With technology advancing faster and faster it's only natural that we find new developments, and incorporate them into our lives, making our days a little easier and more enjoyable. It's no different when it comes to sailing or taking your boat out for some fishing and relaxation, we always need a way to charge and power our appliances to make sure we have everything for a pleasant trip. Read on to find out how a marine inverter keeps your appliances running and your holiday afloat.
How Do They Work
Inverters work very similarly to generators, they convert DC electrical current to AC current. The way they do this is by electronically increasing the voltage to roughly tenfold. So why not use a generator instead. While both devices achieve the same result inverters out-perform generators by providing variable demand, and loads up to 2,000 to 3,000 watts. Plus, unlike some fossil fuel generators, inverters don't make any noise, they don't require any maintenance and can be installed in no time.
How Big Should My Inverter Be
There is no shortage of size options when it comes to inverters, you can find anything from tiny 100W model all the way up to 4000W. Inverters usually fall in one of three categories.
- Portable inverters: Any marine inverter that ranges from 150 to 400 usually connect to your cigarette lighter socket, and perfect for quickly hooking them up and powering your appliances. These inverters are good for appliances such as laptops, small lights and tools or any other appliance that requires a 300 watts.
- Permanent mount inverters: Once we move up to 400 watts or more inverters are hard-wired directly to the battery bank. These types of inverter have plenty of ports to plug in your appliances but cannot be integrated into your boat's existing AC wiring. Top of the line marine inverter have built in transfer switches that enable you to fully integrate with the existing AC wiring.
- Inverter/Charger: These models have an output that rival most small generators, ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 watts. They come equipped with a powerful battery charger, monitors associated with battery monitoring and an automatic transfer switch which automatically switches over when it detects that your boat is plugged in to a different AC power source, and if the outside source of power is disconnected it turns back to using its power source. Only downside of these inverters is that they need to be installed by a professional and you can just take them with you on the go.
Thing to Look Out For
Keep an eye out for the type of wave your inverter is producing. Inverters can produce two types of waves, modified sine wave (MSW) and pure sine wave (PSW). MSW are more commonly used an are the cheaper option, and is well known among common appliances. PSW on the other hand is more expensive but they can run all AC loads and are better at powering appliances such as computers stereos and other sensitive electronics.
