Inverter Use

[TRizzuti]

I have a 2006 22’ International CCD. There’s a 3-prong electrical outlet beside the TV marked “Inverter Use Only”. There’s a small panel with a button and light located beside the Monitor marked “Inverter”.

We like to dry camp now and again. Unfortunately, my wife uses a C-Pap breathing machine. When I plug her C-Pap into the electrical outlet and push the button on the Inverter panel, the light doesn’t come on the panel, and the C-Pap doesn’t turn on.

I am not a handyman, and know even less about electricity, but here’s my question — do I need to connect an Inverter to the electrical outlet? Is the outlet 12 vote, in other words, not 110? The owner’s manual doesn’t say, at least not as far as I could determine.

Additional information — when I bought the camper, I had the dealership switch out the two 12 vote batteries for two 6 vote batteries and install a solar panel to charge the batteries. Also, there’s an inverter located under the front bed that’s turned on and I assume is working. Is it possible that this work I had done necessitated disconnecting the Inverter Use Only outlet?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[fran&frank]

Your outlet labeled inverter use should be 110V AC and will only work if the inverter is hooked up and turned on. Sounds like you located the inverter under you front bed, first step is to confirm it is turning on. It should be connected by some fairly heavy wires to you batteries or a 12-volt bus bar on the input side. On the output side it will be 110V AC and should be connected to the outlet through a circuit breaker somewhere. There are different types of inverters and and ways to wire them so some pictures might help--Frank

[Rich W]

When we bought our 23' Safari the previous owner told us she had burned out the 600 watt inverter. I said that most likely it just blew some fuses. Once home I opened it up and replaced 2 internal fuses. In the process of removing the inverter I shorted the positive wire to ground and blew the very expensive in-line fuse. I had to remove most of the L-couch to get to that so I could replace it.



My inverter has a plug that allows 110v to pass through when you're on shore power but there's no 110v plug near it, so we just use that inverter wall plug when we're not on shore power, nothing else. We have other 110v plugs near the inverter outlets and I just use short extension cords or power strips.


If your inverter light isn't coming on then something is not right with the inverter. I don't know how much access you have to the inverter but you need to get to it and check it out. See if the 12v leads from the battery are powered. If not, then the very expensive inline fuse is blown. (Search online for good prices.) If you have 12v+ and ground going into the inverter then the internal fuses are blown and need to be replaced. Mine were an odd amperage but I found replacements on Amazon.


If you don't have a multimeter so you can check voltages then I suggest you just disconnect the batteries, remove the inverter and take it to an electrician / handyperson to check it out.