DC to AC inverter while cruising

[tufamc]

Anyone use the inverter to get ac power while trucking down the highway? The kids wanted some Mac and cheese, so I had the wife turn on the inverter to use the microwave while cruising, all work perfect, just wondering if it's ok to so while the engine is running, thank!

[vsheetz]

Do it all the time. Not a problem. The engine alternator will charge the batteries while traveling.

And If you want/need house air conditioning when traveling, fire up the generator.

[Dale & Mark Bruss]

We just never turn the Inverter off. It knows when to use shore power if available.

[Mike Canter]

In my Monaco handbook it states not to run the microwave off the inverter. Don't know why because my wife does it.

[tufamc]

Maybe because of the sudden amperage draw of the microwave, I did notice when she started it, the panel showed 60amp or the 75amp red led was lit up on the panel, maybe that is way the manual says no, too such sudden amp draw through the inverter, but I have yet to meet a fella who followed all directions in a manual....

[patmsp]

We have to because of our residential refrigerator.....therefore, I just leave it on all the time.

When we boondock overnight on our way to our final destination, I have to turn off the front TV when I use the Cusinart grinder/coffee maker to make coffee in the morning. Otherwise it trips a circuit breaker in the main panel....but...the inverter can't care less and the microwave has NEVER tripped it's own breaker.

Been doing this for 3 years....

[OB-One]

Originally Posted by Mike Canter

In my Monaco handbook it states not to run the microwave off the inverter. Don't know why because my wife does it.

Because the microwave puts about 120-150 amp load on the DC system. This load added to the normal DC system load will cause the DC voltage to drop to around 13 volts, lower if your running all the lights, towed lights, and Aqua-Hot.

Short runs of the microwave (<5-minutes) are no big deal. Long runs or repeated use, 3-5 bowls of soup/bags of popcorn in rapid succession are better left to the generator.

[tufamc]

Thanks OB-ONE, that's along the line I was thinking.

May the force be with you

[Rburian]

Why take a risk of damaging the inverter or appliance, just start the generator.

[tufamc]

Now the question becomes, do you use your generator while you're traveling down the road?

[OB-One]

Originally Posted by tufamc

Now the question becomes, do you use your generator while you're traveling down the road?

Of course you run the generator when driving! Kinda hard to keep the coach cool in the summertime without all the AC's running. In the winter I don't run the generator while driving unless the wife plans on cooking as there's really not much load without the AC's running. We could run the heat pumps but my wife prefers the Aqua-Hot over the heat pumps.

[Rburian]

That is why they put a generator in an RV to run it.

[TonyDi]

Inverter is on all the time when I'm travelling. If weather requires me to use roof ACs then I start he genny.
Microwave won't hurt the inverter if it is smaller then the capacity of the inverter. 2000w inverter 1500w microwave...no problem

[RustyTools]

If you're tried to run the microwave on the inverter and it makes a loud 'buzzing' noise, that's probably normal for it.

The microwave would prefer to see a 'pure' sine-wave power input (like from the power-pole or genset), while the inverter (if it's a MSW - or Modified Sine-Wave) is outputting something more of a 'notched' sine-wave. You can think of it as a smooth ocean wave vs one that has a bunch of ripples in it.

The notched waves will be less-efficient that the smooth ones, but still something the microwave should handle.... just noisier internally.

And obviously the inverter/batteries must be able to provide more power than the microwave will use.