Inverter basics ~ 101

[Mikenbern]

Can somebody either answer or direct me to a link about the inverter?

I usually camp in state parks with electric hookups. Should I turn on the little button to the left of the sink ( a green light comes on)

But I am not sure if I need it or what it does- long time camper first time with an inverter

Thanks for your patience & insights

[Bobbo]

No. If you are plugged in to shore power, you do not need the inverter, so turn it off.

If you are boondocking and have no shore power, you turn that on to power LOW CURRENT 120v electrical stuff, e.g. no blow dryers. The inverter will run your television(s), radio, blue ray/dvd player, and low current stuff like laptop chargers and phone chargers. It taps power directly from your battery to power that stuff. Since the outlets are 120v and the battery is 12v you pull over 10 times the number of amps from the battery that you use in the trailer. For example, if you are powering a 100 watt light bulb (0.83 amps) it will draw over 8.3 amps of power from the battery.

This does not apply to anything you are running from a 12v connection like those round cigarette lighter looking things.

[BigHornStream]

So when boon docking and the Inverter is turned on and I want to watch TV doesn't it have to be plugged into the Inverter Outlet?

[Bobbo]

Yes. Anything 120v you want to run while boondocking must be plugged into the inverter outlet.

[Tomhenritze]

In your 27' you should have an inverter outlet next to both tv's, the DVD, and under the dinette. Light blue instead of dark blue labeling. Any appliances that draw close to 1000w will pop the breaker. I can use my instant pot, but not my tea kettle. Weird cooking on the floor... basically I shift to gas with very little electrical when I am not plugged into shore power. Also a headlamp if you are boondocking for very long.

[banderabob]

Good info! Glad you asked.

[jck_dmb]

What about the button next to the door with "use or store"? Can you quickly touch on that? I'm under the impression I should leave it on store only when we store it for the winter. True?? Thanks!

[NWRVR]

Originally Posted by jck_dmb

What about the button next to the door with "use or store"? Can you quickly touch on that? I'm under the impression I should leave it on store only when we store it for the winter. True?? Thanks!

When we are on shore power we leave the battery switch by the door in the store position unless the batteries need a charge. If you have the factory converter, it is a one stage charger that will cook the batteries if left on all the time when on shore power. Many people upgrade the stock converter to a three stage smart converter which can be left on all the time when on shore power without damaging the batteries. I did not change my converter to a smart three stage as I have solar so I always have the switch in the store position when on shore power and let the solar charge the batteries with its smart controller.

[Bobbo]

That button disconnects the batteries from the house circuits and converter/charger. When it is in STORE mode, the only things still connected to the battery are:
1. solar panels - for battery charging
2. 7 pin connector from truck - for battery charging
3. breakaway brake - for emergency stopping
4. inverter
5. for some reason, the propane detector

Everything else is disconnected from the battery.

I have not yet taken possession of my new Airstream, but the day I do I will install the new 4 stage converter/charger I already have sitting in my garage, and will move the propane detector to after the disconnect relay.

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by Bobbo

That button disconnects the batteries from the house circuits and converter/charger. When it is in STORE mode, the only things still connected to the battery are:
1. solar panels - for battery charging
2. 7 pin connector from truck - for battery charging
3. breakaway brake - for emergency stopping
4. inverter
5. electric jack
6. for some reason, the propane detector

Everything else is disconnected from the battery.

I have not yet taken possession of my new Airstream, but the day I do I will install the new 4 stage converter/charger I already have sitting in my garage, and will move the propane detector to after the disconnect relay.

Oops, I left one off. I have added it above (hint: electric jack)

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Bobbo

Oops, I left one off. I have added it above (hint: electric jack)

I would think twice about removing the propane detector directly from the battery...it's wired that way for your safety.

If you have a charger on your batteries when stored the little amount that the propane detector draws will not matter at all.

I store my airstream with the main power unhooked and heavy cord stored so it doesn't get damaged or stolen...then I use a Battery Minder hooked directly to the batteries in the front box with a regular extension cord to maintain my batteries.

You don''t need to change the factory converter...when your camping and using 12 volts all the time it will not over charge the batteries. Just don't leave it on if you store the trailer for extended periods.

In the summer especially be sure to check the water level in your batteries regularly no matter what converter or charger you use...and be sure to use only distilled water. I buy a turkey baster I got at walmart for $2 and keep in the trailer...it has a large top rubber bulb and long glass neck to hold water for filling each battery cell without making a mess. Easy and works great!

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

I would think twice about removing the propane detector directly from the battery...it's wired that way for your safety.

If the battery disconnect is supposed to be off, the propane will be off. Also, since I will leave the RV plugged in 24/7/365, the propane detector will work 24/7/365 from the 4 stage converter/charger, but will not be a hidden parasitic drain on the batteries if they are ever not plugged in.

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

If you have a charger on your batteries when stored the little amount that the propane detector draws will not matter at all.

I store my airstream with the main power unhooked and heavy cord stored so it doesn't get damaged or stolen...then I use a Battery Minder hooked directly to the batteries in the front box with a regular extension cord to maintain my batteries.

You don''t need to change the factory converter...when your camping and using 12 volts all the time it will not over charge the batteries. Just don't leave it on if you store the trailer for extended periods.

With a real 4 stage converter/charger, none of the above matters much. A true 4 stage converter/charger becomes a battery minder and you don't have to hook up anything else. Also, mine will be parked in my back yard behind a privacy fence. I am not afraid of the power cord being stolen. I plan to leave it plugged in to my 50/30/20 amp pedestal right beside it. That way the 4 stage converter/charger can do its daily voltage boost to keep the electrolyte in the batteries stirred.

But the main reason I went with a 4 stage converter/charger years ago, and it still applies, is we boondock a lot. When boondocking we used a generator about every 2 or 3 days to recharge batteries that were down to about 50% or 60% SOC. The single stage charger would take over 24 hours to do that. The 4 stage converter/charger will do it in hours. (We may not buy a generator for this trailer though, we have solar on the roof and will get portable solar too. The generator hasn't been decided on.)

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

In the summer especially be sure to check the water level in your batteries regularly no matter what converter or charger you use...and be sure to use only distilled water. I buy a turkey baster I got at walmart for $2 and keep in the trailer...it has a large top rubber bulb and long glass neck to hold water for filling each battery cell without making a mess. Easy and works great!

My rig will have AGM batteries so no way to check the water.

Your way works for you and there is nothing wrong with it. My way worked for me for 10 years in my old RV, and I see no reason to change for my new RV.

[cabinetmaker]

Originally Posted by Bobbo

If the battery disconnect is supposed to be off, the propane will be off. Also, since I will leave the RV plugged in 24/7/365, the propane detector will work 24/7/365 from the 4 stage converter/charger, but will not be a hidden parasitic drain on the batteries if they are ever not plugged in.


With a real 4 stage converter/charger, none of the above matters much. A true 4 stage converter/charger becomes a battery minder and you don't have to hook up anything else. Also, mine will be parked in my back yard behind a privacy fence. I am not afraid of the power cord being stolen. I plan to leave it plugged in to my 50/30/20 amp pedestal right beside it. That way the 4 stage converter/charger can do its daily voltage boost to keep the electrolyte in the batteries stirred.

But the main reason I went with a 4 stage converter/charger years ago, and it still applies, is we boondock a lot. When boondocking we used a generator about every 2 or 3 days to recharge batteries that were down to about 50% or 60% SOC. The single stage charger would take over 24 hours to do that. The 4 stage converter/charger will do it in hours. (We may not buy a generator for this trailer though, we have solar on the roof and will get portable solar too. The generator hasn't been decided on.)


My rig will have AGM batteries so no way to check the water.

Your way works for you and there is nothing wrong with it. My way worked for me for 10 years in my old RV, and I see no reason to change for my new RV.

Yea, we have 30 plus years RVing and 5 airstreams so we all find out what works best and stick with it...old dogs and new tricks syndrome.

Your plan sounds good...just be careful leaving the airstream plugged into power constantly because of power surges and storms could cause spikes or outages.

I would invest in a good surge protector just in case...all those appliances are vulnerable while plugged into shore power.

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by cabinetmaker

I would invest in a good surge protector just in case...all those appliances are vulnerable while plugged into shore power.

Absolutely! I also have been using a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C for the last 10 years. I took it out of my old RV and will install it behind the breaker panel when I install the converter/charger.

[cajohnson]

So, I should know better after five years of AS ownership and fifteen years of Lance Camper ownership prior to that...but.

We upgraded last spring to a 2018 Flying Cloud 23FB. I've noticed the batteries are not holding a charge as long as I think they should while boon docking. I thought I had read something about possibly damaging the batteries if you turn on the inverter when plugged into shore power.

That's when I ran across this thread.

Am I correct that by storing my AS plugged in without putting it in "store" mode I'm overcharging the batteries? Does the trailer not have a monitoring mode to keep that from happening, like the battery tenders I use on my motorcycles?

Seems like that would make sense.

My questions are these:
Does it matter if I inadvertently turn the inverter on while plugged in ... and does it cook my batteries if I leave it plugged in while it's not in the "store" mode. If that's the case I'll be battery shopping before this long Montana winter is over.

Thanks

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by cajohnson

Am I correct that by storing my AS plugged in without putting it in "store" mode I'm overcharging the batteries? Does the trailer not have a monitoring mode to keep that from happening, like the battery tenders I use on my motorcycles?

Seems like that would make sense.

My questions are these:
Does it matter if I inadvertently turn the inverter on while plugged in ... and does it cook my batteries if I leave it plugged in while it's not in the "store" mode. If that's the case I'll be battery shopping before this long Montana winter is over.

Thanks

The fact that you have an 18 makes this question more difficult. If you had a 17, I would say, without a doubt, that leaving it plugged in and charging the battery 24/7/365 would damage the battery. That is because up through 17, Airstream put a POS Parallax converter/charger in there. (I had a PD4645V sitting in the garage waiting when my Airstream got home, I never even plugged in my Parallax.) It is more difficult to say with an 18 because Airstream has changed to a WFCO converter/charger. The WFCO is still a POS, but it is really not known for killing batteries like the Parallax did. The WFCO is known for not going into boost mode, so it takes forever to recharge a low battery. (I still recommend replacing the WFCO with the PD, but it is less urgent.)

As to the inverter: having it turned on while plugged in does not matter at all. However, even turned off, it draws SIGNIFICANT power. If you are NOT plugged in, it will drain a battery FAST. This could explain why your batteries are not lasting. I put a Blue Sea disconnect switch on the hot wire going to my inverter, simply because we also boondock a lot.