Inverter not powering some things

[Fairview Roamstead]

We just picked up our 2024 Influence and I have two 330W solar panels as well as a Go Power IC-3000 3000W inverter/charger. In addition I have added two 270 AH lithium batteries in place of the included lead acid batteries. From what I gather, the inverter has taken the place of the converter. I noticed today that the only thing the inverter powers is the outlets. It does not power the microwave (the outlet it is plugged into) or either of the AC units. I installed soft starts on both ACs and had hopes of being able to run one on the inverter. I checked the breaker box and there is no voltage at any other breakers other than the standard outlets when solely on the inverter. Does this mean they didn’t hook up some things to the inverter? How would I go about adding the microwave and AC circuits on the inverter so I can use those?

 

[traveldawg]

We just picked up our 2024 Influence and I have two 330W solar panels as well as a Go Power IC-3000 3000W inverter/charger. In addition I have added two 270 AH lithium batteries in place of the included lead acid batteries. From what I gather, the inverter has taken the place of the converter. I noticed today that the only thing the inverter powers is the outlets. It does not power the microwave (the outlet it is plugged into) or either of the AC units. I installed soft starts on both ACs and had hopes of being able to run one on the inverter. I checked the breaker box and there is no voltage at any other breakers other than the standard outlets when solely on the inverter. Does this mean they didn’t hook up some things to the inverter? How would I go about adding the microwave and AC circuits on the inverter so I can use those?

An inverter changes 12V DC into 120V AC

A converter changes 120V AC into 12V DC (usually to charge your battery and run all your 12V DC items like lights, thermostats, LP detector and whatever else is on your DC load panel - the one with fuses).

So you likely have BOTH a converter and an inverter.

I guess in your case Grand Design chose to only power the outlets, or some of them.

To power other devices, assuming battery capacity is available) would require moving the AC circuits you want on the inverter over to the inverter output. One way to do this is to install a separate inverter circuit breaker panel and move the now non-inverted circuits to that new sub panel. I did that in my rig but only have all the outlets (GFCI and non-GFCI) and my refrigerator (residential, 120V AC). I choose to run a generator when in need of lots of high amperage power for the microwave and air conditioners.

I'm not qualified to say whether you set-up will power the microwave and air conditions either alone or in conjunction with each other. But I'd guess you'd need a lot of battery for that. I'll let others comment on that.

 

[Soundsailor]

We just picked up our 2024 Influence and I have two 330W solar panels as well as a Go Power IC-3000 3000W inverter/charger. In addition I have added two 270 AH lithium batteries in place of the included lead acid batteries. From what I gather, the inverter has taken the place of the converter. I noticed today that the only thing the inverter powers is the outlets. It does not power the microwave (the outlet it is plugged into) or either of the AC units. I installed soft starts on both ACs and had hopes of being able to run one on the inverter. I checked the breaker box and there is no voltage at any other breakers other than the standard outlets when solely on the inverter. Does this mean they didn’t hook up some things to the inverter? How would I go about adding the microwave and AC circuits on the inverter so I can use those?

Was the inverter installed by GD or someone else? On my Reflection, I have "inverter prep". When I wired in the inverter and transfer switch, the breaker box supplied power to the house AC outlets including the microwave. It does not power the air conditioner, I doubt if many inverter installs do. As [MENTION=11038]traveldawg[/MENTION] says, the air conditioning uses a lot of battery power, in the neighborhood of 125 Amps per hour on my rig. That would eat up your storage in about 5 hours. If you want to run the A/C for an hour to cool down the coach, you could run a connection from your inverter to the coach's shore connection. You'd have to turn off the charger function, but you'd have power to all your devices. Do this carefully or you'll run out of battery.

 

[Fairview Roamstead]

Was the inverter installed by GD or someone else? On my Reflection, I have "inverter prep". When I wired in the inverter and transfer switch, the breaker box supplied power to the house AC outlets including the microwave. It does not power the air conditioner, I doubt if many inverter installs do. As @traveldawg says, the air conditioning uses a lot of battery power, in the neighborhood of 125 Amps per hour on my rig. That would eat up your storage in about 5 hours. If you want to run the A/C for an hour to cool down the coach, you could run a connection from your inverter to the coach's shore connection. You'd have to turn off the charger function, but you'd have power to all your devices. Do this carefully or you'll run out of battery.

The inverter was installed by the dealer as aftermarket. The RV was prepped for an inverter. I guess I need to start tracing some wires to see where the inverter sends the power to the breaker panel. It’s pretty stupid the microwave isn’t on the inverter. What’s the point of having a 3000W vs 2000W inverter if the only thing on it is just the outlets? I get it, the microwave and ACs use lots of battery and probably quickly, but that is the reason for adding more solar panels and batteries. I’m not expecting to run an AC for hours and hours on the inverter but it would be nice to be able to run one for an hour or so to cool things off. I know it can be done because lots of people do it, I just need to figure out how to get those circuits onto the inverter.

 

[Fairview Roamstead]

An inverter changes 12V DC into 120V AC

A converter changes 120V AC into 12V DC (usually to charge your battery and run all your 12V DC items like lights, thermostats, LP detector and whatever else is on your DC load panel - the one with fuses).

So you likely have BOTH a converter and an inverter.

I guess in your case Grand Design chose to only power the outlets, or some of them.

To power other devices, assuming battery capacity is available) would require moving the AC circuits you want on the inverter over to the inverter output. One way to do this is to install a separate inverter circuit breaker panel and move the now non-inverted circuits to that new sub panel. I did that in my rig but only have all the outlets (GFCI and non-GFCI) and my refrigerator (residential, 120V AC). I choose to run a generator when in need of lots of high amperage power for the microwave and air conditioners.

I'm not qualified to say whether you set-up will power the microwave and air conditions either alone or in conjunction with each other. But I'd guess you'd need a lot of battery for that. I'll let others comment on that.

The reason I think the inverter is taking on the role of the converter is because it is an inverter/charger and charges the battery too and has AC in as well as INV AC out.

 

[traveldawg]

The reason I think the inverter is taking on the role of the converter is because it is an inverter/charger and charges the battery too and has AC in as well as INV AC out.

yep. It sounds like you now have an inverter/converter. I got confused when I read inverter/charger. My bad.

See if there is a circuit breaker for the new inverter/converter. There might be one. I'm not familiar with what GD does for inverter prep so no idea how they get input to the inverter part of the IC. And, like you said, you are going to have to trace the inverter's AC output to wherever it goes to see what is or isn't on inverter power.

It isn't at all unusual for the microwave to be powered on a non-inverter circuit. Big class A's do that a lot, but they usually come with a lot of house batteries. But not so in the trailer world. Few, if any, 5th wheel rigs come with very much battery power to run heavy duty appliances.

 

[jkwilson]

Trying to run an air conditioner from the batteries is possible, but not simple.

An RV air conditioner draws about 1800W. Yours might be less. Based on that, you’ll be drawing at least 1800-660W or 1140W from the batteries when the air conditioner is running. 1140W is about 88A, meaning you’ll use up your 540AH in about 6 hours of full sun on a clear day. Then you’ll be recharging your batteries during the remaining 12 hours of full sun. Your air conditioner will run nearly constantly, so something has to give because you aren’t going to get 18 hours a day of full sun. If you run the AC for more than a few hours, you’ll start the next day with low batteries.

The soft start devices don’t really gain you anything in letting you operate. Your inverter can supply plenty of power to start the air conditioner as can your batteries.

If all you are wanting is a couple of hours in the evening to cool the trailer, you’ll probably do okay.

 

[Fairview Roamstead]

Trying to run an air conditioner from the batteries is possible, but not simple.

An RV air conditioner draws about 1800W. Yours might be less. Based on that, you’ll be drawing at least 1800-660W or 1140W from the batteries when the air conditioner is running. 1140W is about 88A, meaning you’ll use up your 540AH in about 6 hours of full sun on a clear day. Then you’ll be recharging your batteries during the remaining 12 hours of full sun. Your air conditioner will run nearly constantly, so something has to give because you aren’t going to get 18 hours a day of full sun. If you run the AC for more than a few hours, you’ll start the next day with low batteries.

The soft start devices don’t really gain you anything in letting you operate. Your inverter can supply plenty of power to start the air conditioner as can your batteries.

If all you are wanting is a couple of hours in the evening to cool the trailer, you’ll probably do okay.

Running the AC for a couple hours is exactly what I want the ability to do. I also need to be able to run the microwave from the inverter. In addition, I can set the amount of pass through amps on my inverter so if I’m connected to 20 amp service it will pull that but then kick in the rest from the batteries if needed. I guess what I really need to do is go from the inverter AC out to the main breakers on the panel so it powers everything. As it stands now, it obviously goes to a sub panel or something that only allows it to control the outlet circuits and not everything. Because the RV was inverter prepped I have no idea where the wires from the inverter go as all I see them do is go down into the belly from the front compartment. It is also prepped for a generator so I do have an automatic transfer switch for shore power/generator but that shouldn’t affect anything I wouldn’t think.

 

[Soundsailor]

The inverter was installed by the dealer as aftermarket. The RV was prepped for an inverter.

Did the dealer ask you how you planned to use the system? My experience with dealers (the ones here in NH at least) is that they have a limited understanding and are more concerned with how much they can bill than giving the customer the functionality they need. There is much experience on this forum, and many have found solutions to provide your desired functionality. It is possible. For me, the best way was to learn from the experts here, and then dive in and do it myself, for many forum members that is the best way. If you don't want to do it yourself, I suggest you find someone outside your dealer to work with you.

 

[BoredWeasel]

My trailer can do what you described, I have a Victron multiplus, 600 amp hours of lithium batterys. I can run the AC, watch tv, run the microwave, make Keurig coffee off grid.

It was expensive but in my book well worth the cost and effort.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

My trailer can do what you described, I have a Victron multiplus, 600 amp hours of lithium batterys. I can run the AC, watch tv, run the microwave, make Keurig coffee off grid.

It was expensive but in my book well worth the cost and effort.

Just curious why 600 AH of batteries work so much better than 540 AH that the OP says he has. Doesn't seem like much difference to me. Am I missing something?

 

[jkwilson]

My trailer can do what you described, I have a Victron multiplus, 600 amp hours of lithium batterys. I can run the AC, watch tv, run the microwave, make Keurig coffee off grid.

It was expensive but in my book well worth the cost and effort.

How much solar?

 

[BoredWeasel]

Just curious why 600 AH of batteries work so much better than 540 AH that the OP says he has. Doesn't seem like much difference to me. Am I missing something?

One aspect many folks miss when purchasing batterys is max charge and discharge current, the bms is more important than you think. Last time I checked battleborn had a max 100 amp discharge current. Even with them in parallel that gives a best case 400 amp max current. The BMS on my battery packs are capable of more than 200 amp discharge current , I cant find the manual for them, I believe they were 250 each but I cannot verify.

When starting the AC there is a HUGE inrush current, I have seen 430 amps for a split second on the 12 volt side. Yes a lot of experimentation, blown fuses, tripped breakers and failed starts, went into making it work.

How much solar?
The way I use my trailer does not rely solar exclusively, we dry camp from destination to destination. I have a 35 amp dc to dc charger from the truck to trailer, In a normal day of travel, with the solar and charge from the truck, the battery is 100 percent every night of travel. I have 365 watts on the trailer roof, stock panel and another 200 watt panel, and 1.2kw ground deployable I can take with me if I will be off grid for an extended period. My reasoning is I dont want have the excessive weight on the trailer when it isn't needed and don't want a bunch of extra holes in the roof.

My victron Multiplus inverter/convert is 3000 watts. I rewired the trailer so the incoming power goes through the multiplus and it supplies every outlet and every device in the trailer.

 

[BoredWeasel]

I installed soft starts on both ACs and had hopes of being able to run one on the inverter. I checked the breaker box and there is no voltage at any other breakers other than the standard outlets when solely on the inverter. Does this mean they didn’t hook up some things to the inverter? How would I go about adding the microwave and AC circuits on the inverter so I can use those?

Missed somethings specific to your post when I made my last post. I guarantee that the inverter was never meant to power your Air Conditioners. It will be hard pressed to power one let alone two.

My guess is that by design your load distribution panel has two sides, one for your air conditioning or other high amperage loads (powered only by external AC Power) , and the other for normal house hold loads (powered by your inverter/charger).

I wouldn't tie the sides together in the load center. The best option IMO would be to get an inverter charger that is inline with the incoming power and at least 5000 watt, probably 7500 watt would be a better choice, but you are talking residential cost and size. Check your AC load before you buy anything........you need to know what your max potential AC load is before any planning can happen.

 

[JKellerJr]

Missed somethings specific to your post when I made my last post. I guarantee that the inverter was never meant to power your Air Conditioners. It will be hard pressed to power one let alone two.

My guess is that by design your load distribution panel has two sides, one for your air conditioning or other high amperage loads (powered only by external AC Power) , and the other for normal house hold loads (powered by your inverter/charger).

I wouldn't tie the sides together in the load center. The best option IMO would be to get an inverter charger that is inline with the incoming power and at least 5000 watt, probably 7500 watt would be a better choice, but you are talking residential cost and size. Check your AC load before you buy anything........you need to know what your max potential AC load is before any planning can happen.

Just curious on your reasoning that a 3000 watt inverter isn't meant to run an air conditioner. Its well under the watts available. I have the same set up as you with a Multiplus running the whole trailer. I personally don't use it for the air, just curious on why you think its a problem. I've only done it as a test and I have never had any issues with start up or blowing fuses etc. I don't have any soft starts installed. If its under the load capacity of the inverter why does it matter what is running?

I definitely agree that planning on using it for air isn't really a viable option without a massive battery bank. Running one air in a full size 5th wheel doesn't do much and it would need to run for a long time to have much effect but that would be a battery or solar problem.

 

[jkwilson]

Missed somethings specific to your post when I made my last post. I guarantee that the inverter was never meant to power your Air Conditioners. It will be hard pressed to power one let alone two.

My guess is that by design your load distribution panel has two sides, one for your air conditioning or other high amperage loads (powered only by external AC Power) , and the other for normal house hold loads (powered by your inverter/charger).

I wouldn't tie the sides together in the load center. The best option IMO would be to get an inverter charger that is inline with the incoming power and at least 5000 watt, probably 7500 watt would be a better choice, but you are talking residential cost and size. Check your AC load before you buy anything........you need to know what your max potential AC load is before any planning can happen.

Why would you want an inverter three to five times the needed capacity for an air conditioner? A 3600W shore power source handles an air conditioner.

 

[BoredWeasel]

Why would you want an inverter three to five times the needed capacity for an air conditioner? A 3600W shore power source handles an air conditioner.

he has two air conditioners which will utilize most of the available power. do you want to turn off your ac Everytime you want a cup of coffee, plus who knows what other electric goodies he has. I would rather have 1000 watt surplus than 1 watt short

I can explain things to my darling wife till I am blue in the face and she still will do it. I build for her lack of understanding/caring about the how's and why's of why it works and it's limitations

 

[BoredWeasel]

Just curious on your reasoning that a 3000 watt inverter isn't meant to run an air conditioner. Its well under the watts available. I have the same set up as you with a Multiplus running the whole trailer. I personally don't use it for the air, just curious on why you think its a problem. I've only done it as a test and I have never had any issues with start up or blowing fuses etc. I don't have any soft starts installed. If its under the load capacity of the inverter why does it matter what is running?

I definitely agree that planning on using it for air isn't really a viable option without a massive battery bank. Running one air in a full size 5th wheel doesn't do much and it would need to run for a long time to have much effect but that would be a battery or solar problem.

has nothing to do with the 3000 watts. I run my ac frequently in the multiplus.

because of the design of the power distribution panel. it has two sides. one for line power and the other for inverter power.


the trailers electric was not designed for the job, it is a simple but expensive fix, put a very large inverter charger on the incoming power line, this powers both sides of the distribution panel from battery

 

[jkwilson]

he has two air conditioners which will utilize most of the available power. do you want to turn off your ac Everytime you want a cup of coffee, plus who knows what other electric goodies he has. I would rather have 1000 watt surplus than 1 watt short

I can explain things to my darling wife till I am blue in the face and she still will do it. I build for her lack of understanding/caring about the how's and why's of why it works and it's limitations

OP only wants to run one AC.

 

[BoredWeasel]

OP only wants to run one AC.

without moving the inverter to be inline with the incoming power.....which won't work because of the two ac units. or a real sketchy wire job in the power center I have no idea how to easily wire one ac unit only too work on the inverter.

if your power center is anything like mine.......it has multiple wire stuck on each breaker from the factory, I don't care for it.

you could probably use an auto transfer switch on the air conditioner feed power, I am not sure where you could safely pick up ac power out of the inverter. I suppose you could add another breaker panel.

there is more than one way to skin a cat. but seems like a lot of work just to occasionally run one air conditioner.

OP what ever you decide please make safety a priority