My Inverter Plan

[Scubawise]

Originally Posted by rsgarrett

What work? I plug in the same way I would plug into any power source. The inverter input is always connected to the batteries, with a 20a breaker to isolate if desired, the outputs are ready to be plugged into the coach, and the inverter has a push button remote inside the coach. Three steps: converter off (flip one breaker), plug in (seconds, as the cord is ready and easily available near the connector port) and push button to turn on inverter (< 1 second). No fussing with mods to get certain things connected, as they all are connected immediately. Saves hundreds and no unreliable parts.

What he is saying is when on road or parked we push one button and inverter is active

[GordSanClemente]

We have a decent size inverter that came with the coach. Not big enough to power the microwave. I think the inverter is only 1,000 watts.

I did a super cheap mod to allow me to run the tv and directv/DVR and not have my main inverter on. The large inverter sits under the bed, and has a fan, so I don't run it when the wife goes to bed. (I always stay up later to take the dog out on one last pee)

I bought a cheap 150w inverter designed to run a lap top in your car. Less than $20 on Amazon.

It sits right under the tv and dvr and allows me to run it all night if I want(to record the late night shows)

Hopefully someone finds this useful/interesting.

[Reid]

Originally Posted by Philo Gemstone

I've been contemplating various ways of implementing an inverter in my rig, and here's what I've settled on:

Mount a 2000 watt inverter to a wooden board and hard wire the AC output to a female 30 amp receptacle, also mounted to the board.

Two pairs of battery cables, one pair from the batteries and one pair to the inverter, with quick connectors.

To use, I would position the inverter just under the battery well, flip the breaker on the converter, connect the shore power cable to the receptacle, quick connect the battery and turn the inverter on. The RV now has all AC devices powered. Obviously, I'm not going to run the air conditioner, but everything else should work. Sound reasonable?

I was thinking of a similar install but putting it on a board behind our kitchen pull out drawers so it is close to batteries and fused. Install 30 amp RV female receptacle outside near that location. To use when dry camping, turn off converter circuit breaker, plug RV power cord into this outlet and turn inverter on. All circuits are able to be used.
Only problem is I haven't found a waterproof cover for the 30 amp female outlet.

[Scubawise]

Originally Posted by Reid

I was thinking of a similar install but putting it on a board behind our kitchen pull out drawers so it is close to batteries and fused. Install 30 amp RV female receptacle outside near that location. To use when dry camping, turn off converter circuit breaker, plug RV power cord into this outlet and turn inverter on. All circuits are able to be used.
Only problem is I haven't found a waterproof cover for the 30 amp female outlet.

Interesting did not know you could do that..so you need massive battery load to power the 30 amp..like if you use microwave etc?

[sportcoupe]

I would just wire the output of the inverter into the BACK side of the RV 30 amp receptacle if there is room. That way you don't need to mess with a cord.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by sportcoupe

I would just wire the output of the inverter into the BACK side of the RV 30 amp receptacle if there is room. That way you don't need to mess with a cord.

So you want to back feed 120 VAC into the output of the inverter. I don't know if that is a good idea and I do know it is a terrible idea if you turn on the inverter with SP live. Two unsynched AC sources connected in parallel equal much smoke and sparks.

[Philo Gemstone]

Originally Posted by rsgarrett

I went more or less the same way, but simpler. I use a heavy length of extension cord to run from the ac outputs of my 2300 watt inverter to the storage bay just underneath the external power port for connecting to campground supply. You can get an outlet port to add to the storage bay, and when I want to boondock, I just turn off the converter, then plug the coach into the inverter in the same way I would plug it into a campground power supply. Turn on the inverter with the remote switch, and all outlets, tv's, etc are powered up with little hassle. The converter must be turned off to avoid a battery-inverter-converter-battery loop. It was easy, and works fine, with no dependence on expensive and unreliable transfer switches, etc. I usually turn off the inverter with the remote overnight to avoid useless drain on the batteries.

Where did you mount the inverter, and how is it connected to the batteries? How is the extension cord run - inside the coach, or suspended under the chassis?

[sportcoupe]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

So you want to back feed 120 VAC into the output of the inverter. I don't know if that is a good idea and I do know it is a terrible idea if you turn on the inverter with SP live. Two unsynched AC sources connected in parallel equal much smoke and sparks.

I haven't done it yet of course. Inverter is sitting in garage. Just thinking of ways to interface with minimal human action required.
Add a circuit breaker to use as a switch on the inverter output connected to the RV's 30 amp receptacle.

[JimC]

Originally Posted by Philo Gemstone

Because the inverter would be sitting on the ground, it seemed that mounting it to a board would provide some stability and safety. And yes, no real need for the 30amp receptacle. The most I'd ever be drawing would be 1.5KW for our Nespresso and microwave (not at the same time).

The microwave may overload your 2k inverter. Most inverters with a 2k rating are only rated for continuous running at 1k. 3k at 1.5k, etc.
Jim C

[JeffThor325]

I've been using a similar setup for over 6 months, with one minor change. I do not power the inverter from the coach battery that came from the factory. Instead, I have a bank of 6x 100Ah AGM batteries. These are 100% separate and totally isolated from all other RV systems, in the rear storage compartment. I have 1.2Kw of solar and 1Kw of wind feeding into this battery bank and a 2000W inverter permanently wired to it. When I want to use power from this battery bank, I simply plug the cord for shore power (with a 30A>15A adapter) into the inverter and turn it on.

I typically turn off the power converter but if I left it on, I could could even use this battery bank to recharge the coach battery. (Inefficient, but possible.)

[Reid]

Originally Posted by Scubawise

Interesting did not know you could do that..so you need massive battery load to power the 30 amp..like if you use microwave etc?

We have two BattleBorn 100 amp batteries. With 200 amps available in fully charged batteries, BattleBorn techs tell me that I can operate microwave up to 90 minutes

[Philo Gemstone]

Originally Posted by JeffThor325

I've been using a similar setup for over 6 months, with one minor change. I do not power the inverter from the coach battery that came from the factory. Instead, I have a bank of 6x 100Ah AGM batteries. These are 100% separate and totally isolated from all other RV systems, in the rear storage compartment. I have 1.2Kw of solar and 1Kw of wind feeding into this battery bank and a 2000W inverter permanently wired to it. When I want to use power from this battery bank, I simply plug the cord for shore power (with a 30A>15A adapter) into the inverter and turn it on.

I typically turn off the power converter but if I left it on, I could could even use this battery bank to recharge the coach battery. (Inefficient, but possible.)

If I didn't already have an Onan, I would invest in a Bluetti system. It's still tempting, tho, to have all that power and quiet, too.

[Scubawise]

Originally Posted by Reid

We have two BattleBorn 100 amp batteries. With 200 amps available in fully charged batteries, BattleBorn techs tell me that I can operate microwave up to 90 minutes

Wow that is amazing !

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[sip]

This is where I installed my 1200 Watt / 2000 peak inverter in our 2016 Vegas:

I added an extra shelf and brackets to both stiffen the location and to protect from spillage from above. I picked this location for easy access and also to keep the inverter cool and ventilated. It's also very close to the batteries which are under the stairs next to it going up into the rv.







Wired up a disconnect (latching) solenoid behind the drawer in the cabinet. This way I can fully disconnect the inverter from the batteries as needed:



This inverter has a built-in transfer switch ... the Vegas 3rd circuit fuse goes to all the non-gfci outlets inside the cab and also powers the tvs. I didn't care about the microwave but I wanted the tvs and the outlets we use for charging phones etc to get power while driving so all I had to do was route that circuit from the breaker box through the inverter transfer switch.

I also cut out holes behind the inverter into the cabinets so there are no exposed wires. Overall, I've been pretty happy with it .. and we get to watch Dish (sat tv) while driving which is great.

So when we are on shore-power or when the generator is running, the circuit gets power from those sources. But if there is no power coming in and the inverter is on, the internal transfer switch of the inverter kicks in and the circuit gets powered with the inverter.

[Philo Gemstone]

Sip,

How did you access the batteries? Hole in the floor?

[sip]

Yes if I recall correctly (it's been a couple of years), I drilled 2 holes below the area where I installed the solenoid .. one for the + and one for the - cable .. and they come out very close to the batteries. I think there were other cables going near there out for the existing house battery wiring which gave me a guide under the chassis of where to drill. Sealed it up with silicone.