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Promariner 2500 or Xantrex Freedom 2000?

6K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  redline 
#1 ·
I'm in the market for a charger/inverter... Pretty sold on a single unit vs a separate charger and inverter for simplicity sake.

I don't want to spend 3000 on a mastervolt or Charles (which would be my obvious first choice).

I would really like to spend around 1000.

Anyone have luck with either the xantrex freedom 2000 or promariner 2500?

Or recommend another C/I in that price range?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
Where are you fitting the battery capacity on an E-32 (32-200, 32, 32-3?) for a 2000W inverter?

Personally I think the Magnum I/C's are quite good, reliable and have good tech support. The MMS1012 is a nice compact pure sine 1000W X 50A I/C.. Mastervolt & Victron are also good but pricey.

What are you using this for? What type of loads will you actually be drawing? Even 1000W is a LOT to be drawing without a large bank to back it up..

I would certainly recommend a pure sine model if spending the money to do this. The Xantrex SW2000 will be the best price but you need to add in the cost for the remote (you do with most).

The tech support and history of Xantrex reliability should be well researched before making a buying decision.

We really need more info about your system to more accurately give you the best advice.
 
#4 ·
Hey!

Actually I don't have much of an AC power requirement while underway... I really use AC power mainly off shore power at the dock.

That said, I need a new charger, and the boat doesn't have an inverter so I thought I'd get a C/I and "upgrade" a bit. 1000w is plenty, but I just thought the better units (read more reliable) were only available in the higher wattages. I hadn't really considered battery capacity because I can't imagine drawing more than 600-800W offshore.

Does that magnum have or require a remote panel?

Are there any decent 1000W or less combi units beside Magnum?
 
#5 ·
The REAL issue you should consider is this: with a combined unit, if one side goes belly up, so does the other. Maine Sail has long been a proponent of separate units and there is great validity to that point of view. Especially given your situation, where you do not "need" AC power when not at a dock.

That said, when I researched this for our new-to-us 1986 boat in 1998, I did all my homework, research and cost estimates. I chose to go with a Freedom 15 and a Link 2000. The Freedom "forced" me to consider how to wire my charging systems (shorepower AND alternator) since the Freedom only had one output, just like the alternator. Back then most folks had moved to separate house and reserve banks and used two output shorepower charging systems, so they didn't worry too much about the single alternator output 'cuz they'd go home and plug in. We liked being out on the hook. That's how I "discovered" the Yandina combiner, which remains operative on our boat.

That said: If I were you, I'd buy separate units.
 
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#6 ·
I second the suggestion of Magnum products. The small charter company I work for has been migrating away from Xantrex for a while now. As they fail, they are not repaired but instead replaced with Magnum. Magnums have been pretty much bulletproof. That was a poor ballistic phrase....
 
#8 ·
Thanks everyone...

Ugh, I ordered a magnum MMS1012 from an online retailler, and after a week with no shipping and no confirmation - I emailed them.. No reply... Then I called - No reply... Then I sent another email saying that the customer service was horrendous, and if they dont reply, I'd post a negative review...

Then the CEO of (said) online retailer replied and said the item was out of stock, that they had emailed me 4 times (lies), and that he researched my business (I own one - unrelated to boating) based on my email address and was going to "retaliate - Times 5" if I posted a negative review using his "Power as CEO". Unbelievable.

Anyhow, I filed a report with ripoffreport.com... What a nightmare

So this has nothing to do with Magnum, but I'm now wondering about (control) with separate charger/inverters. I like the idea of the remote panel, automatic switching, etc with the combo unit.. If I bought a separate charger and inverter how does the "switching" happen? is there a remote panel that can manage a separate charger and inverter?

Thanks in advance... You guys are awesome and unbelievably helpful.
 
#9 ·
Sorry to hear about your difficulties.

As far as separate units, you MUST install a switch that will allow ONLY either the shorepower or the inverter to feed your AC on board unless you do not connect your inverter to your AC wiring. The advantage of the combo units are they have internal automatic transfer switches.

The Blue Sea 8032 or 8132 work just fine, and they also have a rotary switch model, but I don't have that model #.
 
#12 ·
There are inverters that have full AC transfer capability without a built in charger. Xantrex Pro series inverters (1000 and 1800 watts) have both built in transfer switching and remote panels. There are others as well.

Any stand alone charger will be controlled by the appropriate breaker on the AC panel.
 

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#13 ·
I have a Freedom 2500 inverter/charger, so far works fine, but thought I'd mention this approach:

A sistership bought off charter service in St. Maartin has separate charger and inverter, with the charger being 120/240VAC autoswitching, and the inverter straight DC-to-120VAC. The interesting part is that his cabin electrical is connected *only* to the inverter, so his "shore power" is AC-DC-AC at all times, even when plugged into 120V.

He's on a mooring and AFAIK seldom uses AC in these parts, but I kind of like the "go anywhere" appoach to running shipboard appliances without regard to what flavour of AC the marina provides.

And yes, if *either* the charger or inverter fail, he no longer has AC aboard. But still...
 
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