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Old 05-20-2020, 12:15 PM   #1
JCB80
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Inverter

New on the forum, also 1st time TT owner. Bought a 2019 Keystone Passport SL240BHW last November and itching to go camping (or as my wife prefers - glamping).... but damn Covid making us wait! Live in British Columbia, Canada and almost all provincial parks here have no hookups - so I'm looking at electricity options.

The TT was an owner's demo and came with solar installed. I have 2 x 6V batteries in series. I'm looking at an inverter to enable us to use microwave, coffee machine/kettle, hair dryer, TV.... (not worried about AC).

Is it best to consult with the dealer? Is this an easy addition? (eg no major re-wiring or changing esthetics, etc). Cost? DIY options?

Any info/tips/help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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Old 05-20-2020, 12:21 PM   #2
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Most of the items you listed are "big power users" and won't play well with a two GC2 battery system. There's enough "stored energy" in a couple of GC2 batteries to watch TV, run the furnace in moderate temperatures and support the "trailer systems" (refrigerator/water heater control boards, lights and water pump). IMHO, if you're going to be using the microwave, hair dryer, coffee pot on a regular basis, you'd be better served with a 2000 watt generator to supplement a small (around 500 watt) inverter to operate the TV in the evenings.
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Old 05-20-2020, 01:39 PM   #3
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Some DIY options for the microwave, hairdryer and coffee maker. We have and often use the coffee maker. The other two are untested by us and are included for reference only.

Solar Powered Microwave:


Apologizes for the wise a$$ post. It's after 3:00 on Tequila Tuesday OOPS!! I mean Whisky Wenesday.. Damn Covid
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Old 05-20-2020, 01:49 PM   #4
Logan X
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I agree with John’s post. I have 2 six volt batteries and I use a 300 watt inverter to watch TV. I use a 2000 watt inverter generator to recharge the batteries, run the microwave, and any other big power items. This set up is budget friendly and is very effective. (I dry camp about half of the year, pretty much every month in the fall, winter, and early spring, for at least three or four days at a time)

Here’s a video on my set up if you are interested-

https://youtu.be/iaQZY_naOdE

Edit- Here is a link to the inverter I use. It plugs into the 12v outlet so there is no wiring. Just be aware, if you have a 12v outlet, it is probably rated for 10 amps so don’t try to run big power items through the inverter plugged into a 12v outlet.

https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-300Wat.../dp/B07KQ4Q2L5
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Old 05-20-2020, 09:30 PM   #5
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I would explore the rigs 120v wiring... Specifically the run that goes to the microwave/kitchen... See what is also on that leg (hopefully a receptacle in the kitchen area)... You could add this inverter with transfer switch to that power leg...

https://www.aimscorp.net/1500-watt-p...er-switch.html

As others have said your present battery bank will not power this for very long so a bigger battery bank would be needed
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Old 05-21-2020, 07:51 AM   #6
GHen
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Inverter

X3 you need at least 4 6v batteries to start before getting a big inverter.

Once you learn how to do the calculations of what a battery holds and how much a hair dryer uses, you’ll understand.
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Old 05-22-2020, 06:14 AM   #7
JCB80
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Thanks for the responses guys!

I've decided to look at a small inverter for the TV and to consider an inverter gasoline generator for the rest.

The only 12V outlets in my trailer are USB chargers and there is one conveniently just below the TV. I can replace that one with a cigarette lighter outlet to allow the plug in of a small inverter, right?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 05-22-2020, 07:15 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by JCB80 View Post
Thanks for the responses guys!

I've decided to look at a small inverter for the TV and to consider an inverter gasoline generator for the rest.

The only 12V outlets in my trailer are USB chargers and there is one conveniently just below the TV. I can replace that one with a cigarette lighter outlet to allow the plug in of a small inverter, right?

Thanks in advance!
That depends on how heavy the wire is to that USB charger and how far it's located from the battery terminals. The greater the amp load and the longer the run, the larger diameter wire is required to carry DC power safely. The last thing you want to do is have a "too small wire" carrying a "too big load" in a campground that's "too far from the fire department" if things go south... In other words, you need to verify the amperage input requirement of the inverter you choose, then verify the amperage load and wire length requirements for the wire that connects to the plug you install. Sounds complicated, but really it's no more difficult than choosing how big of an extension cord is needed to power something 50 or 100 feet from the plug. You'd never use a "18 ga house extension cord" to run the electric lawn mower, you also don't want to use a "too small wire" to run your inverter.
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Old 05-24-2020, 12:58 PM   #9
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JRTJH, good explanation.

OP, just post the model of the inverter you are looking at, or even the wattage and amperage draw of the inverter, and we can tell how big the wire should be.
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Old 05-31-2020, 10:11 AM   #10
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I would just go to Costco up there and grab a Champion 3100 inverter generator. I know there is a Costco in Kelowna, not sure about Penticton. I live in Maple Ridge BC and also do the Provincial Parks thing. I bought this generator really to recharge batteries on stay of 3 nights or more. I also use it to recharge the battery on my electric motor for fishing, and battery for my CPAP. It puts out 28 amps running and will start your AC unit. I have had real good success with this unit and would highly recommend it. When we are up in the Okanagan area on those scorching hot days you get up there, we will also run it for a few hours just to get a little relief from the heat.
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Old 05-31-2020, 01:05 PM   #11
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Once you learn how to do the calculations of what a battery holds and how much a hair dryer uses, you’ll understand.
Part of the culture shock on my first trip to Europe -- in England they used current limiters in the bathroom instead of GFCIs. My electric razor ran fine, but my hair dryer barely turned its fan over. And that was 240V.
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Old 05-31-2020, 07:44 PM   #12
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Hello JCB. Welcome to the forum. Camping at B.C. Parks starts tomorrow and we'll be on the road first thing. We always stay at Provincial Parks rather than the commercial "sardine cans" and when we travel south, we go to State Parks and are happy with the "no frills" sites. We do have friends though that like all the amenities and don't mind the cramped quarters. For tv viewing we carry an extra deep cycle battery and a cheap converter just for that purpose. It's a Samsung LCD and uses very little power. If we can't get a signal off our digital antenna, we have a ton of stuff recorded on an external hard drive that we plug right into the tv which eliminates the need for a power draining DVD player. Then when we need the trailer batteries perked up, we plug into our Firman 2000 watt inverter generator and charge the tv battery at the same time. It works awesome! Instead of using a microwave or coffee pot or kettle, we actually use the stove. And if the wife needs a hair dryer, I drive her into town and tell her to stick her head out the window. Different strokes for different folks.
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Old 05-31-2020, 09:41 PM   #13
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I have a Firman 3100-3500 Inverter that I use in BC parks works great and runs everything including AC when I need it. Have only used the AC twice in BC Parks in 7 years. I have also used a firman 2100 and never tried the AC but pretty sure it is not strong enough.

Don't forget the BC Parks generator hours 9am to 11am and 6pm to 8pm.
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Old 06-01-2020, 09:04 AM   #14
mikec557
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Originally Posted by JCB80 View Post
Thanks for the responses guys!

I've decided to look at a small inverter for the TV and to consider an inverter gasoline generator for the rest.

The only 12V outlets in my trailer are USB chargers and there is one conveniently just below the TV. I can replace that one with a cigarette lighter outlet to allow the plug in of a small inverter, right?

Thanks in advance!
JC, be sure to do your own math, but several years ago I calculated for a 27 inch Vizio LED flat screen HDTV (720p) and a Sony Blu Ray. Their paper specs were something like 53 watts combined. I bought a amp clamp guage from harbor freight, made a little 1ft extension cord with separated wires, and then measured the amps being used. At that point it was AC amps, so multiplied by 10 for 120v~12, than added 15% more for inverter inefficiency. I don't recall the final number but I do recall that I ran the setup for hours on a 100 watt Wagner inverter. Your bigger TV will draw a little more, but it won't be much. Also, as someone noted above, we have ripped many of our movie dvds to a small hard drive that we can jack into the TV or a Roku we sometimes use to stream watch over the internet using our cell phones as hotspots.

PS I know that math is not perfect, but it will suffice for the task.
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Old 06-08-2020, 09:01 PM   #15
JCB80
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Thanks for all the advise!

I got a 150W inverter (plugged into cigarette type plug) for the TV and a 3000W generator ordered from Costco (like Superdave recommended) and on the way.
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Old 06-09-2020, 04:57 AM   #16
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the answer.....get a generator.
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Old 06-09-2020, 06:09 AM   #17
mikec557
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Thanks for all the advise!

I got a 150W inverter (plugged into cigarette type plug) for the TV and a 3000W generator ordered from Costco (like Superdave recommended) and on the way.
I think that will cover you. Let us know how it works out for you. Your experience may help others trying to decide what's best for you.

Thanks
Mike
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