Stacking Inverters

[Doug1968]

Fellows,

Are there any of you who have two inverters in your coach?

Is this a practice that is acceptable?

Are there any instructions on how best to set a system up using two inverters?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Doug

[technomadia]

Since I happen to have just been reading the data sheet, I can comment that Victron inverters support stacking up to 10 inverters together for gobs of power.  I haven't researched to see what other inverters support this.

  - Chris // www.technomadia.com

[Len Silva]

They will work fine but must be the same brand and must support stacking.

[luvrbus]

 Doug my Traces were stacked in the Eagle never gave me a problem 

good luck

[Seayfam]

I have two inverters in my bus, but they are not stacked. I have one of them running my kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Then I have a large OutBack that runs my livingroom, one AC, awnings and all the bay and outside outlets. You can stack the OutBacks also as long as they are the same ones. I haven't needed the extra power to stack mine yet.

Gary

[niles500]

I have a rare set up with twin Vanner's running 240 but one is a Master and the other is a Slave - FWIW

[travelingfools]

Ok, Ill be the guy to ask.. For those of us who dont know, could someone spend a few min and explain stacking inverters please. 

Tks, John

[bevans6]

Two or more inverters that are logically linked together so that their outputs are added together into the same load.  They need to be able to sense the frequency and phase so that the output is synchronized.  You can get them to add the 120 volt outputs for greater power at 120 volts, or to add the outputs for the same power but at 240 volts to run 240 volt appliances.  There are codes and such that specify how to do this legally and safely, and there are lots of inverters available on Ebay that do this illegally and unsafely, so pick wisely.

Honda does this with their little inverter generators, link two EU2000's and get 4,000 nominal watts at 120 volts from the pair of generators.

Brian

[travelingfools]

Brian, So would linking in series or parallel give u the difference between 120 / 240 ?

[luvrbus]

Stacking is common on a 12 volt system depending on how much you need most of the time a 4000w 24 volt will supply a coach with enough juice but you see 2 -4000 w stacked in buses one big battery bank also Magnum has a single 110/240v inverter

good luck

[Busted Knuckle]

Ok, Ill be the guy to ask.. For those of us who dont know, could someone spend a few min and explain stacking inverters please. 

Tks, John

Glad ya asked! I thought stacking was mounting one on top of another! (and I thought won't that cause heat build up?)
  BK 

[bevans6]

Brian, So would linking in series or parallel give u the difference between 120 / 240 ?

The two connections would effectively look like series or parallel, yes.  If you want to have two 2000 watt  120 volt inverters connected to give you 4000 watts at 120 volts, you would connect them in parallel and synchronize the output in phase so the output currents added.  If you want to have plain 240 VAC output (as is used in England for example) you might connect them in series so the outputs were in synch and the voltages added.  If you want to have split 120/240 VAC as we have in North America you would connect them in series with a center tap and the output synchronized 180 degrees apart.

I think, anyway.  Keep in mind that "you" won't do any of these things, the engineers that design the inverters and design them to allow these specific configurations will do them.  This isn't a place for home brew bolt it together and see if it explodes bodging.

Brian

[luvrbus]

My Traces were not hooked up that way they were interfaced through a box and cable that read the demand load most of the time just one inverter would supply my needs the other would come on for the 220 load and that was a battery killing cook top.
Most of your inverter guys like Dick Wright don't care for the stacked inverters but will sell those to you

good luck

[bevans6]

Clifford, that's what I mean about the engineers design the system to work properly.  the box that you had would have done  the connecting and allowed the synchronizing to happen per the design.  I was saying more in theory what happens to make the outputs add up in different ways.

Brian

[artvonne]

  There are some Trace inverters on ebay;

  http://cgi.ebay.com/Off-Grid-Inverter-Charger-Xantrex-Trace-TR2424-/160593741415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2564220667

  Are these any good? I thought I read some were having failures with new Trace inverters that the company wasnt backing.

  Someone said something about running an induction motor off an inverter, that it wasnt a good idea?