Inverter Placement

jrhamel

Looking for suggestions for inverter placement. I know I can't put it in the tongue box with the propane tank. Has anyone added another tongue box and but it in that? Thnaks

JamesDow

My suggestion would be to do an inventory the items you really need an inverter for. Often I have seen a medical device as primary. Using an inverter to power a microwave or coffee make takes a lot of power, so without a bank of batteries, I would reconsider.

I just purchased a small Renogy power station (300 watt-50 watt solar panel = $270) and made a list of my power uses involving 110 volt, usb & 12 volt. All of my 110 volt uses could be used/charged by either usb or 12 volt. Maybe not as efficient as 110, but easy. I did run a 3.4 hour test powering my projector/hard drive (98 watts). Test worked fine, but normally I power this combination using an inverter (300-400) from my car running at idle.

I am suggesting that you may want to explore a power station like a Jackery 500 or Bluetti 700 watt. Going this direction may cost more than just an inverter, but greatly increases your flexibility. After you factor in all of the extra expenses of safely installing an inverter, the costs between choices may start to ballance out (somewhat).

You also could consider a water resistant inverter as sold by OutBack, etc. Those units are costly.

Installing in something like a group 27 battery box could ba an option for outside, but ventilation would be an issue.

Placement of a smaller unit (400-500 watt) inside could easily be an option that would not overheat your trailer interior. That could be placed nearly anywhere with some potential for air movement.

Good luck in your adventures.

jrhamel

@JamesDow Unfortunately I have already purchased 1000w Renogy Pure sine converter. I feel pretty comfortable installing and I understand the ventilation issues. Our biggest use of the inverter would be to charge our laptop. We mostly dry camp and have both roof top and suitcase solar panels. Mostly just trying to get an idea of how others have installed theirs.
Thanks for the suggestions

MrGGBrown

I installed my inverter on the top of the battery box cover. This makes it a little challenging to get to the battery, but we have a LiFePo battery, so I don't think I'll be opening the battery box for many years. You'll also have to reposition the battery On/Off switch, which may not be desirable, and find a way to keep the converter from getting wet from the water from coming down between the trailer and the tongue box. I just used some plexiglass.

JamesDow

With the 1000-watt Renogy, you would also have space behind/above the television/air conditioner. That would be a long DC cable run.
The idea of placement in the tongue box with some travel water-proofing could be a go. Yes, the fire marshal would likely object being so near to the propane tank.
If it was me, I would not plan on operating it within the tongue box next to the propane tank. That is me.
It could be set up to be removed from the tongue box during use. That might limit you to fair weather conditions, but would provide the added value of safety and ventilation.
Let's see a 50A harness quick connect disconnect plug ($8.99) or even a second mounted SAE plug on the side of the box could provide and meet your needs. (laptop charging, etc.).
I think my choice may be the quick connect method and store the inverter unit inside during travel. I would likely build an outside (during use) box (maybe a cut down group 27 battery box ($15) to somewhat protect from the weather in case of light rain.

JamesDow

OK, last comment. Reviewed your location needs along with planned uses and rethought the solution that "I" would aim for. Note some added cost is involved, but then so would the install of the 1000 watt inverter.
1. > I would not use a 1000-watt Renogy inverter to charge a laptop. An inverter of this type would typically see a no-load efficiency rating of between 98-95% at idle, or a power loss of 20-50 Watts. The typical power charging block output for a laptop is in the range of 65-75 watts. I would reserve the 1000-watt inverter for charging from your tow vehicle (running) when you have a larger power need.
2. > I would use a smaller inverter to charge the laptop. The two that I have range from 150-400 watts. The smaller of the two I cannot strongly recommend. My testing of the Bestek 150 only produced 98 volts. (Usable for recharging, but not good to actually operate sensitive electronics.) Note with a smaller inverter, you could simply plug it in inside the trailer and meet your recharging needs.
3. > This is not a suggestion, but just another potential process for others who do not already have solar panels.       I currently have and am testing a Renogy E.FLEX 50 Portable Solar Panel. ($69.99) This panel alone can recharger USB and laptop devices (within given restrictions). No inverter required. (I originally bought it to recharge a Renogy Phoenix 300 Power Station.) As I am typing now, I am recharging my Dell laptop (19 volt). My test started at around 10:45am. My Dell (Inspiron 15 5000 Series 5502) started at 67% battery capacity and within the first 45 minutes has gone up to 94%. That is a 27% increase in less than an hour. Somewhat impressive in my book.
■ Note: I have no affiliation with Dell, Bestek or Renogy.

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jrhamel

Thanks for all the suggestions. My current plan is to purchase an aluminum box to install next to the tongue box and move the battery and install the inverter in it.

zgfiredude

You might also consider a smaller "Pelican" style case. Non-conductive, weather proof, light, etc. Knock offs can be had at Harbor Freight for not much moolah.

Michigan_Mike

A great exchange of ideas here for sure! I thought I would throw out one more suggestion for anyone out there who uses a CPAP unit and who knows how scary it can becc be when the battery starts to die out and that beeping from the inverter begins late at night mikes away from civilization. I have been using a Renogy lithium ion battery pack to power up my CPAP unit off grid and even when traveling cross country to supplement my power needs and it has worked like a champ. I run it all night and am guessing that this thing would go 5 days without the need to recharge it and if need be I can charge it in my T@B 400 via the built in inverter. Great investment and I no longer am worrying about depleting the trailer batteries when boondocking, etc.

Renogy 72000mAh 266Wh 12v Power Bank with 60W PD, CPAP Battery for Camping, High Capacity Large Camping Power Bank with USB-C DC Wireless Charging & Flashlight, CPAP Battery Backup Power Supply https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791WDZTW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_8Y4YXPSSBGDZN1GC9Q67

zgfiredude

Seriously? This I am going to investigate further......what an awesome unit!