Power inverter installation

..as to the fan noise, you don't necessarily need a fanless inverter, just get one with a quite fan. The cheap ones are very noisy, the better quality ones are very quiet. In the 300w range, the best is Morningstar (fanless) but they run about 3 bills. My Samlex PST Series PSW 300w is very quiet and runs about $150. Also, the fan is thermo controlled meaning the fan only comes on when needed. The cheapos run all the time.

wanderingbob wrote:
Ain't nuttin wrong with going larger than you need , a larger inverter will not draw more from your battery than a smaller inverter if the loads are equal !

I wouldn't be so sure. Up to 300W they are (mostly) fanless, while larger inverters have fun. Idle draw of 175W inverter can be 3-4 times less than 1,500W one.

I just did this install, had a 750 watt inverter laying around so I used it. Put inverter as close to the battery's as I could which is the front storage hold, I mounted it so I could open the door and reach in to the unit to turn it on. For the inverter to battery run I used 4ga wire. For the power line I ran a 10/2 outdoor extension cord under the trailer and up the fridge vent to a plug box hole I cut behind the TV which is mounted above the fridge. Wired a dedicated plug at the TV then ran 10/2 romex behind the microwave and through another cabinet to the DVD player which is above the kitchen sink, on the end of this line I just wired on an extension cord plug to plug the DVD into. System works great but I do have to go outside to turn on and off the inverter, next inverter will have a remote switch.

I installed a Samlex 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter in my 2011 Silverado 1500 to power my Truck Camper. I went with Samlex because of their Smart battery isolator, which protects the truck's starting battery. Samlex.com has good installation diagrams for each unit.

I have attached a link for diagram of my installation.
Bob's Inverter wiring in a 2011 Silverado 1500

Cables between batteries and to the inverter is 2 gauge. An I used a 12 gauge extension cord for the AC to the outlet.

One note: I enclosed all wiring in flexible plastic conduit for circuit protection from the elements.

As mods go, adding an inverter is pretty easy. Many inverters come with the proper cables, connect red to positive on inverter and battery and black to negative inverter and battery posts. Sizing an inverter requires adding up the wattage from all the devices you plan to power at the same time, for the items you want to run a 300 watt should do the job nicely. We power a 40" HDTV, HD sat receiver, Blu-ray dvd player, and sound bar with a similar wattage pure sine-wave inverter and have 150 watts to spare.

Obviously, the easiest method would be to use an available 12VDC power socket. We have one in our entertainment center but the inverter squealed mightily when we attempted to run our equipment due to the heavy voltage loss from extremely under-sized wiring the factory used for the the circuit. Pretty commonplace for most RV manufacturers, can't blame them as the circuit is not intended to power numerous items at the same time, 5-8 DC amps is about tops for those sockets.

Mounting the inverter close to the battery and running wire to dedicated outlet(s) allows you to utilize a less costly, smaller diameter wire as the voltage drop for AC voltage is less significant over longer runs. I had heavy gauge wire sitting around in the shed and decided to run this directly from the battery to the inverter that we mounted in the entertainment center. Have large whole-house inverter already installed but found having a smaller inverter just for our A/V equipment easier and more efficient.

Ain't nuttin wrong with going larger than you need , a larger inverter will not draw more from your battery than a smaller inverter if the loads are equal ! Get one large enough to run a small pancake compressor or an electric impact wrench !

I have a 300 watt Samlex pure sign wave inverter I installed about 8 months ago, pretty easy install. I use it for the TV, DVD, etc like you intend. I wired mine so I can plug the shore cord into the inverter to power all the plugs, though I only power up the TV/DVD. If you do it this way, you need to switch off your charger and all other unnecessary breakers. Works great and only wish I did it 5 years ago.

Don Rowe site Inverter FAQ
Inverters by Phred
inverter thread
MSW v. pure sine
Inverters and MW thread

Search 'inverter' in Tech and you'll find all kinds of stuff.

I installed a 12v jack on the dinette seat over the battery. I use a 300 watt PSW inverter when I need it.

My TV however had a a 120v to 12vdc adapter (wall wart) so it runs just fine on 12v.