Location for Inverter

[Belgique]

I was going to add this to the Inverter discussion but maybe it should stand alone.

My '08 35J Sightseer doesn't have an inverter. I want to install one so we can watch TV and power the laptop underway (the cig lighter inverters tear up AM radio and the CB).

Where would be the best place to put it?

Should I run wire directly from the house battery?

Thanks in advance. Steve

[Belgique]

I was going to add this to the Inverter discussion but maybe it should stand alone.

My '08 35J Sightseer doesn't have an inverter. I want to install one so we can watch TV and power the laptop underway (the cig lighter inverters tear up AM radio and the CB).

Where would be the best place to put it?

Should I run wire directly from the house battery?

Thanks in advance. Steve

[Carle]

Steve, you're going to get answers all over the place on this one, but...

If you want to use your laptop while under way, I might suggest that you purchase an inverter that will plug into your 12 volt power point to run your laptop only. Radio Shack may be a good place to start.

For your TV and sound system, Winne has used as standard equipment a 300 watt inverter mounted up in the forward overhead cabinets using regular 14 gauge wire on a separate circuit. Wiring it could be a little tricky though so it would be a good idea to think it through.

Good luck.

Carle McFarland, 2004 Journey 36G

[Belgique]

Thanks Carle. I have 2 of the cig lighter inverters for the laptop but don't like them because of the RFI they create on the AM band and CB. I suspect the overhead cabinet would be the best place (our 35U had it there) but wanted to get some opinions. Steve

[John Hilley]

It depends on the inverter. If you have one with AC pass thru, under the sink is a good place. It permits short cables to the battery and the AC side to the breaker panel is short and easy to run. Another alternative if you only want to use it for the laptop is a DC to DC laptop supply. They are available online for about $25, I bought the Compaq DC power supply from HP for $70.

[Ken Lenger]

You may find that any modified sine wave (MSW) inverter is going to cause the noise, no matter where you mount it. You may need to upgrade to a true sine wave inverter, or see if your laptop mfg offers a power supply that runs from 12 vdc. I just bought a power supply for my dell laptop that runs from 120 vac, 12 vdc, air aircraft power.

[Tom N]

Mount as close to the batteries as possible. The 12v DC runs should be short. You can run the 120v AC wiring any distance with in the coach.

-Tom

[comp-time]

When underway, I usually run the generator to power the fridge and air conditioner if needed and just plug in the laptop to the 110 volt power. Works great.

[Belgique]

Found this link on the other forum that answers my questions and might be of interest to others. Thanks for your responses!! Steve

[Hikerdogs]

Belgique, are you sure you need an inverter to power the TV? According to the 08 Sightseer brochure all Sightseers come with "TV DC 19" LCD color stereo w/remote,". .

I'm guessing the TV circuit may be locked out when the ignition switch is on. There was a discussion about this feature a while ago, and I believe one of the participants noted that any television that could be potentially viewed by the driver had to be locked out when the ignition was on.

[Belgique]

Hikerdog, you are correct. My bad...I should have mentioned that we replaced the very tiny 12V TV that came with the coach with a 32" LCD. It was just too small. We also use DVR all the time (never watch anything live) so we would need the inverter for the DVR and, now, the TV. Thanks! Steve

PS: before someone asks how we got a 32" in... Many '08 35J's have the TV on the side, near the door. Our '08, however, it was up front between the overhead cabinets. With an articulating arm and minor beefing up the cabinet we were able to mount it and still gain access to the cabinets. We have about 2,000 miles on it, including very bumpy SC I-95 roads