best option for replacement inverter-charger

[Leee]

Victron. M/V service is non existent and sales/service staff that I have had experience with within the last three years are undertrained and unreliable.

[bcboomer]

The Samlex EVO-3012 has more features but at a higher price. I've been using their inverters for 10 years and the design and service are very good.

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

The Samlex EVO-3012 has more features but at a higher price. I've been using their inverters for 10 years and the design and service are very good.

It looks like good kit, but the downside is they don't have the same ecosystem of useful stuff that Victron has. On my boat my battery, inverter/charger, MPPTs, and Alternator all coordinate together to look after my battery. Plus the whole online monitoring side of it (which also includes tankage, environmental sensors, and my nav sensors). It's really hard to beat that.

[Renegde_Sailor]

I have the Victron Multiplus 3000 in my boat, along with a Cerbo and Smart Shunt, and 100-30 solar charge controllers, it has been a fantastic amazing setup, which has given me zero issues, I do have all of the devices tied together, and it has become a worry free system.

As well have the battery isolator and smart battery protect from Victron, which automatically charges my start and house banks without having to manually combine them and the battery protect keeps me from draining the bank too low.

100% would do it all again!

[Grith]

I also have Vitron gear and am very happy with it.
I however have also gone a new path in adding a portable EcoFlow lithium Delta Max power bank unit to my yacht and connecting it via my shore power system.
These units have a very high speed computer controlled charger that temperature and capacity monitors and ramps the charging up and down based on optimising speed and sustainability.
They also have ( in our Australian format ) a 240v 2400w sine wave inverter with a continuous boost function to 3000w ( by some voltage degrading not suitable for all equipment ) and a high startup load capacity.
On top of this they have an mppt controller to accept solar charge and a wide variety of multiple power outlets.
The lithium battery is approximately 168ah and the entire unit comes packed in a case with integrated cooling fans and is very easily transportable.
It has a grid power pass through function with ups type switchover at grid loss and a variety of other features.
It also has compete remote control monitoring and even more impressive remote switching via phone app as well as on the front control panel. This has allowed me to place it safely out of water and harms way whilst monitoring and controlling via my phone.
I have actually used an old iPhone which no longer holds charge as a semi fixed monitoring/control screen shown here.
On checking with my insurance company as it is a portable unit that is just plugged into existing wiring it doesn’t require licensed electrical installation or certification eliminating the home built lithium system issues highlighted by others in this forum.

[MVDarlin]

I recommend separate units for each function. Easier to maintain, test and replace. Dont go cheap on either. I have a new 2,000 watt Victron and a 50 amp Charles marine charger. About $600 each.

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by MVDarlin

I recommend separate units for each function. Easier to maintain, test and replace. Dont go cheap on either. I have a new 2,000 watt Victron and a 50 amp Charles marine charger. About $600 each.

With the victron multiplus, it’s a distinction without meaning. There is no separate inverter and chargers in the same box, it’s just a matter of how the controller is driving the power transistors that make the whole thing work.

The other big win is being able to use the power boost function.

When I visit my friend’s dock,I can plug into the power socket he has there, but if I pull more than about 10A, the voltage drops significantly and I’m like to pop something (don’t ask). What the multiplus let’s me do is set my input current limit to, say, 8A and make up the difference using power from my battery. So if my hot water tank is heating (750W) I don’t need to worry that I’m firing up my 1300W heat gun. For the few minutes, the Multiplus will push another 6A or whatever, and keep things going. When I shut off the heat gun, it uses excess power (up to that 8A limit I set) to replenish the batteries.

Furthermore, something like your Charles charger doesn’t integrate. The Multiplus is under control of the battery, so will just run itself to make the battery happy. Also, as I’m away from the boat for an extended period, I just remoted in and dropped my system voltage to 13.3v so that my batteries will sit there rather than chasing 13.8. That one seeing controls my shore power and solar power.