Inverter on or off?

[sunnman]

I have a 2017 Vibe Ultra Light 288RLS. When do I turn the inverter on and when do I turn it off? We do not have a generator (yet). We have a residential fridge, the AC and fridge do not run when not on shore power.

[CHICKDOE]

the inverter is there to power the residential refrigerator when you do not have shore power. typically that is the only thing the inverter will power. you will not have a/c, or probably any other 110 vac devices, powered from the inverter. your first task is to find out why the refrigerator will not run using the batteries / inverter. don't know the model of your inverter. get it and download the manual for it. check for any error conditions on the inverter display panel. many inverters have an output receptacle that is a gfci outlet. the refrigerator, or refrigerator transfer switch, power cable will plug into the gfci outlet. check the gfci outlet and see if it needs to be reset. doing this has solved many 'refrigerator won't run on inverter' problems.

now when do you turn the inverter on or off? there are many responses to this question with many viewpoints. some say leave the inverter on all the time. when you are connected to shore power it will take precedence and the transfer switch will disconnect the refrigerator from the inverter so basically it is just sitting there without any load connected to it. should shore power fail the inverter will kick in to keep the refrigerator running. others will say only turn the inverter on when you are travelling and do not have shore power to run the refrigerator. there is no right or wrong. but turning the inverter on at the start of a trip and leaving it on is pretty simple.

[formerFR]

an Inverter is simply there to allow you to power any 120v outlets(including the 120v fridge), when you are not hooked up to shore power/generator power.

You can leave the inverter ON even when you DO have shore power, as it's function then is simply to 'pass thru' shore power to all the 120v outlets, and if you LOSE shore power, you still have 120v power to all the outlets.

an Inverter will not run your Air Conditioner regardless, as it is not designed for that, only for typically 'plug in' outlet items, such as fridge, microwave, computers, device chargers, TVs, satellite receivers, etc.

You may find that on your unit the Inverter is only powering the residential fridge, if you have one, otherwise you will need to check each outlet with a fan or something to see if it is powered while on the Inverter...

Most RVs that come with an Inverter are simply due to the need to power a 120v residential Fridge either while you are driving/traveling, or when you have no shore or generator power.