Residential refer in gas MH

[Clifftall]

i've seen alot of discussions about this on DP's, but can 't find any info through a search on a gassers. Has anybody done this?

[tncruiser]

gas or diesel doesnt make any diff
important thing is do you have the proper inverter and battery capacity
and then comes fitment
is your current unit bad?
brianj

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tncruiser gas or diesel doesnt make any diff important thing is do you have the proper inverter and battery capacity and then comes fitment is your current unit bad? brianj

Didn't think it did. Was just curious. The invertor will be my next question. Even though , I don't dry camp very often, I should probably install one. I will need to know what size, where to install it and the extra batteries I assume I will need. I will also need to find out how the refer will plug into it and the other appliances that might be nice to power up as well. Any ideas/comments are apppreciated.

[paz]

The other thing to watch is the weight. A 20+ cu ft RR will weigh at least 75 lbs more than a 4-door Norcold, and it will probably hold at least 75 lbs more food. Additional batteries an inverter will add more weight.

[az bound]

Ours is a gasser and we have all residential appliances. It can be done, just need to figure out what will be reqiured wattage wise to handle the appliances. Depending on the size of the exhisting inverter you may need to add another dedicated one or replace the old with larger. There are several members that have done this so ask away.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by az bound Ours is a gasser and we have all residential appliances. It can be done, just need to figure out what will be reqiured wattage wise to handle the appliances. Depending on the size of the exhisting inverter you may need to add another dedicated one or replace the old with larger. There are several members that have done this so ask away.

Just the man I was looking for. I don't have an invertor now so I'm starting from scratch. The fridge I'm considering is a 15cf model. It has more cf than the Norcold and since you don't have to space items to circulate the air , it will hold a lot more and will work just fine for us. The weight wil be similar. Therefore I only have to worry about the batteries and convertor weight and see no issue as I'm not currently over weight.
So my questions are : where do I place the convertor and where do I fit the extra batteries? And of course , how do you hook up the appliances to the invertor??

Thanks

[Max Hubrich]

My only comment to add to the above comments is to ONLY get a TSW (true sine wave- pure) inverter. They are expensive and about twice as much as a MSW (modified sine wave). It probably will require a unit of at least 2500 watts. Some electric motors don't like MSW's

Here's an example of a fine quality unit


$1299.00 - more info

SA-3000K-112 - High efficiency microprocessor controlled inverter designed to accommodate appliances in vehicles, RVs, boats, solar systems and more. Provides clean, stable power for computers, radio equipment, home theater, stereo, marine equipment and other sensitive applications. Power save mode. Remote switch and AC Hardwire capability.
3000 watts continuous / 6000 watts surge. CLICK FOR INFORMATION
Also available in 24 Volt model SA-3000K-124 CLICK FOR INFORMATION

One more comment- Keep the battery cables as short as possible, and they will have to be real large- like a 4/0 for a 3-6ft run-

Good luck,

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Hubrich My only comment to add to the above comments is to ONLY get a TSW (true sine wave- pure) inverter. They are expensive and about twice as much as a MSW (modified sine wave). It probably will require a unit of at least 2500 watts. Some electric motors don't like MSW's Here's an example of a fine quality unit $1299.00 - more info SA-3000K-112 - High efficiency microprocessor controlled inverter designed to accommodate appliances in vehicles, RVs, boats, solar systems and more. Provides clean, stable power for computers, radio equipment, home theater, stereo, marine equipment and other sensitive applications. Power save mode. Remote switch and AC Hardwire capability. 3000 watts continuous / 6000 watts surge. CLICK FOR INFORMATION Also available in 24 Volt model SA-3000K-124 CLICK FOR INFORMATION One more comment- Keep the battery cables as short as possible, and they will have to be real large- like a 4/0 for a 3-6ft run- Good luck,

How do these differ from a PSW ?

[az bound]

I am not familiar with your motorhome but I would think it has an inverter/ charger, most do. If you have a residential television and can run it off of the batteries you have an inverter. The question is what is the output wattage?
In many cases all that is needed is to change out the batteries for more reserve capacity (AH) and that can be done at any time down the road. The only thing it would require is more genny run time when off grid.
The inverter should be located as close to the battery bank as possible. Form there it is just a matter of running power to the outlet for the refer.

[Max Hubrich]

True sine wave/pure sine wave- one in the same. They provide clean power like commerical power gives you off the pole.

Modified sine wave has the peak pulses "sawed off", if I can use that term. Others will chime in with a more technical explanation.

Here is a link from "chad" about the differences.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by az bound I am not familiar with your motorhome but I would think it has an inverter/ charger, most do. If you have a residential television and can run it off of the batteries you have an inverter. The question is what is the output wattage? In many cases all that is needed is to change out the batteries for more reserve capacity (AH) and that can be done at any time down the road. The only thing it would require is more genny run time when off grid. The inverter should be located as close to the battery bank as possible. Form there it is just a matter of running power to the outlet for the refer.

I have a converter/charger. I didn't realize you can use the house batteries. One less obstacle. Now the placement of the inveter within 3-6' and then power to the fridge ( which is 12' away ) and I'll be all set???????

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Hubrich True sine wave/pure sine wave- one in the same. They provide clean power like commerical power gives you off the pole. Modified sine wave has the peak pulses "sawed off", if I can use that term. Others will chime in with a more technical explanation. Here is a link from "chad" about the differences.

The inverter store has an AIMS 1000 watt psw for $299 and an AIMS 1500 watt psw for $479. What size do you think I need and will my house batteries( trojan t-105's ) be sufficient?

[LEMO]

I was at the Good Sam Rally in Redmond Oregon, in August. While there I looked at several new DP that came with Residential refers. The sales reps gave the following info about the systems: 2000 watt inverters, 6 house batteries, and a sensor that reads battery voltage drop and will automatically start your generator when batteries get to low. Hope this helps.

LEMO

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LEMO I was at the Good Sam Rally in Redmond Oregon, in August. While there I looked at several new DP that came with Residential refers. The sales reps gave the following info about the systems: 2000 watt inverters, 6 house batteries, and a sensor that reads battery voltage drop and will automatically start your generator when batteries get to low. Hope this helps. LEMO

Was this setup meant for dry camping? I have rarely dry camped and just need a setup to run the fridge while traveling and not using the gen.