How difficult is it to run wiring in foam walls in trailer?

One more answer to Niner's questions -- my old inverter was 400 watts, but it died of old age and overuse. I bought an 800 watt unit, thinking bigger is better, but it gives a low voltage reading when I am running my pump and my furnace at the same time. (When I read voltage at the battery, I have 12.7, but the inverter sometimes shows 12.0 or less.) . That is why I think this is a wiring problem -- it is like drinking a thick malt through a thin straw.

I use the inverter for minor things, like recharging my laptop and phone. So we still do need a little 120v power, even when boondocking. And yes, it has an on/off switch, to kill the parasitic draw when not in use.

profdant139 wrote:
2oldman, when you say "nobody hooks it up this way," do you mean no one hooks the inverter to the converter? Or do you mean no one hooks the inverter right to the battery?

Nobody hooks an inverter to a converter.. not directly anyway. Everybody hooks an inverter directly to the battery..if you want to run anything that takes more than a few amps.

Hooking the inverter to the converter would imply you have 120v power to the converter.. which means you don't need to use an inverter. I'm not sure what you mean by this.

2oldman, when you say "nobody hooks it up this way," do you mean no one hooks the inverter to the converter? Or do you mean no one hooks the inverter right to the battery?

And Niner, when you say "wire it to the 12v side of the panel," are you saying wire the inverter to the converter panel?

Again, guys, I apologize if these are simplistic questions, but I have zero experience in this particular area. Please try to be patient with us newbies -- thanks. Not everyone is an expert in everything.

Get a good amperage rated on off switch, wire it to the 12v side of the panel first, then wire in the inverter after the on off switch with it's 120v outlet.

How many watts is your inverter? You need to be able to turn the inverter off to reduce parasitic load, when not in use.

What is in your TT that you need 120V?

profdant139 wrote:
This solution, if it works, avoids the issue of hooking the inverter to my converter.

What do you mean by this? Nobody hooks it up this way.

And you simply plug your coach 30a cord into the inverter. Turn off the HW and converter. No fishy wiring involved because it's already there.

It never occurred to me to mount the inverter near the battery, but I think I could do that.

Please forgive the simplistic questions, but does that mean that I could attach leads to the battery and then come right through the front wall of the trailer to the inverter? I would seal the holes in the trailer -- the batteries are on the tongue, inside plastic battery boxes.

I would then mount the inverter on the inside of the front wall and run a 120v cord from that point, using surface wire mold.

This solution, if it works, avoids the issue of hooking the inverter to my converter.

This sounds too easy -- I think I am missing something.

If there is an existing outlet you do not need to pull wire.

Move the inverter close to the power distribution panel.
Use the main battery feed to get 12 volt power.
Use a small transfer switch to send power down the existing wire to the outlet.
I assume the inverter is 500 watts or less. With a larger inverter it is best to mount near the battery.

Dan,

You idea is wrong from the start.

You need the inverter as close to the house bank as you can possibly get it, but still have it be in a protected place and not exposed to the battery acid vapor. It does not matter where it ends up because the 12V current is 10 times the 120V current. The 120V you can run in a household extension cord to the other end of the trailer with very little loss.

You won't ever fish wires (particularly the size you need) though the laminated walls of a modern trailer. But you can get surface wire mold at any big box and put the 120V cord in that. When I quote internal wiring and surface wiring in an RV, they always pick the surface way. Funny thing.

We did a lot of boat work before the depression and I ran into this a lot. The problem was always the same and the fix was always the same.

Matt

I dont think you can fish it in the usual way. The foam is hard enough that if you just try to push a point through it, the material just balls up and the channel gets bigger and bigger until the ball of material stops you.
Can you go under the floor?