Wire Inverter to split receptacle?

hedge wrote:
I recently installed an inverter to run a coffee maker, so far i've been just using an extension cord but that's a bit cumbersome.

I don't really want to cut a hole to install a dedicated plug so I was thinking of wiring the inverter to an existing receptacle and split it so one side would be shore power and the other side inverter power.

Seems pretty straight forward, just not sure of the grounds? would it be ok to tie them together in the box?

When I first installed a 1000 watt PSW in our rig for the same purpose I ran it "whole house", plugging the trailer's main service cable into the inverter, but after a few uses decided I'd much rather have dedicated receptacles in conveniently located areas of the camper. Like you, I first did consider splitting the existing duplex receptacles but was concerned the inverter's floating neutral output may cause issues if it's ground was bonded to the trailer's receptacle grounds. Ultimately I decided it preferable to to keep the two systems separate and instead installed Speed Wire Receptacles that would be wired directly from the inverter - one each side of the bed and a third at the galley. Since I had installed the inverter (10 pics) in the front pass through storage compartment running cable to the bed receptacles was easy. To get to the galley I determined the best way was to run along the underside of the trailer and then up to the galley location so I ran that section of Romex through protective electrical tubing I bought at Home Depot. Worked like a charm - to use all I do is turn on the inverter with the remote which is located inside the camper and plug into the appropriate dedicated inverter receptacle.

And how are you going to get wire from the inverter to the outlet
You can't use the existing wire from there breaker box

If you are pulling new wire from the inverter to the outlet area in the wall?
You might as well install a new outlet inverter only next to the OEM outlet

Or install a switch to choose between inverter or breaker panel OEM line

As for the ground question
That depends on the inverter involved
Some inverter do not use frame ground on the 120v output side
And the OEM wiring will have the ground wires frame bonded

Removing the tabs and having a split outlet is fine. Not certain your RV outlet will be as easy like a home duplex outlet. All grounds are bonded.

However I think you would be better served with a small $50 transfer switch for the single circuit.
http://www.donrowe.com/KISAE-TS15A-Automatic-Transfer-Switch-p/ts15a.htm

I would either wire it to the circuit in the panel, or, an easier way it to simply plug your shore cord into the inverter. The wiring is already there!

I have my duty 600WATT PSW AIMS Power Inverter wired as close as I can get to my main battery switch. It has 4AWG cables feeding the Power Inverter and runs great. Actually it is ON most of the time even when I am at electric sites... The low power drain is very minimal for me when noting is turned ON using the Power Inverter.

What I did was run two of these multihead 120VAc extension cord drops and mounted to the back of my Home entertainment area which would also be close enough to my kitchen top area as well...

This is what my multi-tap extension cord looks like... It is neat in that it has an ON-OFF switch on it as well... It also has two screw down tabs on both ends... You can't see any of the extension cord as it is run behind things and plugs into the Power Inverter 120V receptacle under a storage cabinet.


google image

I ran a second like extension cord back to the cabinet close to the tent bed we sleep in all the time. This is my always ON and available 120VAC Power to run things like cell phone charger-computer chargers, lamp and fan etc... I may have grabbed the wrong photo from GOOGLE Images as mine has a ON-OFF switch on it but you can get the idea here...

This would way easier to do than to split out a standard RV 120VAC receptacle. The RV receptacles are also very cheap made and uses the compression backs that pinches the wires that feed them. It has been my luck that everytime I remove one for whatever reason I also break my wiring where it has been pinched. There is never any slack in the wiring so it suddenly becomes a bigger project. If it was me I wouldn't touch those thin line style RV receptacles if I didn't have to...

I also have a PSW type Power Inverter and this solves the problem of who might plug something into the emergency power socket and it burns it up. There are many things that one should never plug into a cheap made MSW type Power Inverter. An electric blanket controller will start pouring out the infamous BLUE SMOKE before you plug it into a MSW Power Inverter. It knows what it is going to happen before you plug it in haha... Almost anything Electronic or that has transformers or motors does not like the MSW Power Inverter. No good reason anymore to take the chances... That was the first thing I burned up and the second thing was a 20-inch box fan running to keep the mosquitoes off of us sitting around the camp fire.

The only thing I still use with my old MSW Inverters that are still working is outside lightning.

My home entertainment items doesn't know the different between the shore power/generator connections or my PSW Power Inverter...

Roy Ken

2oldman wrote:
an easier way it to simply plug your shore cord into the inverter.

It's easy to lug out the 50A cable; it's easy to make a 50A to 15A adapter and oh, don't forget to turn off your converter.

It's not always easier to plug shore power cable. I installed dedicated receptacles - inverter only. It was easier.

thanks for the ideas, I am also considering the transfer switch idea.

I have a truck camper and where I want the plug there is just no real estate available to install another plug. It would be easy to run a second cable from the inverter to the plug though was why I had the idea.

I don't know offhand if the quick connect boxless outlets used in RVs allow the two sides to be separated easily. You may need to install a box and a standard household outlet.

I would sincerely hope that no inverter would misbehave if its ground connection were tied to the chassis of the vehicle. If nothing else, using a grounded device with a metal chassis that is sitting on some metal part of the vehicle would make that connection naturally. Neutral and ground in the RV are not bonded together at the RV panel (but they are bonded together when the RV is plugged into a campground power connection--at the campground box--or when running a built-in generator, at the generator). Regardless, it doesn't matter so log as your neutral from the inverter is not connected to the neutral on the other half of the outlet.

The electric code probably requires some sort of labeling or something to have two separate power sources in the same box. The general base requirement is that a box only have a single circuit feeding it (that is to say, that it's rendered completely dead by turning off a single branch circuit breaker). I've seen and corrected violations of this in my own house where previous owners apparently did some work and took some shortcuts in the process.

DrewE wrote:
The electric code probably requires some sort of labeling or something to have two separate power sources in the same box.

Forget labeling ...it would surprise me if code allowed a duplex receptacle on which both the neutral and hot had been separated to be fed by two separate feeds. :E

I use dedicated receptacles for inverted power. The receptacles are Hubbell hospital grade (orange) where ground can be isolated. Shallow old work boxes fit just about anywhere or a surface mount box can be installed.