Inverter Questions

[BrunsFamily]

Have a Tellaro with generator (not L-Bat). Once you turn on the inverter, I thought the microwave & AC would work? I have to run the generator to turn those appliances on. Any ideas?

[DavidEM]

It takes a big inverter to run a microwave and an even bigger one to run the A/C plus a big battery bank. These are typically not found on Class Bs. So, I doubt that your inverter is wired to run those. Check the specs typically printed on the inverter case. Anything below 2,500 watts will not run an A/C or a microwave and never together even if the inverter is big enough.

David

[Judge]

David is correct..... usually you have to purchase a high-end Class A to get both the battery capacity and an Inverter capable of powering all AC appliances in a coach.

I have a '20 Magnitude SV34 that came with a 2000W Inverter and also a generator. The stock batteries and the Inverter could run the two fridges (a residential fridge and a dorm sized fridge in the outdoor kitchen) overnight at best.

I upgraded the stock batteries to four 170Ah BigBattery LiFePO4 batteries for 680Ah of power. Then I upgraded to the Xantrex Freedom XC Pro 3000W Inverter / Charger. I also did some rewiring so that the Inverter could provide power to all circuits. I can now run one of my on of my A/C units, microwave, etc. with this setup.

I wanted this ability for situations when running the generator night not be practical.... overnight boondocking, low on fuel, etc.

I could probably run the A/C for 4 - 5 hours continually. In reality my setup will be more than enough to run the bedroom A/C overnight. With the door to the bedroom closed, the A/C there won't have to run very often. I will have plenty of power as well for my fridges, charging phones / laptops, etc.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by BrunsFamily

Have a Tellaro with generator (not L-Bat). Once you turn on the inverter, I thought the microwave & AC would work? I have to run the generator to turn those appliances on. Any ideas?

Download your electrical diagrams and verify which outlets are connected to the inverter circuit.

[bevedfelker]

Somewhere in your manuals it should say which 120 VAC plugs are connected to the inverter. Usually plugs going to TV, maybe one on the kitchen work counter, maybe one near bed for CPAP, maybe one in bathroom for hair dryer. But for sure the inverter will not be wired to the plug for the microwave or the A/C.

I know a lot of folks who bought RVs with an inverter and thought the inverter powered every AC plug in the unit.

[RSKDSK]

Thor B-class RVs with generators usually have a 1000 watt inverter and the microwave and generator are not connected to the inverter. The lithium systems have bigger inverters (3000 watt) and are capable of powering everything.

Some people have been successful at hooking up the microwave to the inverter, but that depends on the microwave wattage and your inverter size.

[robertj1961]

Originally Posted by BrunsFamily

Have a Tellaro with generator (not L-Bat). Once you turn on the inverter, I thought the microwave & AC would work? I have to run the generator to turn those appliances on. Any ideas?

The newer Tellaro's, 2022 and up, are equipped with a 3000 watt Mastervolt inverter so you should be able to run this equipment on that. These models are also equipped with a minimum of 200ah lithium batteries which will only run the A/C for about an hour. If you have one of these models and still have the problem, make sure your batteries are well charged by checking the Balmar battery monitor for SOC (state of charge). If you have an earlier Tellaro with a generator, you probably only have a 1000 watt inverter which would not run these devices. Make sure the inverter is actually "on" because mine is a little tricky to tell on vs off. Mine has a generator and the 3000 watt inverter so it is possible to have both. Most Tellaro's have either the 3000 watt inverter OR the generator, not both but there are a few exceptions. Also note that even with the 3000 watt inverter, the microwave would take precedence over the A/C if you tried to run both at the same time. It is designed to "shut down" (load shed) the A/C if you ever tried to do that. I recommend that you never try to do both at the same time. Please let us know more specific information on the year and equipment yours has. If yours has the 1000 watt inverter and a generator, you need to either have the generator running or be plugged in to 30 amp A/C to run the Air Conditioner or Microwave. As a side note, Thor no longer makes a Tellaro with a generator. 2022 was the last year it is even an option. Hope that helps...

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Judge

David is correct..... usually you have to purchase a high-end Class A to get both the battery capacity and an Inverter capable of powering all AC appliances in a coach.

....cut......

Did you mean high-end Class B?

The generator-less design essentially started with Class Bs many years ago, and as far as I know is still most popular within the B motorhome segment. The first I recall was the Roadtrek proprietary design, and then high-end Class B motorhomes from Advance.

If I recall correctly, the first high-volume application was when Winnebago introduced the Volta lithium-battery application on the Travato Class B. Xantrex added their design to the mix, and was offered by Coachmen and others. A lot of Class B manufacturers offer lithium/inverter generator-less systems today including Thor.

Thor is so big that they have now offered many different designs, including some basic ones that appear to be “in-house” developments. I don’t know that for certain, but their entry-level systems don’t seem to be as fully integrated like i would expect from Volta or their competition.

I’m not saying there are not some Class As with generator-less lithium/inverter systems, because there are, but they are few in numbers. And some of the luxury units (high-end diesel pushers) that have up to 20+ kWh of lithium also have a generator. When spending a million, why not have everything plus the kitchen sink?


P.S. — David is correct in that most Bs depend on an Onan 2800 Watt generator, or offer no generator. Lithium/inverter electrical in place of generator is growing, but I doubt it’s near the majority presently.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Microwaves, coffee makers, toaster ovens, hair dryers, portable heaters and many other "plug in" appliances require a bare minimum of 1000W...often times, more. Some of these (heaters and hair dryers) have a 750W option but that's still pushing it if anything else is running off inverter at the same time. Easy formula: Amps X Volts = Watts Required. Most all "devices" have the amperage draw posted on a sticker somewhere...even your cell phone charger. Slim chance your inverter is connected to any 120V receptacle other than a small TV.

[Panfam5]

Our 2022 Tallero has 2 Lithium batteries which power A/C when inverter is switched on for 6 hours. We rarely use microwave, but always have A/C off if we use it.

[LawrenceofPA]

The AC and oven are hard wired to the shore power and generator feeds. The inverter only supplies 2 duplex outlets. The ones that aren't GFCI.

[LawrenceofPA]

P.S. The 1000 watt inverter will power a number of appliances. Check the label on the appliance. The 200 Amp-hr battery is pretty challenged to supply 1000 Watts, so a bigger inverter won't help unless you upgrade the battery. My rough calculation for a battery, inverter, and solar upgrade looks a lot like $1000 or so

[fourthgear]

Originally Posted by BrunsFamily

Have a Tellaro with generator (not L-Bat). Once you turn on the inverter, I thought the microwave & AC would work? I have to run the generator to turn those appliances on. Any ideas?

I would believe it's wired that way , to only power major appliances with SP or Generator .