Re-wiring a 110v recepticle to inverter

MrJackSprat · 10-25-2016, 11:23 AM

Has anyone any knowledge in re-wiring an existing 110v outlet to make use of our in-coach inverter? I dont have much experience with electrical work, so thus my question here.

I am a cpap user and would really like to have my bedside 110v outlet hooked into the inverter to so that I could sleep when dry camping. I never understood why Jayco only wires ONE outlet in the entire coach to the inverter, at its for the overhead TV in the very front.

wags999 · 10-25-2016, 11:33 AM

The problem with using 12 volt to power 120 appliances is it will drain the battery really fast. I would check out the power draw of your CPAC unit and see if it is even feasible. Good Luck.

abarkl · 10-25-2016, 11:52 AM

Having a generator and running it to power everything would be a more logical choice.
Generators are made to run continuously except for an oil check every 40 hours.

MrJackSprat · 10-25-2016, 11:53 AM

Just looked as cpap specs... 90W unit draws 53w (57VA) to 104w (108VA).

**Mustang65** · 10-25-2016, 12:05 PM

Check your CPAP machine. Mine has a 12VDC transformer that plugs into the wall. Some use a 24VDC transformer, in that case you are stuck using the inverter. The low voltage power output is stamped on the transformer.

I purchased a male plug the same size as the one that plugs into CPAP machine and wired it to a 12VDC accessory plug (has fuse inside). I also wired in a 12VDC accessory outlet by the bed. Contact the mfr to see if they have a 12VDC automotive adapter cord. If you use the humidifier option, you will have a load of 3-4 amps (that is what mine uses on DC). If you sleep for 8 hours that can amount to 32Ah. Not sure as to what your house battery size is but if it is a regular size 24 battery, that is probably rated (NEW) at 80Ah. Since you can only use 50% of the 80Ah (40AH), 32 Ah's will drain your battery down pretty far.

If you use an inverter to supply 110VAC to the CPAP you will use the 32Ah of the CPAP machine and add to that the power your inverter will use to convert the 12VDC to 110VAC. If at all possible go with the 12VDC option.

In either case you will need to purchase batteries that have a higher Ah rating. There are some 12VDC batteries that have a 100Ah rating, but are more expensive, a bit larger that the size 24 batteries and may not fit. Some of the members have installed (2) 6 volt Trojan T-105 batteries which increased their Ah to 220Ah. You will have plenty of power to run the CPAP machine for a 2 or 3 days if necessary. (not to mention watching some bedtime Tv). I have (2) 6 volt Trojan T145 batteries that are rated at 260Ah, plenty for my use.

Good luck,
Don

mike837go · 10-25-2016, 12:35 PM

I did the research on trying to rewire my 1st trailer to run the outlets off the inverter.

Don't bother. The feedback loop you would create by risking powering the converter from the inverter, thereby charging the battery from the battery. Yuk!

If you need to run something from a self-installed inverter, use and adequate extension cord. Or be prepared to install heavy-duty contactors (relays) that switch several 120VAC circuits under different conditions.

**Mustang65** · 10-25-2016, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike837go

I did the research on trying to rewire my 1st trailer to run the outlets off the inverter.

When I went SOLAR, I did an easy110VAC wire rewire of my TT for the inverter to power the entire TT (all the 110VAC outlets), back then I did not find a Automatic Transfer Switch that was within my budget. So I wired the inverter (front Storage compartment) to the Shore Power access panel (in the rear storage compartment). I plug the TT's power control center's source cable into either the Shore power RV outlet or the inverter RV outlet. See the picture below. You will need to rewire the TT/RV DC converter to its own breaker. I had a spare location and Lowes had the double 15 amp breaker.

Now I am thinking of installing the Automatic Transfer Switch below. The price is right and you do not need to be a Rocket Scientist to rewire/install it. They make a 30 Amp and a 50 amp version Automatic Transfer Switch.

Don

**norty1** · 10-25-2016, 01:45 PM

That looks like the arrangement my old MH had to transfer from shore power to generator power.

It was not fully automatic! LOL

**Mustang65** · 10-25-2016, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norty1

That looks like the arrangement my old MH had to transfer from shore power to generator power.

It was not fully automatic! LOL

DW thinks it is!!

Don

hoppers4 · 10-25-2016, 02:19 PM

The inverter for your MV is right underneath the bed. Another option would be to put an additional 115VAC outlet right on the side of the bed pedestal. This would require very little wiring and wouldn't feed any other outlets except the new one on the pedestal and the one in the cabover. Like mentioned previously, you would need more battery to run the CPAP for any length of time.

**Mustang65** · 10-25-2016, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppers4

The inverter for your MV is right underneath the bed. Another option would be to put an additional 115VAC outlet right on the side of the bed pedestal. This would require very little wiring and wouldn't feed any other outlets except the new one on the pedestal and the one in the cabover. Like mentioned previously, you would need more battery to run the CPAP for any length of time.

Sounds like a good option to me

Don

NC Roamer · 10-25-2016, 04:22 PM

My Resmed S9 CPAP has a humidifier which can be detached from the air pump which reduces the current draw. I have run just the air pump half all night using the house battery and inverter in the Greyhawk without problem. I just run an extension cord from the inverter outlet behind the television into the bedroom.

MrJackSprat · 10-26-2016, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NC Roamer

My Resmed S9 CPAP has a humidifier which can be detached from the air pump which reduces the current draw. I have run just the air pump half all night using the house battery and inverter in the Greyhawk without problem. I just run an extension cord from the inverter outlet behind the television into the bedroom.

Thanks NC Roamer, I too have a Resmed, but newer model Airsense 10. They now incorporate the humidifier into the unit, but you can disable this - saving on power draw. I will give this simple option a try.

**Mustang65** · 10-26-2016, 07:15 AM

I tried not turning on the humidifier, just because I was tired of filling it up every night, but that lasted only a few nights. My nose, mouth and throat were totally dry and it kept me waking up, getting a drink of water,,,, then depositing the water by tapping my kidney. Tried the nose buds, nose cover, face mask... no luck. Back to the humidifier it was.

Hope it works for you.

Don

Patchesrv · 01-19-2020, 07:22 PM

We have 29MV and had issues tripping breaker. When we went through all the breakers to see what worked where we found that the 2 plugs by bed where in fact run off inverter and DH Cpac worked fine. Still trip breaker so we will let dealer deal with it

Camper_bob · 01-20-2020, 09:33 AM

In my 2018 29MV, the bedside outlets are already wired to the inverter from the factory.

Have you verified that this is not the case? I assumed mine were not, but found out (ironically enough because of my CPAP) that they are, in fact, already wired to the inverter.

LI-Camper · 01-21-2020, 04:28 PM

My wife and I each have a C-Pap. I installed a 12 volt outlet on each side of the bed. I have two 6 volt GC batteries and have moved the inverter closer to the batteries with larger gauge wire. The inverter was under the bed, the wire to the battery was not adequate and the wire was too long. So the inverter was good for almost nothing. Now it works as intended. That being said, if you need to use your furnace and two C-paps while not being plugged in, your battery (batteries) can be drained quite a bit. This is while running the C-Paps without the humidifier or heated hose. I need my batteries to be good to run the Keurig before the generator hours. Also use the TV if no campfire. What is the solution?...... I bought two MaxOak C-pap batteries from Amazon. Each one will run our Dream Station C-Paps for 5-6 days without charging (no humidifier or heated hose) or 2 days with humidifier. They also run 24 volt C-Paps. It is a large Lithium-Ion battery. It recharges with 110 volt only. I have solar panels and my built -in generator so I plan to charge them during the daytime. They have enough power that you cannot bring them on an airplane (not carry-on or in checked luggage). I will also use them if a power outage occurs at my house. They aren’t cheap, but to me the piece of mind is worth it. Each battery comes with cords specific to each brand of C-pap. When you buy the battery you get 4 or 5 cords that are labeled for each brand. The customer service is excellent. This solution requires the least amount of work to implement. I tested the batteries at home to see how many nights I could use them without recharging. They each have a battery management system built-in. The amount of remaining charge is shown by %.

Camper_bob · 01-22-2020, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LI-Camper

My wife and I each have a C-Pap. I installed a 12 volt outlet on each side of the bed. I have two 6 volt GC batteries and have moved the inverter closer to the batteries with larger gauge wire. The inverter was under the bed, the wire to the battery was not adequate and the wire was too long. So the inverter was good for almost nothing. Now it works as intended. That being said, if you need to use your furnace and two C-paps while not being plugged in, your battery (batteries) can be drained quite a bit. This is while running the C-Paps without the humidifier or heated hose. I need my batteries to be good to run the Keurig before the generator hours. Also use the TV if no campfire. What is the solution?...... I bought two MaxOak C-pap batteries from Amazon. Each one will run our Dream Station C-Paps for 5-6 days without charging (no humidifier or heated hose) or 2 days with humidifier. They also run 24 volt C-Paps. It is a large Lithium-Ion battery. It recharges with 110 volt only. I have solar panels and my built -in generator so I plan to charge them during the daytime. They have enough power that you cannot bring them on an airplane (not carry-on or in checked luggage). I will also use them if a power outage occurs at my house. They aren’t cheap, but to me the piece of mind is worth it. Each battery comes with cords specific to each brand of C-pap. When you buy the battery you get 4 or 5 cords that are labeled for each brand. The customer service is excellent. This solution requires the least amount of work to implement. I tested the batteries at home to see how many nights I could use them without recharging. They each have a battery management system built-in. The amount of remaining charge is shown by %.

I was thinking I might get a standard, office use UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for this very purpose! I was thinking I could put it under the bed and run a simple extension cord out for the CPAPs (both DW and I use one). I would use it ONLY for the machines, and I would have it so it would charge while on AC power.

I wonder if it would work the way I'm thinking it could? If it did, it could be a very cost-effective solution...

pconroy · 01-22-2020, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I was thinking I might get a standard, office use UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for this very purpose! I was thinking I could put it under the bed and run a simple extension cord out for the CPAPs (both DW and I use one). I would use it ONLY for the machines, and I would have it so it would charge while on AC power.

I wonder if it would work the way I'm thinking it could? If it did, it could be a very cost-effective solution...

CPAP into the UPS and keep the UPS plugged in?
Yeah that'd work.

I don't know the power draw of a CPAP but I suspect it's pretty sizable.
That'd mean you need a pretty big UPS to avoid an annoying beep.
Unless you'd want to be alarmed when the power went out.

seanreit · 01-23-2020, 05:16 AM

I know I have put more money in this than sense, but that said, I have solved this problem:

First thing I did was install this: https://amzn.to/36fqMKU automatic transfer switch
Then I installed this: https://amzn.to/2TMPQX7 Which has a wifi button on my phone, I can turn it on, and it will change all the outlets in my RV to be powered by the goal zero 3,000. This provides 3,000 watt hours of power overnight, with no noise.

And because I love power, I actually added https://amzn.to/2NSadOF which allows me to add batteries in parralel to the system to draw off of to the Yeti 3,000, I then added 2 LIFPO4 batteries behind it adding an additional 2400 watt hours. Something like this: https://amzn.to/3aCYXQf

I know it's a $50 buck solution to a $2.00 problem, but for those that want the absolute simple drop in solution, it has worked well for me. I have an aging father in law with a heart condition that requires overnight air conditioning, and this has worked well for us.

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