Inverter to run off coach batteries

[JudyJB]

I have a Class C with two big house batteries, and of course, the vehicle cab has a battery which starts the engine and powers things off the cigarette lighter receptacles.

My problem is that I want to recharge or run my laptop off of my house batteries, but I don't have a receptacle in the coach to do that. (I have been using the cigarette lighter receptacle to recharge my cell phone and mobile internet hub.) I can purchase an inverter to run off the vehicle battery and charge the laptop, but I think I have much more capacity in the house batteries, since they never seem to show hardly any reduction in charge, even when I am using them to power lights, etc. when i have no shore power.

A couple of times, I ran the generator just to charge the laptop, but that seems like a terrible waste of gas since my house batteries were already fully charged.

So, is there a way to steal power by installing a 12 v receptable somewhere that would get power from the coach batteries??? Can I somehow hook something up to a ceiling light???

If I buy an inverter and use the vehicle battery to charge the laptop, won't I run the battery down??

[BirdbyBird]

You can have an inverter added to your coach to use to recharge anything you want. If you have two batteries you should be able to recharge your technology without a problem. You will learn which items pull how many watts quickly enough. Inverters come in different powers. I also have a 12 volt TV that can run off of the adapter.... Don't use it much but it is there.

[Sandersmr]

I would think you would already have either an inverter installed or a 12 v receptacle somewhere in your unit to run off the house batteries. My baby trailer has a 12v receptacle (looks like an accessory receptacle in a car) near where the antenna jack - I guess the idea was that you could run a 12v TV.

But yes, to answer your question, you should be able to run an inverter with 2 house batteries. If all you are wanting to run off it is your laptop charger, you wouldn't need a large one. Now to be able to run other electrical appliances as well, you would need something a little larger.

[avalen]

don't you have wall sockets to plug your chargers into? The wall sockets in your rv run off your batteries, at least mine do. I always thought
they did, maybe I'm wrong. Now I have doubts in myself But I do have a recepticle and you could get one put in, they are not expensive
its just the job of tapping into the wires. Don't know how handy you are with tools but any rv service center could put on in but then your
paying that labor. Do you have a handyman?

[Redetotry]

Great question, but I'm not sure I understood the answers. How would I know if I have an inverter already? I've always just charged my phone as I was driving using the thing that looks like a cigaret lighter, then charged my laptop etc when plugged into electric. So, if I have an inverter are you saying I could plug into the regular electric outlets and the inverter would then change the current (?) & the batteries would charge them that way WITHOUT being plugged into electric?
I'm not sure but I seem to remember something being said about an inverter for the TV but....

[OregonLuvr]

I recently had a 1000 watt sine wave inverter installed in my MH so I could charge my laptop, make coffee, etc without starting the generator. I know the wall receptacles only work if I am plugged into electricity or running the generator. I also have a cigarette like receptacle in my bedroom that I can charge my phone, etc but it isnt related to my inverter. There is a small panel for me to turn on my inverter right next to the dedicated outlet.

karen

[avalen]

I recently had a 1000 watt sine wave inverter installed in my MH so I could charge my laptop, make coffee, etc without starting the generator. I know the wall receptacles only work if I am plugged into electricity or running the generator. I also have a cigarette like receptacle in my bedroom that I can charge my phone, etc but it isnt related to my inverter. There is a small panel for me to turn on my inverter right next to the dedicated outlet.

karen

ok, now I remember when we had a power outage my lights went out. But there were two lights specifically in the livingroom that ran off the batteries
so I could turn those on AND the plug socket under the kitchen table where I always had my computer plugged in still worked. So guess there are limits.

[longdog2]

RVs generally come with a converter but only a few come with an inverter. Seems like motorhomes are more likely to have an inverter and at least 1 12v plug in because they have generators to charge the batteries. Judy, check some of the places people have mentioned to see if you have a 12v plug. If not, you can have one added and get a small inverter to use for charging your laptop and phone. You can also plug a small inverter into your cigarette lighter but I would only want to do that when driving so you don't run the engine battery down.

[Bethers]

What Colleen said!

I did not have an inverter. I had solar installed - and added an inverter at that time. But remember, if you use that inverter for too much, you might drain your batteries more than you want - so make sure you know the capacity. It's good to use them, but not to drain them completely. And my computer uses quite a bit of power. Phone and charging cameras, etc, very little.

[oregonrambler1]

You can buy small portable inverters that plug into the 'cigarette lighter' 12V receptacle to plug your small "AC required to charge battery" items. I think we got ours at WalMart. Just watch that you don't overload it or the inverter will overheat. Works fine for our cell phones and HP laptop. One of our 12V receptacles is under the dash on the passenger side of the RV. Another is under the dinette table.

[ellenw]

Okay - Gonna jump right in here and reveal my ignorance cuz I need to learn. What's the difference between a converter and an inverter and what do they each do?

[Bethers]

Okay - Gonna jump right in here and reveal my ignorance cuz I need to learn. What's the difference between a converter and an inverter and what do they each do?

Very basic here:

An inverter in an rv will be used when you are not plugged into electric. It will convert DC voltage to AC voltage.

Converters on the other hand (that should come in every rv) take the 110 volts AC and create 12 or 24 volts DC (most of us will have the 12 volts) (and there are other converters to other voltages, but I don't think in an rv). The converter allows an rv to run 12 volt appliances and lights while plugged into shore power at a campground.

[ellenw]

Thanks, Beth. I figured they must be opposites, just by looking at the words, but I didn't know which was which or how/when they were used. Basic is good; very basic is even better!

[JudyJB]

I know that all of my ceiling and reading lights work off the house batteries when I am NOT plugged in and shore power when I am plugged in. TV, microwave, and AC only work on shore power.

So far, I have not found a "house" plug that works when I am not plugged into electric. However, I have not tried them all, so maybe I need to do that.

Funny thing is that I keep finding wall receptacles. Just found one the other day when I was sitting in my "hallway." So maybe I just haven't found the 12 volt receptable if I DO have an inverter.

I will be at the dealer on Monday, so will ask them, and also ask about costs of getting one installed.

[Bethers]

So far, I have not found a "house" plug that works when I am not plugged into electric. However, I have not tried them all, so maybe I need to do that.

A 12 volt would look just like the one up front - like a cigarette lighter. You probably have one back behind your tv - for if you were to get (or you might even have) a tv that can be run on it. Unless you have an inverter and turn it on, NONE of your electrical outlets will work unless plugged in. (And the inverter would only be turned on when you were going to use it.) The lights etc that work when not plugged in are what the converter is changing when you are - so that they can be used both ways.