ontario
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Post by ontario on May 16, 2018 11:49:11 GMT -8
 Hello friends! I'm new to the game, and looking for some basic advice on 12V to 110V inverter setup for my small canned ham. I've learned about starting at your load requirements and working back to battery size. Is this following possible/have you done it yourself?: I want to connect my 12V battery via a 110V inverter to the 15 amp house power inlet to provide power to the whole 110V system while boon docking. This would all be on the outside of the trailer, mostly contained in a box on the tongue. My trailer doesn’t have a built-in inverter - I will be purchasing one. It’s a ‘62 Glendale with a newly installed 15 amp, standard 3 prong plug inlet for house power. It has a single breaker switch. The power draw is minimal (4 light fixtures w LED bulbs, and a small radio) so it’ll be a single, group 24 or 27 battery. Do you see any inherent problems with my plan? Do I need to explain more clearly? Can you recommend a power inverter? Thanks for looking! |
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 16, 2018 12:10:42 GMT -8
Your plan should work, but it might be more efficient to convert everything possible to 12VDC and skip the inverter entirely. Inverting 12VDC to 120VAC is rather inefficient.
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ontario
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Post by ontario on May 16, 2018 12:34:03 GMT -8
Thanks Charlie - your suggestion sounds complicated and is beyond my understanding. I assume converting everything possible to 12VDC would mean rewiring and replacing outlets and light fixtures. the trailer currently only has a single 12V light fixture (above dinette) and a single cigarette lighter (under the dinette bench) wired to the battery.
if feasible, my proposed setup would be simple to install and uncomplicated for my wife to use since it uses the existing 110VAC lights and electrical outlets.
my primary motivation is so that we can book unserviced camp sites for a weekend and still be able to use the lights and radio for 2-3 nights. battery would be recharged at home.
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Post by bigbill on May 16, 2018 16:05:23 GMT -8
A few different things factor into your question. Summer time camping when it gets dark later will use less battery. How late you stay up, what time you wake up will will effect battery life between charges. Will the radio run all night or just long enough to check weather? We used to run a full week on a battery in our truck camper running just lights, a couple of hours in the evening and short burst for child care. I always used a group 27 1000 cc amp battery. A friend that went camping with us had to charge his battery every day but his kids would turn on the lights in the middle of the day. Winter time camping when there is less daylight plus a cold battery is less efficient, drains the battery much quicker. You can use modern led lights that are rechargeable and cut your 12 volt battery use even more. The trailer we are redoing now will have no 12 volt system except for the breakaway switch for the brakes. We are also not going to have propane either. I don't plan on spending much time without a shoreline unless we are between locations.
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Post by vikx on May 16, 2018 20:59:45 GMT -8
I would do a lot more research on inverters before doing this. For one thing, even a minimal system will draw the battery down quickly. Most modern inverters have a fan for cooling, that is the first drain. I think a battery "bank" is a wiser choice. You might get away with two series 27s, but they won't last too long.
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ontario
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Post by ontario on May 17, 2018 7:02:51 GMT -8
I definitely need to do more research. When somebody says they can go all weekend on a single 12V battery, is it fair to assume they are probably using 12VDC power directly, no inverter/110V? I've looked at dozens of inverters and haven't been able to identify one that is ideal for my purposes, which suggests perhaps I should consider other ideas - like just installing a workable 12VDC system. I'll keep researching. I found this post very helpful: vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/post/81818/thread |
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Post by vikx on May 18, 2018 20:32:30 GMT -8
Inverters aren't really ideal for little vintage trailers. I'm thinking do install a working 12 volt system with a converter when you're on shore power.
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