INVERTERS

Some RV’ers elect to install one very large inverter to provide all of their household voltage needs. Some run microwaves, coffee makers, hair dryers and so on and so forth.

Inverters come in all sizes and with lots of features including a wireless remote control. They can be quite expensive. Smaller inverters can be quite the opposite and are readily available locally.

We thought about our camping style and our voltage needs at various times of the day. Our findings kind of surprised us. We realized that we were using our generator un necessarily and that for the most part, a couple of smaller inverters would serve us well. Our goal became to  significantly reduce our generator use and improve the quality of our camping experience.

Our first inverter to install was a salvaged out 400 watt unit, from a battery jumper pack. Here it is to the right of the solar controller:

Using this inverter as a test platform, we checked the actual current draws of our various appliances with our Kill A Watt meter.

This photo shows the current draw through the inverter that supplies the office slide out where the 32’ TV , Satellite receiver, two FRS radios and the laptop are being used.

We really enjoy being able to run all that stuff while quietly chatting about the wildlife we see out of the picture window, because the generator isn’t running to disturb them.

Our next inverter to install was a 200 watt unit that normally supplies all of the power that is needed in the office. Here is a look at it:

These two inverters are mounted side by side in the trailer basement. On those occasions when the load requirements in the office are higher than normal, it is easy to switch the office circuit from the 200 watt to the 400 watt inverter.

The 400 watt inverter is mostly used for running appliances such as the pancake air compressor when checking tire pressure or fixing a flat.