Can Ely Boat Chandlers help me choose the right charger and Inverter to suit my boat?

 

 

At Ely Boat Chandlers we offer a number of different brands and models of charger, inverter and combi-unit. We would be more than happy to work out with you how you want to use your boat, what electrics you want to run, and what units would suit your application. 

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How do I know how big a charger I need?

 

 

A battery charger should be rated at approximately 10-20% of the battery bank stated capacity. Too small and it will take ages to charge, to big and it may stress the batteries by charging them too quickly.

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How do I know how big an inverter I need?

 

 

It all depends on what you want to run, have a look at the back of the appliance you want to use it should state how many watts it needs, you can then appropriately size an inverter. Just remember you may want to use more than one appliance at once.

An inverters output will drop as the temperature increases, therefore it is better to have a large inverter that can cope with ease rather than a small inverter that will struggle to meet demand.

Often it is the largest 240v item that you want to run that will determine the size of inverter you will need, here are a few examples of approximate wattage requirements:

TV = 125watts (approx)

Microwave = 1000watts (approx)

Washing Machine = 2000 watts + (approx)

Fan heater = 1-2000 watts

240v bulb = 40 watts

Just remember that a 1000 watt load at 12v is 83.3A  (1000 / 12 = 83.33A).

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How do I know how many batteries I need?

 

 

A battery will have a stated capacity on it, for example 85 a/hr, this would give you a capacity of 85 amps output for 1 hour, or 170A for half an hour, or 1 amp for 85hrs etc. It is basically a multiple of how much power you want to draw instantaneously and how much power you have in your battery.

A battery will only have a usable capacity of approximately 75% of its stated capacity. That is because when a battery is discharged the voltage will drop steadily, as the voltage approaches and drops below 12v most 12v equipment will then not work. Therefore a good rule of thumb is to assume that your true usable battery bank capacity is 75% of the stated capacity of the batteries.

The question of how many batteries you will need all depends on how you want to use the boat. We are more than happy to work through with you to determine the number of batteries that would suit your application, but here are a few good approximate rules:

a) If you have a large inverter then you will want a large enough battery bank to cope with the load you are drawing off it over a period of time.

b) It is better to have a large battery bank that you use 40% of each day rather than a smaller (half size) battery bank that you use 80% of each day. Fully discharging a battery puts it under stress and will reduce its working life.

c) A battery charger should be rated at approximately 10-20% of the battery bank stated capacity. Too small and it will take ages to charge, to big and it may stress the batteries by charging them too quickly.

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