Learning about inverters

[Olive600]

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ga ... verter.htm

This URL is for an article about inverters. It's the first one I've found that I actually understood. That means it's written for techo-idgits like myself. Really it means it's written in plain English for ordinary folks.

Beth, is your 1500 watt inverter hard-wired to your battery? Is there anything I need to know about my battery if I'm thinking about hooking up a 1200-1500w inverter?

My goal is to be able to boondock for a week, (maybe two?) at a time and have power the whole time without investing in wind/solar/squirrels on wheels. My assumptions are that I need to keep lots of gas in the gas in the gas tank so that I can run the engine to charge the battery. Or does the inverter run off my whatever the battery in the back is called. I assumed that if you plug a small inverter into the lighter, it's running off the engine battery. I then made the logical leap that all inverters run off the engine battery. See why I'm always so confused?

I'll need to move to rig to dump tanks and go shopping and running around. My rig is small, so I don't mind and I don't plan on towing. I just want to be able to stay out on the road for months at a time as frugally as possible. Boondocking seems to be the big way to save $$.

[JoanE]

I am in discussion with http://www.rvsolarelectric.com. They are located in AZ. They have been very patient in answering my questions and advising me on solar components based upon my rig, my power consumption and my appliances. We do not all need the same equipment. My rig has a built in inverter but it is too small for solar. In fact, in three years I have never used it.

You might check out their website or just give them a call. If you are not in their area, they also have info on what installations should average, so you can feel comfortable with your local installer's price quotes.

[Olive600]

Joan, I'll take a look at the site, but I really don't want to invest in another system for the RV. I'm trying to get back to my original reason for buying the beast in the first place: I want to spend 3-6 months traveling the west and 3-6 months traveling the east with a short trip home to TX in the middle. After that I sell the RV and I'm finished. I just want to see the country not create a lifestyle. I made a huge mistake buying the vehicle I did. Now I'm trying to salvage the dream with a lot less $ to spend than I originally thought. So, no more big longterm investments. I'm sure others will find the site valuable, so thanks for including it in this thread.

Nikki

[JoanE]

Nikki, my post was a response to Cudedog on another thread but I saw that you were starting a new thread so added my reference link too. The same guy could answer your question about hooking up your inverter. I have chatted with him twice and he is providing much good info. I still may decide not to add solar as I am not certain I would get the financial benefit. I tend to be in hot areas where my ac requires shore power.

[Bethers]

Nikki, I'm hardwired to my 4 coach batteries. just remember that how ever much you drain your batteries, you need the time to fully charge them, no master the method of charging. I never recommend drawing from the coach battery unless you're driving.

[Olive600]

I'm not sure which battery is the "coach" battery. Are you saying that you have 4 batteries under the hood where the engine is?
What is the battery on the shelf outside at the back of the rig? I'll try to find a video.

[VickieP]

Nikki, the coach battery is the one that is under the hood. When you add additional batteries, it is added to your battery that is for other than running the motor. I think Beth's is in a compartment, maybe where her geny was. If you have a battery outside on a shelf in the back, that would be the one that they are referring to.

[Olive600]

Thanks, Vickie. Here's what I think I know so far:

The battery under the hood is called the coach battery. It's not a good idea to charge anything off the coach battery unless I'm driving.

The battery or batteries in the compartment accessed from outside the rig, toward the back in mine, are called the house batteries. You can have more than one house battery and an inverter can be hardwired to those batteries. (Vickie, I didn't describe my set up very well. My house battery sits on a shelf in a compartment at the back of the rig. It's not really outside on a shelf. I should have said that I get to it from the outside of the rig.)

I had a new house battery put in, one that is maintenance free, because I would have had a heck of a time getting to the old one to check the water. (I don't have any idea what "check the water" actually entails.) The new battery cost around $250, which I was recently told is a lot of money for a battery. That's all I know about it. What more should I know and how do I know if I need a second battery if I want to boondock for a week at a time? I was going to have two put in, but was told by the RV guy I didn't need two. In all fairness, there's no telling what I actually asked him. I didn't understand then why I would want another battery and I'm not sure I do now if it isn't for boondocking.

[BirdbyBird]

If you have room for two house batteries I would recommend adding a second. It means that for the careful electric manager you can easily make it through the night without a worry. I think I posted how many hours I ran my generator at my cousin's this summer keeping the dogs cool during the day while parked down front amount his trees....and how many gallons @ it took to refill the tank when I pulled out.

I would not recommend boondocking in extreme heat and wanting to run the generator for the AC over a weeks time.....but for those three days I think I ran it a total of about 36 hours and used about 12 gallons......I will go back and check.

I could easily stay a week somewhere just running it once or twice a day to recharge batteries and tech equipment. As long as the place I was parked was not 200 miles from the closest gas station.

[Olive600]

Thanks, Tina.

[Sunnyphillips]

My name is Sunny and I am a fulltimer (5 years), this time in my 37' '99 National Tradewinds coach. I boondock as often as possible and when I first bought my coach I had to invest ($2500) in a new Mangum inverter because mine was shot. One reason that it was shot is that the previous owner mixed power sources. The technician that installed my inverter, explained to me that there are 3 power sources available that should NEVER be used at the same time. One is shore power, next is generator and third is inverter. So, when you are plugged into shore power, the generator and inverter should be off. And when you are running the generator or inverter the other two power sources should be off. I charge my batts on shore power and when boondocking generator power for one hour every 24 hours. After shutting off the generator I turn on my inverter and that powers my RV for 24 hours and more depending on the amount of light, etc. This understanding of the use of power was very helpful and I hope that it helps someone else out there. Happy RVing! Sunny Phillips, Sunnysoloadventures@wordpress.com/

[retiredhappy]

Nikki, when I boondock I run my generator to use the microwave and make coffee, etc which charges the battery. I don't boondock if the weather is so hot that I need my AC all the time. My Roadtrek also has only one house battery and I'm thinking of adding another one. Sharon (Sprinter) boondocks all the time with only one house battery but she doesn't watch TV or cook much. If my house battery gets too low I can start the engine and then start my generator off the engine. Are you sure your rig doesn't already have an inverter built in?

[bluepinecones]

My rig did not come with an inverter either but think I will need to add one.
Magic also came with only one house battery. On advise from several members here, I did have a 2nd battery added before I picked her up from dealer. Believe that was a sound investment but unfortunately I did not know about maintenance free batteries at the time.

[Olive600]

Nikki, when I boondock I run my generator to use the microwave and make coffee, etc which charges the battery. I don't boondock if the weather is so hot that I need my AC all the time. My Roadtrek also has only one house battery and I'm thinking of adding another one. Sharon (Sprinter) boondocks all the time with only one house battery but she doesn't watch TV or cook much. If my house battery gets too low I can start the engine and then start my generator off the engine. Are you sure your rig doesn't already have an inverter built in?

I don't believe I have an inverter built in. Where should I look to be sure.

I don't watch TV and I can plan so that I keep my cooking to a minimum. If I get a second battery, can I avoid running the generator? I don't plan to run the AC for any length of time. Two or three 5 minute microwave sessions should do me for a day.

[Olive600]

My rig did not come with an inverter either but think I will need to add one.
Magic also came with only one house battery. On advise from several members here, I did have a 2nd battery added before I picked her up from dealer. Believe that was a sound investment but unfortunately I did not know about maintenance free batteries at the time.

I will probably add a second battery if I have room for one and hardwire an inverter. That won't happen until next year, but a girl can dream.

Nikki