Lend a hand?

[marcortez]

I want to use a power inverter in a travel trailer to supply 110 juice for the installed outlets common to a 22'-23' trailer.

On the face of an inverter are 2 normal 3 prong outlets.
What is the accepted way to get that outlet juice to wherever it is that supplies 110 volt power to the trailer installed plug in outlets?

Help me with the terminology please.....that devise that this inverter power would go to??....
Thanks so much.

[Nurek]

Not really sure what you are trying to accomplish.

Are you trying to change 12v to 120v by way of the inverter?

You want to power all your 120v outlets from an inverter?

I'm sooo confused.


Inverters - Converters (All you need to know)

[marcortez]

Yes.....when needed......convert 12V to 110V, to power up AC outlets.

And the accepted manner of getting that 110V power from the inverter outlets to the outlets in a travel trailer.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by marcortez

I want to use a power inverter in a travel trailer to supply 110 juice for the installed outlets common to a 22'-23' trailer.

On the face of an inverter are 2 normal 3 prong outlets.
What is the accepted way to get that outlet juice to wherever it is that supplies 110 volt power to the trailer installed plug in outlets?

Help me with the terminology please.....that devise that this inverter power would go to??....
Thanks so much.

You don't use an inverter, like the one you're describing, to do what you want to do.
The inverter you're describing, is a stand-alone inverter that isn't integrated into the trailer's outlets.

How many batteries do you have, to power the outlets, with an inverter?

[SKnight]

Here's what I do, take with a grain of salt and understand, I'm about to get my head beaten in. I'm sure to die in a fire I guess.

I made an extension cord with male plugs on both ends. Turn the converter off and plug the inverter into a nearby outlet. It back feeds power to the other outlets. It's how I watch tv at night after quiet time. Then, just unplug the inverter to return to normal operstion.

Make sure you turn the converter off, it doesn't like to try charging itself.

[waiter21]

I made an extension cord with male plugs on both ends.

We call this a suicide cord.

Using the suicide cord will work, BUT - you need to be extremely careful that you are not plugged into shore power or generator running, etc... ALSO - backfeeding could present a lethal electrocution hazard to someone working on a power line. Use EXTREME caution if you use this method to ensure you are disconnected from shore power. (I use a suicide cord at home to backfeed power to my house when we lose power.)


Several other alternatives:

1) install a couple regular 110 outlets that got their power directly from the inverter. I did this on my old Toyhouse (Toyota Dolphin) .

2) Install a changeover relay/solenoid so that your outlets get their power from the shore power feed, or the inverter.

3) Install a shore power receptical that is feed from the inverter. You can then plug your shore power cord into this receptical. Some MH, TT, do this with their generators, i.e. in order to use the generator, you need to plug your shore power cord into the generator.

[youroo]

Lend A Hand is the name of Stromberg Carlson assist bar door handle! I fell for the trick wording! Youroo!!

[marcortez]

Originally Posted by bikendan

You don't use an inverter, like the one you're describing, to do what you want to do.
The inverter you're describing, is a stand-alone inverter that isn't integrated into the trailer's outlets.

How many batteries do you have, to power the outlets, with an inverter?

I'll be darned.....this is exactly what I was trying to describe.
A Samlex or Xantrex or any other brand of stand alone 1000W inverter that connects to the battery (s) and supplies 110V power at their integrated outlets.

I keep reading to install devices as near to the batt bank as possible.
Perhaps my misguided thinking was to install this inverter in the "pass thru" front storage area in a travel trailer...which is the closest place to the "A" frame mounted batt bank.

Then I got to wondering, how would I get the inverter produced, 110V power back inside the trailer interior to run a coffee pot once a day....charge up devices and power a laptop or maybe run a TV for a couple of hours in the evening.

The system I am lamely trying to describe would start with a 200W roof solar array and a charge controller.
I am a single camper and don't use much juice, so I thought 200W of solar power would be sufficient.

The camper will have 2 AGM 12V batteries in parallel.

Kindly tell me what I would need to have 110V power inside the interior of the camper, if not without an inverter of some sort.

[marcortez]

Originally Posted by waiter21

Several other alternatives:

1) install a couple regular 110 outlets that got their power directly from the inverter. I did this on my old Toyhouse (Toyota Dolphin) .

2) Install a changeover relay/solenoid so that your outlets get their power from the shore power feed, or the inverter.

3) Install a shore power receptical that is feed from the inverter. You can then plug your shore power cord into this receptical. Some MH, TT, do this with their generators, i.e. in order to use the generator, you need to plug your shore power cord into the generator.

Yikes....how did I miss this?
And double yikes....this is WAY over my skill level in all things electronic.

Boy.....I need some serious "lend a hand" factors here.

[bikendan]

I don't see the need to power every outlet.
I just wired a 400w inverter by the TV cabinet. It's connected straight to the batteries.
I use it to power the tv and dvd. It also has usb ports for charging electronic devices.

I choose to use other ways to make coffee when dry camping.

[SKnight]

Originally Posted by waiter21

We call this a suicide cord.

Using the suicide cord will work, BUT - you need to be extremely careful that you are not plugged into shore power or generator running, etc... ALSO - backfeeding could present a lethal electrocution hazard to someone working on a power line. Use EXTREME caution if you use this method to ensure you are disconnected from shore power. (I use a suicide cord at home to backfeed power to my house when we lose power.)


Several other alternatives:

1) install a couple regular 110 outlets that got their power directly from the inverter. I did this on my old Toyhouse (Toyota Dolphin) .

2) Install a changeover relay/solenoid so that your outlets get their power from the shore power feed, or the inverter.

3) Install a shore power receptical that is feed from the inverter. You can then plug your shore power cord into this receptical. Some MH, TT, do this with their generators, i.e. in order to use the generator, you need to plug your shore power cord into the generator.

Good point. I nearly exclusively boondock and neglected to mention being unplugged from shore power.

It's easy to say if I'm plugged in, why would I need the inverter? If the power went out at the park, or you forgot from last time it could be bad.

Much like doing a walk around before leaving, it's a good idea to have a routine. I charge my phone and iPad overnight, my jumper won't allow me to plug my chargers in at the same time so I'm very unlikely to forget to unplug the jumper.

[marcortez]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I don't see the need to power every outlet.
I just wired a 400w inverter by the TV cabinet. It's connected straight to the batteries.
I use it to power the tv and dvd. It also has usb ports for charging electronic devices.

I choose to use other ways to make coffee when dry camping.

Great....now I am getting all this honed in....

Does the longer run of inverter cables from the interior of the trailer to the "A" frame mounted batts cause you any concerns at all?
I am guessing maybe 10'-12' run in a 22'-23' trailer?
The 2 outlets on the face of the inverter will do me just fine.

My thoughts on using a coffee maker on 110V is that it is FREE.....via power supplied by that big orb in the sky that shined down the day before and zapped the batts with charge.

The one feature of using the "other" way (propane gas stove) is that it provides a bit of heating on chilly mornings......

Good stuff......I like it.......thank you