inverters

FWIW, my motorhome came with a generator, CONverter and INverter. Over the years I never used the INverter. The circuit it was part of controlled the "entertainment" (TV area), 2 outlets in the front of the coach (including the outlet for a coffee maker) and, surprisingly, the 2 outlets in the bedroom.

Last year, i got no power from anything connected to the INverter.It failed. Seeing i never used it anyway, I disconnected (removed it) and bypassed it. No problems.

Want a cuppa coffee on the road? Fine. Start up the genny...or simply buy a cheap percolator and use the stove. Watch TV? Use the genny. But make sure you don't annoy your neighbors.

Now...my style of "camping" was to use campgrounds for most overnighters and all extended stays. That means shore power which renders the INverter useless. The few times we spent a few hours (overnight) at, say, WalMart, we the coach batteries (sparingly)... our propane heater did fine for about the 6 hours we needed it..then on the road again), the fridge uses gas or electric and we did fine without TV for those few hours.

But that's me and my camping "style". Oh...and INverters can be expensive.

INverters can fail without warning. CONverters get weak over a few years,

What do you want to operate with the inverter and for how long? You size the inverter and batteries to this.

I have a 400W MSW inverter to watch TV for hours on a 100Ah battery.
I recommend buying a PSW inverter. My fan is noisy and coffee pot is slow on my MSW.

An inverter is only useful if you are boondocking/dry camping and DO NOT want to run your generator.

Using an inverter requires a GOOD battery bank ! At least TWO 6V golf cart batteries (the most cost effective solution). The other end of the spectrum would be 2 LiFePO4 batteries.

Must people also have solar panels to recharge their battery bank. Without solar, you will have to run the generator for charging.

By all means, you want a pure sine wave inverter. They cost more but work much better. I also highly recommend a combination inverter/charger/automatic transfer switch like one of the Samlex EVO Series. Disconnect your converter but keep the DC distribution panel. Just hook the distribution panel directly to your battery bank.

What I really like about the Samlex EVO Series is all connection are made in one place. Much easier to install.

Start here. 12v side of life.

If you want a small inverter, the Victron 350 watt pure sine wave unit is top of the line and a "best buy".

Buy an inverter that is 125% of the greatest load you want to run.

Many of us have a small inverter, and a large one. This cuts down on the running overhead.

jerseyjim wrote:
Want a cuppa coffee on the road? Fine. Start up the genny...or simply buy a cheap percolator and use the stove. Watch TV? Use the genny. But make sure you don't annoy your neighbors.

He barely understands what an inverter is and you're already telling him how to not use one.

I NEVER told the OP not to "use one" Just my experience and opinion(s). I can do that.

I started with "FWIW"....meaning For What It's Worth....meaning the OP can take it or leave it. I just hope it was helpful in some way.

Yes you can connect an inverter. 350 watts or less is fairly easy. To run big stuff for a short period you need 2000+ watts and it get a bit more complex with more batteries etc. I recommend something small and use the generator for large items like microwave, hair dryer, Keurig, waffle iron etc.

350 watts will run a tv, dvd, satellite, laptop, phones, ipad etc. I recommend sine wave only. GoPower and Victron are excellent brands.

We only ever have shore power at home, never while away, and we like to use the microwave, toaster, etc while camping for several days at a time. The MH has no generator fitted, and can't carry the Honda3000 we have from 5er days. We do have solar (when the sun is ever out), some alternator charging, and carry lots of battery to get by.

How to do that in a Class C is all about footprint opportunity in your rig, and how much DIY with RV electrical and modifications you want to do.

In ours, the batteries are under the dinette seat next to the kitchen counter where the inverter goes under that allowing short wire run inverter-battery. Solar comes down from the roof just above that with wires hiding in a white plastic tube against the wall so not so ugly.

I would carry a 2000w gen if I had one, and needed it, but so far not.

We have AGM batteries so they can be inside the rig under the dinette since the outside vented battery compartment is too small.

So we head out with 450AH of AGMs, 2000w PSW inverter, 555w of solar on the roof, and pig out on 120v off grid without having to take it easy on anything.

The big thing is that you do have to do some serious work on setting your rig up and must have a good idea what you are doing.

What do you want to operate with the inverter and for how long? You size the inverter and batteries to this.

OP , when you get a chance, We need this info in order for people to help you further.


I use a plug in 150 watt PSW inverter to operate my 40" tv plus Dish sat recvr. The tv uses 65w and the 211k recvr uses 22w.


BTW, for boondocking , if coffee is the reason, I find it easy to use a dripper cone and boil some water on the stovetop. You just place a cone shaped filter in the cone and pour hot water into it. It drips like an electric coffee maker.
single cup coffee dripper