Inverter installation Gainesville Fla ?

[sforl]

Can anyone recommend some place in the Gainesville area where I could take my Axis to have an inverter installed?

[Oneilkeys]

Are u looking to install a large inverter and hard wire all your 110 outlets or do you just want to install a small inverter that you can plug your laptop and/or small appliance into?

[sforl]

I want an inverter large enough to run a TV, HDMI switcher and gaming console, plus one additional outlet for a coffee maker, computer or fan.
I’m considering an Aims 1500 watt pure sine wave with automatic transfer switch!
Does that seem large enough to run what I want?

[Oneilkeys]

a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter supposedly guarantees that it will run 1500 watts of appliances. As long as your stuff does not add up to above that it should be ok. And you probably won’t run everything at the same time. Running 1500 watts will run down the relatively small batteries in the Axis in a very short period of time. Based on the calculations from this web site, running 1000 watts for three hours would take four Axis sized batteries. 1500 watts would run for 2 hours on those 4 batteries.

I am not an electrical expert, but if I were you, I would ask one before I spent a lot of money on a large inverter. From my experience in the Vegas/Axis over the past 4 years, the house battery power doesn’t get you very far, even if you run just lights and small appliances. We’ve boondocked a lot and we always fight to conserve battery power even with a very small inverter.

[gmc]

Assuming you are powering a single circuit in the RV - the one supporting the TV hopefully has an extra outlet on it... - it is a relatively simple install. Can't help with suggestions on who to use in your area though.

Oneilkeys provided some very good info to review to be sure you will be happy with the installation and what it will or will not be able to provide...

You did indicate what you wanted to run (need watts for the specific coffee maker... they vary a lot) but not for how long you want to run it... Makes a big difference in size and number of batteries you will need as explained in the attachments above.

For some items like fan and computer (if laptop), a 12v version would be more efficient than the inverter.. (a 12v fan, and 12v laptop power adapter)
Still is draw on battery... But eliminates inefficiency of converting DC to AC (and in case of laptop - back to DC again...)

[sforl]

My coffee maker is a Keurig 15 1500 watts. It takes 2-3 min to brew! Two cups max per day!
I will get a 12v power adapter for the fan & computer. That leaves the TV and gaming console which would possibly be used for 2-3 hrs a day!
I do a great deal of “dry” camping and I want to avoid using the generator more than I absolutely have to for a variety of reasons.
I have a 200 watt suitcase solar panel to help keep the batteries charged. Given what I want to run is it just not feasible with only the two house batteries?

[JamieGeek]

You might also be able to find a 12V TV which would leave the game console (may also be able to find a 12V adapter for that)

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by sforl

My coffee maker is a Keurig 15 1500 watts. It takes 2-3 min to brew! Two cups max per day!
I will get a 12v power adapter for the fan & computer. That leaves the TV and gaming console which would possibly be used for 2-3 hrs a day!
I do a great deal of “dry” camping and I want to avoid using the generator more than I absolutely have to for a variety of reasons.
I have a 200 watt suitcase solar panel to help keep the batteries charged. Given what I want to run is it just not feasible with only the two house batteries?

I love my Keurig too - at home. I am always surprised when I buy really good ground coffee, boil water in the RV and then pour it thru the coffee and filter. When I’m Back home it’s back to the Keurig - for the convenience. When I am dry camping and I only have 100-150 amp hours to play with, it’s all about conservation. And don’t think that you can just turn on the generator and charge up you batteries in a hour. It is not going to happen. It takes hours and hours to to replace those amp hours. The solar is good. I have about that much too and on a sunny day it keeps up with the background usage - during the day. I have been in camp grounds where people run their generators 4 hours a day or more. I dry camp for the quiet. I don’t want to be one of those people. If you move your coach every day and drive 100 miles or more, then your engine alternator will help a lot. But if you camp in one place for 4-5 Days, you will be fighting for every amp hour and running your generator all the time.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

You might also be able to find a 12V TV which would leave the game console (may also be able to find a 12V adapter for that)

Jamie is right, the more you can switch to 12v the less amperage you will use because it is more efficient than using an inverter. However, make sure that you are taking the amperage from your house batteries and not your chassis battery. I jump started an RV 35 miles into Denali NP in Alaska because he had run his chassis battery down running his 12v TV for a week. If you do that and dump the Keurig, you can also go to a much smaller inverter that you can easily install yourself. I have one the sits on top of the doghouse and is hooked directly to the house batteries. I use it to run two 110v fans above the driver and passenger going down the road, and to charge my laptop and run small appliances when I am camping.

[gmc]

Another option for the Keurig is to run the genny when you want that cup o coffee... Except for maybe early morning hours - simple to run genny for 5 min - and a lot cheaper than the larger inverter.

I carry a small inverter - rarely use it (can't remember the last time). I added a 12v TV and Blu Ray player in bedroom and can boondock (in non-winter) for a long weekend without issue running genny only for microwave and A/C if needed.

Using the inverter for a little TV/gaming is much more practical than higher wattage uses. (12v TVs tend to be smaller - and 'gamers' including my DW tend to not like playing on that...) I would consider putting a UPS between the game console and inverter - so power isn't abruptly removed if you hit low voltage or over current - and you can save/shut down gracefully on UPS battery.

BTW - don't forget about what else 12v you might be using... I switched all interior light bulbs to LED - greatly reduces draw...

If in colder weather - the furnace draws a lot - we recently hit a 25ish degree night (NOT in FL... lol) - and sucked down two good batteries in 24 hours with how often it needed to run. Step son now has a shiny new Eaton 30A RV outlet mounted to his power pole to allow charging and running elec heater to conserve propane and available for future visits...

There are ways to be able to power anything you want for (almost) as long as you want... but they come with a very hefty pricetag.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Jamie is right, the more you can switch to 12v the less amperage you will use because it is more efficient than using an inverter. ....cut....

Not necessarily. You should look at combined power consumption between 110-Volt device plus inverter versus a 12-Volt equivalent device. Some 12-Volt devices are not the most efficient, and it doesn't take much difference if inverter is in the 90% range. Granted an efficient 35-watt 110-Volt TV won't run efficiently on a lightly-loaded 1,000-watt inverter, but some 12-Volt TVs can pull over 100 watts which may be worse. Just saying that it's not as simple as saying that 12-Volt is always more efficient because it eliminates need for inverter.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

I love my Keurig too - at home. ....cut.....

We love ours too, both at home and camping. For us, since we have such limited space in a van, the convenience of Keurig while camping is even greater.

In a different forum I read about compact Keurig K-cup machines that could run off less power, so a couple of weeks ago we ordered one from Amazon at a really good price (was one of the recommended brands). We tested it at home and then camping for 3 days and so far we like it a lot.

It pulls well under 1,000 watts (should run easily on 1,000-Watt inverter), and makes coffee as hot as our Keurig brand, so taste is as good. Only down side so far is that it takes about 3 minutes to make a cup, versus 1-1/2 minutes on larger machine.

It saves so much room on counter and during storage for travel that the extra time is well worth it. And it's a lot lighter to move around too.

[sforl]

Chance
My Keurig is the smallest one they make. No reservoir and takes the same amount of time as yours. So they sound very similar. Not sure why the Keurig is rated at 1500 watts.
I have a small 5 cup coffee maker but it requires it to run longer in order to keep the coffee hot. I thought the Keurig was the better choice. I hate to purchase another coffee maker but that may the solution. I can do without many creature comforts but I need my coffee in the mornings!

[sforl]

I recently completed a three month 5500 mile trip . ( Aug - Oct ). During that trip I primarily stayed in NP, SP, national scenic areas and on BLM lands where there were no hook ups and generator usage is very limited.
I’m willing to pay the price (up to a point) to stay in these areas, but I want to be able to do so in reasonable comfort. On this trip I experienced temps of 103* in an area that only allowed you to run your generator from 8-10 am and 6-8 pm. It was miserable.
I also had times when the temps were below freezing at night with highs in the mid forties during the day. ( Bryce Canyon) The batteries as well as the propane ( 12 gal tank) go quickly in those conditions.
The cost of an inverter is worthwhile to me if it can allow me to be more comfortable.
What is of more concern is if installing this inverter requires additional batteries. Storage space in my Axis is limited, especially in the outside compartments. I’m not sure where I would be able to install more batteries.
I know there has to be a workable solution albeit expensive, but I just don’t know How to go about it.
Thanks to all for your ideas and suggestions.
Please keep adding if you think of anything else.

[Chance]

From one of my previous posts a while back:

"I had measured our Keurig single-cup coffee maker before (rated 1450 watts) which takes 90 seconds per cup, but decided to test it again just to make sure.

When first turned on, it pulls 12 Amps for 40 seconds, then drops to 8 Amps for 20 seconds. For the remaining 30 seconds there is essentially no power consumption."


The new coffee maker is a fraction the size and weight, and is rated at 800 watts on nametag. I have not had a chance to check actual current yet, but expect it to be considerably below 1,000 watts, and probably below 800 watts on average over the 3 minutes. I need that to estimate total energy requirements. I expect total energy to be about the same (since heating same amount of water) but slower rate should be easier on (future) batteries.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by sforl

...
The cost of an inverter is worthwhile to me if it can allow me to be more comfortable.
What is of more concern is if installing this inverter requires additional batteries. Storage space in my Axis is limited, especially in the outside compartments. I’m not sure where I would be able to install more batteries.
I know there has to be a workable solution albeit expensive, but I just don’t know How to go about it.

Why we are focusing on what you want to power - is that will directly affect both the inverter and batteries needed... and can affect the installation effort...
With the Keurig as 'required use' - you will need the 1500W inverter - and that will require wiring capable of handling 75Amps at 12volt between the house batteries and inverter - also means that distance should be as short as possible. (Not as important at lower amp values)
As Chance stated, this will be less efficient when powering just the lower wattage workloads - but it will get the job done.

The capacity of your current battery bank and health of the batteries is something I don't know... Since your heavy draw is for short (2-3 min) periods - that certainly helps.. Don't know if you have one or two 12v batteries today - and they may not even be labeled as to their capacity...

If you could provide the WATTS of the other devices (TV, Switch, Gaming console ) - and validate the assumption of 2-3 hours/day for those... and same information for any other loads... and how long you need to last without recharge - we can calculate the battery capacity needed to do it...

[Chance]

Originally Posted by sforl

.....cut..... I’m not sure where I would be able to install more batteries.
.....cut.....

On many van RV conversions, they install batteries under floor by using AGMs, which don't require as much access like flooded batteries.

You're correct that it's more expensive, but a frame can often be made to support batteries underneath. Some van RV converters are also doing the same with lithium batteries, but there is a greater concern with extreme temperatures.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Chance

Not necessarily. You should look at combined power consumption between 110-Volt device plus inverter versus a 12-Volt equivalent device. Some 12-Volt devices are not the most efficient, and it doesn't take much difference if inverter is in the 90% range. Granted an efficient 35-watt 110-Volt TV won't run efficiently on a lightly-loaded 1,000-watt inverter, but some 12-Volt TVs can pull over 100 watts which may be worse. Just saying that it's not as simple as saying that 12-Volt is always more efficient because it eliminates need for inverter.

My statement was when powering the SAME device... and that device normally converts AC to DC with a 'brick' in the power cord... It should always be more efficient to run it direct from DC - even if a 'voltage stepper' is needed - than converting 12v DC to 110AC and back to 12-24vDC...

Appliances that take the 110v AC directly in to the unit obviously don't have that possibility of course.

If switching units - then yes - the wattage certainly needs to be compared... My 12v dc TV is lower watts - but also smaller size than the AC powered unit (no brick) it replaces when boondocking... Its completely hidden from view when not in use.

Originally Posted by Chance

...
The new coffee maker is a fraction the size and weight, and is rated at 800 watts on nametag...

What brand/model did you get??

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by sforl

I recently completed a three month 5500 mile trip . ( Aug - Oct ). During that trip I primarily stayed in NP, SP, national scenic areas and on BLM lands where there were no hook ups and generator usage is very limited.
I’m willing to pay the price (up to a point) to stay in these areas, but I want to be able to do so in reasonable comfort. On this trip I experienced temps of 103* in an area that only allowed you to run your generator from 8-10 am and 6-8 pm. It was miserable.
I also had times when the temps were below freezing at night with highs in the mid forties during the day. ( Bryce Canyon) The batteries as well as the propane ( 12 gal tank) go quickly in those conditions.
The cost of an inverter is worthwhile to me if it can allow me to be more comfortable.
What is of more concern is if installing this inverter requires additional batteries. Storage space in my Axis is limited, especially in the outside compartments. I’m not sure where I would be able to install more batteries.
I know there has to be a workable solution albeit expensive, but I just don’t know How to go about it.
Thanks to all for your ideas and suggestions.
Please keep adding if you think of anything else.

Unfortunately, adding an inverter is probably only going to make it worse. Even if you added two or even four additional batteries in the limited space in your Axis, you would not be able to run your A/C for any period of time nor power an electric heater for very long. Dry camping in An Axis in very hot or very cold conditions is difficult at best unless you are able/willing to run your generator for a considerable period of time. While I love to stay in NPs, when it is very hot (I stay home in FL when it’s cold) I “bite the bullet”and try to find a state or local park with electric. The alternative is too expensive/difficult.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by gmc

....cut....

What brand/model did you get??

Here is a picture next to the Keurig branded we've been using. It was under $50 and made in China, but was recommended in other forum so we are trying it out. The little unit fits in a tight space freeing up space where the other went (considering a larger pure sine inverter in that space).