Quote:
Originally Posted by Two4leisure
Hi all,
I use our Trailmanor exclusively off grid. I would like to know if there is a way to power all of the outlets in the trailer from my inverter? Not sure where the connection would be made. Maybe in back of the fuse panel would be a good guess. Not too lazy to look, but was hoping someone in the forum is more familiar with the electrical system than I. Thanks
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I've done what you're considering as have at least several others on the board.
So, yes. You can absolutely do that, but you will need to also consider adding an Automatic Transfer Switch in place a necessary step to prevent any possibility of your inverter trying to power those outlets while you also have shore power connected.
The Go Power! TS-30 30 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch is a popular choice for auto switching 120 Volt between inverter-supplied power and the power supplied via 30 Amp power pedestal (when using shore power). It's a very tight fit to place the auto transfer switch behind the TrailManor's converter box and slide it left into the corner void, but there is room.
Before deciding to tackle this....
You should consider making sure you have no 120 or 12 volt power in the TrailManor then taking the cover off your TM's converter, removing the retaining screws, sliding the converter into the hall area, and using a flashlight to look behind it. You'll see Romex wiring coming into the back of the converter from your shore power plug and wires for the 120 volt outlets (going to breakers) and wires going to the 12 volt side fuses. Doing this proactively before buying the auto switch will allow you to gauge if you want to try this project, or simply wire a single inverter-powered 120 Volt plug to the left of your converter.
If you decide after looking over the cramped space behind your converter that you still want to go forward.....
Both the Romex wire from your shore power and your inverter power wire need to be wired into the auto switch, which then gets wired to the connection on the 120 volt side of the converter where the shore power was previously wired. The auto transfer switch will "live" in the small space in the back corner, left of your converter. (Both the auto transfer switch and the converter are under the seat area of the shower.)
Depending on how handy you are with wiring (and how much pain you can tolerate) I'd say that wiring that all in place can probably be done in a couple of hours. (Caution you will likely end up with some small cuts and bruises on your arms and hands due to sharp edges and cramped working space behind your TM's converter.)
I'd also highly recommend watching a fellow TrailManor owner's video on YouTube who has done this (Matt Carter). Matt Carver's The Critter and the Butterfly YouTube channel may give you a better idea of what you're facing without pulling out your converter.
I'm sure others will chime in with very valuable advice....
Rich