www.iFourWinns.com

Hi guys. I'm getting ready to order an inverter for our 268, and I've been seriously considering the Xantrex freedom 1800 inverter/charger(40amp). I wanted to see if anyone here has experience with this model. We currently have the 20amp(10/10) Guest charger which doesn't seem to be able to keep up with our electrical needs. An upgraded charger was going to happen this season anyway, so I thought this might be a good time to install a hardwired inverter/charger combo instead.

I'm also adding either 2-6volt golf cart batts for 220ah, or 4-6volts gc batts for a 440ah(maybe overkill?) battery bank. We are hoping to run everything on the boat with this setup except the a/c. I also upgraded the alt from a 60amp to a 75amp. Any advice?

here's what I've been looking at...
http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/inverter-chargers/freedom-hf.aspx

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Well my only input is this it doesnt appear that this can do a dual battery sytem. Which means you would have to tie you house and starting battery packs together to charge them, which in turn would discharge your starting battery along with the house battery pack.

Am I over looking something?

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

I don't mean anything by this, please, I just got misunderstood on another posting!!!!

What is missing is a battery combiner. http://www.yandina.com/c100InfoR3.htm

I will quote because my typing s&^ks!!! "The Combiner 100 is a voltage-sensing relay (13.3 volts) which connects two batteries together when either is receiving a charge. When the charging ceases, the relay opens so that each battery operates independently." It is not good in connecting batteries together over time. they will drain each other. The above link will ALSO tell you how to use the combiner with more than 2 banks too!!

I have the same inverter, with out the charger. It works great, but this is going into my 2nd year with it.

I have 3 banks, 2 combiners & 2 dual battery switches. If you like, I can get into on how to wire it.

A 20amp charger should be fine, unless your batteries are starting to fail or you are not charging them up long enough, but I don't think so. A combiner, may solve part of that problem. In other word, both batteries are not charging up as the engine is running. Unless to set the switch to both??

Thanks for the replies!


Thats a good point and something I really want to avoid. I do have a charging relay currently in the system that splits the charge from the alt between the two banks. My question is how to use my battery switch in a system like this?



So could I just run the two banks as two seperate systems? Keep the stock charger wired in? Using the stock charger or maybe just the alt for the start battery, and the new 40amp charger inverter for just the house bank?
I don't think the 20 amp charger will keep up with the addition of a much larger house bank. The website for Xantrex has a wiring diagram but I feel like it's incomplete.
Paul any insight into the way you wired yours up would be very helpful! Thank You!

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Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

Ok, the 20 amp charger is used only when you are on shore power and used only to charge the batteries. Never use it to power anything on the boat. (Please forgive me, if I state what might seam to be common sense but I need to start some were.) So I think your 20 amp charger is fine, 10A per battery. You might want to look into Pro-Mariner's chargers, they will send, 5A to one battery and 15A to the other if it needs it.

Inverters will pull a great deal of current, DO NOT under size your cables and fuse at the battery.

I have 3 batteries, one for starting, one for the house, and one for the inverter. All 3 can be used by them selves or tied together. The boat came with a dual system, I add the 3rd battery connecting it the the 2nd battery using a dual battery switch. The "BOTH" side of the switch is connected to the inverter. Since the inverts load could be high (what are you tiring to power?) I set the 2nd switch to both. NOW the inverter is using the #2 & #3 battery. #1 is reserved for starting!!!

If both dual switch are set to both with the engine running, all 3 batteries will be charging. I like using the combiners, the 2 combiners have a remote wire. I connected the remote wire (14G so its fairly light) to a switch on the helm. It is a 3-way, so I can set the combiners to OFF-ON-AUTO. With the engine running and the 1st dual battery switch set to #1 and the other to off. I can select to charge other batteries or not by the switch.

Oh, I installed a small 6amp charger for the 3rd battery. I know you feel that a 20amp charger is small, but here is how I look at it. (On shore power, I keep the combines turned off.)

My boat is at the slip, so the shore power in on and the batteries should be ALL charged up. They have been charging over-night, so for me if I was out on the boat the day before, its been charging for +12 hours. So now you start your engine and go out to sea. If needed, charge all the batteries under way. If there not fully charged by NOW, there is another problem some were!!!!

Last season when we would hang out on the boat in the slip with the stereo ,halogen cabin lights,rope lighting,underwater lights, and electric flush toilet running the electrical demand of these items would quickly exceed the 10amp output of the stock charger and drain the house battery. The battery was a 1 year old optima blue top that is now junk. I think the alternator going out also helped finish off the battery.

I checked for a voltage drop/ high resistance at all the connections and found everything to be ok.I think we just use too much power. Once I increase the size of the battery bank it will help support the electrical demands, but will require more of a charger than the 10amp Guest since our on the lake hangout is so close to the marina there isn't alot of time for the bank to charge off the alt. We hang out on the boat almost daily in the summer so we are constatly draining our house batt.


What size battery bank do you use for your house bank? How does the inverter handle the microwave, stove top, tv,ect?

_________________
Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

I see were your coming from!!!! I think of what I do it the slip, which sounds the same as you!!! What I have done is added some LED lighting for any light that is on for an extended time. We do a lot of overnighting both at the slip and at some of the Boston Harbor islands.

At the slip, YES, the boat could pull more than 10 amps (look at the ProMariner, a 20 charger, if 1 bank needs 3 & the other 17 amps. This will do it!!) But, lets say the boat is pulling 20 amp at the slip for 5 hours - 10amps that the charger is putting out. Total 50 amp hours. Lets say 8pm to 1am. from 1 to 6 am that battery should be fully charged and after going to bed at 1am, ME, I would be getting up around 8am, power consummation should be on the low side from there.

I ONLY run my microwave for NO more than 20 min on the inverter, without recharging the batteries. OK, why, it is a 700 watt unit that pulls 1100 watts!!! Now the inverter is going to pull about 100, total 1200 watts which (off the top of my head is about 100 amps D.C.) This is a lot, MY 2 batteries are rated at 65ah each, total 130. By the math, both can run for 1 hr at 130amps. In the REAL world, you will use more power & the batteries will NOT last that long.

Part one

My 2cents. Buy an upgraded charger, put a 3rd battery with combiner/isolater in, and buy a Honda generator for when you are out on the water. Just run the generator for a time to charge up the batteries before you head back to the slip. With the larger charger, your shore power should easily handle the load at the slip for recharging the batteries.

I am amazed that your charger can't keep up. We only have two batteries, and run the AC, 2 fridges, 2 TV's, stereo off and on for an entire day and more, and our 30 amp charger has no problem keeping the batteries charged up. Our boat had a 1000W inverter when we bought it. I had it removed when we bought the boat. I saw no need for it with the type of boating we do.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Part two

The stove top, I only use the microwave. But you need to do the math "Amps = Watts / Volts". In other word, if the stove uses 1000 watts & the inverter 100w total 1100w = 90amps.

All D.C. cable runs should be as short as possible!! You are going to need #1 wire for 3 to 4 foot runs between the battery, battery switch & inverter. Longer runs are going to need heaver wire. You should NOT mount the inverter in the engine compartment, it is not ignition proof!!!

Bottom line, try to use LED lighting, keep are wires short, do the math. You will need to add a 2nd charger for the third battery if you go that way. Think about adding a combiner, you're alternator puts out a lot more than any charger will. I try to use only 12V items, as in the TV and so on. Because, when overnighting at the islands, the inverter will use power too. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT!!!

Good luck!!!!!!!

In some ways Mr. Morgan is right!! How LONG do you want to power the microwave & the stove top for??? I am just using the microwave for short periods. If you're tiring to feed a group of 5 or 6, a genset maybe the way to go!!! Myself, I am not to keen of running a small generator on the swam platform. On the other hand, the captain is running his A/C, fridges and I "think" his TVs all on shore power.

I like this idea. If I put in 2 6v gc batterys@220ah how big of a charger do you think I would need? Maybe 30-40amp? This was my original plan last year...actually I bought Brett248vista's Honda 2000 genset, but ended up selling it to my dad a few months later to use for his business. I just wasn't sure of the best option for mounting/storing the Honda since space is at a premium on the 268. I guess the biggest benefit to going with the Honda would be the ability to run the A/C. The downside is the bulkyness of it, and firing it up to microwave a hotdog for 45sec.

I'm having trouble making a decision on this one

_________________
Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

What I do is, seat down with my wife and go over the pros & cons. Two heads are better than one AND if someing goes wrong, she can NOT say too much about it!!! I flip 3 switches, than I can use the Micrwave. But not for LONG!!! FOR ME THATS GREAT. BUT IS IT GOOD FOR YOU?!?! If not, you need a genset!!!

Yes a 30 to 40 amp charger, but when you get that high, they are +2 bank chargers. Thats one resason I keep pushing ProMariner.

Where did you mount yours? A 3-4ft run but not in the engine compartment= mid cabin? Also did you install the remote access panel?

_________________
Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

I had a 225CCR Crownline, just before the engine compartment in a storage locker. It was part of the seats. So I broke though that wall. The batteries were mounted about 2' from it and the back side of the dual switch was mounted there. I bolted down the inverter to the locker floor about 6" away from the wall. I than drilled 2 holes about 5" apart for the NEG & POS cable to go though. I would left the seat, turn the battery switch on, turn the inverter on, go in the cabin were I mounted a 2-switch. (DON'T forget to wire in the ground wire, the GFI was tripping without it!!!)

I NOW own a "brand new" 2007 V258, it was a dealer left over that he could not sell. I am picking it up on 4/16, he is pushing me not to pick it until then!!! I bought it last December, so here I am making payments on a boat I don't have yet!!!!! But I did not want to get on his bad side. He wants to clean it, fix small things and take me out on a shake down!!

I will let you know were I am putting it!!!!