Forum Discussion

plock40's avatar
plock40
Explorer
Nov 13, 2016

placement of inverter on 990af

hi everyone, looking for the best place to install inverter in 990 a/f camper. thank you for your help and input.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Batteries need to be in alocation where fluids can drain out to the earth ground. Over charging of batteries may cause them to boil out.

    Also batteries will emit gases which needs to be in location where you can add vents to the outside. This happens when batteries are being charged...

    Additionally the venting batteries should not be near any electronics that can emit sparks etc. The venting fumes are very explosive... This is why you always hear not to put batteries in the same location of power Inverters etc...

    Of course I am referring to wet cells batteries that have vent tubes on top... I assume you can install sealed type batteries any place...

    If you have sealed type batteries then you can install your Inverter close to it... I of course would probably not do this as you never know what type of battery you may have later on. If you sell the Truck Camper then the new owners might not knowing use the wrong type of batteries... I would still have them in separate compartments... The cabling between the Inverter and the batteries terminals will have to be able to handle at a minimum of around 14.4VDC @ 20AMPS of DC current for each 12VDC Battery in the battery bank.

    These are the things I would think about at any rate...

    Roy Ken
  • All true - but the question was where to put the inverter.
    Mandalay Parr is right, you want the location with the shortest battery cable run.
    Inverters can draw huge current and battery cable size (bigger is better) and length (shorter is better) are critical.
  • RICKIM's avatar
    RICKIM
    Explorer III
    I have the 1140 which is close to the same layout as yours. I installed my inverter on the side of the battery enclosure. I removed the drawers for easier installation and accessibility.

    Good Luck
  • my 990 is "generator ready". There is 2 gauge wire (I think its 2g) run from the battery compartment back to the generator compartment for the generator starter motor.
    there is already AC back in this compartment that goes to the AC generator cutover switch that is under sink.

    I was thinking of running my inverter back in this generator cabinet, but every time I would turn on inverter, I would nee to turn off battery Charger.

    All I use my inverter for is to run the TV and satellite receiver, so I think I might just stick to a smaller unit and run it inside the same cabinet that the satellite receiver is in. I bet I could even use the 12V outlet on the wall under TV for my needs.
  • I use a small 300 watt inverter to run DVD player/TV, CPAPs or charging phones/laptops while boondocking. Initially I was powering the inverter from a 12 volt outlet but I was getting low voltage alarms or low voltage shutdown of the inverter. This was due to voltage drop to the 12 volt outlet because of small gage wire. I hard wired the inverter directly to the batteries with 8 ga.wire (fused of course). No more problems, works great. Hope this helps. -Mark.
  • I run a 300w inverter for my TV/DVD without low voltage issues using the 12VDC outlet next to the TV, so it really depends on the manufacturer's original wiring.

    If you tie in a larger inverter into the AC electrical feed, add a light switch with indicator light to the AC input feed of your DC charger/converter.
  • You didn't say what year AF you had.

    If it doesn't have the small shelf below the drawers, there's about 5 inches between the cabinet front and the battery box.

    There's also a bit of room on top of the battery box.

    So, depends on the size of the inverter.

    Also, if a model that doesn't have storage under the shower, there's plenty of space for an inverter under the shower floor. That's less than 3 feet from the battery compartment.

    Also, under the cabover step. It's close to the battery compartment and very close to the transfer relay.
  • I have a 2011 a/f 990, I will pull the draw out to see how easy it will mount in the space on top or side of battery box. thank you all for your imput