Inverter and deep cycle battery question.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi behengold,

It may be cheaper to get a stand alone inverter and a stand alone converter. I believe the Xantrex Pro Watt 2000 is $355.00 at Bestconverters.

For the converter I'd look at Progressive Dynamics, or Iota, or Powermax boondocker.

I added a 30 amp female outlet in the shore power cord box. I plug in the cord, unplug the converter, and move the fridge to propane only. Then I turn on the inverter and all my outlets are powered.

I'd prefer 12 volt AGM jars in your situation.

Do you boondock a lot?

I'm doing the same as Don (got the idea from him) but installed a 15a outdoor rated box under the trailer that I plug my 30a shore cord into with a 15/30a adapter. I went with the 15a plug to allow me to plug standard cords in if I want to. I might change to 30a down the road. With this method, you need to turn off the breakers for the charger, switch the fridge to propane, etc, as Don mentioned. It's kind of a down and dirty way to power all your 120v outlets. As mentioned, I only have a 350w inverter (Samlex PST series) since I don't have a huge battery bank (2-24's) and just needed to power devices like TV's, stereo, etc. Works great for my use.

Hi behengold,

It may be cheaper to get a stand alone inverter and a stand alone converter. I believe the Xantrex Pro Watt 2000 is $355.00 at Bestconverters.

For the converter I'd look at Progressive Dynamics, or Iota, or Powermax boondocker.

I added a 30 amp female outlet in the shore power cord box. I plug in the cord, unplug the converter, and move the fridge to propane only. Then I turn on the inverter and all my outlets are powered.

I'd prefer 12 volt AGM jars in your situation.

Do you boondock a lot?

I have the magnetech 7300. I have the generator to charge the batteries with. I'm looking more for the convenience. I realize I won't be using the 2000W capacity on two batteries.Just looking for the ability to have my outlets live all the time. I figured I needed a big inverter/converter to feed through my existing panel. If there's a primer please send me the link.

behengold wrote:
I'm considering a XANTREX 2000 WATT FREEDOM INVERTER CHARGER 81-2010-12 .I'd like to have all outlets available whether plugged in or not.will this allow me to do that? Does it take the place of the current inverter or add to it? Also I'm replacing my coach batteries.Considering a pair of T105 6v batteries or should I look into AGM batteries.Thanks!

Ihe inverter part of the inverter/charger can add to an existing inverter for some loads being done by one and some by the other inverter (such as small loads by a small watt inverter and big loads by the big inverter) but you can just use the new one to run everything if you want.

If the OP meant "converter" when he said "inverter" then the answer is yes the charger part of the inverter/charger takes the place of the existing converter. Unless :) you keep that so you can have more charging options in various scenarios most Rvers would not get into.

You don't mention what inverter you currently have but it really comes down to what you want to power with the inverter. I use a 350 watt inverter but I only use it to power a couple LCD tv's. An automatic transfer switch is a very popular option.

Here's a short tutorial that will give you the basics on what's required battery-wise to accomplish your goal:
INVERTER BASICS CHART

behengold wrote:
.I'd like to have all outlets available whether plugged in or not.will this allow me to do that?

yes

Don Rowe site Inverter FAQ
Inverters by Phred
inverter thread

Hi,

Yes, in theory you can do it. I have done so in my RV.

However:

2000 watts @ 120 volts = 16.7 amps
2000 watts @ 12 volts /0.87 (for inverter inefficiency) = 191.6 amps (no allowance for peukert--which would make things even worse).

Two six volt batteries can't support that kind of a load. They will unlove you at a drain of 191.6 amps per cell.

Two AGM 12 volt jars might be enough for brief use of a microwave. Drain would be 95.8 amps per cell.

I chose to use 7 group 29 batteries so the load per cell @ 2000 watts is 27.4 amps.

The fridge will need to be set to propane.

The OEM converter may be left in place but should be disconnected. Keep it as a back up.

What method would you use for recharging?

Best to have four or more batteries at that power level.
No need for AGM unless there is some issue to resolve.
The inverter is an addition to the current system.
With a transfer switch or two yes it can automatically power all outlets.

Good primer:
The 12 Volt Side of Life

Or put "inverter" in the search box for a few stories already told.

You don't mention what you currently have. You would most likely replace what you currently have, but it would power the whole coach with the exception of the water heater and refrigerator.

There has just GOT TO BE a primer out there somewhere, right?

This reminds me of sand sculpturing. Over and over and over. But the tide is relentless.