Have You Installed a Residential Fridge and Inverter in TT?

I appreciate the responses.

Was looking at this solution for my battery storage, if two 12-volts would be enough. Was thinking of starting out with 2 new batteries. Considered this box if I went over to 6 volt. Not sure I want to buy 4 new batteries for what I need to accomplish.

Truck is still charging TT battery while traveling.

Have also considered adding the inverter without replacing the converter/charger. Not sure that I've seen one that impresses me much, though.

There are many resi refer posts in Class A, and 5er. Not sure if that helps.

mena661 wrote:

EDIT: GUYS!!!! He just needs this while driving (4-5 hrs) to his destination and that's full hookups. He doesn't need a huge battery bank. Hell, the fridge could probably stay cold for half that time without the inverter setup.

To the OP, is the charge wire from the truck functioning?

oh, well in that case, just get a 600-1000 watt from harbor freight, best buy, auto zone, etc, keep your existing converter the way it is, and plug the fridge only into the inverter.

add a second battery that's the same group as whatever you have now, wire in parallel... keep an eye on the battery volts and charge up as often as you can.

bikendan wrote:
where would you put the minimum 4 6v batteries you'd need, in a TT?

it's a struggle... I converted an indoor storage bay under my dinette to my battery / inverter bay. not much off-gassing from AGM batts so I'm ok with them being indoors. four group 31 and the magnum just barely fit :)

OP said they never dry camp so I assume they only want to use the inverter during there traveling between point A and point B.
If this is the case why not use your existing converter in place and get a Xantrex 1000 watt inverter. It will be more than enough. Your two 12 volt will be fine just make sure you have a charge line from the tow vehicle to TT. The residential Freig will not cycle much if it's already cold when leaving for your trip.
You will be fine.

I would get 2 or 3 grp 27 12V batteries. That should be enough to keep the fridge running while traveling. BTW, I'd keep the converter as a backup if it's working good. You can just disconnect the 120V side.


EDIT: GUYS!!!! He just needs this while driving (4-5 hrs) to his destination and that's full hookups. He doesn't need a huge battery bank. Hell, the fridge could probably stay cold for half that time without the inverter setup.

To the OP, is the charge wire from the truck functioning?

where would you put the minimum 4 6v batteries you'd need, in a TT?

I installed an inverter, but still have my ammonia absorption fridge.

I too had considered the Tripp Lite... I know the brand well from the information technology industry.

A few things I didn't like about the tripp lite was lack of rv specific features; especially low battery voltage cut out. it will suck your batteries all the way to 0 if you let it. more expensive inverters like xantrex and magnum have protection against that sort of thing.

the charger is also a bit weak in the tripp lite. if you're getting a 2000 watt+ inverter, you need 600+ amp-hours of battery bank, and with that much battery, you want a 100+ amp charger... like the Magnum's 125A 4-stage charger.

as to how to wire it, instructions are provided in the installation manual. I can help with specific questions if you like.

many folks recommend just wiring the inverter to the batteries, and plugging your rv's power cord into the inverter. I went a step further and utilized the transfer switch built into my magnum. the power cord for the rv (shore power) connects to the magnum's input, and then the magnum is connected to the breaker panel where the rv power cord was connected before.

I like 12v batteries myself, big group 31 agm to be specific. lots of folks prefer 6v golf-cart batteries. it all depends how much space you have, how many batteries can you fit in there? if I had all the space of a huge motor home, I'd go with 2 volt "jars" instead of 6 or 12v batteries... the jars are designed for massive current and very long life, compared to 6 or 12v batteries.

6 or 12, you'll want at least 4 batteries to have enough amps to satisfy that inverter... do you have that much room?