When do I use the inverter?

Stella

I have a 2021 tab 400 BD.  We have not been bookdocking yet and have only run on shore power with no problems.  Can someone please tell me when to turn on the inverter?  If you can tell me what the inverter does that would be even more awesome.

Mickerly

The inverter converts 12 volt DC from your battery to 110 volt AC. Here in Texas, it would be to run the air conditioning. But, the real reason is so you can use the battery to power the AC outlets, etc. 

Keep a close eye on the battery voltage. Use the tow vehicle, solar panels or both to remain charged.

Have fun...

Mickerly

One thing I forgot. If you are on shore power, there is no need to operate the inverter.  ; )

manyman297

It’s a 1200w inverter so be careful what you run on it as 1200w sounds like a lot but in practice it’s not a ton. It will gobble up your battery if you aren’t careful. It won’t run your air conditioning. And only a couple of select 110v outlets are hooked to the inverter (the one in the bedside cubby and another one…maybe the one up by the dinette?). Just check whatever appliance you want to run. It should have the wattage requirements somewhere on it. 

pthomas745

In your 400 you probably have a big set of batteries and lots of amp hours.  The 1200 watt inverter, wired directly to your battery, lets you run larger electrical items in your trailer from battery power.  Say, a small 700 watt hair dryer.  This can be an advantage in some cases.

The downside: using a 700 watt appliance can soak up about 60 amp hours from your battery over an hour of use.  (The math works out to about an amp per minute).  Two or three minutes with a hair dryer?  No big deal.  But:  20 minutes with some other appliance using up to 700 watts might mean 20 amps or more from your battery.  So, the inverter is a nice feature, but care must be taken to understand how to balance the convenience of what you want to use with how you intend to manage your battery reserves.

So, what  you must consider:  how big is your battery, in amp hours?  How many of those amp hours can you use to maximize the life span of the battery? 

How many watts does the "appliance" need to run?  (electrical devices all have a label that tells you this).

If I use the appliance, how many of the amp hours stored in my battery will you use?

And, if you are on a multiday trip:  what is my expectation of how much power I might need?  How will I recharge the battery if I need to?  (Solar, generator, etc).

Denny16

With 224 Amp Hr AGM battery and your so,air system, you should be good to use the inverter occasionally for small appliances, like a coffee grinder/maker, hair dryer, etc.  The 1200 Watt Inverter will not run a large appliance like a Microwave or air conditioner.  I tried ours with a small 700 Watt Microwave, and it was a no go, even for a small one.  

As previously pointed out, be careful, the Inverter will draw a lot of power from the battery quickly.  Also. Do not leave it turned on when not using the inverter, as it has a good size battery load in standby.  Turn it on to use, and back off right after using it.  Enjoy…
cheers

pthomas745

Why do you think your microwave didn't run?  The start up surge?

bergger

The only time we use ours is if we make coffee and don't want to do a pour over.  We run the coffee pot then turn it off and the inverter off.  It does drain power but the solar always charges it back up very quickly.   It is a nice option to have.  

rrcbov

I'm not sure there's much use for this.  Mine didn't work and I got it replaced under warranty but not sure I'll ever use it.  It doesn't appear to be powerful enough for a Kurig - my only possible need/want - which requires 1500 watts.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13663/what-do-you-use-your-inverter-for#latest

Dutch061

As mentioned already, it is used to create 120 volt power from 12 volts. I specifically changed the 110 to 120 so it will be easier to understand.

1200 Watts output is 10 Amps AC (1200/120=10)

The input amperage is 10 times higher, so it takes 100 Amps input at 12 volt to produce 10 Amps AC output. This doesn't include the efficiency loss of 10%, so in reality it takes 110 amps input plus to achieve full output.

If you wish to use the outlets that are connected to the inverter, you must power it on even on shore power. However, you are still limited to the same "10 amps", exceeding this can cause permanent damage to the inverter. Aims does make a 2000 Watt, I have thought about it but see no reason at this time to spend another $350.00 

Lastly, the standby current draw is 1.2 amps which doesn't sound like much but in 24 hours this will add up to 28.8 Amp Hours.

Brad

bergger

"If you wish to use the outlets that are connected to the inverter, you must power it on even on shore power."

Actually on the 2021 this is not the case.  The outlet in the cubby, the only one connected to the invertor, works on shore power without the invertor on.  If on 12v power, off grid, and want to use those outlets then you have to turn the invertor on.  

Dutch061

Well, it's great that they changed this on 2021. In the 2020 400 BDL you have to power it on to use any of the outlets connected via shore power or inverter.

Brad