Inverter Installation

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post. I am a soon to be owner of a new 2720. Previously we had a Coleman Niagara popup that I had installed a solar panel and an inverter. We enjoyed occasional use of the inverter and I am considering installing one in the Trailmanor which we ordered with the factory 80W panel. My plan is to install the inverter as close to the battery as possible but inside the trailer. We are getting the standard 2720 with two bunks so the inverter would have to go under one of the couches by the dining table.

Where is the best place to drill a hole to route the wires to the battery? This will be at least a 1/2" hole due to the size of the cables required. In our popup, I drilled a hole in the floor but it was simple because it was just plywood and didn't have the steel reinforcement that as I understand is embedded around the edge of the Trailmanor floor.

I posted in this forum because I don't have permission to post in the Electrical section.

[MudDog]

I mounted my inverter under the bench seat on my 2619 and drilled thru the floor. The floor is made up of a couple of thin pieces of aluminum with a thick piece of Styrofoam in between and if I remember right, a piece of wood sheeting. I had no problem drilling thru (just stay clear of the frame).

I used some plastic PVC pipe and couplers as a sleeve so the wire would not chaff and filled with expanding foam.

Originally Posted by MudDog

I mounted my inverter under the bench seat on my 2619 and drilled thru the floor. The floor is made up of a couple of thin pieces of aluminum with a thick piece of Styrofoam in between and if I remember right, a piece of wood sheeting. I had no problem drilling thru (just stay clear of the frame).

I used some plastic PVC pipe and couplers as a sleeve so the wire would not chaff and filled with expanding foam.

Thanks MudDog. Good idea on the PVC pipe.

[Bill]

Hi, Bob -

Welcome to the world of TMs. I know you're going to love it.

I have used Bob's idea of PVC pipe for sleeving, and it is a really good idea. The thin sheet of aluminum can be very sharp, and an insulated wire should never be passed through it without some kind of protection.

I'm going to leave this thread here for a couple days, but I will then move it to its proper home - as you noted, the Electrical Forum. The reason you can't post there is that your free trial membership has expired, and you haven't signed up as a Sponsor. I'm sure you noticed that most of the rest of the Board disappeared as well, not just the Electrical Forum. Most TM owners consider the $12 yearly Sponsor fee to be a very good value - perhaps you will agree.

Again, welcome aboard!

Bill

Thanks Bill. It's a great forum. I just signed up for two years.

Bob

Before you go too far with your inverter, what equipment are you using it with?

Most people do not realize just how inefficient these devices are. If you can locate 12V DC device that will probably maximize your battery usage. That way you will not have the multiple power losses from both the inverter and the device and possibly the device converting the AC power back to DC!

There are a few flat panel TVs that are 12 volt powered. If you are powering wall warts (cell phone chargers, etc) buying 12 volt charger would be much more efficient...

[MudDog]

I've never worried about the efficiency of my inverter...with 160 watts of solar panels and normally plenty of sun, it hasn't been an issue

Originally Posted by ng2951

Most people do not realize just how inefficient these devices are. If you can locate 12V DC device that will probably maximize your battery usage.

That is a good point and I should have been more specific on my "occasional use". I understand the losses associated with an inverter and try to use 12v devices when possible. It is very inefficient to convert 12v DC to 120v AC back down to a low voltage. At first I was thinking of not even installing an inverter but then I thought that I would miss it. I have a small 130 watt single serving blender that I like to use now and then for very short periods of time and occasionally I find myself wanting to plug something in. Usually I have the power on the inverter off so that I don't have any current draw.

On our popup I had a 300w pure sine wave inverter and I really liked it. I'm going to put on a slightly larger inverter in the Trailmanor but I don't plan to use it that much. I made a power budget spreadsheet and ended up putting an 85W panel on the popup. I found that we could go pretty much indefinitely on solar if we got an average of 2-4 hours of good sunlight a day. Of course we could go several days without good sunlight. Our biggest power usage was from the furnace blower to keep the popup warm enough for the DW and kids. With the much better insulation in the Trailmanor that usage should go down. We had all LED lights so I expect that usage to go up with the florescent lights.

I like MudDog's approach of just having 160w and not worrying about it but for our usage 80w should be fine.

[Harry Womack]

I have a 1750 watt Pro Watt. I use it with the 200 watt solar panels and two size 29 Interstate batteries. I can run my coffee maker and my microwave with it. We have camped for more than a week and not charged the batteries.
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