Inverter (1 Viewer)

[HAPPY WANDERER]

I have just bought my first motorhome, there is a inverter fitted and I would like to know how to use this.My motorhome is a ace milano 15 2002 model,it has a switch which says hook up top position, inverter in bottom position, the middle posion not sure about yet.
The inverter itself as ON and OFF buttons as well as a socket outlet, could someone give me advice on how to use it , and when its on or off

cheers:thumb:

 

[stcyr]

Hallo HW, and :welcome:


Switch it to 'hook-up' when on ehu (electric hook-up) - run your mains equipment using your mains sockets.

Switch it to 'inverter' when off ehu - run your mains equipment off the inverter socket. Check it's power first to ensure you don't overload it. You can switch the inverter itself off when you're not using it as they use a small amount of power on standby.

Centre position - not sure, presumably 'both off'.

:thumb:

 

[Mikemoss]

The only thing I'd add to stcy's response is to be aware that the inverter draws 12v current from your battery (the one feeding the living part, not the one that starts the engine) and converts it into 240v.

If you use the inverter to run too many mains items, you'll soon end up with a dead 12v battery. We have a small plug-in inverter and it's fine for charging mobile phones etc, but I wouldn't attempt to use it for any serious stuff.

Good luck, not only with this, but everything else as you get to enjoy motorhoming more and more.

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[slobadoberbob]

you need to be aware of the watts

You need to check what watts the inverter allows you to pull from the battery or batteries in the habitation area. It should not be connected to the engine battery.

If you have a unit that has a 3 pin socket in the front of it then look on the unit to find if it is say 100 watts or 300 watts or whatever.

The amount of watts will dictate what you can use ... the 230v you draw will soon flatten a battery so be sure you can re charge i.e from a generator or EHU.. you should not draw down more than 50% of the battery amps otherwise you will kill the battery very fast (will not recharge).. need to be able to read the volts left in the battery.

Also be aware the inverter is unlikely to be pure sin wave. It will be a modified sin wav.. i.e can play havoc with computers connected to it .. mucks up washing machines as well... ok we have not all got yanks.. but seriously it does cause issues with many computers and tv's .. lines on the screen. Pure Wave or pure sin wave are a lot more expensive to buy.

Hope that helps a bit

Bob

 

[TweetiePie]

I have just bought my first motorhome, there is a inverter fitted and I would like to know how to use this.My motorhome is a ace milano 15 2002 model,it has a switch which says hook up top position, inverter in bottom position, the middle posion not sure about yet.
The inverter itself as ON and OFF buttons as well as a socket outlet, could someone give me advice on how to use it , and when its on or off

cheers:thumb:

The inverter and hook up switch is there to prevent you trying to connect your inverter to the mains hook up, if you try this you'll find that the mains trip switch will trip and no one will think it's funny !!! I speak from experience, it took me two site trips to realise what was happening every time I connected to the hook up.....:Blush:. The centre position is the "off" position

 

[Reallyretired]

My inverter/charger is wired as an uninterruptable power supply, so automatically comes on when the ehu is down. Needs some care as a couple of days ago I disconnected the mains without noticing I still had a fan heater on. The inverter ran it fine but it would certainly hammer the batteries if left on for any length of time As a rule of thumb I work on 1kw from the inverter = 100A from the batteries (not exactly right but close) inverter and battery to battery leads fused at 300A and cables as big as your finger and as short as possible. Installation by steveutwg on this site, excellent job and saved a bit by buying the parts myself (so no markup just labour)