Plug RV into an invertor.

lawrosa wrote:
Has anyone done this?
Any concerns I should be aware of?

Of course many do power their trailer "whole house" by simply plugging the trailer's main service cable into the inverter output but I suspect often without thinking through all the implications, myself included. :R Many inverters are intended not for permanent installation feeding a common electrical system but to power individual devices plugged directly into the inverter output(s). Why is this important? - because some, especially lesser expensive inverters, have a centre tapped output in which there is actually 60 vac between neutral & ground rather than 0 vac as is (ideally) the case with conventional shore power. Your trailer is wired for conventional shore power so depending on the design of the inverter doing so could destroy it OR in a case where you might normally be using an EMS to protect your trailer's electrical system the EMS may interpret this centre tapped output as an error and refuse to connect to it. Should you have been using a G-N bonding plug when plugging your trailer into a genset with a floating neutral output so the EMS will connect to it but then neglecting to remove that G-N adapter before plugging into the inverter output could also destroy it, depending on it's design. Bottom line - only plug your trailer's main service cable into an inverter output if you understand all the implications and know for a fact it's safe to do so with your particular unit. If you're not sure the safest solution is to plug individual devices directly into the inverter output(s).

Another drawback I discovered with powering my trailer whole house was having to go outside in the middle of the night when we lost shore power to unplug the main service cable from the dead campsite power post and drag it back to the camper where I could plug it into the inverter. Not an issue if you set up to run off the inverter for your entire stay but in the middle of the night it's a PITA. I could have of course wired the inverter through an auto transfer switch but considering the few times each season we use the inverter it was more trouble than it was worth.

My solution was to wire the inverter outputs to dedicated duplex receptacles inside the trailer - one on each side of the bed, a third at the galley, plus another receptacle outside the camper. Circuits are therefore isolated entirely from the trailer's own electrical system, I can turn the inverter on/off from inside the camper using the remote control, and I am in effect using the inverter as the manufacturer intended by plugging each device directly into the inverter output.

Pics are in my gallery for anyone interested. :)