so Bill, where do you wire your inverters in, if not to the battery bank? this is precisely my question. how and where do I hook up the inverter? just for tv and computers and cameras.
You can hook it in at the battery, the converter, or the distribution panel. All those locations will have supply wire size capable of handling the inverter. If using the distribution panel, hook up to the main supply lugs, the individual circuits have smaller wiring.
First of all, for Small Loads, you do not have to directly wire your Inverter to the Battery Bank.
Espically with todays very low power LED TV's. We have about 7 or 8 different sizes of Inverters. And not one of them is hard wired to the Battery Bank.
For heavier loads it is a good idea, so is investing in larger size wire..
We have just been using "Cig Lighter Outlets" and "Power Ports" for many many years now. And not so much as one problem.
And I have never bothered to change any wire sizes either. A good way to find out what your item uses for power, that you want to use, is use a Kill-A-Watt Meter.
Everything that we use with our Inverters is safe with the wire size that we already have. I do have one Larger Inverter, that if I wanted to use, I can hook that one up diredtly to the Battery Bank, and then run an extension cord to power what I want to use.
We just have never found the need to "Hard Wire" in an Inverter in the 45+ years as RV'ers. But that is just us.
Everything that we do run, works perfectly off of any "Cig Lighter Outlet" or a "Power Port"
So it all just breaks down to what you want to run off of an Inverter, and how much power it pulls.
Good Luck. Happy Travels. Dan & Jill
so Bill, where do you wire your inverters in, if not to the battery bank? this is precisely my question. how and where do I hook up the inverter? just for tv and computers and cameras.
Hi All.
You could try adding some 12 Volt Out-Lets to your RV, "No Problems". Any where there is a 12 Volt Light, there is a way to tap into that sorce to make a 12 Volt Plug-ins. Or you can run wires under your RV, and bring them inside where ever you want 12 Volt Out-Let to be. Time to think out side of the Box. Good Luck. Happy Travels. Dan & Jill
man, I am just thinking about hooking an inverter to the battery and running a couple of extension cords.
this had gotten over my head pretty quickly. What I've learned is to spent a little more for sinewave inverter vs a cheap walmart (due to interference).
I appreciate all the posts, including a batch of e-mails. I wish that I could understand it all.
John L
WW SL 2805 5th Wheel
2004.5 Chevy 2500HD Allison Duramax X Cab
Moto Guzzi V11 Sport, Moto Guzzi EV California and Suzuki 1200 Bandit
U.P. BLDR wrote: I do it the poor mans way, Finlander engineering it's called around here. Inverter wired to battery, double male cord that plugs into the inverter outlet and the other end to a wall outlet to power up the trailer. What I actually do is unplug the converter and plug my inverter cord into that. You HAVE to shut off power to the converter. The automatic switching is a better way to go though, easy to do and not expensive AFAIK.
This is what I have done for years. I have a 1000 watt continuous inverter 2000 watt peak. I ran 8 gauge wire from my batteries (2-6volt golf cart batteries wired in series) to the inverter,about 8 feet, to just under my entertainment center. I plug the 1 satellite receiver into the inverter directly, but I then plug my other inverter outlet into the wall with the double male plug, just make sure you have the converter off, the refridgerator on gas and I also turn off the air conditioner breaker, I also turn off the main breaker, in other words the only breaker on in your power center is your plug outlets and they should be GFCI if wired properly. I can run a 32" lcd TV a 19" LCD 2 satellite receivers and a couple of lights, water pump, computer charger and cell phone charging for 2 good days without starting the generator for recharge. Yes, you must be frugal. Now if you turn on more lights, use and try to use the electric side of the refridgerator, give it 6 hours and your done.
We do this when we stop at rest areas or truck stops for the night so we have a few A/C amenities. I highly suggest buying a digital 12 volt meter and plug it into the 12 volt receptical near your tv antenna amplifier. Get used to voltage fluxuations but monitor your batteries. But it sure is handy to have just a little A/C power without firing up the ginny.
U.P. BLDR wrote: I do it the poor mans way, Finlander engineering it's called around here. Inverter wired to battery, double male cord that plugs into the inverter outlet and the other end to a wall outlet to power up the trailer. What I actually do is unplug the converter and plug my inverter cord into that. You HAVE to shut off power to the converter. The automatic switching is a better way to go though, easy to do and not expensive AFAIK.
This is what I have done for years. I have a 1000 watt continuous inverter 2000 watt peak. I ran 8 gauge wire from my batteries (2-6volt golf cart batteries wired in series) to the inverter,about 8 feet, to just under my entertainment center. I plug the 1 satellite receiver into the inverter directly, but I then plug my other inverter outlet into the wall with the double male plug, just make sure you have the converter off, the refridgerator on gas and I also turn off the air conditioner breaker, I also turn off the main breaker, in other words the only breaker on in your power center is your plug outlets and they should be GFCI if wired properly. I can run a 32" lcd TV a 19" LCD 2 satellite receivers and a couple of lights, water pump, computer charger and cell phone charging for 2 good days without starting the generator for recharge. Yes, you must be frugal. Now if you turn on more lights, use and try to use the electric side of the refridgerator, give it 6 hours and your done.
We do this when we stop at rest areas or truck stops for the night so we have a few A/C amenities. I highly suggest buying a digital 12 volt meter and plug it into the 12 volt receptical near your tv antenna amplifier. Get used to voltage fluxuations but monitor your batteries. But it sure is handy to have just a little A/C power without firing up the ginny.
I wouldn't recommend a double male end cord to anyone. If you do it that way "for years" that's fine, but someone who is new to that concept may not understand the full danger and consequences of it.
TT_Tim wrote: I wouldn't recommend a double male end cord to anyone. If you do it that way "for years" that's fine, but someone who is new to that concept may not understand the full danger and consequences of it.
Can't say I would recommend it either, unless you are knowledgeable and totally comfortable with electrical systems, which I am. It is an easy way to distribute power though, just need to plug into the receptacle you're using first and into the inverter last and don't power up the inverter until the connections are made. Would be better to hard wire for sure and why I said an auto switch would be the better way to go.
LowRyter wrote: man, I am just thinking about hooking an inverter to the battery and running a couple of extension cords.
this had gotten over my head pretty quickly. What I've learned is to spent a little more for sinewave inverter vs a cheap walmart (due to interference).
I appreciate all the posts, including a batch of e-mails. I wish that I could understand it all.
Extension cords will work fine. Eventually you will get bored with it and wire it in. And it will allow time to contemplate what will work best for you.
Please no cords with two male ends also known as suicide cord or dead man's cord.
LowRyter wrote: how and where do I hook up the inverter? just for tv and computers and cameras.
Small TV draws 20-30 W, and laptop is slightly more, up to 50W, depends on the model. If you don't run both laptop and TV at the same time (difficult thing to do, for one person), you can plug your inverter in 12V outlet. Get one with cig lighter plug and plug it in. Install a second 12V outlet if you like, costs $10 or so. Most inverters under 100W have cig lighter plug, not crocodiles.
Btw, you don't need an inverter to run a laptop - this is a DC device and as such can be operated from DC, optional cig lighter adapter costs $6.
One thing to avoid is CHARGING your laptop while using it (and/or while running other things from the same 100-150W inverter).
TT_Tim wrote: I wouldn't recommend a double male end cord to anyone. If you do it that way "for years" that's fine, but someone who is new to that concept may not understand the full danger and consequences of it.
Can't say I would recommend it either, unless you are knowledgeable and totally comfortable with electrical systems, which I am. It is an easy way to distribute power though, just need to plug into the receptacle you're using first and into the inverter last and don't power up the inverter until the connections are made. Would be better to hard wire for sure and why I said an auto switch would be the better way to go.
I'm not the sharpest tack in thebox so bear with me.......it sounds as though the double male plug connecting inverter and the receptacle "feeds power back through the TT's electrical system for use at any receptacle....is that correct.....
I ask because in FL during hurricane season if we had a power outage we could disconnect the utility power at the incoming breaker and connect a generator to the clothes dryer connection thereby feeding power into the house....this sounds like a similar concept
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