Installing an inverter in a Bambi... Any advice?

[R2DTube]

Hey all you Bambi people... Well heck, hey EVERYBODY!

I'm thinking about installing a 600 or 800 watt inverter in our 2007 16' Bambi. The idea is to use it to run a blender for our morning smoothies when we're boondocking, which is pretty much every time we go camping. We're gettin' healthy with lots of fruits & veggies, and I've become addicted to the morning smoothie. And let's be honest, the blender will definitely see some booze-y action too. (Watermelon daiquiris: freeze chunks of watermelon and blend with rum, fresh lime juice, and a squeeze of agave nectar. YUM.) We've been using a hand-crank blender and it's great for the daiquiris, but it's not so great for blending up kale in a smoothie. I know, kale seems gross for breakfast, but it's actually pretty good when it's mixed with apples, ginger, and citrus. So, I thought why not install an inverter and get a decent electric blender. I'm thinking an 800 watt inverter to power a 600 watt blender would do the trick, no? We've got 2 6-volt AGM batteries being recharged with a 100 watt solar panel on the roof... thank you AM Solar! There's always plenty of electric juice, so it seemed to me that we could use some to run a blender for 60 seconds or so. Here's an inverter that seems like it would work:

800 Watt Power Inverter with cables by AIMS

So...

What do you all think? I'm very interested to know if anyone has installed a similar inverter in a Bambi like ours, and if so, where did you put it? I'm thinking it would work to somehow install it under the street-side dinette seat, where the fresh water tank is. Seems like there would be enough room in there with plenty of air around the inverter. It would be a very short cable run to the batteries, which are right in front on the tongue. I thought I could maybe cut a hole in the cabinet and install the inverter in such a way that it's supported inside the cabinet with the front of the inverter flush with the outside of the cabinet, creating a new electrical outlet. Make sense? Or maybe on the other side of the dinette, close to the subwoofer. Has anyone done something like this? Am I totally bonkers for thinking this might be a good idea??

Thanks in advance for any help, suggestions, and advice!

[idroba]

It probably will work, but sometimes the start load of a blender with a 600 watt rating can be considerable and more than an 800 watt inverter will support. That said, there is no real way to tell other than trying it out. I guess I would go ahead and buy it, assuming it can be returned if it does not work. Test it when you get it by hooking it up to a car battery and making a full jar of your "product" prior to doing a full install in the trailer.

One reason I say the above is that recently I picked up a 400 watt sine wave inverter, and on my test found that it would not run my Dremel tool if I started it on high speed. It would run on low though. It seemed to me that a little Dremel tool would run fine on a 400 watt inverter, but apparently not this one. You just cannot be sure.

[R2DTube]

Thanks for the reply, Idroba. Looks like I've got some homework to do!

[Keith and Sue in PG]

I like the idea of an inverter. We just bought a 2012 16 foot Sport in October and are waiting for the first weekend out. (it is stuck in the snow right now and it is -10C or 10F). Two things we will likely do right away are the second battery and a solar panel. I am wondering which solar panel you went with and if you did the install yourself. Please provide updates on the inverter install. It will be great to hear how it works.

Great looking trailer BTW. How does it pull with the SUV?

Keith

[TG Twinkie]

I would recommend at least 1200 watts. Because of the starting current required by the blender.
If you regularly take the 800 watt inverter to it's max. Eventually, you will pay the price.

[vinstream]

I like 3000w inverters/charger the best, because of the large battery size used and the best recharging time. However, over kill for your needs, but if you place a 2000w inverter in it should run almost anything you plug in.... spend a few more $$ and go with a 2000w!

[Phoenix]

Inverter ads usually tout "peak" rating, while appliances need "RMS" power. (RMS is .707 times peak; thus, a 1,000 Watt inverter will reliably power only a 707 Watt appliance.) Look for RMS Wattage rating a little larger than your blender, and you will probably be OK.

[R2DTube]

Phoenix... thanks for the "a-ha" moment. Very useful advice. I had no idea about "RMS".

And thank you as well, vinstream and TG Twinkie. Everyone seems to be saying something similar, about "sizing" an inverter larger than what I thought would be adequate. Thanks everybody for the good advice! I'll let you know what I end up doing.

Keith and Sue in PG, congratulations! Welcome to the family! We went with a 100 watt panel from AM Solar, which they installed. They also installed their charge controller, and 2 AGM batteries. I'm not able to speak with much authority about our system, other than to say it works great and we love it. We never run out of power! We do live and camp mostly in sunny California, so it might be different for you guys if you camp in lots of trees or rainy weather. I would say to email or call AM Solar and talk to them about it. They're very helpful and just really nice people. The bottom line for me is that the system works silently and consistently and I never have to worry about it. We always have plenty of power for lights, satellite radio, a movie every now and then, the furnace blower... it is a small trailer and heats up quickly. The only thing we can't use with the batteries is the air conditioner. And a blender, at least not until I get an inverter! I'll let you know what happens. And about towing, we pull it with our almost 12-year old 4Runner with no problems. We're not the fastest up the steep hills, but we always get where we're going. We use an Equal-izer hitch, which I love. Good luck with your new baby! You're going to love it. Don't forget to post some pictures!

Thanks again, everyone. I'll post again about the inverter when I finally buy one and get it all worked out.

Andy

[n2916s]

Amazon will cheerfully sell you a 12 volt "tailgater" blender that would solve the problem. Buy a smaller inverter as well to charge stuff and run small appliances...

Better than "idling" a high capacity inverter when you only need it occasionally.

Mike

[AirsDream]

Not to be a smart aleck or anything, but I suppose you've seen this little guy:

Amazon.com: Tailgator Gas-Powered Blender: Kitchen & Dining

They're noisy, but no wires required!!!

But more seriously, I think you're on the right track to oversize your inverter. Do be SURE to use a high quality in-line fuse near the battery connection.

[R2DTube]

That gas-powered blender is awesome! Maybe we could tow it with my uncle's Cruzin Cooler!

Cruzin Cooler Official Site

Now, someone tell me, where do I get a fur sink?? (Thanks, Steve!)

[AirsDream]

Originally Posted by R2DTube

That gas-powered blender is awesome! Maybe we could tow it with my uncle's Cruzin Cooler!

Cruzin Cooler Official Site

Now, someone tell me, where do I get a fur sink?? (Thanks, Steve!)

And if that didn't work out, I expect you could rig up a propshaft, add a small propeller, and run an inflatable boat around with it. Or use it to power your very own drone!

[Protohyp]

I was just around the corner from you today at City Hall for SPCLA vaccinations... Should've stopped by and visited

[R2DTube]

Glenn, you would have missed me... I've been on the east coast for a while. Heading home today for a few weeks and I couldn't be happier! Unless I could squeeze in a weekend camping trip, of course...

[kscherzi]

I want to do the same (run my blender). My Oster blender, according to what's printed on the bottom, is rated to 450 watts max. AM Solar recommended the SureSine 300 inverter. It's a super high efficiency 300 watt pure sine wave inverter that is rated to hold a surge of 600 continuous watts for 10 minutes. When off, it draws just 25mA, which is almost nothing. I was impressed and may well buy this inverter.

[TheBean]

R2DTube, did you ever install your inverter to run your blender et al?
We are newbies...we just got our 16' Sport! And are now trying to learn about it. One of the moments of dismay was figuring out that I wouldn't be able to run my blender while dry camping....without an inverter. So we are just now working on getting one (1500 watts continuous) and installing it. Any words of wisdom or experience would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bliss & Richard

[R2DTube]

No, I haven't done it yet. I've been on the east coast again, away from home and all things trailer. I'm heading back home to the west coast next week, and then I'll get back to my trailer projects.

I've got a fairly easy and inexpensive plan cooked up for the inverter. I got all kinds of advice about this project, everything from really expensive to really cheap, and I've decided to go the not-too-expensive route. I couldn't justify spending a ton of dough just to run a blender.

Here's what I'm going to do. I'll use a cheapy 750 watt inverter from Harbor Freight:

12V Power Inverter - 1500 Watts Max

I'm going to create a new 12 volt outlet inside the trailer using this:

Trolling Motor Connector Kit - 8-Gauge | Bass Pro Shops

I'll replace the alligator clips on the inverter with one set of the quick-connects in this trolling motor kit, and then I'll create a new outlet with that nice and clean, 1 1/2 inch diameter round hole plug and the other set of quick-connects. Is that making sense? The wires will connect to the batteries on the tongue and come up through the bottom of the trailer into the compartment under the street-side dinette seat. That's where other wiring comes into the trailer, specifically the umbilical, which I recently replaced and found that it wasn't hard to do at all. These new 8-gauge wires will follow that same route. I should also mention that I'm planning to install an in-line fuse holder near the batteries, which will hold a 40 amp fuse. Then I'll cut a very small, clean hole in the base of the street side dinette seat and install that round hole adapter. Nice and clean. Then whenever I want to use the inverter, I'll just plug it into the new outlet and away we go. I've already tested this inverter with our blender and it works just fine. The blender is maybe an Osterizer I think, 600 watts as I recall.

I had originally thought I'd permanently install an inverter, but it was getting to be too expensive and too complicated for me to do myself, so I've come up with this as a simple and affordable compromise.

[R2DTube]

Another alternative is to get one of these hand-crank blenders, which we have and like a lot, but I'm old and lazy and my arm gets tired!

GSI Vortex Blender |Kitchen Accessories | BackcountryGear.com

[R2DTube]

Originally Posted by TheBean

R2DTube, did you ever install your inverter to run your blender et al?
We are newbies...we just got our 16' Sport! And are now trying to learn about it. One of the moments of dismay was figuring out that I wouldn't be able to run my blender while dry camping....without an inverter. So we are just now working on getting one (1500 watts continuous) and installing it. Any words of wisdom or experience would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bliss & Richard

I forgot to say...

Congratulations!! Welcome to the family!!

[TheBean]

Thanks, R2DTube! For the Welcome. The quick reply. And the referral to the hand-crank blender. LOL. Not only do I use my blender for smoothies, but I also make almond milk, nut butters, mayo, etc...my arm would fall off! My husband also wants a toaster. I have combed the forum and the internet and learned a lot about inverters. I'll show your plan to my husband (the mechanic/handi-man in the family) and let you know what we decide.

Thanks again,
Bliss