The wife wants to watch tv while we're camping.So I got everything I thought i would need?12 volt inverter http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-400-Watt-12-Volt-120-Volt-Inverter/dp/B001RNOHBC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373156849&sr=1-1&keywords=12+volt+inverters12 volt lcd tv VIP211k HD Receiver with hard drive that I took out of our bedroom So here's the problem when I turn everything on the inverter gives a low battery warning? My batteries are not low slightly over 13 volts with the solar charging the two new group 27 batteries.What i think I need is a heavier cord to go from my 12 volt power outlet (it says 8 amps on the wall plate seems like more then enough ?) Do they make a 12 gauge power cord? It works fine if I hook it up one of my old batteries direct with a heavier wire. I would like to be able to plug it into my power outlets so I can move it from the living room to the bedroom without having to hard wire the inverter. Thanks Gary

You'll have better luck not using the 12v socket and wiring it directly as you did.

I think you've found the problem. Your 12v wiring is too small. If I understand correctly you want a long 12v cord on the inverter so you can use it in the LR or the BR while still plugged into your RV's 1 12v outlet. This is the wrong approach. You would want to leave the inverter near the 12v outlet and use a long cord for the 120v output.If you are just needing a heavier cord on the inverter one could be made easily but I doubt anything is available ready made. There really isn't much available as far as 12v extension cords and such.I think your best option would be to hard wire the inverter near the batteries. You could either use an extension cord to the TV or hook up the RV's appropriate circuits to the 120v output.

Sorry but using the lighter plug is your problem as you already discovered. Wire your inverter directly to the battery at the shortest distance possible with the heaviest wire the inverter will accept. Then run 110 volt extension cords to where you need the power.I installed two inline transfer relays (link below) to power the circuits for the entertainment center and the outlets where we plug in laptops. That way those circuits are powered by shore power when plugged in and inverter when not, no action required by me it just works.Transfer Relay

If you are using a 12 Volt TV set, you don't need the inverter.

Mount the inverter as close to the battery as possible. Connect it with 10 ga wire and run 14 ga wire from the inverter to your TV and satellite receiver.

12 Volt Inverter | Good Sam Community

DonJ68
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013
camperpaul wrote:
If you are using a 12 Volt TV set, you don't need the inverter.

Most 12 volt televisions also include a 110v power cord in case you hookup to shore power!
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
I PLUG INTO ONE OF THESE
tplife
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
Inverters rob 5-20w power even when nothing is plugged into them. I like using converters wherever possible to save power.
mena661
Explorer
Jul 10, 2013
Mine draws 3W when idle. And if I turn it off it draws nothing. DC-DC converter losses are similar to inverters unless you get a really nice (read more expensive) model.
DonJ68
Explorer
Aug 17, 2013
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I PLUG INTO ONE OF THESE

I've tried but can't seem to get them to work. Where does the DVD go? :?
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Aug 18, 2013
Plug that sucker into that currant bush. I don't think the Sopranos have made it to the printing press yet, nor the NFL playoffs. My last TV was an Emerson that caught fire what, 25 years ago. Maybe more than that. A friend cured me of television forever - he purchased a flat screen so huge, it had to be placed twenty feet away to see the screen. The speakers didn't sound good way over yonder. So he has some kind of super pre-amplifier amplifier, equalizer gizmos with five remotes. You have to blast the sound to hear it, and I measured 480 watts sucked up when everything is on. He got sorta mad when I told him he was a pretty fartsmeller to come up with a system like that.
MrWizard
Moderator
Aug 18, 2013
12v * 8amps = 96 watts
your tv and your sat receiver are using more than that
so you get a voltage drop
relocate the inverter closer to the batteries But not in the same compartment
run New 120v circuit to the TV and sat receiver

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