green light on the selector switch to illuminate next to "inverter". Turn knob from "off" to "inverter".

Turn your AC main breaker on
Turn your microwave breaker on

The only thing on a R25SC that won't run from the inverter is the electric stove.

 

[stwendl]

On my r27 2016, there is also a large dc rotary switch right next to the batteries which you may have to turn on besides the switch under the seat, and the ac selector

 

[snydzy]

The only thing on a R25SC that won’t run from the inverter is the electric stove.

Also the battery charger, the air conditioner, and the hot water heater.....