Converter or inverter?

[rugjenkins]

I'm replacing all the electrical.
All my appliances will be electric- 120v.
Which would work in this case-converter or inverter?

[moosetags]

You will definitely need a converter to charge your batteries and power the 12 volt DC functions of your trailer.

Brian

[J. Morgan]

Inverter.

I did the same thing, all of my trailer is 120 except for the water pump and the porch lights.

However, you will need a good charger to keep your inverter batteries in good shape.

I just installed a 45 amp smart charger this week after stumbling along with a ten amp dumb charger for a couple of years.


Superat stultitia.

[TG Twinkie]

How much room do you have for batteries?
Do you plan to always have shore power ?
If so. You don't need an inverter. Only a converter for the 12 volt devices that remain.. ie water pump, furnace, lights. The converter will also charge the house battery(s).

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by rugjenkins

I'm replacing all the electrical.
All my appliances will be electric- 120v.
Which would work in this case-converter or inverter?

Which one you need depends on what you are trying to do.

A converter changes shore power, ~120v AC to ~12v DC, to charge batteries or power 12v appliances.

An inverter changes ~12v DC stored in the battery (or provided by solar) to ~120v AC to power 120v AC appliances. You will need a substantial battery bank to power a few appliances.

add edit:
You must have a battery to operate the accidental disconnect emergency brake, so you must have some way to charge that battery. You will need the converter.

[rugjenkins]

We mostly camp with shore power 99% of the time. The battery or batteries will go under my bed in the rear.
Suggestions and advice needed. I want to hear what y'all have done on yours. So I can way it all out. Thank you at all who have replied- J Morgan, TG Twinkie, A W Warn and moose tags

[J. Morgan]

As I mentioned above, I have hardly any 12 volt anything.

I run household light fixtures and residential propane fired appliances, (electric refrigerator).

I run two 100 amp hour batteries that power an inverter that will run everything but the air conditioner.

I use two double throw double pole switches that allow me to control the input to the entire breaker panel.

I can select shore power, inverter, or generator with these two switches.

I use the inverter when traveling to run the refrigerator in the day and the lights at night. On a typical travel day my tow vehicle will run the fridge and recharge my batteries sufficient for an overnight stay to mid morning unless I need to run the furnace a LOT.

It isn't a setup that is ideal for a lot of boondocking without a generator, but for my use it works well. (My use is from shore power to shore power with a couple of travel days and nights in a Lowe's or Home Depot parking lot in between. I always carry a generator, but don't really use it unless it is real cold or hot outside.)


Superat stultitia.

[rugjenkins]

J Morgan, thank you for the details. I have looked at many of your posts on your electrical setup. The detailed info here really brings some understanding. If I have more questions on setup Id like to pm you.

Thanks,
Matt Jenkins

[J. Morgan]

Anytime!



My "transfer switch"


Superat stultitia.

[rugjenkins]

Wow that looks great! The buttons look huge.

[aftermath]

Matt,

I am still a little confused with your plan. Here is the way I see it.

Unless you change EVERYTHING to 110 you will need a converter. A good converter not only changes your 110 to 12 volts but it also charges your battery. Are you going to have a 110 v water pump? Are you changing out the fridge for an apartment style that runs on 110? An RV refrigerator has a board that runs on 12 v.

Now, if you are planning on doing a lot of boondocking you could use an inverter to run your 110 appliances from your batteries. You will need good batteries and perhaps even a solar charging system to help out. J Morgan is doing this I think.

You mentioned that you are almost always hooked up to shore power. If that is the case, I don't think you will have the need for an inverter. I carry a generator to power up the 110 appliances when I am not connected to shore power.

[mixedpuppy]

You could go with an inverter/charger such as a Magnum. If you're running all AC appliances, be sure to get a large enough inverter (and battery bank if planning any off grid even for a night). Probably should also go pure sine wave (more expensive).

[rugjenkins]

Frig will be a residential unit.
Water heater will be a tankless.
Water pump 12v
Stove is gas

I'm still weighing all options. I originally leaned toward the converter! J Morgans setup intrigues me because it seems backwards.( not saying that it is, I'm just lacking in understanding) So I'm studying the layout. I do like that his tow vehicle runs his frig while in tow. I would like to install solar too and most systems use an inverter from what I can tell.
I've learned there is more than one way to skin a cat!

My biggest concern with the inverter setup is- I'm in the south and the a/c is not an option but a must!

[rugjenkins]

I do plan on traveling the country soon so they maybe nights I'm in transit in a lowes.

[J. Morgan]

To run the A/C you will need either shore power or a generator no matter which way you go.

My thinking when I picked my direction was that:

A. Inverter technology has come a long way in the past 20 years.

B. Running a dual A/C D/C system is double the work

C. Residential appliance and fixtures are as a rule cheaper than RV/marine dedicated units.

The single down side in my opinion is that I give up about 10% of my battery capacity to inverter overhead.

I use a modified sine wave converter, two years now with no ill effects to any of my devices or appliances.

The switches on my transfer switch look like regular household light switches, albeit with three positions. (They don't show well in the dark photograph)


Superat stultitia.