My inverter install thoughts.....

We just picked up a 2017 Starcraft 346RESA to replace our Trailrunner 26FQB
In the trailrunner I did an independent install with only two TV's and a DVD player on extension cords.....kind of messy but worked great for the set up of the trailer.....but won't work well with the new one

In this new trailer I am leaning towards powering the whole house with an inverter on a limited capacity I.E. no microwave,AC,coffee maker etc.

I have researched this topic and have decided this is how I am going to attempt it.

1. Install inverter close to battery for shortest run of wire's (1500W eliminator)

2. Turn off breakers for AC , fire place , converter(to eliminate the charge loop) , microwave , hot water and fridge to propane only and any other power hungry systems I come across to eliminate heavy power draw

3. Plug the trailers power cord into the inverter through a series of adapters 50A to 30A to 15A to inverter.....lol

As far as I have been able to tell this system should work as long as no steps are missed to eliminate the heavy power draws like the converter, hot water tank on electric etc.

Now does anyone see anything that can go wrong or cause a problem with this set up?
Please let me know of anything I missed or will keep this from working.

I have my RV setup very similar to yours only I use transfer switches instead of plugging in the RV shore line. I have a 2,000 watt inverter so I can use my microwave for short periods of time. I have been using this system for 6 years and just move it from unit to unit.

DougS said:

I have my RV setup very similar to yours only I use transfer switches instead of plugging in the RV shore line. I have a 2,000 watt inverter so I can use my microwave for short periods of time. I have been using this system for 6 years and just move it from unit to unit.

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I am so glad to hear this DougS.
I was afraid of some unknown hiccup stopping me from doing this mod
I'm just not into modifying a brand new trailer electrical system while it is a warranty covered rig......they love to point the finger of blame for any issues when mods are done lol

I have pretty much the same set up also.

I used a 1500 watt inverter and can run pretty much anything including the mircoewave (not the AC, refer, or electric for the water heater of course). I'm not sure which inverter you are considering, but I would suggest you use a pure sine inverter to assure you don't damage any electronics. Also I would suggest you add a fuse between the inverter and batteries. Finally, I added a Xantrex LinkLite. This is purely optional though. I prefer to have the instrumentation so I know how much battery capacity I have at any time. You can check it out if you click on my mods in my signature

Bogie said:

I have pretty much the same set up also.

I used a 1500 watt inverter and can run pretty much anything including the mircoewave (not the AC, refer, or electric for the water heater of course). I'm not sure which inverter you are considering, but I would suggest you use a pure sine inverter to assure you don't damage any electronics. Also I would suggest you add a fuse between the inverter and batteries. Finally, I added a Xantrex LinkLite. This is purely optional though. I prefer to have the instrumentation so I know how much battery capacity I have at any time. You can check it out if you click on my mods in my signature

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I am impressed with your mods Bogie
You have done a really great job with the issues you had and have now planted some seeds to grow in my head lol
I am wondering what size fuse to put inline close to the battery?
Would a mega fuse from an auto application work?

I used a 150 amp fuse. My inverter can produce 1500 watts continuous with 3000 watt peak. I bought it and the holder on Amazon. Here is a link.

https://www.amazon.com/Raptor-R4ANL150-2-Gold-Plated-Fuses/dp/B00DQ5E8TU/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

Bogie said:

I used a 150 amp fuse. My inverter can produce 1500 watts continuous with 3000 watt peak. I bought it and the holder on Amazon. Here is a link.

https://www.amazon.com/Raptor-R4ANL150-2-Gold-Plated-Fuses/dp/B00DQ5E8TU/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

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Ok that's a little larger than I thought haha......
But then again I think my eyes are bleeding from all the reading and the grey matter has turned to mush lol
I will definitely add a fuse to the set up for safety sake.

I also looked at my current inverter specs and its a modified not pure so I see an upgrade coming in the future

Thanks for all your input

I'd say no problem with what you want to do. My wife and I have spent the last 4 months living in our Bighorn 34' fifth wheel. Initially we were using a pair of older Trojan T-105 batteries from our last 5th wheel, a 34' Montana. The Xantrex inverter on that rig failed after about 3 years failed and I found that it couldn't be repaired. Obviously no more Xantrex products were on my list of inverters to buy in the future but I was given a Xantrex 1,750 watt modified sine wave inverter. I paired it up with two of the batteries from the Montana and plugged the 50 app cord into it with a couple of adapters and it worked fine until I finally upgraded to a Magnum MS2800 inverter with a transfer switch and 125 amp charger. There is a thread about the install here in this section of the forum.

One thing that I would recommend if you are going to use your rv off grid is to use some form of deep cycle batteries like golf cart batteries.

I would like to thank everyone for the much valued information.

Hmmmm......I wonder if someone with better knowledge and greater writing skills should write up a "how to" install an inverter on my trailer thread and have it permanent somewhere?