Forester inverter??

[ghhmtnboy]

Hi
We have a 2018 Forester 2801QS class C
Have not been able to find an Inverter on this coach.
Assume it does not have one.
Have to run the generator to make some coffee when not plugged in.

Prefer to be self contained when we use the coach.

Would appreciate hearing from other Forester owners what they have done.

Thank you

[ghhmtnboy]

I know stopping at a truck stop to buy coffee etc is an option
Prefer not to be exposed to groups of people at this time

Thx
George

[BehindBars]

If you want to hear specifically from Forester owners, you might ask the question in the Forester/Sunseeker forum. Otherwise, search on “inverter” and there are tons of prior discussions to read on this same question.

It seems that since you have a generator, you are self contained.

[Summit1]

Originally Posted by ghhmtnboy

Hi
We have a 2018 Forester 2801QS class C
Have not been able to find an Inverter on this coach.
Assume it does not have one.
Have to run the generator to make some coffee when not plugged in.

Prefer to be self contained when we use the coach.

Would appreciate hearing from other Forester owners what they have done.

Thank you

Bear in mind that coffee makers use varying amounts of power (current x voltage = power in watts)... heating elements are notorious for that.

For example, my home coffee maker draws a total of 13-A when running "full blast"; few expensive inverters would power that beast and would drain the batteries in a big honkin' hurry. Smaller versions of the same brand will draw (maybe) 2/3 that current, but will also suck down a battery like a Shop-Vac.

There are some that may draw less, but an inverter will draw its power from the vehicle battery system and may run it down... be certain your battery system is up to the task with plenty of reserve.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by ghhmtnboy

Hi
We have a 2018 Forester 2801QS class C
Have not been able to find an Inverter on this coach.
Assume it does not have one.
Have to run the generator to make some coffee when not plugged in.

Prefer to be self contained when we use the coach.

Would appreciate hearing from other Forester owners what they have done.

Thank you

There are many threads here, offering alternatives to needing electricity to make coffee.
Many, like Aeropress, Coleman and MyJo only need hot water from the stovetop.

[retireearly]

12v coffee maker might be a solution. Our Forester came with 12v TV's.. we don't have much need for 120V on the road.

[Tonyyoung]

Your unit does not come with an inverter. Because all of our coaches come with 12V tv's and not much need for it. That being said the simple solution would be to get a 12v coffee maker.

I realize this may not be the answer you wanted but I hope I was of some assistance.

[Scrapper]

It looks like it's time to go back to a percolator type pot and ground coffee on a stove or campfire.

[formerFR]

as others say, the inverter is not the place to provide power to make coffee, run a heater, operate the toaster, as the battery bank just doesn't have enough power to make that happen without running them down so far, your interior lights start to dim, your fans start to struggle to run, and then you are out of power all together.

yes, running the generator seems a 'hassle' to some, but it's there to give you that true 120v 'full' power, as you need it, when you need it, and when the BATTERIES need it. If you are making coffee in the morning anyway, the generator running during that time, which is a good time to run it anyway, will be charging your batteries... use that time for the microwave, toaster, and other 'high draw' heat-based appliances.

[ghhmtnboy]

Thank you for all of the comments related to my inverter question.

Generator wins

[karykatz]

Unit does not have an inverter.

[Sagecoachdriver]

I am in the process of upgrading my small 400w inverter that has served me well powering only my Dish receiver and a sound bar. I have just ordered a Renogy 2000watt inverter that is going under my sofa next to the step we’ll containing the batteries. Its currently on sale at Amazon for $269.99 and it’s a pure sine wave. I am buying it so we can use the microwave, hairdryer and space heater that we use to warm up the shower day or night and not have to run the generator. It’s 2000watts will surely handle a coffeemaker. A 1500watt would just barely provide enough power.

[ghhmtnboy]

Thank you
will check it out

[ghhmtnboy]

thank you

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by ghhmtnboy

thank you

Its there but its mis-labeled as a Converter.
Search: 2000w Renogy inverter

[billwww3]

So... with all the advice to get 12vdc appliances, i have yet to find a 12vdc outlet anywhere but the Ford dashboard. Are owners installing their own? I have the One Touch system (2020 Forester 3011DS - apparently an early 2020) so most (all?) the electrical fused connections are under the bed. Batteries under the steps of course; should that be the source of 12 volts for an outlet? Shorter wire run. Advice on where best to connect?
billw

[nic7320]

The problem with factory installed 12 volt outlets is they are not capable of more than a few Amps.

When you're installing a 1000 - 2000 watt inverter, you need wire capable of carrying 100 - 200 Amps, and that requires a little math, or use of an ampacity chart. You can use a slightly smaller wire than the charts show for long wire runs if it is a short run. Some charts show this second option as "wiring within a chassis" meaning an electronics chassis, and not a long run on an RV chassis. If it's less than two feet, the IR voltage drop is not appreciable so you can use a smaller wire.

The next issue is how much battery you need, in terms of battery energy. Amp-hours are used as a shorthand analog for energy, measured in watt-hours. Multiply Ah with your battery voltage and you have total watt-hours... with a big caveat. To get reasonable life from lead acid batteries, you should not draw below 50% state of charge, so your total Ah or Wh are not entirely available.

For example, a coffee maker that draws 1200
watts and runs for ten minutes requires 1200 Watts times 10/60 hours divided by 80% efficiency which is 250 Watt hours (rough estimate). A 100 Ah 12 volt battery has about 600 Watt hours of useable energy, so you only get two cups of coffee before you need to recharge.

As you can see, adding more batteries and some solar panels will extend your energy solution.

[Sagecoachdriver]

If you just want coffee.,we use a kettle and boil water on stove. Then pour boiling water into Melita cup and filter with coffee . It percolates thru giving a good strong blend of coffee. We used to use a percolating kettle but it took forever and used a lot of propane. I'm sure there are many other ways to make a morning brew.

[Sagecoachdriver]

This afternoon I finally got around to installing the Renogy 2000 watt inverter. I first removed my little 400w 15 year old Xantrex. I had previously drilled a 1” hole in the floor under the sofa. The doubled 4awg cables fit easily thru the hole and were just long enough to attach to the Bussman 200amp resettable fuse and to the battery monitor shunt. I then ran 1 awful from the fuse to the positive post on the BB Lithium batteries. I then installed the remote in the same location as my xantrex inverter’s on the shelf atop the sofa. I turned the inverter on and tested with a battery charger just to see if it worked and then checked the Renogy battery monitor responding to the draw. All seemed to be working as expected.
Tomorrow I will run extension cords and directly check performance on various appliances. Then I will run the extension cord out to the shoreline receptacle and test again.