Leaving inverter on while plugged in?

[cannesdo]

It is ok to leave the inverter on during a thunderstorm in case the power goes out (it does often here) so that I don't have to deal with getting the dish to find the signal all over again? Is that harmful in any way?

[CA_Traveler]

Another solution for the TV and sat receiver is a dedicated inverter connected to the batteries. No AC input and no AC switch over for this inverter. Hence no TV interruption due to AC changes. Your converter charges the batteries and supplies power for this inverter. This also keeps a dish from researching due to power interruptions if yours is that type.

[time2roll]

cannesdo wrote:
What if I just flipped the switches off at the post during the big storms? Not the same as unplugging?

Turning off the breaker will avoid any utility surges as it shuts down or comes back on. Not going to stop a close strike from jumping to the cord and RV.

[becron]

I'm like triker33 I bought $$$ surge protect an it is hard wired in to my breaker box so I don't have to worry about it walking off, An it can protect my rv where ever I plug in ,an it has been on 24-7 for almost 14 years.

[joebedford]

I switch mine off because it's a 400w cheapie. Works perfectly but why use a cheapie when it's not necessary. (I unplug shore power during electrical storms).

[cannesdo]

Thanks for the input. Lots of good information. The power blinked off twice today (and no storms (ugh...this place is having problem). The inverter was on and the light blinked the first time and the 2nd time the tv went off for about 2 seconds then came right back on. I blew up my inverter years ago by running two heaters on high on the same circuit (it's sorted now) and I remember noticing my inverter was on and I think I always associated that with that event and it seemed wrong to keep it on when I was plugged in. I just turned it on when I wasn't plugged in and needed power. Glad I asked.

What if I just flipped the switches off at the post during the big storms? Not the same as unplugging?

[wa8yxm]

cannesdo wrote:
It is ok to leave the inverter on during a thunderstorm in case the power goes out (it does often here) so that I don't have to deal with getting the dish to find the signal all over again? Is that harmful in any way?

I suspect millions of folks use a device called a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) Now for a fact, most of them are not they are IPS-es (interruptible) but what are these things? Well they have 4 parts

Converter to charge the battery
Battery
Inverter in case of power fail
Changeover realy (The think that interrupts)

Some even have true UPS

Mains power---Converter---Battry---Inverter----Power out to load.

Yes, it is ok to leave the inverter on full time. In fact that is exactly what I do.. Not only that...

I have a second converter (ORiginal) on this RV.. I've been in places wher the power was a bit... iffy.. So I shut off the 30 amp breaker to the inverter, thus forcing it to supply the loads it powers, like TV and Microwave.. Effectively making the "True UPS" described above.

Won't work to protect the A/C (I have other stuff for that) but it sure protected the Microwave.

[CA_Traveler]

cannesdo wrote:
It is ok to leave the inverter on during a thunderstorm in case the power goes out (it does often here) so that I don't have to deal with getting the dish to find the signal all over again? Is that harmful in any way?

The concern should be the thunderstorm not the inverter. Some RVers disconnect everything not wanting to chance possible significant electrical transients.

That said I never let the ATS or inverter switch with heavy loads. The heaver the load the more pitting that occurs on the relay contacts. Sometimes I'll switch from the gen/inverter which involves both the ATS and inverter relays with the TV on.

My dish doesn't move once set but the receiver could reboot if the changeover wasn't short.

[dougrainer]

rv2go wrote:
I damaged mine when the shore power went off. Too big of a load on the inverter and it failed to trip off. Cost me several hundred dollars.

I now leave mine off when connected to shore power. The little inconvenience it may cause is cheaper than repairs or replacement.

1. Your Inverter is not installed to specifications
2. The "Load" if too much should not have harmed anything as the Inverter has Circuit Breakers that will trip from overload
3. The OUTPUT loads should be within the 30 amp power of the Inverter. See item 1. Doug

[Triker33]

My Inverter has been turned on 24/7 for the last 14 years.
I have never unplugged from shore power during any lightning storm or other storms.
Even during one Hurricane. Of course after it went through there was no shore power 😞 I only lost both roof vents with Max covers, one window awning and broken patio awning roller.

That is what my $$$ surge protectors are for. To protect the MH.

Did I say I Full Time?

[dahkota]

We unplug in lightning storms. Our inverter is always on, plugged in or not. We have had instances where campground power has gone out - we didn't notice.

[2chiefsRus]

cannesdo wrote:
It is ok to leave the inverter on during a thunderstorm in case the power goes out (it does often here) so that I don't have to deal with getting the dish to find the signal all over again? Is that harmful in any way?

Not only do we leave our 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter on 24/7, we also bought an UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to plug the Directv receiver into. If you have concerns about leaving the inverter turned on all the time, you could add an UPS. If the power goes off, the UPS will begin to beep, and give you approximately 5 minutes to either have the power come back on or to turn on your inverter.

[RoyB]

I have a 'BASICs' setup using my 600WATT PSW Power Inverter in my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer. This is always on whether we are at a shore power site or back in the woods somewhere.

My normal pull from this Inverter is usually around 250WATTs and my battery bank will run this easy for 5-6 hours before dropping back to around the 50% charge state....

I was at a shore power site last season where the camp gound power went off line for about an hour. Heard alot of moaning going on around the camp ground haha...

We was sitting under the awning watching HDTV at the time the power went down - never missed a beat. It wasn't long we had folks watching our tv from the camp ground access road...

Had a couple ask how we did this and my usual first response is Magic Beans...

I guess there was actually several units running Power Inverters as well... Some of the bigger trailers were still fired up... They may have switched to generator power perhaps...

Roy ken

[MrWizard]

whether or not an inverter is undersized, depends on what is on the inverter circuit

you would not want a 1000w for the whole house, A/C MW heater etc

neither do you need a 4000w to run TV and coffee maker

[Kayteg1]

The inverters/chargers are design to take over power supply when main source fails.
That is what they originally have been build for in communication stations.
Obviously when in RV you have undersized inveter, that might not always work the best.