My Trace 12VDC 2.5KW inverter has an input for 120vac and an output for 120vac. When 120vac appears on the input the inverter instantly connects the input to the output and disconnects itself. Then it synchronizes itself to the input (takes about five seconds), then parallels itself to the input so it adds its power to that of the input's (and also starts charging the batteries). So everything is automatic and no magic smoke gets out.
Otherwise a Ship's Power switch is needed to insure the 120vac goes to where it should without fireworks or shrinking wallet syndrome. A long time ago I was on a boat in Ft Lauderdale that used a range receptacle for each source of power. The boat was powered by a range pigtail. He would simply plug the boat into whatever power source he wished. I did this at first but eventually went to a rotary selector switch. The switch has: Shore Power, 8KW diesel genset, 20KW shaft generator and Ground. I put the ground there in case I got nervous during a thunderstorm but I don't think I've ever used it. The inverter is downstream from the switch and is always on. The 7.5KW (Groban Supply) isolation transformer is connected to any 240vac source selected (almost always the 8KW genset, occasionally shore power when I am hauled out for annual maintenance) and powers it down to 120vac which feeds all boat 120vac loads through the Inverter. So the transformer really doesn't function as an isolation transformer to isolate the ship from shore power since I so rarely get shore power from a dock these days, but as a device to balance the load on the genset. Norm S/V Bandersnatch > Norm, what do you do normally do about this? Or do you just have an > isolation transformer? > > > Ben _______________________________________________ Liveaboard mailing list [email protected] To adjust your membership settings over the web http://liveaboardonline.com/mailman/listinfo/liveaboard To subscribe send an email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] The archives are at http://www.liveaboardonline.com/pipermail/liveaboard/ To search the archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] The Mailman Users Guide can be found here http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/index.html
