This is a pretty good example of what you can do mounting the Inverter in the pass-thru storage area which is close to the battery terminals. The INVERTER I use has a remote control ON-OFF switch and all of the 120VAC drop Cord cables are hid from view except where the multi-port extension cord receptacles are located on the back of a table top or side of a cabinet...
This is a simplified drawing of a typical smaller trailer pretty much wired up like my OFF-ROAD POPUP units as far as the installed Inverter is concerned...
I started out with a MSW type INVERTER in my OFF-ROAD POPUP setup and blew up a couple of items then went to a 300W PSW type Inverter and everything worked just great. After using this for a season we decided we wanted to run more 120VAC items when camping off the power grid so finally ended up with a AIMS 600W PSW INVERTER $149...
Alot of folks will tell you to just run the MSW type Inverters and hope for the best. It works good for me they say... In my first try I burned up an electric blanket controller, one 20-inch box fan, one 2COOL 10-inch fan xfmr, had lines running thru my TV set, DVD would not run at the correct speed. my clocks were never the right time, anything with a motor would run hot and slower... All of this to just save about $30 buck..... hmmmm ok....
If you run PSW TYPE Inverters then you don't even have to think about it burning up anything... Your choice.... This is just me speaking now - alot of users out there running MSW TYPE Inverters with no problems. Just not my PLAN B cup of tea...
We don't even think about it anymore now... Our emergeny 120VAC table top mounted receptacles are for anyone to plug in any 120VAC item they want to... With my 600WATT Inverter my draw from the batteries is usually around 20AMPs for the four hours between 7PM and 11PM. This relates to about 250-300WATTS being consumed in that amount of time. No problem at all for my 255AH battery capacity as long as I recharge the next morning.
I suspect you will want to install at least something in the 225AH battery capacity range if you can run for one day/night run off the batteries and re-charge again the next morning using smart-mode charging technology using a 2KW Honda Quiet type generator direct connected to the trailer 30AMP Shore Power Cable.
We will run things down to the around the 50% charge state and then re-charge back up to the 90% charge state the next morning and do these 50%/90% battery charge cycles for around 2-weeks before we have to charge up to a full 100% charge state. Otherwise we will start doing damage to our batteries.
If you can up your battery capacity to 400AH's or so you can last several day/nights running off the batteries without charging unless you have to run the furnace. The idea is to NEVER let your batteries run below 50% charge state and not re-charge right away or you will start internal battery self destruction and will have to replace your batteries most likely..
If you just grab a few things and run out to the woods it usually gets dark on you around 10PM at night...
It takes some planning but you you can camp very successful just like we do with not too many changes to the trailer system.
Just my thoughts
Roy Ken
