TV watching with separate inverter?

[zinman]

Extreme, may I suggest a Honda 2000 generator. Whisper quiet will run for 8-10 hour at 1/4 load.

[SolarPoweredRV]

Okay so lets say we have 2 acid 12v batteries fully charged while dry camping in your new 2500RL 30 Amp rig.
Regardless if they are charged that day with a Solar set up or a handy Generator, this part doesn't really matter for the question.

What if I connect the TV to a seperate small inverter (behind the TV) and have the inverter pull power directly from the rig via plug outlet to power the tv.
The question is how long could someone watch TV in this manner? What small inverter would you recommend?

How do I figure this out, can I do this without setting up a full inverter change on the rig?
Oh and how would this "watch time" compare to 2 full charged 12v 100 Amp Lithium batteries at night?


Thank you in advance.
EXTREME the "Ultra Newbie"

What you are describing could be accomplished much easier with a self contained battery pack that has a built-in Inverter, something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Porta...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Sometimes they call these "self-contained" battery boxes "Solar Generators" because they sell Solar panels to charge them with.

This solution would be much easier to use until you get your coach and begin to get a feel for how long your batteries would last just powering up the coach.

If you are powering your coach with only a pair of 12v Lead Acid batteries, you will probably have a little over 100 amp hours of power available (50% Depth of Discharge [DOD]) which is not very much power to run your coach overnight, especially if you need to run the furnace. You would not have very much power to run an inverter while watching your TV without running out of power by morning.

If you do want to run your coach and your TV with an inverter, I would recommend having a pair of 6 volt Lead Acid batteries at a minimum (better with 4 - 6v batteries). Of course, one or two Lithium batteries would be better.

PS: I read above that this is beginning to overwhelm you.

Take a step back and decide how often you will be Dry Camping, and for how many nights in a row. Obviously, as a "newbe", you don't know how much energy you are going to need. So, let me suggest this, if your wallet can afford a pair of Battle Born Lithium batteries go ahead and have them installed in your coach. This will easily get you and your coach (without residential fridge) two nights of boondocking. Also, for now, get yourself one of those "Jackery" type boxes (not necessarily the one i posted a link to) to run your TV with.

Now all your concerns are covered, your coach will give you two to three nights of dry camping and you can operate your TV without worrying about not having any power in the coach. If your "Jackery" box only runs your TV for 2 hours, just get a bigger "Jackery" box. If you need to dry camp for more days simply add another Battle Born Battery. This simplifies your power needs until you get more experience with your coach and maybe decide to add a Solar System, or simply live with a Generator, either way, at a later date you will have a better frame of reference for what you actually need versus guessing and spending a ton of money and finding out you under (or over) sized your system.

PPS: Buying the two Battle Born batteries will not be wasted money because, you can always add additional Battle Borns as you need them.

PPPS: if you do opt for the Battle Borns, upgrade your Converter to a "Lithium Ready" converter (I recommend the Progressive Dynamics brand).

[Extreme]

What size would you guess I need?

[SolarPoweredRV]

What size would you guess I need?

What exactly are you referring to?

If you hit "reply with Quote" to the post you are asking the question about, we will know exactly what you are referring to.

[sande005]

And..while not the best setup, for occasional use, you could do as I did:

2 6v batteries (or 2 12v, although they won't last as long as the 6v due to inherent smaller amp capacity).
Very short heavy cables run from them to a 600w inverter. Mines about 3' away in the pass through.
An extension cord from the inverter running outside, to a 15amp adaptor and then into the main power cord on the outside of the RV. (Assumes this is the ONLY power, no generator, shore power, etc.)

Now you have 120v power to all the outlets/devices in the RV. BUT:
1. The amount available is very small. Turning on the microwave, ac, fireplace, hair dryer, etc. will blow the fuse in the inverter really fast. Best to turn off every 120 circuit breaker you can except for what you must have (the TV) ahead of time. One could install a much heavier duty inverter, but then you risk draining the batteries really quickly....
2. You MUST turn off the converter, as it will also draw 120 v to charge the batteries (which are supplying the 120 v)! This also trips a fuse/breaker pretty fast!
3. You need to turn off the inverter when not in use. It sucks power even when nothing is plugged in, thereby draining your batteries. Unless you install a remote switch for it, this may mean a trip outside late at night.

With careful use (minimal lights, fridge and water heater on propane, no phone charging, minimal water use so the pump doesn't run much, no furnace heat, power vents, etc.) we've been able to go 2 to 2 1/2 days on battery. Including 2-3 hrs of TV, using the DVD player, and running my CPAP all night.

With my old fifth, I did similar, except the extension cord went directly inside, and therefore was the only 120 v outlet that worked. Used it for the TV, then switched it over for the CPAP later. But no need to worry about the other breakers or the converter. I just couldn't find a good path for it in the current rig. And then there was a cord snaking around the floor inside.

But for the very rare times we camp without power, it bridges the gap. Real boondockers will have much better, more automatic systems that don't risk blowing breakers or draining batteries really fast. But that gets expensive and complicated to install.

[Extreme]

What exactly are you referring to?

If you hit "reply with Quote" to the post you are asking the question about, we will know exactly what you are referring to.

Sorry I thought I deleted that question.
Anyway EXCELLENT information and totally appreciated. 👍🏽👍🏽

[Redapple63]

I think the Jackery Solar Generator link that Solar Powered RV provided is an easy tenable solution for you. It is simple, self contained and flexible.
The one in the link is a 240 watt version which works out to be about 20 amp hours, plenty for watching TV.

We have the 500 watt version which is just under 42 amp hours.

Here is where the rubber meets the road.

Our trailers come stock with some variant of a TCL television. I will use mine as an example.
I have the 40 inch TCL. Specs say it uses 74 watts peak.

With a capacity of 240 watts you have a bit over 3 hours of viewing time (240 ÷74). The 500 watt would double that.

These items have a lithium ion phosphate battery and are easily charged, portable and flexible.

You could easily put it down low and out of the way when in use then charged and stow it when not.

I think it is a nice simple solution, does not require any modification to your rig and has multiple other uses.

In my eyes, win- win.

Good Luck

[Extreme]

I totally agree with you, this would be the hot tip.
I think the 500 would be the best solution for the time being.
I could always recharge it with my generator or Solar down the road.
Are any of the 500 on sale?

[Redapple63]

I totally agree with you, this would be the hot tip.
I think the 500 would be the best solution for the time being.
I could always recharge it with my generator or Solar down the road.
Are any of the 500 on sale?

Not sure, some internet searching is in order. You could also charge it from the cigarette lighter port in your car as you drive around.

On edit:

Amazon and Jackery are selling it for $450.

[SolarPoweredRV]

What you are describing could be accomplished much easier with a self contained battery pack that has a built-in Inverter, something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Porta...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Sometimes they call these "self-contained" battery boxes "Solar Generators" because they sell Solar panels to charge them with.

This solution would be much easier to use until you get your coach and begin to get a feel for how long your batteries would last just powering up the coach.

If you are powering your coach with only a pair of 12v Lead Acid batteries, you will probably have a little over 100 amp hours of power available (50% Depth of Discharge [DOD]) which is not very much power to run your coach overnight, especially if you need to run the furnace. You would not have very much power to run an inverter while watching your TV without running out of power by morning.

If you do want to run your coach and your TV with an inverter, I would recommend having a pair of 6 volt Lead Acid batteries at a minimum (better with 4 - 6v batteries). Of course, one or two Lithium batteries would be better.

PS: I read above that this is beginning to overwhelm you.

Take a step back and decide how often you will be Dry Camping, and for how many nights in a row. Obviously, as a "newbe", you don't know how much energy you are going to need. So, let me suggest this, if your wallet can afford a pair of Battle Born Lithium batteries go ahead and have them installed in your coach. This will easily get you and your coach (without residential fridge) two nights of boondocking. Also, for now, get yourself one of those "Jackery" type boxes (not necessarily the one i posted a link to) to run your TV with.

Now all your concerns are covered, your coach will give you two to three nights of dry camping and you can operate your TV without worrying about not having any power in the coach. If your "Jackery" box only runs your TV for 2 hours, just get a bigger "Jackery" box. If you need to dry camp for more days simply add another Battle Born Battery. This simplifies your power needs until you get more experience with your coach and maybe decide to add a Solar System, or simply live with a Generator, either way, at a later date you will have a better frame of reference for what you actually need versus guessing and spending a ton of money and finding out you under (or over) sized your system.

PPS: Buying the two Battle Born batteries will not be wasted money because, you can always add additional Battle Borns as you need them.

PPPS: if you do opt for the Battle Borns, upgrade your Converter to a "Lithium Ready" converter (I recommend the Progressive Dynamics brand).

Extreme: You might want to re-read this quoted post because I was adding to it as you were asking your question.