Easy Way to Wire Inverter to Single Outlet?

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tgotch

Veteran Member
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May 9, 2016
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48
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Days Like This
Vessel Make
Cruisers 4270
We mostly do day river cruising/anchoring. I have a small Uline fridge in the cockpit, and a TV I would like to power from an inverter on single outlet in the cockpit(while underway/anchored), and shore power while docked.

Fridge plug is tucked away, and hard to get to. Is there possibly an easy way to wire this so I would not have to plug/unplug from inverter when on shore power?
 
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To clarify, do you have an inverter now and how is it wired?
 
To clarify, do you have an inverter now and how is it wired?

I have a small inverter (modified sine wave) I was just testing with (looking to purchase a better one - pure sine wave). I simply hooked to my house battery with the alligator clips it had on it, and ran an extension cord to cockpit.
 
Depending on the inverter you pick, many are available with a battery charger and a transfer switch. The switch is a relay that is programmed to detect shore or generator power and switch from inverter to the other source automatically.

Ted
 
When you are on shore power your batteries are being charged via the boat charger so why do you feel you cannot leave the standalone inverter as is, clipped to and running off the batteries?
 
When you are on shore power your batteries are being charged via the boat charger so why do you feel you cannot leave the standalone inverter as is, clipped to and running off the batteries?

Would this shorten battery life?
 
Would this shorten battery life?

What battery set up do you have?

Do you turn off the fridge when not onboard so when off the boat they are not drawing?
 
What battery set up do you have?

Do you turn off the fridge when not onboard so when off the boat they are not drawing?

I have 2 group 27 for house bank, and 2 8D starter

The cockpit fridge is on full time at dock shore power.
 
Would this shorten battery life?

With power being supplied by your shore power charger/converter it would not draw from the batteries. As long as you maintain shore power it will be fine.

However, if you lose shore power the inverter and fridge will soldier on from batteries until they are dead, and that would have an effect on them. 2 Group 27s won't power the fridge long.
 
Uline (and others) make dual-voltage refrigerators. Some work better/last longer than others, but it's a crap-shoot. That's your best option. Boat fires are a real thing, and many are started because of electrical wiring shenanigans. To wire up your existing outlet with a dual source you'd need to set up a way to switch between them.

Most boats with an inverter often have a switch that controls this. Flipping between Shore/Generator power (often managed through a different switch) and Inverter. This allows flipping "everything" in the AC panel over to Inverter, rather than have a piece-meal circuit-by-circuit jerry rig.

So you'd need to add AC wiring and 2-way AC switch to handle changing your refrigerator's AC source. Bearing in mind, as others have pointed out, a refrigerator will run batteries flat in pretty short order. That and the inverter itself is going to drain some amount of wattage making AC (dissipated as heat, so be sure it's got airflow available).

It'd also be a good idea to have a voltage cut-off module to prevent the inverter from drawing down the batteries beyond a certain point. This way you can lessen the chance of ruining the batteries.

By the time you spend for all this you may be approaching the cost of a proper AC/DC refrigerator. Or, perhaps more useful, a very good cooler like an RTIC, MaxCold or the like.

Hate to rain on a parade, but I've been down the road of not-enough-battery-capacity and refrigerators... and learned to use a cooler instead.
 
No need to over complicate this, just make it safe.

There are many way to do it, but without looking at the existing wiring and where everything might go, hard to give even safe advice other than have a pro set it all up.

Or a local someone that knows electrical enough to at least suggest a safe way.
 
Probably the simplest method is to install 2 - 30A sockets somewhere and a single 30a plug to power the boat.

One socket is for use at the dock power pole , the other for the inverter.

Simple enough even a "cave man" can understand the system

3 sockets if you have a noisemaker , but still cheap, simple effortless.
 
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