Inverter for Motorhome

[Ianto]

Has anyone here bought an Inverter to fit in their motorhome. I saw one of these hooked up in A Transit work van and was very impressed. Just wondering if it would be a Good thing to set one up in the motorhome.

 

[funflair]

It's a great idea if you want/need one and have the battery capacity to run one, what are you wanting to run?

 

[Tombola]

Has anyone here bought an Inverter to fit in their motorhome. I saw one of these hooked up in A Transit work van and was very impressed. Just wondering if it would be a Good thing to set one up in the motorhome.

Loads of us have them, depending on how much power you need. I wouldnt be without mine and my Lithiums.
Search "inverter" in the search bar.

 

[stevewagner]

Had lots of inverters over the years. Recently installed a 2000watt Renogy pure sine wave inverter with built in automatic changeover switch that works very well. However it's not that straightforward as it would depend on what and how many leisure batteries you have, what charging system/s you have and what your demand would be.

 

[Stealaway]

Has anyone here bought an Inverter to fit in their motorhome. I saw one of these hooked up in A Transit work van and was very impressed. Just wondering if it would be a Good thing to set one up in the motorhome.

We've had one for years.
We use ours mainly for cheaper (better?) 230V TV and sound bar
Although we now also use it for charging a battery wheel chair

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[peterc10]

We have one. But for it to be worthwhile you need to get enough batteries with fast charge and discharge characteristics. You also need to have methods of recharging those batteries quickly and for most people that means plenty of solar on the roof and a B2B charger for fast charging when driving.

We don't need to use it for low voltage and power items such as TVs, computers, phones, tablets etc because all of those can be more efficiently run from adaptors directly using your 12v system. We use it for higher power items running for short times, such as kettle, toaster, hairdryer etc.

 

[MisterB]

Ianto

There are some funsters who have virtually everything running on 240v through an inverter, with big battery capacities and suitable recharging methods. Their systems allow you to use more than one high draw appliance at the same time, sadly I can only use one at a time at the moment, but will eventually get round to improving what I have.
So my point is that if you're going down that road, think about how you want to use what appliances and what appliances you want to use via the inverter. That way you might only need to buy once and avoid the mistakes I've made (I'm on my second inverter and it's still not giving me what I want, ie the ability to have the kettle and microwave on at the same time)

 

[Ianto]

It's a great idea if you want/need one and have the battery capacity to run one, what are you wanting to run?

Well more "What does the wife want to run". ? Obviously just the hairdryer when we do happen to be Off Grid, Which I may add is not very often. But as the saying goes. "Happy wife Happy Life".

 

[funflair]

Well more "What does the wife want to run". ? Obviously just the hairdryer when we do happen to be Off Grid, Which I may add is not very often. But as the saying goes. "Happy wife Happy Life".

So we have established that you will be getting an inverter now we need to know if you have the battery capacity?

 

[GMLS]

It might be worth you comparing the benefits of upgrading your van infrastructure againt the benefits of a portable power pack.There are loads but this one looks good value

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[MisterB]

It might be worth you comparing the benefits of upgrading your van infrastructure againt the benefits of a portable power pack.There are loads but this one looks good value

Power packs have their benefits which is why it's important to work out beforehand what you want to use, where you want to use it and for how long.

I personally think power packs are over hyped and for the majority of motorhomes are not the solution to power provision. I would spend the equivalent money on a decent lithium battery instead and add a suitably rated inverter matched to what you want to use., But of course it's only my opinion ....

 

[GMLS]

Power packs have their benefits which is why it's important to work out beforehand what you want to use, where you want to use it and for how long.

I personally think power packs are over hyped and for the majority of motorhomes are not the solution to power provision. I would spend the equivalent money on a decent lithium battery instead and add a suitably rated inverter matched to what you want to use., But of course it's only my opinion ....

I agree.Just thought I'd provide another option.

 

[MisterB]

I agree.Just thought I'd provide another option.

And I agree it's a good option for some circumstances

 

[Mzracer]

Well more "What does the wife want to run". ? Obviously just the hairdryer when we do happen to be Off Grid, Which I may add is not very often. But as the saying goes. "Happy wife Happy Life".

I had the same problem, I decided to buy a Honda genny to run SWMBO's hair dryer, it proved really useful for other things as well!!

I tend to use small lightweight inverters 300 to 400W output which are not too hard on the house battery but will not even look at any of the high power (heating requirements).

 

[DBK]

Well more "What does the wife want to run". ? Obviously just the hairdryer when we do happen to be Off Grid, Which I may add is not very often. But as the saying goes. "Happy wife Happy Life".

If you are sure you are only going to need it for a hairdryer then a modified sign wave 1500W inverter married to say a 1200W travel hairdryer will work. We've ran with this (although using a pure sine wave inverter) and 180Ah of battery for several years now. More battery capacity would do no harm but 180Ah is fine if your wife's hair is short. If she does Cher impressions you may need more.

I fiited a pure sine inverter because you can use it for anything, for example, charging electric toothbrushes, which are well known for keeling over when fed from a modified sine wave inverter.

But as already mention you may also need to look at battery to battery chargers. These can rapidly replace the power used by the hairdryer. This won't matter if you are going to be driving long distances every day but doing short hops say, down the Mosel in the autumn when solar won't be working too well, will put pressure on you batteries.

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[VXman]

If you are sure you are only going to need it for a hairdryer then a modified sign wave 1500W inverter married to say a 1200W travel hairdryer will work. We've ran with this (although using a pure sine wave inverter) and 180Ah of battery for several years now. More battery capacity would do no harm but 180Ah is fine if your wife's hair is short. If she does Cher impressions you may need more.

I fiited a pure sine inverter because you can use it for anything, for example, charging electric toothbrushes, which are well known for keeling over when fed from a modified sine wave inverter.

But as already mention you may also need to look at battery to battery chargers. These can rapidly replace the power used by the hairdryer. This won't matter if you are going to be driving long distances every day but doing short hops say, down the Mosel in the autumn when solar won't be working too well, will put pressure on you batteries.

I love how a guy seeing with an inverter in a work van turns into a discussion including sime waves, modified waves, battery to battery chargers, solar panels, multiple batteries, lithium. I think the OP might be regretting opening this Pandora's box

 

[funflair]

I think a simple Yes would have been less helpful though

 

[Ianto]

It might be worth you comparing the benefits of upgrading your van infrastructure againt the benefits of a portable power pack.There are loads but this one looks good value

Bought one of these after seeing the Add from you . I really like it. I think I will ditch the Generator now. This does it all. Cheers

 

[GMLS]

Bought one of these after seeing the Add from you . I really like it. I think I will ditch the Generator now. This does it all. Cheers

Cool.I'd already splashed out on the Anker otherwise would have gone for that but we are the 3rd day off grid in our classic vw at the Campervan campout show and it's first proper test.Been running the fridge nicely and plenty of power left without solar input.

 

[Ianto]

Got away last weekend and wife used hairdryer and micro. Still showed 100% . So am trying the 2x 100w panels this week to see ifwe get free power. Happy days.

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[Dee101]

Had lots of inverters over the years. Recently installed a 2000watt Renogy pure sine wave inverter with built in automatic changeover switch that works very well. However it's not that straightforward as it would depend on what and how many leisure batteries you have, what charging system/s you have and what your demand would be.

Hi Steve, I have 4 “wet” Yuasa YBX Active batteries 70ah each. Would these be ok with the Renogy 2000 watt inverter?

 

[MisterB]

Hi Steve, I have 4 “wet” Yuasa YBX Active batteries 70ah each. Would these be ok with the Renogy 2000 watt inverter?

is it worth asking Renogy themselves or the Yuasa company?

FYI, i have just installed a 3000w Renogy Inverter matched to a 300Ah Fogstar lithium, Its certainly not a cheap option but we intend keeping the motorhome for quite a while, even then its certainly not a cheap solution - i keep telling myself if we save £300 per year by avoiding sites then it has paid for itself in 5 years, BUT it wasnt a decision/choice made on that basis, it was a decision made on how we use or want to use our motorhome,

if you have to replace your Yuasa batteries soon anyway, then the cost makes a bit more sense, if you dont then i would also wait to buy a large inverter as you dont want to kill your batteries before their time !

 

[stevewagner]

Hi Steve, I have 4 “wet” Yuasa YBX Active batteries 70ah each. Would these be ok with the Renogy 2000 watt inverter?

If they are lead acid that only gives you 140amps of usable power. This would be ok for low current using equipment but youu need to consider how you are recharging them after use i.e. do you have a battery to battery charger?

 

[Insider]

If they are lead acid that only gives you 140amps of usable power. This would be ok for low current using equipment but youu need to consider how you are recharging them after use i.e. do you have a battery to battery char

Hi Steve, I have 4 “wet” Yuasa YBX Active batteries 70ah each. Would these be ok with the Renogy 2000 watt inverter?

My maths say that you could run something rated up to approx 650watts with the inverter without damaging the batteries. Therefore you're not really going near what the capability of the renogy. Of course as it has been pointed out you "only" have 140AmpH so you'll run out of power pretty quickly if you max them out. Don't discount what you can do with 12V by itself!

 

[Dee101]

If they are lead acid that only gives you 140amps of usable power. This would be ok for low current using equipment but youu need to consider how you are recharging them after use i.e. do you have a battery to battery charger?

Yes a Victron 30 amp

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[Dee101]

My maths say that you could run something rated up to approx 650watts with the inverter without damaging the batteries. Therefore you're not really going near what the capability of the renogy. Of course as it has been pointed out you "only" have 140AmpH so you'll run out of power pretty quickly if you max them out. Don't discount what you can do with 12V by itself!

So, I need more battery power? 8 x 70ah (not practical) to get to 1300watts?

 

[Insider]

So, I need more battery power? 8 x 70ah (not practical) to get to 1300watts?

You'll get to 1300watts from your setup. It just won't be good for your batteries. Probably fine the odd time for a few mins. However wouldn't do it regularly or for extended periods. Typically lead acid is rated at C/5 for discharge so 280/5=56amps. 56amps at 12v is 672watts. So depending on use if you don't want to kill your batteries then yes you need to add more. Or change to Lithium if you need to get extensive use of the renogy. A lithium battery rated at 200Amp discharge would do nicely and save you a ton of weight.... literally!

 

[urban_biker]

is it worth asking Renogy themselves or the Yuasa company?

FYI, i have just installed a 3000w Renogy Inverter matched to a 300Ah Fogstar lithium, Its certainly not a cheap option but we intend keeping the motorhome for quite a while, even then its certainly not a cheap solution - i keep telling myself if we save £300 per year by avoiding sites then it has paid for itself in 5 years, BUT it wasnt a decision/choice made on that basis, it was a decision made on how we use or want to use our motorhome,

if you have to replace your Yuasa batteries soon anyway, then the cost makes a bit more sense, if you dont then i would also wait to buy a large inverter as you dont want to kill your batteries before their time !

Hi There. I just wanted to ask about your Fogstar install. Can the Fogstar 300Ah BMS cope with a 3kw inverter? I thought they were limited to a maximum of 200Amps output and a 3kw inverter can pull up to 350amps? That is the reason I was looking at the 2kw renogy inverter.

 

[MisterB]

Hi There. I just wanted to ask about your Fogstar install. Can the Fogstar 300Ah BMS cope with a 3kw inverter? I thought they were limited to a maximum of 200Amps output and a 3kw inverter can pull up to 350amps? That is the reason I was looking at the 2kw renogy inverter.

The only reason I got the 3kw inverter is so I can use the microwave and kettle at the same time. My previous 2kw inverter cut out when I had the both running together. When I connected the Renogy I was able to see that the draw for both at the same time amounted to around 150 Amps. The 3kw Renogy handles them at the same time without any problem, I don't know if the 2kw would, The 300A Fogstar can deliver 200A continuous

I think the difference in cost was around £50, so it seemed to make sense to me, though it may be overkill. It certainly gives me peace of mind.
If you speak to Becs at Fogstar she was testing a couple of weeks ago and may know what you could 'reasonably expect'

 

[urban_biker]

The only reason I got the 3kw inverter is so I can use the microwave and kettle at the same time. My previous 2kw inverter cut out when I had the both running together. When I connected the Renogy I was able to see that the draw for both at the same time amounted to around 150 Amps. The 3kw Renogy handles them at the same time without any problem, I don't know if the 2kw would, The 300A Fogstar can deliver 200A continuous

I think the difference in cost was around £50, so it seemed to make sense to me, though it may be overkill. It certainly gives me peace of mind.
If you speak to Becs at Fogstar she was testing a couple of weeks ago and may know what you could 'reasonably expect'

Thanks - that's interesting. I thought the 200A output would limit me to only a 2000Watt Inverter but I might as well get the renogy 3000watt if it will work OK.

I've got the 300AH fogstar but no inverter as yet.

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