So I'm getting a 1000w inverter

RJsfishin wrote:
I went down the large inv/ transfer switch road long ago,.....worked fine for the most part, except when shutting down the generator powering the microwave, there was just enuff of a blip in the transfer, that it would shut the tv down every time, had to restart it. Don't know if it was the tv or a slow moving transfer switch, but I learned to hate it.

Now it is better and much simpler, a dedicated switched 8 plug power strip off a 150 watt inverter. While the inv is powering the tv, I can switch off all the unused stuff, chargers etc, conserve batt power.

Often it's not until I actually use a mod "in the field" that I really appreciate the the finer details as to how well that mod may work. I really like the convenience of having my inverter feed the trailer "whole house" as it means we can plug into any receptacle in the trailer just as we would when plugged into shore power. It also allows me to see the inverter's 120 vac output and how much power is being drawn at any given time by simply looking at the EMS monitor panel. However, Tim and you have a good point - to use the inverter I do have to remember to first turn off the converter, make sure the water heater's 120 vac heating element is turned off, and force the fridge to gas mode before turning on the inverter, then if we've been plugged into campsite shore power I have to (because I'm not using an auto transfer switch) go outside and move the cable over to the inverter.

Simple enough it seems, but on our most recent trip we lost power at 4am (confirmed by my EMS monitor display) so I had to dress and go outside to move the trailer's main service cable from the now dead campsite service post to the trailer where I could plug it into the inverter's output. Hah, the joke was on me! - this was mid-October yet it had snowed overnight! :E



Sure wasn't fun trudging through the cold & wet at 4 in the morning just to get that cable moved over. :M Then when I got back inside I "forgot" to turn off the converter so when I turned the inverter on I instantly created a closed loop and tripped the GFCIs. Arrghh! ... reset it all, then when I turned on the coffee maker the inverter started squealing an alarm - arrrghh again, "forgot" to switch the fridge from automatic to gas. What a dummy :S ... forced the fridge to gas and all was well. :)

I'm now thinking that next season I too may revise my inverter setup and instead hard wire the output directly to a couple of dedicated receptacles located next to the existing receptacles by the bed. I could also even run a length of BX under the trailer and up to an additional duplex receptacle located in the kitchen galley area. With these dedicated inverter receptacles inside the camper I wouldn't then need to go outside at all when we lose campsite power or make any special preparations before turning on the inverter - just turn it on using the remote switch located inside the camper and those dedicated receptacles would be live. I would miss not being able to monitor the inverter output with my EMS but my Kill-a-Watt meter plugged into the kitchen galley receptacle where we'd be drawing the most power would serve nearly as well. :)