Inverter capacity?

Sounds like a better option. :B

Honestly I think you should consider a small simple 150w to 300w inverter to run the tv or charge small items.

Go ahead and run the gen 10 minutes to make a cup or run the microwave. Otherwise with a little ingenuity coffee and anything in the microwave can be made on the propane stovetop. The 10 minute big inverter run time ends up being 30 to 60 minutes to recharge the battery. Using the power direct is far more efficient.

I power my tv, dvd, laptop and charge small items with a Go Power 300w sine wave inverter.

I mounted the inverter behind the fuse-breaker panel. 12v connects to the main battery feed to the panel. 120v is wired into the entertainment area circuit with an automatic transfer switch. The wiring is very straight forward if you have done any home wiring before. The Go Power 300w has a provision for a remote power switch so with the touch of a button I have instant power.

GP 300w SW $172

Xantrex 15 amp switch $49

So all in maybe $250-$300 for self install.

KATOOM wrote:
…
Maybe an inverter isn't worth it right now.....:h

I agree.

I've been full time for almost 14 years and haven't needed an inverter yet.

The propane stove works very nicely for making coffee and other cooking needs. I heat water in a tea kettle and use a French Press; leftover coffee goes into a Dewar flask so it stays hot for hours.

TV set is a 19" Vizio which draws < 2 Amps from the 12 Volt battery.

I wasnt addressing the battery capacity as I knew that it would involve a deeper more involved discussion. But.....I currently have a couple deep cycle 12v batteries that when they poop out, I plan on upgrading to three 12v batteries. Not sure of their group size until at that time either since I may have to move things around for space.

As for the inverter size, now understanding that the larger the inverter, the more drain on the whole battery system just to run one item, thats good to know. Recharging the batteries would be via a generator and/or plugging in when possible.

All I was really going for is to be able to turn the TV on for a little time at night for kids, and maybe run the coffee maker and/or microwave if needed during the day without having to start the gen for a 10 minute run. I have no intentions on investing in an expensive solar package nor a bank of batteries which requires a home equity loan to afford. We like to camp when we can but are the "A typical" camper who gets to enjoy the RV/trailer when work, school, and busy life schedule allows. If I was retired and spent more time in the RV than home, I'd have no problem investing in what offered the best solution and comfort. ;) Maybe an inverter isn't worth it right now.....:h

KATOOM wrote:
The microwave in my trailer is the common overhead Dometic 1.5 cf 1000 watt unit I see in most RV/trailers I've been in. Dont know the input needs.

And I'd get a 12 volt TV but I really want something around 32 in. There is a 12v 32" flat screen, but the best price I found was $600. To costly for my taste as I can get an LCD flat screen 32" at Costco or Walmart for under $200.

So 2000 watts is all I'd need? Thats less than I thought. Then what would be the need for a 6000 watt inverter?

The input power to the microwave is likely around 1500 watts.

The big thing is the batteries: 2 GCs are really not enough. In the case of high current draw, true deep cycle 12 Volt batteries are better than 6V because of the lower internal resistance.

My microwave/convection (Sharp) will pull 160 Amps from my 4 GCs, so 80 Amps per pair; still higher than I would like. As the battery voltage is drawn down current draw climbs. 90 seconds to reheat a cup of tea or coffee is really stressing them.

As an example, if I were to replace my 4 GCs with 4 12V group 24s batteries the current draw spread now 4 ways instead of 2 would be only 40A per battery--still high for a group 24 (which you will never find in a true Deep Cycle anyway) but better that 80A per battery with the 6V.

As others have noted, your battery capacity is at least as important as the inverter size. If you have or can borrow a monitor such as a Kill A Watt, use it to determine the typical wattage you use per day over a week or so. Use that figure to determine how much battery you need. Generally, you don't want to draw the batteries down below 50%, and you will need to convert the wattage used to amp hours to see what you need.

As to the inverter, you are going to need something at least 20% larger, and preferably 50% than the microwave rating, and a pure sine wave inverter since some microwaves are unhappy with modified sine wave inverters. Best guess without making actual measurements is you will be looking at a 2.5KW to 3KW inverter and at least a pair of 12V deep cycle batteries. You may find it more efficient to use a small inverter to power the TV - generally, the larger the inverter, the higher the efficiency losses.

Of course you also need a way to put the energy used back into the batteries, either a lot of solar, a generator, or hitting a campground with hookups every couple of days.

Skip the 12V TV. You're going to need a 2000W inverter anyways which will run whatever TV you already have. Also, I have yet to see a 12V TV draw less than the 20W my 120V TV will draw.

The microwave in my trailer is the common overhead Dometic 1.5 cf 1000 watt unit I see in most RV/trailers I've been in. Dont know the input needs.

And I'd get a 12 volt TV but I really want something around 32 in. There is a 12v 32" flat screen, but the best price I found was $600. To costly for my taste as I can get an LCD flat screen 32" at Costco or Walmart for under $200.

So 2000 watts is all I'd need? Thats less than I thought. Then what would be the need for a 6000 watt inverter?

What size microwave....that will be the big draw!
You really need to have the numbers of the things you want to run, in order to calculate the inverter size.
I agree with Brett....add an additional 20% to whatever you calculate, you'll be glad you did.

The inverter size won't matter much, if you don't have enough battery power to operate the things you want.
And, consider how many days you are planning to boondock? Will you be using a generator to recharge the batteries? Can you use the generator to make the coffee in the morning, and the microwave as needed? This would take the load off the batteries and the Inverter needs.

Good luck:)

First - get a 12 Volt TV set so you don't have the power loss due to inefficiency of converting 12 Volts to 120 Volts and back to 12 Volts.

Second - make sure you have enough battery to supply at least 150 Amps to the inverter.

You'll need a 2000 Watt inverter.