hard-wired inverter in Roo/Shamrock 23SS

[bikendan]

i want to hard-wire an inverter in my 23SS.
have been using a 200w one, clamped to the battery and sitting outside, with an extension cord running inside to power the tv.
i just got a 400w for $16 and want to mount it inside. problem is where.
i thought i could tap into the water pump wiring but some have said i need to run wires from the converter's 12v fuse panel.
but the tv sits pretty far from it and there's the door in between.

anyone do this?

[SaskCampers]

Dan, for a 400 watt inverter you are going to need at min 8 gage wire to run it at full load if you plan on mounting it any distance from the battery. I put a 12v power port in our trailer by the converter using one of the spare fuse locations in the distribution panel and I used 12 guage wire as it is only abt 2 feet of wire, I fused it at 15a. So I just plug the inverter in when we are Wally World camping and plug the TV into it as the Genesis is 12v. I use a 400 watt inverter but probably only use abt 100 watts or so on the TV. We have run it for 3 hrs at a time with little indicated drain on the battery. So yes I would use the distribution panel vs splicing into any wiring in the trailer. The water pump wiring is not real large.

[biken201]

I don't know how your setup is in the 23SS with the tv and 12v outlet, but this is how I use my 500w inverter.





I put industrial duty velcro on the underside of the cabinet where my tv and DVD player are mounted.





I attached the opposing velcro on the bottom of my inverter and use it to hold it in place while we're using the tv to watch movies.





My 2012.5 Roo 233S has a 12v plug next to where the television plugs in, so I use it to power the inverter. This seemed to be the easiest setup for us, and we simply remove the inverter and store it in a cabinet when not in use. I considered leaving it velcro'd to the cabinet, but the underside wood is too flimsy and the bouncing during transport proved too much for it. Fortunately the velcro gave way and not the "wood" it was attached to.

[bikendan]

unfortunately, my Roo didn't come with a 12v outlet.

and the distance from the converter panel and the place where the tv mounts is about 10'-11'. in between is the dinette and the door.

[Lynkage]

You can run directly from the battery or your panel whichever is easier.
Just put an inline fuse at the supply if you use the battery option.

You will not need anymore than 12 awg (12 awg is good for 20 amps) as that is more than enough.
Just figure 500 watts is roughly 5 amps (actually it is less) but if you want exact then use ohms law to find it.
at 10-11' you will not experiance any voltage drop of any kind.
I would however run it's own circuit that way you have all available power for your inverter.

[bikendan]

running from the battery would be much easier and much shorter distance.

if i have a dual 12v paralleled battery setup, would i run the wires just from one battery or positive from one and negative from the other?

[Lynkage]

If I read it right, You have them parallelled already so just pick a pair of terminals (same battery) and go. Just remember to use a fuse at the battery (to protect the wire run from shorts and over current).

[lornav]

Hi Dan, snooping around under our Roo23SS, it looks do-able to run wiring from the elect panel forward to the cabinet under the TV. It doesn't appear to be a major deal to penetrate to floor in those locations- not that I've ever done it. I think silicone would seal it up well. $16 sounds like a great deal. Can I ask where you got it?

[SaskCampers]

Originally Posted by Lynkage

You can run directly from the battery or your panel whichever is easier.
Just put an inline fuse at the supply if you use the battery option.

You will not need anymore than 12 awg (12 awg is good for 20 amps) as that is more than enough.
Just figure 500 watts is roughly 5 amps (actually it is less) but if you want exact then use ohms law to find it.
at 10-11' you will not experiance any voltage drop of any kind.
I would however run it's own circuit that way you have all available power for your inverter.

FYI 500 watts @12 v is over 41amps and given the fact that any inverter is abt 85% efficinet that number is even more. I have a 400 watt inverter and it states a max draw of 40.5 amps. What is at issue here is the supply voltage and current not the output of the inverter.

Here is a link to wire sizes for 12volts Dan, do it right so you don't risk a fire in the wiring.

Amps and Wire Gauge - 12V Circuit

[Lynkage]

Originally Posted by TheSasks

FYI 500 watts @12 v is over 41amps and given the fact that any inverter is abt 85% efficinet that number is even more. I have a 400 watt inverter and it states a max draw of 40.5 amps. What is at issue here is the supply voltage and current not the output of the inverter.

Here is a link to wire sizes for 12volts Dan, do it right so you don't risk a fire in the wiring.

Amps and Wire Gauge - 12V Circuit

Yes that's correct. Sorry I was thinking of 120 volts.

Dan I am sorry for the mis-information. I was also for some reason thinking of one of those 150-180 watt cigarette lighter inverters as being a 500w.
Once again I am sorry.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by lornav

$16 sounds like a great deal. Can I ask where you got it?

i got it from NewEgg.com with free shipping.
i get sale emails from them. they have some of the best prices on electronics and computer stuff, in the country.
haven't seen the 400w one under $25 until this last sale. jumped on it as fast as i could.