3000 Watt Inverter

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Depot

Depot

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2023
Messages
58
Vessel Name
The Last Depot
Vessel Make
2001 Mainship 390
Has anyone installed an inverter on their Mainship 390? We have twin Yanmars.
Thanks
Steve
 
My guess is yes they have.
Sounds like you are considering it. Not sure what the engines have to do with it, if you could explain.
 
Space to mount it. Much less space below to mount it.
Thanks
Steve
 
OK, I will leave it to Mainship owners to reply for locations. However one rule is keep it as close to the house bank as possible for cabling size.
 
Thank you.
Steve
 
Thank you. Agree. Thinking of mounting it in the salon on the wall to the left of the battery switches. We would cover it with a vented teak cabinet.
 
Inverters make, at least to me, a very annoying electronic noise. Mine are mounted under the master bed in a ducted enclosure that has a hurricane blowing through it. Usually once bedtime comes around things have quieted down to a dull roar and the wife can sleep. I never have a problem with the noise as it's already largely gone by the time I get to bed.

I would do whatever is required to mount them in a location that I don't have to be bothered by them and that they stay cool. Not in the ER as noted upthread. The increase in wire size to do so is a one time expense, likely never to be repeated.

I know nothing about a Mainship 390.
 
Thank you.
Agree.
Steve
 
My inverter / charger is in the saloon settee, under the bench, about 10 feet from the batteries in the engine room.
 
Thank you. Do you hear it running in the salon?
Steve
 
Size and model?
Steve
 
Today I had a Mastervolt 3000 watt inverter/ charger (70amp) installed I am sitting 3 feet from it and it is absolutely silent. Their literature states "no hum" and so far I agree
 
About noise: Mine is in a stowage compartment not too far from my berth. I like knowing the status by the sound it makes. Hum = something is plugged in and drawing power. Ticking = nothing drawing power, inverter is searching for a load. Silence = inverter is off.

I'm pretty conscious of all the sounds aboard. Water pump, fridge, dock lines, fenders, wind in the rigging and railings, and especially, anchor rode. I'm the one who wakes up when something is off-normal. Saved me a lot of hassle more than once, even on others' boats when I wasn't in charge.
 
Very good idea.
Thanks
Steve
 
Depot said:
Has anyone installed an inverter on their Mainship 390? We have twin Yanmars.
Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...
I worked on a 390 that had the inverter installed under the floor hatch by the lower steering station was working good there.
 
Great idea. Thank you.
 
Depot said:
Has anyone installed an inverter on their Mainship 390? We have twin Yanmars.
Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...
We have a 2000 watt inverter charger on our 2000 Mainship 290.
We located it in the cabinet just below the "TV" space, port side near the sliding glass door.
This provided an easy route for 2/0 AWG wire from 2x Battleborn GC3 LiFePO4 batteries on the port side ER.

We *may* upgrade to 3000 watt to add A/C to the mix. We may not. I am still evaluating the ROI / "need" and frequency of use as we transit the eastern seaboard north and south, following the seasons. There are several other things than will need to be upgraded to accomplish that. I *may* test out 2000 watts with the salon A/C by itself, which *theoretically* can be powered with 2000 w. An AC cutover switch arrived today for that test... so A/C will only be able to be on inverter VS shore power-genset source.

Fan noise is no issue, brand is Xantrex. Very happy with it. IF we move up to 3000w, we'll likely go with Victron just to standardize on one brand and for remote monitoring features of total system - all-like hardware.

Search tool on our blog will give you pics. Search on SOLAR and LITHIUM.

R
 
Last edited:
Depot said:
Thank you. Do you hear it running in the salon?
Steve
Click to expand...
Yes, when the fans are running. Not annoying like the AC or the previous inverter / charger that made a big humming noise. The air conditioner is by far the loudest.
 
Insequent said:
Best to locate inverters outside the ER if possible. Their output de-rates significantly with increased temps.
Click to expand...
While this might be true, unless you are cruising or on long hauls, inverters are primarily used when on anchor/mooring, or even in the slip when not connected to shorepower. Yes, they are used while underway, making coffee, heating a muffin, ect, but MOSTLY not when the engine is hot. I say this because mine is in the ER, as I am super tight on space as it is, and this is the only place it makes sense without super long cableing.
 
Insequent said:
Best to locate inverters outside the ER if possible. Their output de-rates significantly with increased temps.
Click to expand...
Since I first read this I have watched closely and have not seen any noticeable derate. It does make sense, so I will keep watching.
 
My first Victron Quattro 3000VA model was installed in 2013. After about 5 years it developed a problem. With testing it was still delivering full output on inverter. But when charging it would overherat, turn off for bit then turn on again. On repeat. I replaced it with a later model of the same size and had the local Victron look at it. They could not figure out what the problem was, but eventually Victron helped them solve it. They would not tell me what the issue was, or return it, but offered $1000 discount on a replacement.

With the new one installed I did my usual thing. While underway I would do a load of washing and then put the washing in the dryer. The inverter tripped. Heat gun on the inverter showed 50°C. ER temp itself was a bit over 40°C. At that point I realised that the old model had inadequate temp sensing & derating and cooked itself to death. So these days I can do washing while underway, but I wait until anchored and the ER cools a bit before running the dryer. I should add that at the time my navigation PC drew quite a bit of AC as well. At a guess the derating due to temp was down to something in the range 2000-2500VA
 
Depot said:
Has anyone installed an inverter on their Mainship 390? We have twin Yanmars.
Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...
Sure.... On my 390 mounted directly below floorboard, vertically, on the front of the firewall, as far to the starboard as possible, then just run the cables across the front side of the firewall to the batteries. Use, at least, cables that will carry 225 Amps...................Ken Ongemach BSEE
 
When it comes to inverter/chargers, I find voltage drop to be much more important than temperature. It does absolutely no good to locate the unit in a cool location at the expense of voltage drop. My unit is located close to my batteries and is connected with 4/0 cable.
 
In 2021 for our 2003 390 with single Cummins, we had installed a ProNautic 12-60P 60 amp 3 bank charger, 2000W Pure Sine, 2000PS Inverter and added 4ea USBattery Deep Cycle 6V 250AH GC batteries on the stbd side (opposite the 8D's on the port side) with a Balmar SmartLink Battery Monitor. Mallard Marine (Kevin out of Baltimore) did the install.
Our 2 8D's remain for engine/"old house" loads but the new set up strictly carries the fridge, our SetPower portable fridge (sits under the lower helm), and the entire Port side outlets. Charger charges both banks. Eventually want to add a couple solar panels for the inverter set up but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 
tiltrider1 said:
When it comes to inverter/chargers, I find voltage drop to be much more important than temperature. It does absolutely no good to locate the unit in a cool location at the expense of voltage drop. My unit is located close to my batteries and is connected with 4/0 cable.
Click to expand...
Interesting. My Xantrex Freedom SW 3000 is over 20 feet from the house batteries, but only 3 feet from our Cummins QSB. We never really tax the inverter and it is likely that I have never noticed the impact of voltage drop or temperature.

A battery and inverter upgrade is in our future and among the objectives is to create space in our lazarette where the house bank currently resides. My plan has been to put the batteries in the engine room. That would put them far closer to the inverter (which will also get upgraded). Our engine room does not get hot during operation, but does warm up for a few hours after shutdown. Anything I am missing there?
 
voltage drop increases the length of time to recharge batteries. If the length of time to recharge is acceptable then you wouldn’t notice any issue from voltage drop.

If you are trying to minimize length of recharge time then locating the batteries close to the inverter and using 4/0 cable will optimize your situation.
 
on 2003 p34 i installed a magnum 3000w inverter charger 12 years ago. i put it on the sternside of bulkhead between er and stern locker. has worked with no problems for 12 years. i did all the work myself.
 
Ken Ongemach said:
Sure.... On my 390 mounted directly below floorboard, vertically, on the front of the firewall, as far to the starboard as possible, then just run the cables across the front side of the firewall to the batteries. Use, at least, cables that will carry 225 Amps...................Ken Ongemach BSEE
Click to expand...
Thank you.
Steve
 
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