When you want to use standard household appliances on your boat, but shore power or a generator aren't options, inverters can convert your boat's 12- or 24-volt DC energy into 110-volt AC current. Inverters are relatively maintenance-free, exceedingly quiet and allow you to enjoy some comforts of home while on the water. This article features the installation of a Xantrex Pro 1000 fixed-mount inverter supplied by West Marine (www.westmarine.com).

Step 1                                

The inverter must be installed in a location that doesn't allow water or other liquids to drip on it. The location should also be cool and well-ventilated, and the inverter should never be installed in the same compartment as batteries or flammable liquids. You can mount the inverter either horizontally or vertically; merely select an appropriate mounting location and orientation. The inverter from this demonstration must be oriented either on or under a horizontal surface, or horizontally on a vertical surface. The ventilation opening on the DC end must not point up or downward. Use the inverter itself or the supplied mounting template to mark the positions of the mounting screws, then mark each mounting screw's position and remove the inverter. Pilot-drill the four mounting holes, and then fasten the inverter to the mounting surface using corrosion-resistant fasteners size No. 10.

Step 2                                

This particular inverter has a chassis ground stud on the side of the unit, and you must connect it to a grounding point, utilizing the suggested copper wire, No. 8 AWG. It's highly recommended that you attach the grounding cable to the chassis ground stud with a ring terminal. This will help ensure the wire doesn't slip off the stud. Remove the ground stud nut and star washer. Strip a half inch of insulation from the end of the cable. Attach the ring connector that will join the cable to the chassis ground stud. The connector you use must create a permanent, low-resistance connection. Fitting the ring connector and star washer over the stud, the ring connector should be flush against the inverter chassis. Finally, tighten the ground stud nut firmly enough so it doesn't come loose from the boat's movement or vibration.

Step 3                                

Make sure the inverter is off and no AC is connected to the unit. Remove the nuts and washers from the inverter's positive and negative DC cabling terminals. Strip a half inch of insulation from one end of each cable. Attach the connectors that will join the cables to the battery. Be sure to disconnect the battery selector switch if you have one installed. For each cable end that will be connected to the inverter, again strip a half inch of insulation from the cable. Attach the connectors that will join the cables to the DC cabling terminal, and install a fuse and fuse holder in the cable that will be used for the positive side. Attach the connector on the positive cable to the positive DC terminal on the inverter, and secure it with the lock washer and nut supplied. Repeat the same thing for the negative post of the battery, attaching it to the negative DC terminal of the inverter.

Step 4                                

There are two tests that can be performed, depending on how you installed the unit - testing in the invert mode, or testing in shore-power mode. Shore-power mode is for installations where the AC input is hard-wired. For the purposes of this article, the installation is direct to the boat's battery, so the invert mode test is appropriate in this case. Press the on/off button to turn the inverter on. The status LED on the display panel glows yellow, and the LED display illuminates. Plug an appliance within the power rating of the inverter into the unit, and activate the appliance to verify it operates. If the appliance works, your installation is a success, but if the LED on the display panel glows red, then you may need to do some extra troubleshooting and recheck your connections per the unit's instructions.