Inverter installation and automatic transfer switch

If you feed the panel directly, you'll have to remember to turn off the converter, set the fridge for propane vs. AC usage, turn off any electric water heater element, etc. I think it would be better to have a transfer switch just for selected circuits so that you have fewer things to remember.

However, it would be possible to wire it as though it were a generator and use the transfer switch you have as it is. The inverter would have a time delay before the transfer switch switches, and there would be a minor load from the transfer switch relay coil. This gives the inverter priority over the shore power connection. (It would also be possible to reverse the connections and make the shore power have priority; I'm not sure there's much of an advantage to either setup.)

For just TVs and chargers and such, you could get by with a much smaller inverter, and consequently lighter wiring to the batteries. If you have only one or two batteries, you'd be very limited in how much full power use you could get out of the big inverter. The coffee maker and microwave require a lot more power than the electronics.

2000w is plenty. 300w is plenty for tv, direct, phone, laptops, dvd.
Sine wave is best with MW and CM electronic controls.
Best to have 4+ batteries to drive 2000w.
Transfer switch can be installed in sequence with existing.
Don't forget the LED lights and 200+ watts solar ;)

any reason
NOT to put a RV female plug attached to the inverter
and simply plug the shore power cord into the inverter
lots of people have done it this way
saves a whole lot of wiring hassles

you still have to make sure the converter is turned off and WH and fridge are on Manual LP, NOT auto mode

smkettner wrote:
2000w is plenty. 300w is plenty for tv, direct, phone, laptops, dvd.
Sine wave is best with MW and CM electronic controls.
Best to have 4+ batteries to drive 2000w.
Transfer switch can be installed in sequence with existing.
Don't forget the LED lights and 200+ watts solar ;)

I don't mind spending the money or doing the wiring...your idea of an ATS is interesting but don't understand how to wire it! The rationale behind the high inverter wattage is just in the event I want to run the microwave or coffeemaker. I have (2) group 31 AGM 200ah each w/ 430 watts solar panels and 40 amp MPTT controller.

I'm trying very hard not to run the generator unless the temps outside are unbearable.

MrWizard wrote:
any reason
NOT to put a RV female plug attached to the inverter
and simply plug the shore power cord into the inverter
lots of people have done it this way
saves a whole lot of wiring hassles

you still have to make sure the converter is turned off and WH and fridge are on Manual LP, NOT auto mode

I'm lazy and don't feel like dealing with cords...lol

Transfer switch wiring is the easy part if you power the entire panel.
As said above you just need to make sure certain items are set to propane or stay off.

Transfer switch has two input and one output.
Cut the existing feed and connect to the input and output. Inverter connects to the second input.

If you want to power a sub-panel so only "inverter" items are powered up it just adds a bit of hardware. Or you can power individual circuits after the panel. Whatever works best for your camping style.

You might check this out - It has a built in transfer switch and charger built in...

In your situation you could install it between your present transfer switch and the 120v panel... and remove/disable present charger

http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/inverter-chargers/freedom-hfs.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtQQupeOF60

DOITHARD wrote:

MrWizard wrote:
any reason
NOT to put a RV female plug attached to the inverter
and simply plug the shore power cord into the inverter
lots of people have done it this way
saves a whole lot of wiring hassles

you still have to make sure the converter is turned off and WH and fridge are on Manual LP, NOT auto mode

I'm lazy and don't feel like dealing with cords...lol

You can hardwire the cord in... As stated this is the least hassle method... View the install here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm4NeZCQyvY

DOITHARD wrote:
The rationale behind the high inverter wattage is just in the event I want to run the microwave or coffeemaker. I have (2) group 31 AGM 200ah each w/ 430 watts solar panels and 40 amp MPTT controller.

Coffeemaker sure, but those two G31s will struggle if you attempt to power a microwave oven ... for that you'd want double that capacity. Solar doesn't have anything to do with this aspect as it's sole purpose is to re-charge depleted batteries, not power anything directly.

FWIW, I've done the "whole house" powering scheme with my own inverter and concluded it was such a PITA that I'd rather have a few duplex receptacles conveniently located in the camper that are wired directly from the inverter - no transfer switch, no going outside to plug the trailer's main service cable into the inverter, no remembering to turn the converter off, no remembering to force the fridge to gas, no remembering to make sure the water heater's electric element is turned off.

As for the size of inverter my bet you have an MSW inverter that with a sufficiently sized battery bank would power many of the devices you intend but for many others is WAY overkill, the disadvantage being it's MSW waveform. I instead chose a 1000 watt PSW inverter which is capable of safely powering any devices we want - coffee maker, toaster, wife's hair dryer on low, fans, etc. Last season I used our existing G27 as source supply and while when fully charged it did power the aforementioned devices without triggering it's low voltage alarm this season I plan to more than double my battery capacity by replacing it with a pair of G31s ... but no way would I expect to power a microwave without a much higher rated inverter AND at least a bank of four 12 volt G31s or four 6 volt GC-2s.