Upgrading electrical on my boat.

[PierreR]

Hi all:
I have a trip coming up in three weeks and want to do some upgrades to my electrical system. I presently have a 9kw generator, a 20 amp charger and two, I think start 8D's for a house bank. This was adequate for the previous owner whom used the boat locally but not for a 3,400 mile trip.
First off I want to install a inverter/charger so I can run the 120v refrigerator and 120v freezer (both under counter) while underway. The other possible electrical loads underway would be a 900 watt 120v microwave, a 600 watt 120vcoffee maker, bilge pumps, lights and electronics.
My thoughts are 2,000-2,800 watts AC.
The current alternators are two 40 amp large frame on Detroit 4-53's
Port charges house and Starboard charges starting batteries. The generator has an alternator but charges nothing. The regulators are old.
One of the two year old house batteries has a weak cell that prevents the charger from shutting down and I do that manually. That battery has to come out leaving one 8D wet cell for starting and one 8D wet cell for house. My thoughts are to use the wet cell for starting and add LiPO4 bank. I am well versed in Lithium technologies and have built batteries before so not opposed to individual cells. Room is not really an issue on batteries at this point there are 3 8D battery boxes on the port side and nothing but ballast on the starboard side. I think I will need at minimum one more 8D but that seems dumb and still inadequate One of the current 8 D's is new.

More likely I would need an inverter/charger, a new voltage regulator for one alternator and 400 Whr lithium bank. At present I only have about $3,000 I can spend on it over the next week and more in a couple months

I have seen brands bandied about here in the electrical forum and it seems like asking for the right anchor but ask I will.

I am capable of hooking everything up according to ABYS but I am fairly ignorant of what's out there in the price range and obtainable within time frame I have.

I plan on adding more capacity within 6 months but limited right now. Asking for some solid advice.

I will still run the generator for cooking, AC and hot water.

 

[RickyD]

Pierre, I recently added a Victron Multi (?) I forget the name. 120 amp charger inverter with a remote information panel. I have two 8D start batteries AGM to start the port engine and 16kW generator, way overkill, and six L16 Trojan 6v wet cell LA for the house bank. This Victron only charges the house bank which also serves as a stb engine start bank. I also replaced an old charger with a new Victron 30amp three bank charger which charges the port start bank AGMs, second generator AGM start battery and additionally feeds the house bank. Works great. I replaced my old 8D start bank with two new AGMs before I understood the layout. I would have prefered to keep one 8D to start the port and add two more L16s in place of the second. Oh, well, its all working quite well.

 

[Comodave]

Personally I would not try to take on a project of this scope with a 3 week deadline. Certainly one that has not been completely planned out and have the necessary parts on hand. For this trip I would just live with the generator for power and then do an upgrade when you have much more time. There will always be pitfalls to deal with.

 

[mvweebles]

Personally I would not try to take on a project of this scope with a 3 week deadline. Certainly one that has not been completely planned out and have the necessary parts on hand. For this trip I would just live with the generator for power and then do an upgrade when you have much more time. There will always be pitfalls to deal with.

Agree with Comodave here - there are a lot of ways this can go south and push your departure back. Nothing overly complicated, but you there is a lot to assemble and as he says, having a plan and all parts is a recipe for delay. Sounds like a dozen small projects to me....

But, if you're hell-bent to do it, I'll answer the question with my best thinking. I chose Victron and Balmar. I made a mistake and bought the parts off Amazon - if I started over, would pick a single source to improve tech support. So far, I've had good luck with PKYS. Not sure how far $3k will take you. If I were in the market for cheap LFP today, would look at SOK. Will Prowse's solar YouTube channel is a great source as he tears them down and evaluates the build quality.

As an alternative, if you're looking for bang-for-buck to get 70% of the benefit with 10% of the effort, consider a decent PSW inverter like this 2000W and a couple extension cords (or you could wire into one of your 120VAC breakers if you're feeling adventurous). Of course, still need to replace your trashed battery. Should get you a lot of what you're looking for without imperiling departure. You won't be able to re-use the inverter in your final install, but you'll find a use for it somewhere.

Good luck -

Peter

 

[CharlieJ]

OP: Comodave comment +1.

This is a fool's errand!!

I do this for a living and I would not attempt to do this in three weeks. You have to design, procure, rip out, install, commission, while preparing for a 3400 mile trip. No way.

 

[Senojev]

I have to agree with Comodave. Even if you had a good design worked out already, just getting everything together you need would be tough to do in a couple of weeks. Installation would be almost impossible to do in a week and there is a high likelihood you would run into a few issues that delay you. Be realistic, do it right and delay your trip for a month or so. If your budget is that tight, I would have concerns that your boat is ready to take a 3400 mile trip.

Your budget of $3000 will not go very far. Several years ago, I installed a 3000 watt inverter/charger and spent over $2000 for the unit, cables, fuses, etc.

You should draw up an energy budget and determine what capacity your house bank needs. Just your fridge and freezer will likely use 100 Ahr per day. Add up all of your loads while running and at anchor or dock and come up with a conservative average. Double that number and you should have a fair estimate of the size of your house bank. I would be very surprised if one 8D would come close to your needs. Then you have to figure out how you will charge that bank. A 40A alternator at best will probably give you 25-30A and will definitely not support your calculated house bank. At this point, you will likely have to significantly upgrade your alternator, add external regulation, etc., another $1000 gone.

I don’t believe you should necessarily consider LiFePO4 at this time but your design should be friendly to an upgrade when funds permit.

 

[Bacchus]

I have to agree with Dave and others re not tackling a major rework at this time.
I held off replying as I didn't want to be negative. I see your other posts and in light of having other important projects I'd focus on being prepared for departure and enjoy the cruise.
I know little about Li battys other than the importance of considering the whole system when switching (alt as well as shore charging, how to combine different chemistries safely & efficiently). To do it justice and double check with others that have done it best not to have a short deadline.
You may ultimately want to add solar to the system and wouldn't hurt to consider it in the plan even if you never pull the trigger and spend the addnl $.

 

[C lectric]

I was going to pass this by for any reply.
I think you need to rethink this. THe other comments are on the mark, not enough money, not enough time, mixing battery types and if you are asking for ideas only now you are already to late leaving not enough time.

I don't do electrics on boats except for my own. I am a retired electrician, not boat or ABYC, but I sure as heck can do a good job. But boats can absolutely eat time up as nothing works out the way you think.

From your description you are making a LOT of changes in one fell swoop and without a real plan you are likely to hit dead ends and have to back track.

Restricted or outright tight quarters, tools ALLWAYS in the wrong place, poor lighting.. I use a headlamp. Parts, pieces, equipment not available for a couple weeks will slow any progress more than you think.

I also suspect the current alternators will prove inadequate. What are the regulators now, electro mechanical or are they something else and what?
If those alternators are run anywhere near full tilt the odds are excellent you will cook them.

Sorry to be a wet blanket.

By the way a couple of folk have asked in the last few days for some schematics encompassing a lot of what you intend to do. Find those posts,
read the threads, print the schematics out as they will likely be helpfull.

I wish you good luck but rushing is not a good idea. If you insist on the trip scale it back. Replace and repair what is needed and then you can make some good decisions.

Look at your boat for solar panel mounting places. If you can rig a GOOD mounting system that is one change I could see helping with carrying the loads. Make it strong but it does not have to be pretty. Pretty can come later when you come home.

Spotted one:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s4/ac-dc-schematic-needed-67252.html

 

[PierreR]

I will take this all under advisement. I tend to be an optimist to the max. I know that electrical is my worst underestimates for time. I will not tackle the full project.

The bad 8D battery is under a warranty so I would have two for house batteries. The current charger is inadequate to charge them from the generator. The current charger is mounted in the location of the old 40 amp charger. At the moment this boat is largely original and the power requirements low by today's standards. My long range planned upgrades are over a period of two years.

I took the dead cell battery off line and the voltage is up where it should be.

My current thoughts are to replace the bad battery with like kind and put in a inverter/charger to just run the refrigeration and freezer while underway.

right now there are some built in limitations that have to be corrected down the road. The shore power is 240 @ 50 amp plus a 120v @30 amp, both through isolation transformers and the generator is 9 kwh but the main breakers are 120 v 30 amp.

The generator is wired 120volt through a 70 amp breaker. Their is nothing on board that is 240 volts and I can measure 240 volts across the two mains. There is a 120 or 240 switch for the shore power and the switching between generator and shore power is strickly manual.
Hatteras did put in large main buss distribution panels for port and starboard battery banks so power connection is easy for 12V and the AC power pannel is directly above these panels. The current charger is a few feet away.

I can also work as I go as there is always stopping points and delays along the way. I have a full compliment of tools on board.

The final question was is this boat really ready for a 3,400 mile trip. I am going from New Orleans to Cleveland Ohio. I have done much work to this boat over the last four months but I don't trust this boat enough to tackle the possibly flooded remote rivers between Mobile and Chicago so the plan is to stay in the ditch and short hop all the way over four months or so. I fully expect to work on the boat as I go. There isn't any system on this boat that I can't fix.
I figure I will spend $25,000 before I get to Cleveland.

 

[Comodave]

Obviously the boat has been working for some time now. I would replace the bad battery and then run the boat home. Then at your leisure come up with a plan and then start on the plan. I don’t like making large changes then start a big trip. Too easy for things to go wrong and then no time to fix them. I did replace the electronics on our last boat before running it home, but that was a necessity since the electronics that were on the boat were not working. Have a great trip home.

 

[BruceK]

Makes sense to get to your destination with just the essential changes. Your plan mimics the PO`s use of the boat, short trips but in your case, multiple serial ones. Two house 8Ds give you a reasonable bank.

Why do you want to install an inverter/charger? Can`t fridge and freezer run off 12v as well as 120v? Or are they eutectic/cold plate powered by a mains voltage compressor, then you do, but 2 hours twice a day of 120v output genset powering a 120v compressor could be enough too.
I had trouble understanding some of this quote, especially the italicized. "The generator is wired 120volt through a 70 amp breaker. Their is nothing on board that is 240 volts and I can measure 240 volts across the two mains." But I`m no electrician, just using my modest knowledge and hopefully commonsense.
Typically a genset alternator charges nothing but its own start battery.
Hope it goes well and I`ve not added any confusion.

 

[psneeld]

I went with the mentality.....

My home port was a boating area but still devoid of great boat service or parts supply.

My 2000 mile snowbird trips between Fl and NJ every year for 20,000 miles over 8 years was in a boat that generally got better, but started off with many problems.

If you look at coast/ICW hopping all the way...it's nothing more than a bunch of day trips where you can wind up in a place not better or worse for making repairs than your home port. Many boaters give advice like "you shouldn't worry about little things when just taking a day trip" but they are paranoid about leaving on a "trip" till everything is perfect.

To me I saw coastal cruising in the eastern US as taking a bunch of day trips with repairs along the way. I did quite a few... sometimes the kind that were not done by the average boater.

Your biggest decision will be when to push on with a suspected problem that could go badly and delay till fixed...or keep going till it's convenient to fix or a better repair area is just ahead.

Starting big projects before you go is usually a recipe for major delays. One trip my genset failed. Took it out and shipped it to Ft Lauderdale for repair. Left for Florida and had it shipped back to Wilmington, NC cause I knew that timeframe would be right for repair and that I was staying put for a couple days and could reinstall it. Living without it and not a lot of solar was a gamble, but worked out with no issues. So there are usually always workarounds.

 

[Iggy]

My 2 cents, unless working on the boat every day three weeks is not enough.

What surprised me is " My thoughts are 2,000-2,800 watts AC." Have you done the math on the D.C. side? Thats about 230 amps D.C. at 2800 watts. Your two Alts are only 40A each.

With that your running your genset 80% to 90% of the time. I would upgrade both Alts to at least 120A each. That would give 240A when cruising. I hope your counting VHF, GPS, radar and other D.C. loads.

 

[ranger58sb]

I have a trip coming up in three weeks and want to do some upgrades to my electrical system. I presently have a 9kw generator, a 20 amp charger and two, I think start 8D's for a house bank. This was adequate for the previous owner whom used the boat locally but not for a 3,400 mile trip.
First off I want to install a inverter/charger so I can run the 120v refrigerator and 120v freezer (both under counter) while underway. The other possible electrical loads underway would be a 900 watt 120v microwave, a 600 watt 120vcoffee maker, bilge pumps, lights and electronics.

More likely I would need an inverter/charger, a new voltage regulator for one alternator and 400 Whr lithium bank. At present I only have about $3,000 I can spend on it over the next week and more in a couple months

I have seen brands bandied about here in the electrical forum and it seems like asking for the right anchor but ask I will.

I will still run the generator for cooking, AC and hot water.

I agree with others: you don't have enough time and money to do all that upgrade in one swell foop. And you'll likely find other things that need more immediate attention, both before and during your trip.

Suggestions:

1) You don't necessarily need to run the genset all the time while underway to support the 120V fridge and freezer. If you're not opening the drawers, they stay'll reasonably cold. Plan your water heater, microwave and coffee loads for when the genset happens to be running, perhaps midway for a couple hours along each trip segment.

2) Replace bad batteries and/or alternators using your current technology, call it good for now. You can do a lithium thing or whatever later.

3) Maybe replace that 20A charger with a larger charger, but maybe only if the relevant wiring supports higher amperage. Otherwise, live with it 'til later.

4) It might be possible to make a charger replacement be an inverter/charger, but don't try to enable the inverter part of it immediately. (Or perhaps you can do some of the work from time to time while in transit... on weather days or some such.)

5) I've had good luck with drop shipments from Citimarine while en route. Useful for whatever else will break while you're in transit.

6) Our new inverter/charger is a Victron MultiPlus unit, and seems to be nifty. It took the installers a boatload of time to get it wired up, sometimes two guys working in different areas simultaneously, not a project for the faint of heart. And our installation/wiring locations were about as short as physically possible.

7) Earlier boat, we installed a ProMariner combi invert/charger, 2000W, PSW, worked OK. That boat had smaller AC/DC fridges, and now our fridge and freezer are AC only so we wanted more capacity this time around.

FWIW, we ran from Portsmouth to Jacksonville with a non-functioning alternator on one main engine and with a non-starting generator, both discovered after we'd left Annapolis area. Marina hopping made that not too much of a big deal, although it also meant we didn't have heat while underway. The world didn't end.

-Chris

 

[mvweebles]

I have gained a new respect for just how complex a hi-current DC system can be. It's also pretty expensive - 600A bus bars are in the range of $200 each.

When I first read the original post with two 40A alternators, my mind went to 'must be a 24v system.' Those are really small alternators. Would take forever to re-charge a couple 8D batteries after a day on the hook.

Another bang-for-the-buck upgrade to make immediately is install a Victron SmartShunt. Readout information is super helpful in understanding your energy usage - more info than a regular DC ammeter offers.

Peter

 

[Gdavid]

I would get a portable power station that uses LiFePO4 battery chemistry, plug it into an outlet so it will charge while your generator is running and either plug your AC devices directly into it, or if you have a 30amp, 120V shore power connection, you can plug this directly into the boat. It would not give you a very long run time but would cut down on the generator usage and some of these are systems expandable. I would do this in addition to replacing the 8D in kind, matched to your other new 8D.

I have no experience with this model, but this is the type of unit I would look into:

https://www.bluettipower.com/products/ac200max-power-station

I would start with this one, because it uses LiFePO4, which is regarded as a stable Lithium Ion chemistry, other variants are not recommended for a marine environment.

 

[Iggy]

I have gained a new respect for just how complex a hi-current DC system can be. It's also pretty expensive - 600A bus bars are in the range of $200 each.

When I first read the original post with two 40A alternators, my mind went to 'must be a 24v system.' Those are really small alternators. Would take forever to re-charge a couple 8D batteries after a day on the hook.

Another bang-for-the-buck upgrade to make immediately is install a Victron SmartShunt. Readout information is super helpful in understanding your energy usage - more info than a regular DC ammeter offers.

Peter

Even with 24V Alt, thats 160A at 12V. If that is the case, thats better but still not enough.

Its funny you mentioned the Victron shunt. I installed one before buying new Li batteries for the house. Now I never read off the shunt, I just Bluetooth into the batteries.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I agree with those saying you don't have enough time to make the upgrades you are considering.

I don't think your 40 AMP alternator charging the house bank is up to the loads you are considering. Speaking from experience. My boat came with two 50 AMP alts, one for house bank, one for start bank. It also had a mounted but not setup 2000 WATT inverter. I hired a pro to complete the inverter installation. All ready to go, so I thought, we left on our 1st cruise with the inverter thinking we could run the 120 V freezer and occasional use of microwave, toaster and coffee maker. That first day all worked out OK because we left with a fully charged house bank. That night we didn't have shore power so as expected by the next day the house bank needed charging. We fired up the mains and ran loads as we had the day before. When we arrived at that day's destination the house bank had not charge up, it wasn't even close. That was another night without shore power so we had to run the gen for hours. The normal running load, charge requirements and inverter load were far more than a 50 AMP alt can manage. I found that while the alt is rated at 50 AMPs at full output the real world output is less than 30 AMPs.

That is a long way of saying you're probably going to need to run your generator when underway. You probably won't even notice the noise or fuel burn with your 4-53s running.

As mentioned your plan can be viewed as a long string of day trips. You'll probably be OK with the boat as is. You'll get the time to really learn the boat and build a solid plan for the upgrade instead of rushing through it.

I do suggest your replace both 8Ds in your house bank. Mixing old and new is not a good idea.


Were I in your shoes I would consider just one of two upgrades in the short time frame you have.

• Upgrade the charger, 20 AMPs is not enough unless on shore power every night.
• Upgrade the alternator charging the house bank and add external regulation.

If you feel you need an inverter for this trip think about a cheap one from Harbor Freight set up close to the house bank and an extension cord to the freezer and fridge. Funky but it will work. But I don't think your house bank is really up to extended us of an inverter. They're power hungry.

My plan, a slow moving plan that is being implemented in small steps.

• Finish POs inverter installation. Complete.
• A separate AC panel for circuits that will run on the inverter. Keeps me from accidentally leaving heavy loads like the water heart running when on inverter with no charge source active. Complete.
• Upgrade the charger. It's a lot more work than I anticipated. Moving it closer to the bank. Increasing cable size. Correcting numerous issues with the present setup. In process.
• Install a battery monitor system. Very important to know state of charge and manage charging. In process.
• Modify the main engine alternators. Upgrade from 50 AMPs internally regulated to 100 AMP externally regulated. Controlled by Wakespeed WS500 regulators. Both charging the house bank. The start bank charged from the house bank via DC to DC charger. For my CAT 3208s that's the biggest I can fit and it's going to take some fiddling around due to other interference. In the planning stage.
• Consider changing the FLA house bank to Lithium. Expensive and lot of other changes necessary. Maybe. I'm old, the boat is old, not sure the return is there before we're done with each other.
• Consider solar. Maybe. Not sure it's worth the trouble and expense for where I cruise.

Each of those individual items requires a fair bit of research and planning. The are all interrelated, any one decision affecting the others. Learn your boat, learn your cruising style before you jump in. I lean towards individual stand alone components rather than combining functions in one component. It's just my preference.

For the time being until the full system upgrade is complete I find it necessary to run the gen underway at least part of the day if we want to use the inverter and stay away from marinas.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

You may have enough money for the project but you don't have enough time.

Get rid of all your old batteries, especially the 8D's and start fresh with a new gang of batteries, that will be over half your battle. IMHO, running refrigeration off batteries is a tough nut to crack. I shut mine off at night and it holds pretty well, it is a 12/120.

Get you genny tuned and refreshed.

pete

 

[PierreR]

The frig and freezer are 120V only and under counter, not full size. They are really the only thing I need to run when underway. A small sine wave invertor would probably do fine. The compressors must have been changed because they are 134A

The original charger that came with the boat was listed as 40 amps in the owners manual. This boat has isolation transformers and large buss bar switching cabinets. They are quite adequate for expansion. For the most part, the wiring in this boat has not been bastardized. It is not a spaghetti mess. I would have walked had it been so as I am well aware of the fact that electrical consumes the most time on a boat.

I built a 26' trawler and I am glad that I am not building this one. Hatteras did a nice job on the wiring in this boat. This boat has had very little use for the last 38 years, and has been in a covered fresh water slip. There is very little corrosion and everything is old but it works. I have had no surprises on this boat in 4 months. It's actually in better condition that I thought. I am only the third owner of this boat in 45 years.

I bought this boat cash believing that it needed more extensive work than it actually needs. I had the boat surveyed because I tend to look at these projects with rose colored glasses. I was capable or surveying it myself but wanted it for insurance and a second opinion.

The surveyors recommendations on the electrical was buy a third 8D as the original boat had three house batteries and upgrade the charger back to 40 amps.

I revived an old Matlock air stabilizer system that had not been in use for 38 years.

All of the wiring is labeled but I do not have a wiring diagram for the boat. I might be able to find one.

Bottom line I think I will follow the surveyors advice and get a temporary sine wave inverter and install it as Weebles suggested. I have plenty of heavy cable and short runs to the buss bars.

I have both David Gerr's book and Ed Sherman's books on board. My library is pretty extensive. Both show wiring in an invertor. I am lucky to have the buss bar swithcing system that his boat has or it would be much harder.

The $3,000 figure is derived not from budget on upgrading but from expected cost of running the generator vs having an invertor for this trip. I have to replace the battery charger anyway.

I can get a Xantrex Freedom XC sine wave Inv/Chrg quickly and cheaply. Either a 1000 or 2000 watt but I an not sure 1000 is enough to start the frig and freezer. This unit is meant for a boat but does not carry UL 458 and ABYC ratings. In the range of $500-$750. Not having the ratings or LiFePO4 charging capabilities, I would not consider it as a permanent part of the upgrades The current generator has 3 hours total on it.
I can wire in the invertor part of it on the trip. I would need to purchase the invertor/charger and a suitable breaker. I have the rest.

 

[psneeld]

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[PierreR]

Lots of concern for the alternators. I actually do not know what the rating is on the alternators. The originals were listed as 40 amps but they top up the two 8D's pretty well on a two hour cruise. At some point they were painted over the labels. There could be tape under the paint. I have not investigated that far. I am not concerned at this point with the alternators. They seem adequate.

I will likely be running 6-8 hours a day.

 

[Senojev]

Inverter charger

It looks like the FREEDOM XC 2000 12V
2000W/80A
PN: 817-2080 will support LiFePO4 batteries at a reasonable price. If you can stretch your budget a bit more I would recommend the Victron Multi 120 A version. In the long run it will be a better fit as you design your system. If you go with Victron look at PKYS as a source as they have extensive experience and customer service. An Amazon source leaves you high and dry as far as service.

 

[PierreR]

It looks like the FREEDOM XC 2000 12V
2000W/80A
PN: 817-2080 will support LiFePO4 batteries at a reasonable price. If you can stretch your budget a bit more I would recommend the Victron Multi 120 A version. In the long run it will be a better fit as you design your system. If you go with Victron look at PKYS as a source as they have extensive experience and customer service. An Amazon source leaves you high and dry as far as service.

I can stretch but I don't see an A version or UL 458 rating. Good prices right now.

 

[C lectric]

I meant to mention last night, CHANGE BOTH 8D BATTERIES. An old one will turn into a load and actually draw current from the new, good one. Then you will have two questionable batteries again.
Yes, I have had this happen.

In fact I used that to figure which out of three paralleled batteries was dieing.
My ammeter showed quite clearly that the failing battery had become a load to the other two.

 

[ranger58sb]

The $3,000 figure is derived not from budget on upgrading but from expected cost of running the generator vs having an invertor for this trip. I have to replace the battery charger anyway.

The current generator has 3 hours total on it.

I will likely be running 6-8 hours a day.

You'll want to exercise and properly load the generator anyway... otherwise it's a "use it or lose it" piece of equipment.

When we brought this current boat up from Ft. Myers, prior to inverter installation and in the middle of July/August... we had to run the genset anyway... for the ACs... so we had it running the full time while underway and of course while we were at it, we loaded up the generator with other stuff too (freezer, fridges, water heater).

1100+ miles, 18 days underway plus a few layover days, and we didn't even noticed the generator fuel consumption. Rounding error.

If you run 6-8 hour days -- maybe with the genset loaded properly for maybe 2 hours/day -- your extra fuel consumption won't be huge even for your longer trip... and your machinery will probably think you for it anyway.

-Chris

 

[Senojev]

Victron Certs

Pierre,

To see Victron certain go to the Victron site for inverter chargers and pick the model then Downloads. The certs are Accessed by clicking in the Datesheet drop-down arrow. It looks like the Multiplus meets UL

 

[Iggy]

Not to put Victron down. I do have some of there products. But they are over seas and not easy to get tech support. With my Victron "stuff" I had to make sure the dealer could support it.

The owner before me installed a brand new Sensata (Magnum Energy) charger/inverter.
https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/p...ure-sine-hybrid-inverter-charger-msh-m-series

Tech support has very good. Wait times were between 1 to 10 minutes. I had to call them a few times since this inverter was new to me and they helped with the setting going to a Li bank.

 

[mvweebles]

Not to put Victron down. I do have some of there products. But they are over seas and not easy to get tech support. With my Victron "stuff" I had to make sure the dealer could support it.

The owner before me installed a brand new Sensata (Magnum Energy) charger/inverter.
https://www.magnum-dimensions.com/p...ure-sine-hybrid-inverter-charger-msh-m-series

Tech support has very good. Wait times were between 1 to 10 minutes. I had to call them a few times since this inverter was new to me and they helped with the setting going to a Li bank.

I recently ragged hard on TF about Victrons tech support. I've since started buying stuff from PKYS. They've been kind enough to help me with my entire system which has been great. Prices are competitive. Wish I'd found them earlier.

In my opinion, key to a relatively happy life with Victron is to not bother with Amazon and find a dealer with solid support. For me that's been PKYS so far.

Peter

 

[PierreR]

Okay, I spoke with Peter at PKYS and ordered a Victron Multiplex and the accessories he recommended. He said on the Hatteras it should be pretty straight forward.

I am going to go with Lead-Acid for right now and keep the system as simple as possible. I am not worried about having it totally in before I leave.

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions.