Cooking while boondocked

[Turbojack]

A microwave runs at around 13 amps 120V so would be 130 amps @ 12 volts, Need to add say 10% (or more) for inverter loss so now at 143 amps load on batteries running the microwave.

Cooktop I looked up on internet runs at 25 amps 120V So 3000 watts 250A 12V +10% it is 275 amp load on the batteries.

With coach disconnected from shore power and generator off, is the clock on your microwave on. If not then the inverter is either turned off, bad, or something else is wrong.

[Gary.Jones]

The long and the short is, you are not going to be able to do what you seem to feel that you should be able to do. You have to deal with the loads of the devices and if an induction or electric cooktop made sense to have on an inverter, then the coach designers would have it set up that way. but they don't set it up that way because it does not make really good sense. You will seriously distress your batteries trying to run heavy amperage loads on them regardless of whether you are using Lithium or AGM. A really big solar system plus Lithium will do it but you are going to spend a bundle on the Solar array to do it all. Also if you deeply drain your batteries, you are going to have to run the generator to recharge the batteries to quickly recharge them, or again, have a really good sized solar system.

There is a reason that most are not able to live "off the grid" in a half million dollar coach.

Gary

[R.Wold]

Originally Posted by MRUSA14

I beg to differ. If you try to make your batteries do what they were not designed to do, you will not like the result.

There is a good reason that the cooktop is wired not to run off the batteries. That is because it will kill your batteries dead before your food is cooked. Or if not, it will strain the batteries severely and sharply reduce their longevity. Just like you can’t drive your coach at 200 mph, you can’t run your cooktop off your batteries. Same reason in both cases: not enough power.

The OP is also planning to greatly increase his battery bank capacity, so it would be fine - just have to know what you’re doing and, as I said, stay in top of it. On my Bay Star, I ran my AC off an inverter and battery bank - lots of folks say you can’t do that either.

Originally Posted by brobox

That is not easy on an Entegra. I tried to move the basement circuit to the inverter panel on a new Entegra. The panel would require rewiring to get it to fit. It is not plug and play to move from one panel to another on the newer Entegras.
Much easier to start and run the generator as Entegra wired it.

Yes, there’s always a little re-routing involved, and the OP would have to know his way around electrical stuff - I do something like this on every RV. On my Newmar it would be pretty easy, but I haven’t look at a panel on an Entegra.

[R.Wold]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

The long and the short is, you are not going to be able to do what you seem to feel that you should be able to do. You have to deal with the loads of the devices and if an induction or electric cooktop made sense to have on an inverter, then the coach designers would have it set up that way. but they don't set it up that way because it does not make really good sense. You will seriously distress your batteries trying to run heavy amperage loads on them regardless of whether you are using Lithium or AGM. A really big solar system plus Lithium will do it but you are going to spend a bundle on the Solar array to do it all. Also if you deeply drain your batteries, you are going to have to run the generator to recharge the batteries to quickly recharge them, or again, have a really good sized solar system.

There is a reason that most are not able to live "off the grid" in a half million dollar coach.

Gary

So do these coaches really have 6kw of inverter power or is that a misprint? And if they do and it’s not to run all the stuff on an all-electric coach, what’s it for?

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by roger8070

If you look at the circuit breakers above the driver seat you will see that the microwave is on an inverter circuit and the cooktop is not. You will need the generator or AC to use the cooktop.

Thanks!

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by R.Wold

So do these coaches really have 6kw of inverter power or is that a misprint? And if they do and it’s not to run all the stuff on an all-electric coach, what’s it for?

3000W continuous (4000 W peak) x 2. My Entegra Anthem uses Magnum MSH3012M x 2.

- Ethan

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Dry camping locations you would take your coach that don't allow generators? Maybe some, but I would think few.

Take Gros Venture in Yellowstone for example. In fact, many camp sites in NPs do not provide Electricity. They are often first come first serve. A trick is that, because of the above, people tend to avoid them. Even during the peak season, you can get awesome sites. Just need to be there before 11 am-ish on Sundays. Camp sites in NPs are usually very well maintained.

[philnail]

We have a 2013 Anthem and set it up
So we never have to run the generator to cook. We made a change in the breaker box above the drivers seat and set it up so the whole coach runs on one inverter and the second inverter is there as a backup.

It can be done. Our coach is does not use Vega touch so not sure how that will interfere with anything. I can tell you it is nice not running the generator as we boondock 95% of the time so it was a must for us

[Danny969]

That's crazy. I'm not trying to stir the pot, but my little class B with a 200 amp lithium battery and 2000w inverter can run my 1600w convection microwave without the generator and without being plugged in. Something's not right here.

[Gary.Jones]

Phil

So how long are you able to run an induction cooktop (or two or three burner electric cooktop) on inverter with all burners burning?

Gary

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by R.Wold

Or put the cook top breaker on the inverter side (sub panel on Newmar) depending on the capacity of your inverter. This is easy to do - you just have to watch your power consumption, but with the battery bank you’re planning, it should be very manageable.

According to the website brochure, your coach is equipped as follows:
Inverter (2) 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverters
Batteries (4) L16 AGM batteries (6V/390 amp hrs. ea.)

If so, you have plenty to work with, and if the cook top is not on the inverter side of your electrical panels, I’d just change it so it makes sense. But with 6kw of inverter power, I would think it is intended to power the cook top and something else is wrong, perhaps inverter settings as you surmised above.

Thank you. I will check the breaker and bring the one for the cooktop to the inverter side if not already that way. I also will play with the battery cutoff voltage to see if that makes difference.

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by philnail

We have a 2013 Anthem and set it up
So we never have to run the generator to cook. We made a change in the breaker box above the drivers seat and set it up so the whole coach runs on one inverter and the second inverter is there as a backup.

It can be done. Our coach is does not use Vega touch so not sure how that will interfere with anything. I can tell you it is nice not running the generator as we boondock 95% of the time so it was a must for us

Completely agree. I will try to swap the breaker position and see.

[Smokingem]

Originally Posted by Danny969

That's crazy. I'm not trying to stir the pot, but my little class B with a 200 amp lithium battery and 2000w inverter can run my 1600w convection microwave without the generator and without being plugged in. Something's not right here.

Agree. Hence the question.

[philnail]

Hi Gary

We can run the cooktop for approx 45 minutes without the generator