Community Forums

Shaun and Amy · 02-12-2008, 01:44 PM

We just picked up our 2008 Kountry Aire and it has a 7000 watt Onan generator and a 2000 watt inverter. The inverter is all new to me. It seems as though it can start the generator automatically when the batteries get low. Is this true? We do mostly "rough" camping. It seems as though you can turn the inverter on and off. Should it just be left on or only when you need it? Should it be left on to help charge the batteries quicker? Sorry for so many questions, just so new to me and a little hard to get the crasp of. Thank you for any help you all might have.

Shaun and Amy

Shaun and Amy · 02-12-2008, 01:44 PM

We just picked up our 2008 Kountry Aire and it has a 7000 watt Onan generator and a 2000 watt inverter. The inverter is all new to me. It seems as though it can start the generator automatically when the batteries get low. Is this true? We do mostly "rough" camping. It seems as though you can turn the inverter on and off. Should it just be left on or only when you need it? Should it be left on to help charge the batteries quicker? Sorry for so many questions, just so new to me and a little hard to get the crasp of. Thank you for any help you all might have.

Shaun and Amy

"007" · 02-12-2008, 01:57 PM

Congrats on your new coach Shaun and Amy.

I would leave it on from what I read on inverters everything electric wise is handel by them just make sure you have plenty of fuel when you go dry camping.

Lug_Nut · 02-12-2008, 02:32 PM

Congrat's on the new 5'er, what a great rig. An inverter is not necessarily equipped with a genset auto start. They normally are two separate options. The inverter is a great option to have. It allows you to use 120 volt equipment without the need to be plugged in to shore power or run your generator. But, I'm sure you know that. Auto gen start is usually an Onan option, and is also a great option.
Enjoy your new toy, they are a masterpiece of work and will provide years of fun.

Peter

RVDude · 02-12-2008, 02:42 PM

As a fellow boondocker, you'll want to turn the inverter OFF if you are dry camped and not needing 120v appliance. Inverters have a residual draw, even if there is no 120v load. Take a look at the specs for your model inverter and you'll see the idle draw amps. They can be in the 1-2+ amp range and that is a boondocker killer. In addition, inverter have an inherent inefficiency rating of around 80-95% depending on model. This means it takes 5-15% more battery at 120v to power the same thing in 12v. Hence, you'll want to use 12v things over 120v things anytime you boondock. Especially for lighting.

MarkS · 05-04-2008, 04:29 PM

According to my inverter manual, the no-load standby draw is 1-2 watts, not amps. That would be 2/12 amps. Still a killer, but a gradual killer.

Lug_Nut · 05-05-2008, 02:48 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MarkS:
According to my inverter manual, the no-load standby draw is 1-2 watts, not amps. That would be 2/12 amps. Still a killer, but a gradual killer. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually the amp draw will be about what the RVDude said. Remember, unless you are willing to unplug your TV's at shutdowm, they are going to take power as all TV's are on standby (Instant on) The 1 or 2 watts you are referring to must be at 120. At 12 volts that's 10 to 20 watts with no extra for heat loss and efficiency level. Believe me, it does take power.

Peter

Dav5942 · 05-05-2008, 03:16 PM

As Jeff has said do NOT leave your inverter on when not using it-we dry camped over 60 days last year and found the batteries lasted almost twice as long without the inverter on(even with no load).

Your inverter most likely has the ability to Auto start the Genny on low voltage. It may or not be wired. To wire it requires 3/4 conductors from the Genny to the inverter. Check your inverter manual.

Your charger will charge indepently of the inverter.

ricere · 05-05-2008, 03:17 PM

We love to boondock and we love the conveniences of our coach. We leave the inverter on and use what we think we need. We run the generator a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening to keep the batteries up....and all is well (except when it's hot outside and you have to run the air conditioning)..

We don't have the auto-start option. We just check the charge state of the batteries a couple of times a day.

RVDude · 05-05-2008, 04:03 PM

How you boondock is a style choice.

Ricere likes to run the genset and that is fine. I and probably Dave prefer to minimize genset use while boondocking and that is fine. Of course that means Dave and I need to expend a few brain cells minimizing electrical loads. Ricere uses his brain cells always being nearer to a fuel stop. It's all good.

Solar is similar. You'll never pay for a solar addition but for me to be able to boondock without ever starting the genset is pretty nifty and adheres to my style of boondocking. For others, they just start the genset and that is their preferred style. No problem.

There are even those will never be further than 30 feet from a 50amp plug too! For them, being 31 feet from a pedestal is boondocking - and we won't even talk about 30amp service being an unbearable hardship for other folks. It's all good...

I've got a full year on my coach and a whopping 140hrs on the genset!

It's all in your preferred style. Just get out there and ENJOY it!