Inverter/Battery question

[xtasee]

I am still 6 to 8 weeks from my new 31SL arriving and have some more questions to the group.

My Motorhome that I just sold had an inverter that powered everything in the coach (I am sure not the Air Conditioner). I am surprised to find out that the new 5th wheel will not have an inverter (3 way fridge).

I asked my salesman to check with Jeff at RW to see if they could install an inverter so I could watch TV without the generator running (dry camping). I was told no but maybe we could just use one of those ones that plug into a lighter socket. Really?

Can I have a real inverter installed somewhere that will power all of my outlets?

I am also contemplating having the battery box modified for 4 6 volt batteries but I do not see a need if there is no inverter...

I want to be able to be in the mountains where it is cold, watch TV for a couple of hours and run the furnace (propane but the blower will draw on the batteries) and not have the batteries go dead causing the heat not to be on for the full night...

Will two 12V group 27's get that job done? My Motorhome had 3 (+ another for the engine) and that seemed to be adequate.

[mhs4771]

You only get an Inverter in an RW if you op for the Residential Fridge option, and it is only wired to the outlet for the Fridge. But you could run a cord to the entertainment center to power the Tele and Sat Receiver (if you have one).
To be able to run everything in the RW would require a quite Large and Expensive Inverter not to mention a Huge Battery Bank to supply power.
I wouldn't count on just two batteries. I've added two additional Deep Cycle 12V batteries which will keep our fridge running for 2 to 3 days without a problem, but we're not big Boon Dockers anymore, that was in our younger days of tents and Pop-ups.

[xtasee]

I guess I am not understanding why it would need to be any larger than the one in my 40' Motorhome. It powered things nicely for several hours on 3 12v

[mhs4771]

Well you could power all the outlets, but you stated running everything, to me that means even high current draw items, like Microwave, Electric Frying Pan, Toaster, Coffee Pot, etc.
What size was the inverter in the MH?
The Inverter that RW installs is a 1000 Watt inverter, mainly to just run the Fridge, typical Microwaves take between 900 to 1800 watts depending on size and manufacturer.

[xtasee]

Everything just meant that it all worked meaning any outlet, Microwave, and yes I could do a toaster or even a quick blast with a hair dryer. I just meant that it must have powered the entire panel...


I rarely used anything with a heating element on it as that would truly be more of a draw than I would like. I used the big Onan for those things.


I sort have thought that was standard in a high end RV...


I wish I had of looked at the capacity on the MH before it left but truly did not think of it. It was mounted in one of the outside bays and really did not take up much space. Maybe about 8"x12"x6"

[xtasee]

Also this thing had 3 Televisions that were the old picture tube monsters that drew more power (I assume) than the new LED's.

[Shane Wood]

You could wire in a 2000 w invertor to run tv vcr coffee pot etc. But would be limited by the size of the invertor as to how much you can run at 1 time.Most motorhome have an energy management system that will shut things off when overloaded
You can go to onan rv generators and they have a sizing chart that you plug in the number of items you will use at once and it will total up the wattage so you can see how large an invertor or generator you would require

[brenkco]

xtasee,

That is pretty much what I did. I have a residential package that came with a 1000w inverter that is dedicated to the refer. Here is what I wanted:

1. Whole house power inverter with the ability to:
a. Power all of the circuits during the day if needed and all night
b. Power the entertainment circuit 24/7 using the inverter
c. Have enough batteries to power a heated cpap over night, run the refer and enough power to make a pot of coffee in the morning

Here's what I did to accomplish my goals:

1. Installed a 2nd 2000w Xantrex pure sign inverter
a. I daisy chained it off my 1000w Magnum inverter that was factory installed.
2. Installed 4 6v golf cart batteries
3. Removed the entertainment circuit, installed a double pole double through switch
a. This allows me to either provide inverter or shore power to the circuit
4. Installed a 20a plug off the 2000w inverter. This allows me to plug into the rigs shore power to provide 110a to the whole rig
5. I also installed a 20a single pole switch to defeat the converter, thus preventing a continuous loop while running the rig on the inverter. (Inverters don't like converters on the same circuit.

I use a Honda 2000 to charge the batteries during the day, about an hour or so in the morning, and a couple of hours in the evening. I do travel with 2 Honda's that allows me to run one air conditioner if needed.

As far as heat, the squirrel cage fan eats a bunch of battery power, so my solution was to install a ventless propane heater. I removed the stove, put in a tee on the propane line and ran a separate line to a quick disconnect left of the drawer underneath the oven. It's a portable heater, that I put in front of the fire place when we need heat while boon docking, no batteries power necessary.

Bottom line, is that there are several ways to accomplish what you want.

Ken

[xtasee]

Ken,

What you did sounds very similar to what I want to do. I will have the refer running on propane however.

While I understand most of what you posted, I do not understand the total scope of the project. I have an electrition friend who I will reach out to. It does sound however that it is doable.

How many dollars invested in the Inverter/switch setup?

Larry

[Dave&Ginny]

It would be nice to have an electrical system in the 5th wheels comparable to what we have in the larger MHs. It sure makes life easier.

I have 6 6volt batteries and every plug is hot all the time. We have the coffee pot on all the time as well as the residential fridge and there's usually a computer plugged in somewhere.

[brenkco]

Larry,
The inverter was about $370.
Second biggest expense are the cables, more about that later.
Next was the double pole,double throw switch which you may or may not want/need $80
I got a remote on/off power switch for the Xantrex, about $30
You'll need a 300w breaker (car stereo shop) and the rolex, switches and boxes, probably about $30 or so.

So here is the drill on the cables. Your inverter should not be mounted in the same compartment with wet cell batteries, but should be as close as possible to them. (in the basement on the other side of the wall from the batteries is a good spot. If you can get by with 6', you can get 1/0 for about $70.00 a pair. I bought the inverter, cables and switch from DonRowe.com. They will make custom cables for you. I found them great to deal with.

Dave, I agree. I did mine on the cheap not installing another transfer switch and spending the $ for an on board genset, etc. I have to go out and plug/unplug mine manually, start and stop the Honda's but as often as I boon dock......I was just to cheap to go the automated route!

[ELLIOBO]

My inverter on my new 3401RL keeps poping the gfi on inverter when I plug into outlet. It works fine when working off 12 volt dc. Is this a reverse polarity issue.