2016 Greyhawk Power Inverter

[dpchristie]

Hey Everyone, quick question:

We have a 2016 Greyhawk 29MV... When we bought it, the walk-through we got from the local dealership didn't really cover much outside of the basics, so the rest we have had to try to figure out.

We go to a lot of festivals with no hookups, so we use the generator a lot, and already have over 350 hours on it. My question has to do with the controls for the "power inverter" that is in the RV control panel by the tank and slide controls. What is the actual purpose for this inverter? We never have used it, and when we have turned it on, we really didn't notice anything different. Is this feature not necessary when hooked up to power or using the generator?

Thanks!
Dave

[Grumpy]

You only need it when not using Geny or shore power and it only powers your front TV

[dpchristie]

Oh, wow. Ok, thanks. A pretty straight forward use for that then.

Appreciate it! :-)

Dave

[LI-Camper]

The inverter as set up from Jayco does not power the front TV outlet when the MH is running. Search this forum if you are interested in overriding that safety feature (it prevents you from watching TV while you drive! You couldn't do this anyway with the 29MV)
Another use is to use a small coffeemaker to brew coffee before generator hours in the morning. I bought an 800 watt coffeemaker that will use Keurig K-cups. I found it by searching on Amazon.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by dpchristie

What is the actual purpose for this inverter? We never have used it, and when we have turned it on, we really didn't notice anything different. Is this feature not necessary when hooked up to power or using the generator?

Thanks!
Dave

The inverter's job is to take 12V DC battery power and invert it to 120V AC.

Push the button and leave it on.

About the only thing I check on the control panel is: is the light green or yellow and what's the voltage?

If you run the generator most of the time, you probably don't have to check either. The light should be green and the voltage at 13.1 V or higher.

[LI-Camper]

If you leave the inverter on all the time, it will draw power from the battery. When you are not connected to shore power or are not running the genny, this will run down the battery for no good reason. I only turn on the inverter when I'm using it. Your Greyhawk came with only one 12v house battery so you do not have much energy to spare. That's why I had two 6v golf cart batteries installed. Now I can use the 1000w inverter to make coffee in the morning when it is earlier than generators are permitted to run.

[DumpStation]

I do a lot of Boondocking and a few festies myself. The inverter in my Greyhawk is a great tool as it powers the outlet from which the front TV is plugged into. I've run the TV as well as an Xbox from it for several hours without drawing too much power from it on one battery meaning I was still able to crank the generator for recharge.

[LI-Camper]

DumpStation- What is the wattage of your inverter? The newer Greyhawks have a 1000W inverter. Does this make a difference? Maybe I'm too paranoid about running my batteries down. I'll be happy if the inverter can be used for hours without discharging the batteries too much. I probably worry about this more than I should. I have two Trojen 105 batteries to power my inverter. Thanks for your input.

[DumpStation]

Originally Posted by LI-Camper

DumpStation- What is the wattage of your inverter? The newer Greyhawks have a 1000W inverter. Does this make a difference? Maybe I'm too paranoid about running my batteries down. I'll be happy if the inverter can be used for hours without discharging the batteries too much. I probably worry about this more than I should. I have two Trojen 105 batteries to power my inverter. Thanks for your input.

My 2009 Greyhawk has an 850W inverter running off a single T31 Trojan 12V. I keep it plugged in for a week or so after each trip to desulfate in case I run it down a little low. The draw from an 850 or 1000W inverter is the same. With a 1000W inverter, your advantage is you can convert more DC power to AC, 250w more but that also means drawing more power from your batteries if you approach max wattage. With two 6 volt Trojans I wouldn't worry at all. They're designed to be true deep cycle batteries, meaning you can run them down to a least 50% repeatedly without fear of damaging them.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by LI-Camper

I have two Trojen 105 batteries to power my inverter. Thanks for your input.

did you have to do any mods to get the two Trojan's to fit?

I haven't done anything but slide the single Exide out on my 2016 31FK but it sure looked to me like there wasn't going to be much room for two batteries in there...

[StevWb]

I put in two 6 v. batteries in right compartment next to slide out battery door, reinforced the box, works great, use easy fill for battery filling, use the slide out for mini storage..look up my prior posts for pics.

[LI-Camper]

I worked with a friend to reinforce the compartment next to the battery slide compartment. First we put 3/4 plywood inside the compartment to strengthen the floor(two pieces - one piece will not fit). Then we took off the hatch cover for the living room slide motor. This exposes the frame above the compartment. Next we drilled two holes into the frame where two 5/8 threaded rods would be placed to hang from the frame. Nuts and washers were used to bolt the threaded rods to the frame (nuts and washers on top and and bottom of frame). Then the rods went thru the floor of the compartment and the plywood. Underneath the compartment we put a piece of angle iron. The threaded rods were bolted with nuts and washers on top of the plywood and beneath the angle iron. I put one battery in this compartment. There is still enough room for other stuff. If I ever choose to, I could easily add two more 6v batteries. The weight of the batteries are supported by the MH frame. The hatch cover for the slide motor was put back with a small notch for one of the threaded rods.

[LI-Camper]

Here is another photo showing the threaded rods going the floor of the compartment - plywood. Of course with Murphy's Law in effect, the place we cut the plywood in half was also where the second rod went thru the floor. It is very sturdy and doesn't effect the integrity of the compartment.

[Florida Ranger]

Your engine alternator will charge your house batteries if you need to charge them up without running your generator...

[LI-Camper]

The engine alternator will take all day to recharge your batteries. The built-in generator is much better to use to charge the batteries.

[Steve1152]

our 2018 29mv inverter powers the front tv, the back tv and the two plug on either side of the bed. i wish it would power the fridge.

[Jaytalk]

Originally Posted by Steve1152

our 2018 29mv inverter powers the front tv, the back tv and the two plug on either side of the bed. i wish it would power the fridge.

Don't you have a propane frig? Why would you want to waste additional battery power on the frig if you can utilize the propane setting?

[Bullitt6283]

Originally Posted by Steve1152

our 2018 29mv inverter powers the front tv, the back tv and the two plug on either side of the bed. i wish it would power the fridge.

I am planning to make a wiring change to accomplish that.


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