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Raven52 · 02-27-2020, 12:57 PM

I am looking to purchase an inverter but want to make sure I am buying a big enough size to meet our needs. Our rig is a 265RL Laredo fifth wheel, with one group 27 battery, 100 watt mono crystalline solar panel & a Honda 2000 generator. The purpose of the inverter is to power the tv, receiver, & satellite dish, which adds up to approximately 175 watts as well as a small fan, computer or iPad at different times. I had a dc plug installed beside the bed so would plug a 300 watt pure sine inverter there & run an extension cord for 15 feet to the tv. It would be 10-12 feet from battery. Would this be a problem for this size of inverter? I have read that bigger inverters need to be close to battery. Any input is appreciated.

twinboat · 02-27-2020, 01:30 PM

A 300 watt inverter can draw up to 25 amps. It only draws that if using 300 watts but at 1/2 that its still drawing 13 amps.

If your running 15 feet to the batteries, you will need heavy, 6 or 8 gauge, wires to limit voltage drop.

Once inverted to 120 volts, the amps are only 2.5. Now any cheap lamp cord extension can handle that with little voltage drop. That why inverters are installed close to the batteries.

The bottom line is, what size wiring was used for your installed 12 volt outlet ?

If its not heavy enough, you may get inverter shutdowns due to low voltage.

The wire gauge should be marked on the wire itself.

Alpine36 · 02-27-2020, 01:47 PM

I've been pleased with this one for $60. We use it for the 32" led tv, sound bar, sat and blue ray dvd. (and cpap at night)
Inverter output is only 45 watts (.3a) with everything tv related going. DC draw measures roughly 3.5-5a. Throw the included leads away and wire direct to your house battery with #6. Use a decent extension cord and you should be fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Inverter-Scre.../dp/B07Q6QB3Q3

Soppy · 02-27-2020, 04:03 PM

Install the inverter inside as close as you can to the battery. Use at least #6 wire and install a disconnect switch so you can disconnect the battery from the inverter when not in use. Stick with a pure sine wave inverter as well. If the cable runs are longer than 4 ft consider using #4 wire. For charging the ipad and other devices, you can get a 12v charger that will be more efficient than using the inverter.

Raven52 · 02-27-2020, 05:33 PM

Thanks for your input. Will check on wire size.

Raven52 · 02-27-2020, 05:36 PM

I will check on the wire size. Thanks for the advice.

Raven52 · 02-27-2020, 05:42 PM

Will check out the wire size! Thank you.

John Hilley · 02-28-2020, 11:27 AM

Make sure to fuse the line from the batteries to the inverter. Select a fuse close to the current draw of the inverter if you have lighter gauge or longer runs of cable. The fuse is to protect the wire from getting too hot and starting a fire or melting things.

Camper25 · 02-28-2020, 04:40 PM

I use a 300 watt pure sine also, but found out real quick that it had to be connected directly to the battery or install #6 wires.

Raven52 · 02-28-2020, 09:02 PM

Did you initially have it plugged into a dc receptacle?

Camper25 · 02-28-2020, 09:28 PM

I did and it doesn't take long at all to drain a battery down even with a 300-watt inverter. I changed to a small 12-volt LED tv and it works much better for me now.

SrfsideNomad · 02-29-2020, 09:31 AM

Harbor Freight has a 750w for $45 or you can get the 400w for $29

I am using (2) 750w inverters. One is hooked to the main battery under the hood of my CLass C.The other is hooked to the coach battery(Deep Cell RV/Marine) under chassis. Both are using heavy duty jumper cables from battery to the inverters.This gives me the ability to switch the battery I am using to power my 40" and 24" LED tv's , Firestick, laptop and router if one of the batts run low. The inverters sound an alarm when battery going low. . I also switched factory interior bulb lights to LED interior lights.

This setup allows me to run my electronics for 7+ hours without running/driving the class c or running my gas 3500 predator generator hooked to shore power to recharge the batts. Saving on gas for sure.Next step SOLAR !

Camper25 · 03-02-2020, 05:08 AM

Harbor Freight inverters.... I do not see an advertised pure sine wave inverter on their website... only modified inverters.

A PURE sine wave inverter is better.

m.elliott63 · 03-02-2020, 07:03 AM

I do not recommend ANY of the inverters sold by Harbor Freight. They are pure junk! I went dow. That road and quickly returned mine for a refund. They cannot even handle half of the rates load.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper25

Harbor Freight inverters.... I do not see an advertised pure sine wave inverter on their website... only modified inverters.

A PURE sine wave inverter is better.