Inverter usage while underway

[Gene_M]

Greetings to all. This may or may not be a tough question.

I am presently considering the purchase of an inverter to keep my reefer running while underway. I have a single 12v deep cycle battery. Charging of the battery occurs as follows:
1. Through an IOTA ILC3055 with an IQ4 on the attached DLS55 converter while on shore power,
2. While the 4kW generator is running,
3. While the vehicle engine is running via the alternator and battery isolator.

I would like to hook it up by plugging the 30a shore power cord into a suitable receptacle with a relay that will disconnect the converter when the inverter is in use(details were found here http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-inverter-install-diy/ (method 4).

My battery has 850 CCA with 170 minutes of Reserve Capacity, not your true RV, live off the grid battery, it is roughly 70aH. I am trying to make the most of my situation.

My question is this: While underway will the inverter drain the battery or find power from, supplemented by, the vehicle's charging system? or am I overlooking something?

[Gene_M]

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[Gene_M]

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[pianotuna]

Gene,

Yes you can run the fridge from an inverter.

No, you may not be able replace all the energy drawn from the house battery to power the fridge from the alternator. If you find a way to do so please post about it.

If the battery bank is big enough the failure to support the energy use is a non issue. I used to have 875 amp-hours of battery bank. That meant the losses didn't make much difference to me, when I was part time, because the solar system would recharge the bank fully during storage times between trips.

I'm a propane miser and run my RV nearly 100% electrically. Propane use for the year was $34. Further I'm a generator hater, and ran mine less that 50 hours in the past 12 months.

[MrWizard]

a drivable MH with a frame mounted tank is NOT exactly a TT with bottles on the tongue , and AMERiGAS bottle sales refill
is doing a CYA .. lawyer speak, they tell what not to do, "everything"
so nobody can claim they were told it was oK to do something common sense said no to
I suppose you would like refrigerated BIG rigs and railroad cars to turn off their lp fired generators and cooling system while moving so that your frozen food and fresh meats spoiled on the way to the grocery
IF the LP systems were not safe the DOT would not allow them on the highways
the on board generator to power your fridge is the best bet, you don't have to buy anything but a little bit more gasoline fuel

i had LP fridge in 3 prior RVs and in this one when i got it, and i always drove using the propane, unless the tank / bottle was empty
electric was simply a backup measure, something to fall back on
i know only two people that run a RV fridge from electric , and you already heard from one of them, and he told you to beef up your system,

[time2roll]

Install the inverter and don't look back.

No one has mentioned they actually installed an inverter to power the fridge and regretted it.

I have run my absorption fridge with my 300 watt Go Power inverter and it worked fine. Typically I run on propane but the igniter did not work that day and I needed to get on the road. My inverter got me going and kept me going until I could get the propane to light eight hours later. Just saying worst case you have a backup system.

May also be convenient to charge small items on the road without running the generator.

Go for it.

[fortytwo]

DSDP_Don, +1. 51 years RV'ing. Only turned LP off for ferries and some tunnels. Even when I had 360 watts solar, 4 house batteries, and a 2500 pro-sine inverter. Today's propane devices, and the system itself is loaded with safety features.

RV's are for us old farts to enjoy our druthers. For many that includes tinkering. Long as it's "reasonably" safe it's what makes the owner happy. I've had my share of "seemed like a good idea a the time" learning experiences. Wouldn't want to deny any nubies the same opportunity.

[DSDP_Don]

I don't see where "Mr Wizard" owes you an apology. People are just trying to tell you that you can do what you want, but it's not the best approach. We didn't all just show up yesterday and start working on RV's. Many here would be better than half the techs in the country if they didn't have other jobs.

Just to answer your question, in 35 years of RVing with units that use propane, particularly refers, I've never shut my propane off from the time I leave the house until I get home, including fueling. Take some time to read and understand propane systems.

[Gene_M]

Thanks for entertaining my unfortunate post that I made in haste.

I have said this before, I appreciate all the info I get here and will make my own informed decision.

I do not speak to others in the tone the moderator took with me and I fully expect an apology from him.

That's no way to treat someone you don't even know and I will have no respect for him until such time as an apology is posted here.

[DrewE]

Gene_M wrote:
So, I'll ask the questions to all that drive with propane on . . .
do you also smoke while refilling?
turn the engine off while refilling?
leave your pilot lights on while refueling?
Turn off the propane for travel through a tunnel?

I didn't mean for this to be such an adversarial debate, I was just fact finding for installation of a power inverter.

A seemingly innocuous topic, who would have thought it would become a knock down drag out over propane?

Well, at the risk of getting further involved in something I'll regret, I'll put up my answers.

I do not smoke, whether refueling or not. However, If I were a smoker, I would not smoke while refueling, if only because it's against the law in most if not all states.

I do turn the engine off when refueling; again, in most if not all states that's a legal requirement, and it serves no purpose to leave the engine running. With a motorhome, that can be a good little while to idle. Likewise I shut off the generator.

I do turn off my propane appliances when refueling, as the law requires that open flames be extinguished. The only one I happen to have with a genuine pilot light is the oven, but that's an unimportant question of semantics. (I must admit that occasionally out of forgetfulness I have failed to turn of the fridge when refueling, but that's completely an unintentional omission.)

If a tunnel or ferry requires that propane be shut off, I shut it off. Not all tunnels have that requirement. Many of the larger tunnels I'm likely to want to go through (Boston's big dig, for example) prohibit propane altogether, turned off or otherwise, so in those cases it's a moot point: I must have to choose a different route.

But for me, having the propane on and the fridge (or water heater or furnace or possibly even oven) operating while underway is not something I get too concerned about. You are certainly free to choose otherwise, and set up an inverter to operate your fridge while driving, and that's perfectly all right. I may not think it's the best all-around way to do things, but there's nothing wrong with it, and it can be made to work out just fine.

If running the fridge mainly on AC power, it might be well worth your while to install a residential fridge. The AC power consumption is much lower, and the recovery after being opened is quicker. The primary advantage that an RV absorption fridge has is the ability to run on propane rather than electric power when the latter is not plentiful.

[Gene_M]

So, I'll ask the questions to all that drive with propane on . . .
do you also smoke while refilling?
turn the engine off while refilling?
leave your pilot lights on while refueling?
Turn off the propane for travel through a tunnel?

I didn't mean for this to be such an adversarial debate, I was just fact finding for installation of a power inverter.

A seemingly innocuous topic, who would have thought it would become a knock down drag out over propane?

[Gene_M]

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[Gene_M]

From Amerigas.com (http://blog.amerigas.com/residential-propane/rv-propane-safety/)-

On the Road

Most RV refrigerators can keep food/beverages cold during several hours of travel without a power source. It is recommended that propane systems be turned off while driving. Other safety tips while traveling:

Shut off propane supply valves, pilot lights, ignitors, and appliances, and have everybody exit the vehicle during refueling.
Do not use range burners for heat, or any appliances for means other than their intended use.
Extinguish all smoking materials any time you are near tanks, filling stations, or other equipment where gasoline or propane may be present.
Turn off propane supply valves before entering tunnels or enclosed areas. Be sure to follow any postings around restricted areas, such as military bases.

[Gene_M]

Mr Wizard, you may have missed my previous posts regarding the advice being given here:
Gene_M wrote:

Thanks Drew.
I see your points and have been approaching this cautiously. I fully understand the need for following manufacturer installation instructions like having a fused line to the input of the inverter and will undoubtedly search for, and review, other installation details such as transfer switch, solenoid control mechanisms.

I never skip the due diligence required prior to any job, that's one reason for being here!

Gene_M wrote:

I really do appreciate all the ideas.

Once again, the purpose for my interest in the inverter is to run the refrigerator while on the road, not to use as a substitute for shore power, propane or the generator.

Quite possibly my design may transition to one of supplying only the refrigerator and maybe the tv and change my wiring scheme to handle just that, with an auto transfer switch.

Still in the formulation stage.


I am not adverse to listening to what everyone has to say, I will listen, formulate my ideas and go forward with an informed decision based on my reasons and acceptance of any advice I care to take.

But don't tell me I'm not interested in anyone's advice, and don't you tell me how to react or who's advice to take, you know the old saying right, opinions are like a$$holes, everybody has one and they're all different.

[MrWizard]

well, i wouldn't put that way
i have a residential fridge, 90-100w while running, thats 1 amp at 120v, 9amps at 12v
but thats 9 amps not 30 amps,
also i have 8 house batteries, a 70amp converter, a 1250w industrial grade inverter, and a heavy charging circuit using "0" gauge welding cable
and 679w of solar power on the roof

there are people that are LP phobic, and people that are NOT

you appear to be scared to death of LP being on while driving, thats OK
turn it off,
but that doesn't mean there are NOT better ways of doing things, than the way you have suggested
you want to wire in an inverter for the fridge, then take the advice of people here, and use the correct wiring, and batteries, and beef up the power system path,
take into account the years of real world use that is here in this advice
not just the numbers, you want to crunch and use
its your RV do what you want, but why complain, when our experience doesn't back up what you want to do, if you want to ignore advice, why ask for it
IF you don't want to follow advice, don't ask for it, you asked, and we answered
you don't like the answers, well the choice is yours, ignore, follow, try to compromise and see what results
No need to make comments other wise about it,
this debate could go on forever like ford vs chevy and the tire debates
you don't what to heed the advice, you want to do your way, we our wasting our time explaining it over and over