diy solar

diy solar

Best inverter?????

curtismold

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Jun 17, 2021
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Ok here is what we got....
48v 310ah DALY smart BMS. (will prob double or more battery size.)
2000 watts solar... MPPT is acting up.
12v to 48V charger 40amps...
Running on a 9kw powerjacked inverter.
It is in a 55foot Motor Yatch.
Got Split phase 120/240 at 50 amps, and a 20kva generator with a 80amp breaker.
I do have several appliances that need both legs of the split phase. Gota have 220.
It is a very manual setup at this time to switch from source to source.

Time to upgrade Inverter and get some ability to charge from shore/generator power. Faster selection of power source.....
So what inverter/charger with shall I go with ????????
Victron???? Growatt????
What would you do??????
 
I have a 36’ sail boat and use Magnum equipment can’t go wrong with that .
I have a kid solar controler with 400 watts of solar
And a smart charge regulator for a hi amp alt on the Diesel
My equipment is 25 years old and works seamless .
 
How much continuous wattage do you need?
How much surge wattage do you need?
What surge duration do you require?
Do you want high frequency or low frequency?
Do you require ac charger function?
Do you require automatic transfer switch functionality?
Do you require a built in solar charge controller?
 
How much continuous wattage do you need? 5500
How much surge wattage do you need? 20k
What surge duration do you require? 2min
Do you want high frequency or low frequency? Standard us 60hz
Do you require ac charger function? Yes and bigger is better...
Do you require automatic transfer functionality? Tired of flipping switches.... Yes
Do you require a built in solar charge controller? does not matter....

Yes I do know the genset will need to come on and off to charge. The battery bank is going to increase by a factor of 4.
 
Sorry just brushed over that one.... Got a LF inverter now, it has been ok. I don't have a dog in the HF vs LF fight.
 
What surge duration do you require? 2min

2 minutes isn't what is usually referred to as surge. Usually a couple seconds, one Aims inverter says 20 seconds.

The inverter I use is rated 5750 W continuous at 25 degrees C, 7000 W / 8400 W / 11000 W for 30 min / 1 min / 3 s
Up to four of these can be used in parallel or series/parallel.


For shore power, you want a unit that isolates neutral/ground internally when shore power provides that, bonds internally when running off battery.
Several inverters include this feature internally or as part of an add-on unit.

For a boat, electronics ought to be sealed (4x or equivalent). You might get by with one that has conformal coating on PC boards if used in mild conditions like fresh water rather than salt air. How foggy would make a difference.
 
Surge of 2 min comes for the on demand hot water system.

Inverters are typically limited by heating of transistors. You'll need inverters totaling perhaps 15kW continuous rating to get 20 kW for 2 minutes.

Alternatives:

1) lower wattage heater
2) tank-type heater to hold the amount of hot water you need (maybe 4 gallons, for 2 minutes at 2 gallons/minute.)

Then you can get by with a 5500W or smaller inverter.
 
Both of these inverters are tier one products designed to be linked in parallel for extra capacity. Depending on what you need to power, you may need only one of either. I have the XW+. To adequately answer your question, you really need an itemized list of items to be powered, and their requirements.
 
Already using 7kw. Yes adding a 10 gal tank with solar heating.
This isn't really an adequate answer for design purposes.

We need to know the kinds of things you are running, how long, and what time of day. The requirements to run a 1500W toaster oven are not the same as running a 1500W table saw.

When you want to run things is just as important as what you want to run. Running a 2kWh on-demand water heater at 10am is going to be very different from running the same heater at 10pm.
 
Ok 1 large fridge, 2 small, 2 ice machines, 10 led lights, 60 amp 12 volt charger that normally stays at 9-10 amps(due to 12v systems on boat). Micro wave 2000w oven 1800w cooktop up to 2500w, 2 ac units that are 30k and 32k. RO water system 1500w, dive compressor 1500w, The hot water heater is 8kw, although i am working on a solar option to decrease watts. I am going to need around 16kw with surge to 20kw. All heavy load tools are battery or can be done with genny running. Yep its alot grid and genny is nice just need to calm down the fuel burn when on the hook. BTW about 5 months off grid = 25 gal per day plus fuel cost Caribbean 4 = 100 per day 3k a month 15k a year. Cut in half over a few years i dont mind spending some $$$. Plus wifey likes it quiet.
Also we will ad a 8k btu ac for at night 900w and 12k btu for salon only for day at 1300w. This will be the normal most of the time 4 months, One month of the big guys running. Looking at 60 to 80kw battery.
 
If the inverter is working I would just buy a charger(s) and connect them direct to the battery. Put the generator power and utility connection into a transfer switch to send power to the charger and to the main power distribution. I like separate components so that when something fails you just replace what you need and other components keep working normal. Diagnostics is easier too.
 
I think you are using more electricity on your boat than I do in my 1400 sq. ft. house in south Louisiana.
 
Well happy wife, happy life. Got alot going on. We do have guest they draw the power and don't understand conservation.
 
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