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thetechie01's avatar
thetechie01
Explorer
Mar 06, 2018

My Inverter Install

So I've been looking and reading on inverters and different installs and such, and I thought I'd share my install!

I decided to get a Pure Sine, and found a great deal on Amazon for a 1500w/3000w peak for $180 and got to work.

I mounted it in my battery box:


Hooked it up and powered it up:


I added a panel mount 120v plug on the side of my battery box to plug in to without having to open the box top:


Plugged in and ready to go!



I decided to go this route rather than getting a hard wired one with all the auto switching, simply because of cost. I just have to make sure I pull the charging fuses in the trailer before hooking up to it. We used it for the first time this weekend at a dry campground and it was awesome. We could go all night with things powered and running and still were at 11.8V in the morning. I then used the inverter generator with a battery charger to charge back up for about an hour, and good to go for the day.

Next up is some solar power so I don't have to take the generator!

20 Replies

  • Everyone else hit on the things that raised red flags for me.

    BUT- I will say, I use the same trick for the inverter with backfeeding the camper's power from it. So long as I shut off the converter/charger, it works really well with my 1000W inverter.
  • azrving wrote:
    11.8 and charged up in an hour? You have some amazing stuff there.
    x2. OP might think they're charged, but they're not.
  • I really appreciate DIY picture posts this time of year but I have to agree with others. You really don't want the inv. in that area and the outlet needs to be weather protected or it's going to fail quick.
    Nice clean work though!
  • azrving wrote:
    11.8 and charged up in an hour? You have some amazing stuff there. Good looking job.


    What he said.!!
  • Chad Heiser wrote:
    SoundGuy wrote:
    Hate to be a Debbie Downer but there's no way I'd mount any electrical device, especially in inverter, in the same closed compartment right beside a set of flooded batteries that during normal operation produce potentially explosive hydrogen gas. :E


    What sound guy said is correct. The inverter should not be in the same box as the flooded batteries. It is an explosion hazard. Your outlet also needs to be covered and protected from weather/etc. It should be a GFCI outlet with proper cover on the exterior like that.


    What they said!!
  • 11.8 and charged up in an hour? You have some amazing stuff there. Good looking job.
  • SoundGuy wrote:
    Hate to be a Debbie Downer but there's no way I'd mount any electrical device, especially in inverter, in the same closed compartment right beside a set of flooded batteries that during normal operation produce potentially explosive hydrogen gas. :E


    What sound guy said is correct. The inverter should not be in the same box as the flooded batteries. It is an explosion hazard. Your outlet also needs to be covered and protected from weather/etc. It should be a GFCI outlet with proper cover on the exterior like that.
  • Hate to be a Debbie Downer but there's no way I'd mount any electrical device, especially in inverter, in the same closed compartment right beside a set of flooded batteries that during normal operation produce potentially explosive hydrogen gas. :E
  • It’s great having 110 without the gen running.

    I would be cautious about hydrogen gas buildup near the inverter.
    Also 11.8 volts is getting into battery damage territory.