Inverter choice (1 Viewer)

[Bart]

If you want an accurate indication of the state of charge of the battery then take a look at getting a Smartgauge battery monitor http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartgauge.html
Does not need constant recalibration unlike in/out amp counters and so easy to fit, no guessing of battery capacity which reduces through the life of the battery, just works like a fuel gauge on your car.

Thanks Clive , can this be used as a stand alone product , or must it be used with the "smartBank" to use.
Cheers

 

[scotjimland]

If you want an accurate indication of the state of charge of the battery then take a look at getting a Smartgauge battery monitor http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/smartgauge.html
Does not need constant recalibration unlike in/out amp counters and so easy to fit, no guessing of battery capacity which reduces through the life of the battery, just works like a fuel gauge on your car.

Very interesting ..

have done some Googling and it certainly seems to work.. it gets good reviews on several boating forums and other sites.. unlike traditional battery monitors it doesn't use a shunt to measure the current flow to and from the battery.

The developer is very secretive.. saying only that it calculates the state of charge , SOC using "computer modelling and algorithms" ..

Two wires connected to the battery can only be looking at voltage .. or the battery impedance.. ?

Do you have one fitted Clive ?

@Bart as far as I can determine it works as a stand alone without the smart bank .. Clive ?

certainly worth considering ..

 

[premiere99]

Thanks Clive , can this be used as a stand alone product , or must it be used with the "smartBank" to use.
Cheers

I use it as a stand alone unit, just two wires direct to leisure battery, also can add the van battery so you can see the voltage of both batteries and the state of charge of the leisure battery. I found the in/out amp monitors got confused very quickly and you have to set the battery capacity but you do not know the true capacity of the battery. The Smartgauge just works, some people say it is impossible to be accurate but detailed individual testing has proved it to be accurate and both the Ministry of Defence and the Ambulance service use them. I am not interest in watching how many amps are going in or coming out, just the state of charge or discharge of the batteries, if it is above 40% (I have 2 x Trojan 6v which can be discharged to this level) or 50% for most
leisure batteries then I am happy and can see if we can use the inverter or watch the TV without problems.

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[Robert Clark]

We've just had a Victron battery monitor fitted.
Has a shunt which is fitted between the negative side if the battery and the negative leads.
Gives an accurate reading of battery charge state (a symbol like on a mobile phone) plus a whole load of other info.
One handy feature is knowing how many watts are being produced by solar as my 2 regulators are hidden away and don't show this.
I only bought it as I was getting misleading voltage readings due to the charge from solar panels.
We are rarely connected to EHU so knowing the true state of the batteries is useful .
You can buy them on Amazon and EBay for about £125 and there is also a dingle which lets you see the readings on your smartphone

 

[premiere99]

Very interesting ..

have done some Googling and it certainly seems to work.. it gets good reviews on several boating forums and other sites.. unlike traditional battery monitors it doesn't use a shunt to measure the current flow to and from the battery.

And it never needs to be recalibrated which the shunt based monitors need to be.

developer is very secretive.. saying only that it calculates the state of charge , SOC using "computer modelling and algorithms" ..

Yes he was his own worst enemy when he first introduced it on the boat forums and refused to discuss the details, but that was in 2008, since then Merlin Power Systems bought the rights to it and Balmar in the USA also produce it.

wires connected to the battery can only be looking at voltage .. or the battery impedance.. ?

Only Steve Gibson know that

you have one fitted Clive ?

I was very sceptical about it until I read http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/smart_gauge

USER=43436]@Bart[/USER] as far as I can determine it works as a stand alone without the smart bank .. Clive ?

Yes, mine is standalone

And you can't go wrong with the Sunshine Solar, I have the 1500w pure with remote and it runs everything flawlessly.

 

[scotjimland]

@premiere99

thanks for the detailed and informative reply Clive.. it's now on a shortlist of stuff to buy..

need to sneak it past management..

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[Bart]

And you can't go wrong with the Sunshine Solar, I have the 1500w pure with remote and it runs everything flawlessly.

Glad to hear it, think when i get around to ordering an inverter , it will be one of these , most likely the 2kw version

 

[Bart]

@premiere99

thanks for the detailed and informative reply Clive.. it's now on a shortlist of stuff to buy..

need to sneak it past management..

lol +1 to the BOSS

 

[premiere99]

Glad to hear it, think when i get around to ordering an inverter , it will be one of these , most likely the 2kw version

Just look out for when they have a sale or otherwise you will pay silly prices. At present a 1000w is 149.00, 1200w is 299.00 and 1500w is 219.00 !! (and get the 15.00 remote switch)
You pay a lot more for a 2000w (on sale at 349.00 at present) over the 1500w and unless you have a battery bank to match @Techno you will kill them very quickly if you use 2kw to the full.

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[Bart]

Just look out for when they have a sale or otherwise you will pay silly prices. At present a 1000w is 149.00, 1200w is 299.00 and 1500w is 219.00 !! (and get the 15.00 remote switch)
You pay a lot more for a 2000w (on sale at 349.00 at present) over the 1500w and unless you have a battery bank to match @Techno you will kill them very quickly if you use 2kw to the full.

Yip seen that with the silly pricing there atm, as for my battery bank i have 3 x 130AH batteries.

 

[Bart]

Mind you just had another look at the sunshine inverters

http://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk//catshow/Pure_Sine_Wave_Inverters_12V/PureSineWave12V.html

and the 2000w one is on sale and its still £350 where as the 1500w one is only £219 , think ill just get the 1500w one,
i take it the 1500w one should run a 800w microwave without any issues ?
Elaine can change her hair dryer to a less powerful one that will run on the 1500W inverter ok , the only other power hungry thing i can think on would be an iron, and i would say that would be best kept to being on an EHU , mind you Trip of the EHU box incoming lol

 

[premiere99]

My 1500w Sunshine Solar runs the 800w Cookworks microwave perfectly. You just need a decent RCD and @Techno 's changeover relay (I have 3 of them!) to power the 13a sockets you need.

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[Bart]

My 1500w Sunshine Solar runs the 800w Cookworks microwave perfectly. You just need a decent RCD and @Techno 's changeover relay (I have 3 of them!) to power the 13a sockets you need.

Thanks Clive , gonna order the 1500W one as the microwave is the main reason we getting one, plus to charge any other battery operated stuff that cannot be charged from 12v
Are you saying you have 3 of Andys changeover relays ? one for each socket ?

 

[premiere99]

I have one in a RCD/Fuse box in the old gas locker (gas now in underslung 55L tank thanks to Chris at Autogas2000) which also houses the CTEK charger and Sunshine Solar inverter. That relay is used to power a 4 way socket in the locker which I plug the 2 ebike battery chargers into and 2 others are on 2 spurs coming from the Autotrail EC325 so only the 13a sockets work and leaves the electric heater and water heater on their own circuits only available when on EHU.
Add the remote on/off and a perfect setup.

BTW belated thanks to @Techno for the relay writeup and pictures

 

[Techno]

Thanks
I don't use the relay but one big switch that feeds all the sockets.

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[Bart]

Ahh wondered why you had more than one , so you could isolate different systems from your inverter. , as from what i gathered in Andys article about the relay i though it was meant to go just after your ehu entered the MH.
btw what container did you use to put the relay into?

 

[Bart]

Thanks
I don't use the relay but one big switch that feeds all the sockets.

I think you need a BIGGER switch Andy....

 

[Techno]

as from what i gathered in Andys article about the relay i though it was meant to go just after your ehu entered the MH.

No sorry I have never inferred or said that. just the opposite in fact

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[premiere99]

Thanks
I don't use the relay but one big switch that feeds all the sockets.

Yes but most of us don't have a battery bank to put a Tesla Model S to shame and it was just what I required

 

[premiere99]

Ahh wondered why you had more than one , so you could isolate different systems from your inverter. , as from what i gathered in Andys article about the relay i though it was meant to go just after your ehu entered the MH.
btw what container did you use to put the relay into?

No! keep it to 13a sockets otherwise you could end up with a very hot relay and a very flat set of batteries if say the water heater was on.

Containers.....One is inside a 4 way RCD/Fuse box and the other two are hidden under the Sargent EC325 control unit with all the other wires, spliced power cables go into a wago boxes and wago connectors.

 

[Bart]

No sorry I have never inferred or said that. just the opposite in fact

I wouldn't be like me to get things wrong .. is why i like asking so many questions

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[Bart]

@premiere99 thanks Clive