[pairodice]

After mulling over the situation here is where I am at: we are in a decent (rock/dirt) site near HoustonTX. I don’t mind spending money on a new inverter and will need a 12-volt to 110v inverter anyway after I convert to 48-volt. I found a few used but there is a gamble that they work properly. I need to install this asap as we have nowhere else to go but a hotel… we would like to stay in the coach. I do have access to West Marine about 2 hours away and we do have our toad with us.
I am worried my batteries are not charging even though we are plugged in to shore power. I like the idea of the issue being a breaker issue as that sounds correct and will do some YT video expert skill building to determine how difficult that operation will be. The day before Christmas is not the greatest day for all of this…
I’ll call west marine at 10am when they open today and see what I find… I wonder if they can install it??? I guess I should learn by doing… btw I just threw the Starlink satellite on the dash and propped it up with a tissue box to get it semi even and it is working great!

[Richard]

Look in the bay just by the circuit breakers for the inverter. Do you have a plug right there? If so, move the plug to the open plug in. That completely bypasses the dead inverter.

And if not, a bush fix would be to unwire the incoming voltage to the inverter, use lug connectors, and wire it directly to the outgoing wiring for the inverter. Essentially doing a hard bypass.

In either case you will have to run your gennie while not plugged in, but you can get by.

[pairodice]

Richard, I completely forgot about those plugs! Switched the plugs and now have another leg of power - all is well in the world now! Now I have to decide is it worth it to get a new inverter or just convert all over to 48volt and use something like a Victron 12 volt solar charger (just researching not sure if it would work to power all the 12-volt stuff and charge the batteries… any suggestions appreciated! We may end up at Toms first of the year to visit and go to Quartzite for a few weeks…

[Richard]

Glad you are back in business

[pairodice]

Anyone know where the Fuse is located for the inverter and what it might look like? Do I need to disconnect all the batteries to be safe with working with the fuse (from the batteries?)
I have a (Xantrex) Freedom 458 inverter charger and found a good video on things to check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsBs77DaLBU

[HoosierDaddy]

My invertor is fed on the high voltage side by a breaker in the main breaker panel. I switch that off. On the 12v side there is no switch or breaker. I have a roll of high quality electrical tape laying near by when I remove the batt cables after shutting the invertor off. I remove the bolt with my right hand while holding the cable with the left hand. Once the end is free I immediately wrap the cable end with the tape. It’s a good idea to wrap the wrench with tape as well to avoid accidental grounding.

[Richard]

The 12V fuse will be mounted on the wall the inverter is mounted onto. It will be under a clear cover, and 1 inch in diameter by about 3 inches long. You will have to remove the slide out in that bay in order to crawl in and find it.

Do you know how to test the continuity of the fuse with your voltmeter.

The 120V circuit breaker that feeds 120V AC into the inverter is located in the circuit breaker box in the rear cabinet.

[pairodice]

So we went through Beaumont, TX for a few days to visit my parents. For some reason I just decided to switch the 30amp plug for the inverter from bypass to inverter mode and Voila! It started working again and has for the last few days. I am quite sure now that the inverter is on its way out but am in a quandary as to what to replace it with.
If I go the Victron route then I would have a separate inverter and charger for 12-volt.
If I decided to go full-boar 48-volt batteries (probably rack mount) then it will be way more expensive and can mix it with a GroWatt/similar inverter and (2) 48-volt to 12-volt smtpp controller for a house battery and engine battery charger…
Please help me spend my money (wisely)… I thought about getting one or two rack mount batteries for now and adding more as I need them - I need to break down and figure out about how many Amp Hours I pull in a day (no A/C’s or rangetop)
Adrian

[Richard]

OK, I will bite. The ONLY reason in my world to go 48V is if you have a dream of running the AC units while off the grid.

How do you use the coach? How many days a year do you boondock?

WHY do you want to run the AC without being plugged in or running the generator?

You understand that a mini split conversion would be required to run the AC units off the inverter? The SCS units would drain a large battery pack in short time.

I am missing something relative to adopting a 48V system.

My data is this 12Volt 1000 AHR Lithium battery pack will run the fridge, televisions, and cell phone chargers for about 3 days without a whimper. If I run the Aquahot, which uses a lot of 12V juice for the internal fans, I can run the coach for two days.

I get it that it's a neat project. In my warped little world, I sometimes have to ponder because I can, doesn't mean I should.

[pairodice]

I’m dreaming of one day sitting out in the desert and boondocking but maybe I’m deluded…  I’m at Signature Solar looking at a complete 48volt system with 6KW inverter and two 100ah rack mount batteries (will add more battery/inverters) as needed.  I really need to figure out my average draw and I know I can’t really run the A/Cs on this system for very long… maybe I need to just buy some 12-volt Lithium batteries and be done :-( I still will need to replace my inverter … so may just stick with the Victron inverter and separate charger.
For anyone interested here is the system I am looking/dreaming at (does not include wire) and maybe something I’m missing…