mrwacky wrote:
I'm grappling with a problem in need of a solution. For some reason the person who originally ordered our 5er chose not to include an inverter. We do have a propane powered genset and one battery for 12V operation.
Why is this an issue? We travel for months at a time, on this current trip we won't be home until October. But even for shorter trips we don't spend every night plugged into an RV park. We like to pull over when we want and spend many nights at Wal-Mart or other such parking lots. And we like to watch TV and play games, and be able to enjoy the creature comforts without resorting to turning on the genset. Running that genset consumes a lot of propane and I mean a lot. We went through 14 gallons in a matter of a few hours and not only is it a pain in the you know what to chase propane for a refill but it's not free either. I realize I'm rambling here but I wanted to put our story out there when asking for solutions. I'm thinking of buying one of the Harbor Freight 700 watt inverters, it comes with battery cables for clamping on the battery. Running an extension cord from the inverter which would be located in the front genset area to a window, and plugging in the TV/XBOX/DVD player and using the cigarette plug to charge the cell phones and such. Others I have talked to suggest a 1000-1500 inverter. And still others a 2000 to 3000 watt inverter. However, we would need a professional install,a bank of expensive batteries, and we would eat up storage area for the battery bank. The added inverter power would possibly run the coffee pot and microwave but again, at what cost? A pot of coffee brewing would suck up much of the battery charge as would warming something in the microwave. Plus we can warm or make coffee on the stove.
So I hope you see where I'm at and I have a feeling others out there are in the same boat. What have you done or what do you suggest we do?
Several options for you. 6v golf cart batteries are < $100 at most Sam's or Costcos. I put 2 in my Komfort last year and am glad I did. 4 really don't take up all that much more room. A good 1 or 2 panel solar system can help keep you off the generator by running as much as possible off the 12v system and light 110v usage. Adding a smaller inverter, with a switch panel to control 110v use, can also be done or, for ease of use, a larger inverter, but at the cost of efficiency. Personally, I'd replace the propane genset with a gas-powered one and also change it out to an inverter-type. The advantage to this is that the engine runs only as fast as needed for the load you put on it, which makes it =much= more efficient. A straight generator runs at idle or wide open, no in-between. Yamaha does make a generator that uses a lower rpm, high torque engine to help with this (2600 rpm, IIRC), but it's still either idle or wide open.
Lyle
