Mounting Inverter

[DavidInWilmNC]

I got my inverter/charger back from Vanner.  This is a 24 volt, 3600 watt true sine wave inverter with a 60 amp charger and transfer switch.  It was basically rebuilt and is working great now.  I'd like to mount my inverter in the second bay on the wall between the first bay and second.  This location will keep my battery cables as short as possible... maybe eight feet total.  My first bay has the engine and house batteries (enclosed in a box), battery equalizer, and related components.  I have a partition on the driver's side of the tunnel that divides the bay and is the back wall of my generator box.  Vanner states that the ambient operating temp of the inverter is 104°.  I'm thinking that a bay won't be all that cool in the summer with the sun beating down on the stainless and with the heat of an inverter adding to it.  Do I need to somehow cool it with air from inside the bus or outside ambient air?  I suppose I could mount it in the bus, but it would be a bit in the way.  How do others keep their inverters cool?  I'd love to hear any ideas or suggestions. 

As to Vanner, they were great to deal with.  I first talked to a technician, then a tech. support manager, then one of the engineers that designed it.  They were all very helpful.  I can't imagine any company being better to deal with than they were.

David

[Lin]

This is interesting and I have not thought about it.  On my first bus, the inverter was mounted inside just because it worked out best in the back closet above the engine compartment where the batteries are.  If the inverter requires that the temp be no more than 104, then it seems that inside becomes the easiest option.  Air conditioning the bay seems like it would be a nuisance at best; not to mention the fact that you may be wanting to use the inverter to avoid using the generator, so what would be the point of running the gen to a/c the inverter?  Also you can easily be in desert areas where the ambient temp is above 104, so the introduction of outside air would be useless anyway.  One could decide that when the temp is above 90-95, you will be running the generator anyway for a/c and therefore won't be using the inverter.  So it would only be an issue if you wanted to use the inverter to run the a/c while on the road.  In that case, if the outside air is less than 104, you could just ventilate the bay, and when the outside air is above that, you would use the generator.  What do you have above the bay?  Is there a cabinet it can go in or a table it can be under?

[TrevorH]

What is directly above the bay that would best fit your inverter?

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi David,

My Xantrex RS 3000 is mounted on the bay wall next to my basement A/C's. The operateing temps on my unit's specs are -4°F to 122°F.

In the summer, I have never seen my bay temps above 92 deg. But, my A/C's are always circulateing the air in that part of the bay.

What do your instructions suggest?

Nick-

[NJT 5573]

My water bay stays pretty cool. I used an extra large piece of aluminum on top of my water storage as a heat sink to mount my inverters on.

[DavidInWilmNC]

The instructions don't suggest anything other than stating the temp range.  I have OTR air, so I'd be using the inverter while on the road for the 'fridge and other appliances.  One of the mounting options for the inverter is suspended.  I could mount it to the ceiling of the bay after reinforcing the floor (it weights 66 lbs).  A box could be constructed around it and connected to the interior via a louver.  As of now, there is nothing in the area above.  If I end up putting in a booth type of dining area, it could be mounted under one of the seats.  It doesn't seem that many folks have heat issues with their inverters, but most inverters seem to handle heat a bit better.  Thanks for the input.

David

[JackConrad]

David,
   We made a "cage" for our inverter out of 1 1/2" angle iron. we bolted this cage to the ceiling of the middle bay, driver's side. I don't recall anything about a temp range in our installation manual, but there were very explicit that we needed agequate air flow (our inverter has a fan in it). Our cage is open on all sides and the inverter is bolted to the "floor" of the cage.  We installed a thermistor from our Fire Detection system above directly above the inverter. I have never seen the inverter temp reach 100 degrees. The only other heat producing item in this baggae compartment is the ProHeat which, of course will not be running if the temps are above 60 degrees ouitside.  Jack

[Dallas]

Jack..and all others, here's an interesting thought...

When was the last time you cleaned out the inside of your inverter? This question comes as I was thinking about the unfortunate incident in DML's coach with the toe kick heaters. Dirt, hair, dust fuzz and road debris are the enemy of any electronic parts.

As an example, I have had many people come into my shop, (when it was open) because of computer problems. Many times the problems could be fixed by cleaning out the switching power suply and the CPU fan and heatsink. It's amazing how much crud electronics will pick up.

I wonder if a lot of the inverter problems reported could be linked to this?

Just asking.

Dallas

[buswarrior]

If you are heading for the desert, mount the inverter high in your bay, and duct the incoming cooling air end to the inside of the coach?

If you put that inverter to hard work, it will warm up the bay, so some way of rotating the air would be good.
I've seen some who added another fan and some ducting to ensure the inverter had lots of heat transfer opportunity.

My Trace 4024 warmed the bay up pretty good running two roof airs going down the road. (OTR AC needs a charge) I'll not be doing that again until it has some ducting to the outside.

Heat kills electronics, so the cooler you keep it, the longer it stays happy?

happy coaching!
buswarrior