Inverter or generator on the road?

[CFSUNRISE]

Old Scout,
Thanks for your information. One further question... Would that hold true with (6) 12v batteries as well?

[lajuene]

Same here with inverter on all the time. We're fulltime, boondock a lot but the inverter is never off. (gotta run the DVR at 3am to record that movie right?)

We have solar panels so it is never an issue. The worse weather gets us running genny 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour at bed but its at least partly sunny we don't need the genny at all. The alternator does charge on the road but not that much. Should be plenty for most needs though. Our batteries only run leg #2 in our RV so it does not run AC, fridge or water heater which are all on Leg #1 of our 50A system. If we switch over to a residential fridge (which we will eventually) then we will have to do a little rewiring so the inverter will run it. THAT'S a to-do list job way down the road hopefully but we will not replace the fridge we have with another absorption fridge.

[Old Scout]

12 volt vs 6 volt--now you have asked the "million dollar" question. If you do a search of this forum, you will find several nights of reading. The simple answer is yes but it depends. Six volt bats are wired in series of two and then parallel groups to make 12v--so you need 2, 4, 6, 8, bats and so no. 12 volt bats are wired in parallel so you can have 1, 2 or as many as you want/need. First, you would have to compare total amp/hours between the two banks, 12 vs 6. While they make Deep-Cycle 12v bats, its generally agreed the thicker plates in 6 volt bats make them more durable for frequent charge/discharge cycles. Another view is that weight makes great--so the more lead in a bat, the better. Sometimes the bat compartment footprint limits what kind and how many bats you can use.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by TravelinMike

Being new to motorhomes (always had 5th wheels), is there an advantage to running the inverter vs generator when traveling? So far, I have used the generator to have the fridge, A/C etc on while I'm going down the road. However, a friend mentioned that they use the inverter. Just curious as to what the norm is - if there is any.

Mike

I run the generator when we want to run the AC units on hot days when we are traveling. If we don't need the the AC we let the inverter do its thing.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by CFSUNRISE

Cranemec,
I am soon to be new to this residential refrigerator stuff. I will have 6 group 31 deep cycle batteries aboard with a Whirlpool 16 cf refrig. Any idea how long my 2000 watt inverter will run the refrig. on the fully charged battery bank if nothing else is in use?

How many amp hours are the batteries?
We have 4 - 8D 12V deep cycle batteries, that's over 920 amp hours at the 20 hour rate, plus 400 watts of solar. And I have no idea how long I can go!

[smiller]

It's kind of like the question 'I have a 150 gallon tank... how far can I go?'

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by TravelinMike

Being new to motorhomes (always had 5th wheels), is there an advantage to running the inverter vs generator when traveling? So far, I have used the generator to have the fridge, A/C etc on while I'm going down the road. However, a friend mentioned that they use the inverter. Just curious as to what the norm is - if there is any.

Mike

Welcome to the forum Mike.

Please add your rig data to your signature through the Users CP. More educated answers can come your way with this info.

Older rigs with RV refrigerators didn't need the inverter on when traveling. The new rigs do if equipped with a residential refrigerator. Your house batteries are charged while traveling by the engine alternator and special relays so you don't have to worry about them running down. On many models some outlets are active through the inverter. You can keep you computer on and powered this way or make coffee if you want.

I only run my generator to supplement the heat (heat pump) or A/C when I am traveling. Most diesel generators use around a half a gallon per hour so they are no big drain on the tank.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

[Toopalms]

We are brand new to The RV world. Want to make sure that it is okay to turn the inverter on when driving down the road. Have a 2017 Bounder 35 K with a 2000 Watt inverter and a residential refrigerator. I understand that you need to run the generator if we are running the roof air conditioners. If we stop to eat should the generator be turned on if the coach is not running? At times there just seems to much to remember.

[Mr. Dave]

Originally Posted by Toopalms

We are brand new to The RV world. Want to make sure that it is okay to turn the inverter on when driving down the road. Have a 2017 Bounder 35 K with a 2000 Watt inverter and a residential refrigerator. I understand that you need to run the generator if we are running the roof air conditioners. If we stop to eat should the generator be turned on if the coach is not running? At times there just seems to much to remember.

Welcome to the RV world and IRV2!

We have a residential refrigerator in our coach. It's connected to a 2000 watt inverter. The inverter is on all the time.

When we stop for lunch we don’t start the generator unless we want to run the air conditioners. You'll be fine running off your batteries. No need to start the generator for that short period of time.






------
Dave & Young
2003 American Coach Revolution 40C
Link to Projects on our 2003 Revolution 40C
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f107/proj...0c-285523.html

[DrDaveMA]

Originally Posted by Toopalms

We are brand new to The RV world. Want to make sure that it is okay to turn the inverter on when driving down the road. Have a 2017 Bounder 35 K with a 2000 Watt inverter and a residential refrigerator. I understand that you need to run the generator if we are running the roof air conditioners. If we stop to eat should the generator be turned on if the coach is not running? At times there just seems to much to remember.

Yes, it is okay to run the inverter when driving down the road. We have a residential refer and my inverter stays on 24/7 from the time we start packing, to the time we are back home and shut down the rig. I start the refer 2 days ahead of our departure, and the inverter is on. The initial cooling of the refer draws the most amps so I do it when we are plugged into shore power. I do not run the ice maker if we boondock, it draws a lot of amps also. I leave the inverter on all the time, that way if we are at a CG and the power goes out my refer is protected. At the end off the trip, the last thing I do before I disconnect the batteries is shut off the inverter.

[artpe54]

I run the inverter when traveling, the only exception is if I want to nun the ac units, then I run the generator. I have a residential fridge, the inverter runs everything except the ac's.

[sbleiweiss]

You'll learn and get used to things. We don't have a Bounder, but ours has a seperate inverter for the fridge. When driving the alternator keeps the house batteries charged and the main inverter keeps 120 power to outlets. The fridge inverter runs the fridge. When we stop for lunch (we don't boondock) we usually run the generator because we want AC or to use things like microwave, latte machine, etc. The house batteries will run the fridge through its inverter for awhile without the genny, but will eventually run too low and need to be charged. Welcome to RVing.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by artpe54

I run the inverter when traveling, the only exception is if I want to nun the ac units, then I run the generator. I have a residential fridge, the inverter runs everything except the ac's.

artpe54
We all use 120V inverter power differently.

Some, (like you), have their inverter ON when traveling... some have it on whenever they're in their coach....whereas my inverter has been turned ON for less than 12 hours total in 20 years, (148k miles).

IMO there is no right or wrong way.

Mel
'96 Safari

[MisterT]

we have fulltimed in our coach for over two years now - have NEVER turned the inverter off. Why would you? It supplies 110v power, which is always needed, whether for the fridge, or tvs, or computers, etc.
the ONLY time we ever run the generator is for a/c cooling when not on shore power, or to recharge the batteries(Inverter) when they are low. the AGS actually does this automatically when the batteries are low.

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by CFSUNRISE

Cranemec,
I am soon to be new to this residential refrigerator stuff. I will have 6 group 31 deep cycle batteries aboard with a Whirlpool 16 cf refrig. Any idea how long my 2000 watt inverter will run the refrig. on the fully charged battery bank if nothing else is in use?

When you say deep cycle, do you mean group 31 Marine batteries or true deep cycle batteries like the Trojan 31XHS? There is a big difference in performance (and $$$). You should have around 700=750Ah or 350 usable. My Samsung averages using around 10 Ah according to my battery monitor. That should give you a ballpark.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by MisterT

we have fulltimed in our coach for over two years now - have NEVER turned the inverter off. Why would you? It supplies 110v power, which is always needed, whether for the fridge, or tvs, or computers, etc.
the ONLY time we ever run the generator is for a/c cooling when not on shore power, or to recharge the batteries(Inverter) when they are low. the AGS actually does this automatically when the batteries are low.

MisterT
When we have no shore or generator 120VAC power our Norcold fridge runs on propane... while the TVs, computers, phone chargers, etc. run on house battery 12VDC.
(Different stroke for different folks).
Mel
'96 Safari, mine since '01

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Toopalms

We are brand new to The RV world. Want to make sure that it is okay to turn the inverter on when driving down the road. Have a 2017 Bounder 35 K with a 2000 Watt inverter and a residential refrigerator. I understand that you need to run the generator if we are running the roof air conditioners. If we stop to eat should the generator be turned on if the coach is not running? At times there just seems to much to remember.

Welcome to the forum with your new rig questions.

As others have stated, the genset is only required in this situation if you need to run the A/C. I suggest that you set the Auto Start feature of the genset to Auto when you are in this situation. If the generator is needed to charge the batteries or cool you off, it will start automatically when needed. It is best to let it run full cycle before shutting it off. Sometimes this is not practical because when you strat the coach the generator will stop with the action of the key. If you manually restart it immediately to finish the cycle and set the Auto active again it will shut down when the conditions are correct.

Happy trails,
Rick Y

[Klc]

We use the inverter on the road so that the pkug by the passenger door will work and I can charge my phone. The plug will not work without the inverter on. As for the AC, we took our first trip in hot weather and did not know we could turn on the generator while driving. Therefore, we were very uncomfortable. We thought something was wrong with the AC, as no cool air came out. We run the refrigerator on propane while on the road. So much to learn. Question. It was mentioned to let the generator run full cycle. What does that mean and how can we tell it has done that? Thanks.

[MisterT]

Originally Posted by mel s

When we have no shore or generator 120VAC power our Norcold fridge runs on propane... while the TVs, computers, phone chargers, etc. run on house battery 12VDC.

This brings up the change in the industry toward residential 110v refrigerators for many newer coaches. Ours requires the need for 24/7 inverter power to keep it running, whereas a typical rv type fridge can run on propane, or even some directly on 12v.
It not only pushes the industry to move toward more residential appliances, but also a move away from onboard propane.

[Texasranger]

Originally Posted by Ranger Smith

We just use the inverter. The system was designed for that. Only time we run genny when rolling is when it is really hot and have the AC going or we pull into a rest area to make coffee, etc.

Your inverter will run a coffee pot, TVs etc. you have a wall plug or two that has power from inverter just like refrig.