Is it possible

[Bigmike1461]

Is it possible to wire a 1200 watt pure sine inverter to just power the outlets in my 2018 28.5rsts HT? I know I will need a transfer switch and a remote on off switch. Thanks

[Grumpy]

Most of the better inverters have a built in transfer switch. At least one circuit could be done fairly easy if you have enough room and slack in the wiring.

[CampNow]

Chances are there are two sets of breakers for your outlets, one 15 amp for the GFCI outlets and one 15 amp for the non-GFCI. If you can get by just powering one or the other with the inverter, the installation should be fairly simple.

Where are you going to place the inverter? How far is if from the power center to the batteries?

If you can't find an inverter with a built-in transfer switch you like, keep in mind Xantrex makes a very robust 15 amp (1800 watt) transfer switch for about $60-$70 that switches very quickly and seamlessly. Xantrex says it must be used with a Xantrex inverter, but I've found it works perfectly with any inverter or 120 volt power source.

[RoyBraddy]

They make a MANUAL SWITCH for something like this... You can wire which 120VAC zone you want to switch to the Generator or Power Inverter and just switch one master manual switch between SHORE -OFF-GEN/POWER INVERTER...

This requires getting into your 120VAC wiring around the circuit breakers in the Power Distribution Centers...









All images from GOOGLE SEARCH

This manual switch would replace the Electrical Relay Contactor unit... A bit more work but you get to select which 120VAC zones you want to switch between the two 120VAC sources...

I searched on GOOGLE SEARCH for 'RV manual 120VAC switch' and selected IMAGES when it loaded up... Then you can click on the items to get purchase info...

Roy Ken

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Bigmike1461

Is it possible to wire a 1200 watt pure sine inverter to just power the outlets in my 2018 28.5rsts HT? I know I will need a transfer switch and a remote on off switch. Thanks

What else would it power other than the outlets? The refer I suppose but that can be switched off auto mode.

I have a Xantrex 2kw PSW and I made my own remote switch/indicator rather than buy theirs. I already had the xfer switch as part of the genprep.

[Bigmike1461]

The inverter is going next to batteries in front storage compartment. The fuse box is about 8feet straight back from the inverter but I think I'll need about 12 feet of wire to go the long way

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Bigmike1461

The inverter is going next to batteries in front storage compartment. The fuse box is about 8feet straight back from the inverter but I think I'll need about 12 feet of wire to go the long way

1200w only needs a 14g wire to carry the load, maybe use 10 or 12 in case you change out the inverter.

[Jim Davis]

14 AWG would be fine for 1200 watts AC, but the DC side is going to be in the neighborhood of 120+ amps and even a short run of a couple feet would be either 4 or 6 gauge. The 120 figure is based on manufacturers spec sheets.

[CampNow]

Originally Posted by Bigmike1461

The inverter is going next to batteries in front storage compartment. The fuse box is about 8feet straight back from the inverter but I think I'll need about 12 feet of wire to go the long way

My guess you'll probably use about 3-5 ft. of cable/wire from the inverter to the battery. I'd suggest not using anything smaller than a 2 gauge welding cable to keep your DC voltage drop at less than 2% (assuming a maximum load of 120 amps).

As long as your 120 volt run from the inverter output to the power center (where the 120vac breakers are located) is no longer than 15 ft. or so, I agree with PlayersZ28 that 14 gauge wire will probably suffice--even with a 15 amp load (1200 watt inverter's maximum output load is 10 amps). This is assuming the length of wire from the power center to the various outlets are no more than 15 ft. or so, which would make the overall wire run ~30 ft. If they're longer, than you may want to consider using 12 gauge (from the inverter to power center) to limit the amount of the *overall* voltage drop.

[Chapman1]

Just out of Curiosity can you grab 12v from inside the MH and place one of those small (Cigarette Lighter) powered inverters to just run the TV and DVD? I have a Jayco 31SS and in order to run the TV and DVD i have to run the generator going down the road.

[CampNow]

Originally Posted by Chapman1

Just out of Curiosity can you grab 12v from inside the MH and place one of those small (Cigarette Lighter) powered inverters to just run the TV and DVD? I have a Jayco 31SS and in order to run the TV and DVD i have to run the generator going down the road.

Most cigarette lighter plug-type inverters are limited to an output of approx. 100 watts (of 120vac), and draw approx. 10 amps of 12vdc. Most (female) cigarette lighter plugs (in cars and RV's) are rated to only supply 8-10 amps of current. You may or may not be able to power both a TV and DVD with a 100 watt inverter. Depends on the size of the TV.

Yes, some power inverters much larger than 100 watts with a cigarette lighter plug. If you're careful to keep the load down to 100 watts or so, then probably not a problem. Go higher and you take a chance of overheating the wires feeding the cigarette lighter plug.