the generator, it can recharge the house batteries. The battery charger function receives that power
through the “Inverter Battery Charger” breaker on the AC panel. Since this breaker must be “On” for
the batteries to charge using AC power, and you will want to charge the batteries at every opportunity,
we suggest that you leave it “On” for the duration of your cruise.
As noted above under the “Connecting Shore Power” section, be mindful that the Inverter can
draw a lot of current when charging the batteries, especially when first activated upon connection to
shore power. Thus, you need to be careful not to overload a shore power circuit by running other high-
draw AC appliances at the same time. Monitor the AC Ammeter to make sure the load remains below
the available current as determined by the shore power service from the marina, normally 30 amps.
Inverter Operation
The Inverter is controlled by its control panel
located on above the lower helm. The panel has an
LCD display that shows the present function. LED
Display lights tell you the inverter’s status.
Each of the inverter’s functions, charging and
inverting, is controlled by the small buttons on the lower
left of its panel.
The charging and inverting functions should be
“ON” all the time unless you do not want the inverting
function to use your batteries, such as during winter
layover or moorage where power may be off for more
than a day (and batteries could thus be depleted).
You will see the “PWR” light lit (depending if shore power or the generator is running) or the
“INV” light, indicating that the inverter is making AC from the ship’s batteries.
If the “PWR” light is lit, you should see the “CHG” light lit, indicating that the inverter is charging
the batteries as it should; the display will show what level of charge is underway. In the illustration, the
charger is applying “float” voltage to keep the batteries “topped off”; the inverter goes to this float state
when the batteries are fully charged.
In summary, both inverter functions should normally be left on!
Note: Only the breakers in the panel illustration on page 4.10 with an asterisk (*)
are powered by the inverter!
(More next page)
The Inverter. When photo was taken, boat was in winter layover
and “Inverter Mode” was not turned on.
Section 4F: Electrical Systems, AC 4.9
