inverter

[Hart_family]

Originally Posted by franktafl

wouldn't heat be an issue?

Heat? Heat to the inverter in an outdoor battery box? Or are you asking about the battery.

I would really like to figure out how to nicely get my battery into the pass-through storage on the coach, to help keep it warmer than it might otherwise be during cold seasons. But then would need to coniser higher temps in the storage during the summer. Hmmm..

[franktafl]

Originally Posted by Hart_family

Heat? Heat to the inverter in an outdoor battery box? Or are you asking about the battery.

I would really like to figure out how to nicely get my battery into the pass-through storage on the coach, to help keep it warmer than it might otherwise be during cold seasons. But then would need to consider (fixed) higher temps in the storage during the summer. Hmmm..

Yes, I'm meaning the battery. the inverter creates a bunch of heat and that, with being in an enclosed box with the battery, may create an issue if the box is not cooled somehow (small fam?).

[Hart_family]

Got a nice 700 watt inverter. To be honest, I am not sure WHY I got one. I know the purpose is to convert 12 V DC power to AC power, but I am struggling to figure out truly "how" to do that.

Yes - I know I can hook these to my battery in my truck or on the tongue of the TT to get some AC power to the two outlets on the inverter, but is that REALLY what people are doing?

The unit is MUCH larger than I thought it would be. There is no place to put it in the TT. Plus, it has to be connected to a battery...it only came with short 30-inch cables that have no alligator clips. I went to every hardware store I could think of and no one sells those clips (depending on the size and wire gauge needed).

How are people REALLY using these?

[sundancer 87]

The short leads on the inverter is to keep the inverter close to the battery or battery bank. It is probably designed to be wired directly to the battery, hence no clips because it is a good size inverter, both physically and output potential.
If you want to use clips then check with a welding supply shop, they'd have clips. Or, buy a cheap set of jumper cables and remove the clips and use them.


The use of an inverter is limited to battery capacity. You can use it for whatever 110VAC you need providing you can keep the battery charged or recharged.

[ewarnerusa]

Yes, that's how they're used. 700 watt is getting into moderate size and should be wired directly to the battery to achieve full capacity.
Is there another idea you had for what to use it for and how to use it?
My inverter is permanently installed in front storage area so it is close to batteries (minimizes power cable length). I then plug my shore power cable directly into the inverter AC outlet so that all interior AC outlet are live, just like when plugged into normal shore power or a generator. I have my converter shut off when I do this so it isn't trying to charge the batteries using power drawn from those same batteries. I also don't use high power draw AC items because I'm limited by inverter and battery capacity

[Hart_family]

Thanks sundancer. I think I understand. So I would just sit the inverter on a little outdoor table or resting on the chassis tongue, pry open all the battery boxes, undo the wingnuts or bolts, and hook the inverter up, and then plug some outdoor product to it? Or perhaps run a 25' extension cord through a window into the trailer if I wanted to use a device inside?

For some reason I thought I would/could hook up the invertere to the electrical system inside the trailer somehow, but there is not really a spot to do this. Hmmm...

[sundancer 87]

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Conne...32598973&psc=1


Something like this for quick connect/disconnect of the battery. This way you just have to shut down the inverter and not everything in the trailer. Keeps the sparking things to a minimum.

[persistent]

Install the inverter in the pass through under the front bed or under one of the two wardrobes, or under the foot of the bed.

4 gage wire would do the job, 6 gage if you get closer to the battery.

1) Decide on the place. It should have room for air circulation around the inverter. The inverter should not contact plastic, vinyl, or other meltable material. ( The inverter probably gets warm or hot while in use.) Use pine boards to thermally isolate the inverter from vinyl surfaces.
The inverter will have an overload reset button that will trip and need to be reset. It will also have an on/off switch. Consider how to access them. My inverter has a wired remote which I mounted so it was inside the cabin for easy access.
You may wish to allocate room for future lithium batteries in the same space. Again with room for air circulation.

2 Measure the distance to the battery using the path the cables will follow. The current 12 volt house cable may show you a good route to follow. I would try to route under the floor to the front "A" frame and from there to the battery.
My Kodiak Cub has a covered underbelly that does not extend all the way to the outer walls. I routed the wire so it went through the floor where the bottom was not covered. (Easier to pull the wire.)

3 Make or order cables (one black, and one red) long enough to reach. Cable ends should be lugs big enough to fit battery terminals on one end and inverter connecters on the other end. Converter end may not need lugs if it has wire clamp connectors. Positive and negative battery terminals may have different size terminal bolts.

4 The positive cable needs to be protected by a 60 amp fuse or circuit breaker. It needs to be close to or in the battery box. You may be able to order the positive wire with a 60 amp fuse integrated into the wire.

5 Mount the inverter and fish the cables into place and connect to the inverter. Connect to the batteries, but leave the fuse out of holder or breaker off until ready to test.

6A Electric outlets dedicated to the inverter can be mounted in any convenient place. On either side of the foot of the bed would be good.
Most hardware or home stores stock all the boxes, outlets, and wire you will need. Use 14 gage two wire plus ground cable. (three wires total). Use 15 amp electrical outlets.
Run the 14 gage cable along studs, floor, or wall; attaching every 16 inches using insulated staples designed for that purpose.
Install a 14 gage ground wire from the inverter ground to any convenient place on the TT frame or common 115 volt ground bus.

6B To connect the inverter output to the existing TT 115 volt outlets, you need a transfer switch. A transfer switch is designed to prevent two AC 115 volt power supplies like shore power and inverter from being connected at the same time.
The switch needs to be able to handle the 30 amp or 50 amp shore power. In this case, the output from the inverter would go to the transfer switch. The shore power in would also go to the transfer switch. The transfer switch output would go to the 115 volt TT service entrance. Ask for more instructions if you go this way. Some transfer switches are simple, some are extremely complicated.
For a 30 amp shore power system, inverter output would be available at all outlets already in place.
For a 50 amp shore power system, inverter output would be available at about half of the outlets, maybe more. It depends on how complicated the transfer switch is.

6C As mentioned is a previous post, you could mount the inverter inside the pass through near the door. When you want to use the inverter, open the door and plug the shore power cord into the inverter. You do not need a transfer switch for this option. For a 30 amp shore power system, inverter output would be available at all outlets already in place.
For a 50 amp shore power system, inverter output would be available at about half of the outlets.


7 Put the fuse back in and test output.

In all cases a 700 watt inverter will trip off if you try to run high wattage appliances like microwave or air conditioner.

[sundancer 87]

60 amp fuse? It's a 700 watt inverter, not an arc welder.

[persistent]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

60 amp fuse? It's a 700 watt inverter, not an arc welder.

700 w / 12 v = 58.3 amps plus 1 to 3 amps to run the inverter = 60 amps.

[sundancer 87]

Are you saying a 700 watt inverter will produce an output of nearly 60 amps?

[leisuresolar@gmail.com]

Actually, the inverter is only about 85% efficient. So it really needs to draw about 825W from the battery. So a 12V battery needs to supply 68A to that inverter. The inverter will make 120VAC at about 6A max.

So you really need a 70A fuse on the battery.

[persistent]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Are you saying a 700 watt inverter will produce an output of nearly 60 amps?

The 60 amp fuse is in the 12 volt input wire. The battery supplies 60 amps at 12 volts to the inverter. The inverter converts that to 6 amps at 115 volt to power computers, TV's, and other small appliances.

[sundancer 87]

Oh crap!!! I read that completely wrong. The input wire size looked good but I totally spaced input current the inverter would need.
I remember now my 2400 watt inverter was protected by a 125 amp Buss fuse.


My apologies for being inattentive.

[persistent]

Originally Posted by leisuresolar@gmail.com

Actually, the inverter is only about 85% efficient. So it really needs to draw about 825W from the battery. So a 12V battery needs to supply 68A to that inverter. The inverter will make 120VAC at about 6A max.

So you really need a 70A fuse on the battery.

70 amps would work with 6 gage for up to 16 feet. It would work with 4 gage for up to 33 feet. (Windy Nation inverter installation chart distance from inverter to battery.)

[franktafl]

the inverter should have it's own supply line fuse.