Yep, we are "real" newbies, we finally bit the bullet and purchased our first TT. With it, I now find come a ton-o-questions. I fear I will be a frequent visitor to the forums but not much of a contributor. First question: The inverter, are there problems with running "normal" household appliances off the inverter, e.g. my wife attempted to run her hairdryer and although the plug remained "live/hot", (I'm sure there is an electrical term for this), the hairdryer's internal GFI kept tripping, disallowing its use, yet things like the cellphone charger work? I thought the inverter functions exactly like being plugged in at home... No? Second question: The microwave, we were told by the dealer that in order to use the microwave (not the AC) -we primarily boondock- that we should purchase a generator; we did, a Yamaha 2000iS. Although the thing powers up the microwave, it still takes >3 minutes to warm an already half-warmed cup of coffee (think what it would take to cook a TV dinner?) Is this the normal or do we need a second generator.Question three (sorry): We're not too much on perked coffee, has anyone found a small drip coffee maker that works well off an inverter?

When ever you are changing 12v to 120v unless you have a huge battery bank things like hair dryers or toasters or drip coffee pots anything that generates heat from the electricity produced is going to be hard to do. Unless you have a huge battery bank you can pretty much forget anything that produces heat. You can run your TV as long as its not a 48in plasma or something you can run radio or cell phone chargers. but you are always going to have a hard time with items that change the electricity into heat source. Or any appliance that takes a large amount of electricity. Electric heaters are certainly out with a 12v to 120 volt inverter. Your 2000 watt generator should run the Microwave as long as you don't have anything else drawing the power away from the oven. Like a water heater element being run at the same time or an AC running at the same time. Some times water heaters have an electric heating element along with LP you need to make sure the heater is turned to LP. A water heater can draw as much as 30 amps and you don't even know it's on. By the way welcome to the RVing club.

Yea, running the inverter from battery, you would need a lot of battery and a large inverter. As stated, anything that creates heat takes lots of power.As far as the microwave running on generator. As long as both remained on-line, it should have worked fine. Could be something wrong with the microwave taking that long to heat. How does it work plugged into shore power?Since you have the generator, I would recommend using it when running things like the coffee maker or hair dryer as well as microwave. Just not all at once. Pick one......

Oh, I don't know why the hair dryer GFI would be tripping on the inverter. I guess it might be a modified sine wave (MSW) inverter. Some electronics don't like those. Pure Sine Wave (PSW) is much better. But also more expensive.

Thanks for all the input, this really helps...more to follow as we learn the ropes...Thanks again

it would help if you posted info on the inverter, brand/model.many of us that dry camp or boondock, don't use electric coffee makers.i been using a Coleman stovetop drip coffee maker for over 6 years now and still love it.since we camp at Calif. state parks mainly, dry camping is a way of life for us and i refuse to use the generator just to make a cup of coffee.though we haven't boondocked yet, we wouldn't do anything different from dry camping.many other use a French Press. and i just say a French Press style coffee maker for Keurig cups.by the way, we used to live in Ventura County and loved visiting Avila Beach, SLO and Pismo.great place to live.:B

Electrical Questions from a "real" newbie | Good Sam Community

opnspaces
Navigator II
May 06, 2014
If you bought an inverter for less than $300 and or you bought it at Walmart, Target, Autozone, Home Depot etc, then it will be Modified sine wave. If you still have the box that the inverter came in it will be printed somewhere on it.

On my trailer with a Honda Eu2000i I have to flip the circuit breaker for the converter while running the microwave. If I don't I notice that the microwave seems to struggle and the fan sounds like it's turning slow.

You might try plugging your trailer into a standard household outlet and heating a coffee cup full of water. Then unplug and try running the same test on your generator. That should tell you pretty quickly if your generator is up to the task.
Harvey51
Explorer
May 06, 2014
When using an electric coffee maker without shore power, the efficiency is very low. Fuel is burned in the generator, losing at least 75% of the energy as waste heat. Way more efficient to use the heat from burning propane directly to heat the coffee. A thermos type coffee butler will keep it hot for hours.

We have camped beside people who ran their generator all day to keep the coffee warm. The noise gets pretty annoying. The waste of energy in these times of conservation is shocking.
1Moondoggie
Explorer
May 06, 2014
Thanks for the input, this is helpful...now just need to figure out which type of inverter we have...
wa8yxm
Explorer III
May 05, 2014
1Moondoggie wrote:
I thought the inverter functions exactly like being plugged in at home... No?

Short answer is NO.. There are two types of inverters, MSW and TSW (Modified Sine Wave or Modified Square Wave depending on who is typing and True Sine Wave, also called Pure Sine Wave) the latter are more expensive and are just like plugging into the wall at home.

The first (MSW) are different. Many devices may not work properly on an MSW inverter.. There may also be other issues,,

Second question: The microwave, we were told by the dealer that in order to use the microwave (not the AC) -we primarily boondock- that we should purchase a generator; we did, a Yamaha 2000iS. Although the thing powers up the microwave, it still takes >3 minutes to warm an already half-warmed cup of coffee (think what it would take to cook a TV dinner?) Is this the normal or do we need a second generator.

Sounds about normal for a 700 watt Microwave

Question three (sorry): We're not too much on perked coffee, has anyone found a small drip coffee maker that works well off an inverter?

I have a Proctor Silex One-up job (makes 12 oz cups) that can use either ground coffee with a paper filter, Mesh filter or SENSO coffee pods.

I used to have some of these by other companies

I have a Mr. Coffee 4 or 5 cup (20 oz total)

And a Kurig Mini-10

All 3 work well with my True Sine.. The Proctor Silex would work equally well on an MSW. since it is a simple resistor and t-Stat device. (no electronics).

Assuming you have a MODIFIED sine wave.. here are the considerations for coffee pots: KISS.. (Keep it super simple) if the thing has an ON/OFF switch and no other controls (or just an ON button and auto-turn off) odds are it will work IF it has timers and brewing controls.. (Electronic) Odds go down.. On the 3 I have both the Mr. Coffee and the Kureg have timers and/or sensors.
Allworth
Explorer II
May 05, 2014
It would help if we knew EXACTLY what kind if trailer we were talking about.
scbwr
Explorer II
May 04, 2014
What is the wattage of the microwave? It may just be a lower wattage oven that is slower!
pianotuna
Nomad III
May 04, 2014
Hi,

Any of the small non computerized drip coffee pots will work, even if the inverter is modified sine wave.

The microwave should run well from the generator you have purchased. Have you checked the 120 volt voltage when running the microwave?

Items such as the fridge, and converter may be running at the same time as the microwave.
bikendan
Explorer
May 04, 2014
it would help if you posted info on the inverter, brand/model.

many of us that dry camp or boondock, don't use electric coffee makers.
i been using a Coleman stovetop drip coffee maker for over 6 years now and still love it.
since we camp at Calif. state parks mainly, dry camping is a way of life for us and i refuse to use the generator just to make a cup of coffee.
though we haven't boondocked yet, we wouldn't do anything different from dry camping.

many other use a French Press. and i just say a French Press style coffee maker for Keurig cups.

by the way, we used to live in Ventura County and loved visiting Avila Beach, SLO and Pismo.
great place to live.:B
1Moondoggie
Explorer
May 04, 2014
Thanks for all the input, this really helps...more to follow as we learn the ropes...Thanks again
Larryect
Explorer
May 04, 2014
Oh, I don't know why the hair dryer GFI would be tripping on the inverter. I guess it might be a modified sine wave (MSW) inverter. Some electronics don't like those. Pure Sine Wave (PSW) is much better. But also more expensive.