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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Inverter Output Power Question
What gauge wire would you recommend between 12v batteries and inverter using a 2000 watt inverter? Length of cable run should be under 10 ft. A 900 watt microwave will be the largest appliance I will be running on the inverter. Thanks, Ken
go with 4/0 welding cable for that length and current. Voltage drop is your enemy. welding shop can make up cable and lugs for you.
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ktmrfs
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11/12/23 09:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Inverter Output Power Question
unless the inverter outlets are 20A outlets, you won't be able to plug in anything that draws 2000VA anyway 20A, one vertical, one horizontal blade. Very uncommon for home appliances.
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ktmrfs
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11/12/23 08:06pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ok to run shore power without battery?
His 12.9v reading from the converter (with no battery) is 14.32v RMS.
how do you know that? If the converter is putting out 12.9V DC with little or no ripple the RMS voltage is 12.9V
Unless you LOOK at the output waveform and KNOW what kind of meter is used you don't know what the RMS value is.
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ktmrfs
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11/11/23 06:57pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ok to run shore power without battery?
Thanks for all the information. The battery is a 12 volt lead acid RV deep cycle battery from Les Schwab. No reason to think it’s not what it says it is. As far as I know the only 12v functions in the trailer are lights, bathroom exhaust fan, radio and propane alarm. All those are fine on what’s coming out of the converter now: 12.9v No slide out, no hitch jack. Checking the panel it also has a few other 12v circuits that we don’t use ( dont need the water pump since we’re hooked up permanently, and the furnace, since we use electric heat instead of propane.) And it says the hood fan is 12v which I didn’t know. So everything we need is working fine off the converter and shore power. I don’t know why the converter was overcharging the battery to the point of boiling, but if it can go without a battery I really don’t need to care about it. I suspect that I killed the battery by leaving it outside uncharged over a couple of winters and that’s my bad. But, again, if I don’t need a battery in the system I’m ok. Still getting mixed opinions on that.
12V is needed for a propane/electric fridge (even on shore power) water heater (even on electric) usually for propane and sometimes CO detector
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ktmrfs
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11/10/23 05:21pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ok to run shore power without battery?
The 12.9 was with the battery disconnected. (In fact the battery was at the NAPA shop miles away??) Looks like one vote for “it’s ok to run without a battery” and one vote for “you should put in a battery” Anyone else wanna break the tie?
And if I really do need a battery to protect the system should it be a deep cycle RV battery or a plain old car battery, knowing it will never be without shore power.
high quality working converter likely no problem running w/o battery.
low quality converter or not regulating voltage no battery likely issue. The battery acts like a 12V load and filter.
my opinion, just install a 12 marine or car battery since you run with shore power.
will give protection for other more valuable stuff in the trailer, fridge, wh, furnace, lights etc.
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ktmrfs
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11/09/23 09:51pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Travel Trailer Tires
Go with LT tires.
Good advice!
34' FR Cherokee Michelen LT XPS Ribs.
C.B.
so just what 15" LRE LT tire would you recomend? or even a LRD
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ktmrfs
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11/08/23 07:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Travel Trailer Tires
Go with LT tires.
16" rims good option.
15" rims show me a LRd let alone LRE 15" LT tire
they are very rare, not really a viable option.
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ktmrfs
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11/07/23 04:11pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: "Service Trailer Brake System" message on Suburban
if it is like the silverado, highly likely the problem is the manual trailer brake control lever on the dash. easy peasy to replace and often fixes the problem.
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ktmrfs
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10/30/23 10:11pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Re-coating Wheels
give a call to a local place that advertizes fixing wheel scrapes etc. on alloy wheels. They likely can do it.
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ktmrfs
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10/29/23 10:18am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Inverter draw from battery for residential fridge
look at the fridge nameplate and look for either the power in watts or max current. If it lists max current multiply by 10 to get inverter draw from 12V
If it lists watts current =watts/12
that will give you a pretty close estimate of max power draw from the batteries.
now to get run time you will need to take into account the duty cycle of the fridge, what % of the time the compressor is running.
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ktmrfs
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10/25/23 11:20am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Recommendations for solar charge/controller
looks like what you have are 24V panels, so that heads you to MPPT controller.
I have the midnite solar kid controller (actually two, one for the roof panels,one for portable)
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ktmrfs
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10/24/23 08:50am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Travel Trailer Tires
Reading the posts...........is there any reason for me to suggest Goodyear Endurance tires? I've heard good things about Maxxis tires, but I'm gonna hang with Goodyear.
I've had good luck with Maxxis as well as the Endurance. I've logged well over 100K miles on a combo of Maxxis and Endurance with zip issues.
But then I have a TPMS which has caught a slow leak from a nail which likely prevented a blowout situation.
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ktmrfs
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10/21/23 05:39pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Travel Trailer Tires
Goodyear endurance on both my trailers
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ktmrfs
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10/20/23 06:11pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: TT shopping
A 6000# travel trailer will have a loaded tongue or hitch weight of 600# up to maybe 720# or maybe more. Once you load the family and cargo into the pathfinder will you have the payload capacity to add the additional 720# to the Pathfinder.
You cannot believe the brochure hitch weight as this is based on a dry trailer and does not include any manufacturers' options.
Ken
and many of the "options" aren't "options" at all. They are "standard" on virtually all trailers.
The yellow sticker on the door of the trailer lists the actual trailer weight as built without ANY propane in the tanks and without ANY battery installed.
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ktmrfs
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10/19/23 08:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 12v wire thickness
It looks like considering everything is definitely under 4ft, I won't need anything over 4ga.
Smoke (and flames) will escape from the wiring if you use wire that small and a 2kw inverter.
exactly. a 2KW inverter will draw 200A or more, 4ga isn't even adequate for a 1KW inverter if you intend to run anything near rated output for more than 15 seconds or so.
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ktmrfs
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10/19/23 08:51pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12v wire thickness
^Great, you have a shop that provides you good deals on cables. I work on a lot of vehicles and never needed that many cables over the years.
Still doesn’t make any sense why they would “need” to be hydraulically crimped as you said above, though.
you probably could get by w/o a hydraulic crimper, but lots more work and time to get a good crimp. Hydraulic crimper and 20 seconds and your done with a long lasting gas tight seal.
Once I get to an 8ga or smaller wire, out comes the hydraulic crimper.
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ktmrfs
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10/19/23 08:49pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12v wire thickness
go to a welding shop and buy the length of welding cable in the gauge you want and have them put logs on it for you. Many shops can do that.
Otherwise you'll need a hybraulic crimper. And based on what I've done I'd suggest and least 2/0 wire if not 3/0. Most inverters have a low voltage shutoff and a few tenths of a volt drop can make the difference in inverter running and inverter shutting down.
And make sure you use the correct fuse to the inverter. they are big, bulky but meant to protect under the high load conditions.
Welding cable has lots of very fine wire so it is very flexible and easy to route.
OP, you don’t need anything elaborate like having cables prefabricated or a hyd crimper.
You can buy any number of clamping or solder/crimp lugs that can be attached with basic hand tools. But you “can” make elaborate cables if you wish.
Regarding wire size, the responses are all over the board here. Many who just think bigger is better. (It is, but doesn’t mean it’s necessary) I used a wire size calculator real quick to provide my recommendation. You should do the same. You have the data. It’s that easy.
around here welding cable is very reasonably priced, pay by the foot, lugs are sold individually and the shops I deal with will crimp for free if you buy the cable and lugs. makes it easy peasy, and quick. And usually cable is available in red or black, from AWG 6 down to 4/0. Quick, easy, affordable and your good to go.
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ktmrfs
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10/19/23 10:32am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12v wire thickness
go to a welding shop and buy the length of welding cable in the gauge you want and have them put logs on it for you. Many shops can do that.
Otherwise you'll need a hybraulic crimper. And based on what I've done I'd suggest and least 2/0 wire if not 3/0. Most inverters have a low voltage shutoff and a few tenths of a volt drop can make the difference in inverter running and inverter shutting down.
And make sure you use the correct fuse to the inverter. they are big, bulky but meant to protect under the high load conditions.
Welding cable has lots of very fine wire so it is very flexible and easy to route.
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ktmrfs
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10/18/23 11:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Bulb out
put in make model and year and climate control bulb on ebay and see what pops up.
Very good chance that you'll find bulb replacement kits if it has bulbs and also LED options or if LED's an LED kit
Successful on our son 2004 duramax and also many of his friends trucks with bad bulbs or LED's on dash displays. My advice, if it has bulbs, get a kit and replace ALL of them, not just the burned out one.
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ktmrfs
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10/18/23 11:24am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Can I Dump Through Sewer Vent?
it may not be a "sewer vent" but the sewer clean out access point. Most houses with access to sewer lines have a clean out port outside the house. If that is what it is, yes it can be used as a dump. That's exactly what we do.
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ktmrfs
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10/17/23 11:02am |
General RVing Issues
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