Electrical Bay Heat Build-UP

[Mark Scott]

I am building up alot of heat in my bay that houses my inverters. This bay shares space with the generator, but of course there is a dividing wall that is insulated. I understand that the temperature should not exceed a 100 degrees, in either the electrical bay and/or the generator bay. Are you using a "muffin fan" of some sort to pull air out of the electrical bay and a fresh air inlet? Thanks in advance, Mark

[grantgoold]

I have used two 12 volt automotive fans (high cfm) to keep the temperature down in the bays. Works great and is on whenever the genset runs or I turn on the inverter.

I think your muffin may be too small.

Grant

[edroelle]

If you look at the specs for inverters, they will show their capacity drops as temperature rises.   Secondly, electronic failures are caused by heat and/or vibration.

Fans can help both conditions.  But if you are running on inverter in a boondocking situation, you will be pulling your battery down some.  Thus, I would suggest using small energy efficient muffin fans and follow the inverter manufacturers guidelines for installation.

Ed Roelle
Flint, MI 

[JackConrad]

Would it be possible to re-locate the inverter in a cooler compartment?   Jack

[TomC]

I have my inverter (actually all my electrical) inside to both protect from big temperature swings and from dust.  An inverter should be treated like a fine stereo system.  I don't think you'd mount your amplifier in the cargo bay-so just mount the inverter directly above from where it is in the bottom of a cabinet with vents, and it will be much happier.  Good Luck, TomC

[jjrbus]

Actually I have seen not only stereos, but also televisons mounted in bays!!!  A small fan might work, its possible your bay is too well sealed, maybe just a vent of some type would be sufficent?

[buswarrior]

Heat kills electrical stuff.

You want that inverter to have a readily available supply of cool fresh air.

Cooler it runs,. the longer it might last?

I have seen a number of nuts run duct work to the inverter to feed it outside air.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[JackConrad]

I know many busnuts who have TVs, stereos and inverters in baggage bays, including us, but not in the same bay as their generator.  Jack

[Mark Scott]

Thanks for your input. The bay that houses the generator is seperated by a insulated wall. The generator is similiar to the PowerTech unit Jack has in his conversion. It is inside a box, but it contains the muffler and the radiator, so it creates additional heat.The electrical bay is a set up I have seen on other coach conversions. I just need to remove some of the heat build up of 2 - 4000 watt invertors. A fresh air charge and a fan to exhaust it out. I am just looking for suggestions as for size of the fan. When we are traveling, heat is not much of a problem. When we boondock, and we are only using the invertors, I will craCK open the bay door for some relief. Thanks for everyones input. Mark

[JohnEd]

Mark,

Do you remember the cartoons of long ago in the movies that were titled "Leghorn"?  He was a huge rooster that talked with a semi southern accent and seemed to call everybody "SUUUN".  He popped into mind when I read "TWO"... I say TWO four thousand watt inverters, Son?"  What in darn nation you need...I say, why would you need even one....let alone TWO".  He was a rip!

You are certainly well stocked up on WATTs.  I think you need a fan volume of only slightly more volume than that of your combined cooling fans capacity.  I always go long with these things myself so measuring and figgur'n goes out the window.  Get a radiator fan out of a small Jap car.  Use a speed controller.  Mount the fan in the bay door as high up as you can and provision a way to seal it off in the winter.  Turn the speed control up till you like the temp.  If you do Phoenix you might like the flex of being ably to "turn up the fan speed" if you need.  The speed control is the power conserving method of controlling speed.  In line resistors do the same job but they eat amps and make a lot of heat.  Don't forget....you need a "gozinta" as well as a "gozouta" for the compartment.  I don't know where you are going to go to get your fresh air intake but it better be clean air as dusty inverters don't cool and they burn up their internals....as was mentioned.   If you have no problem while underway and you solve the problem when parked....where is this problem you mentioned?  And just why would it stay cool while underway?  Road air getting in?  Unfiltered road air?  Now that would be my first project....get it overheating while underway would seem to indicate that you have been successful at your sealing efforts.  Little humor here but only a little and I'm sure you got my subtle point.

John

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Mark,

My Xantrex inverter specs. indicate that it will put out full power at 130deg's "F". and operate at a maximum of 150deg. "F".

FYI
Nick-

[JackConrad]

Mark,
Do you remember the cartoons of long ago in the movies that were titled "Leghorn"?  He was a huge rooster that talked with a semi southern accent and seemed to call everybody "SUUUN". 

Foghorn Leghorn  My Hero!   Jack

[Mark Scott]

Thanks again for the help. Two inverters? Maybe I need my head examined. More power than I probably need, but I never really worry about running all the AC and the appliances at the same time! I think the bay leaks plenty of air between the battery bay and the front luggage bay where I house the inverters. Soo, I need to tighten things up a bit and introduce fresh air into the bay and exhaust it with a fan. I was thinking 110v blower fan with a attic thermostat for temp comtrol. Its seems to be the least expensive way to accomplish this task. Mark

[JohnEd]

Mark,

I have three of those attic fan 120 V AC thermo's.  They are junk!  They don't hold an adjust and have little repeatability between operations even once.  ALL THREE ... so i feel like a seasoned expert.  Get the wall mount furnace/AC thermos.  They take a 9V bat but the bat lasts forever.  Use the thermo to drive a relay to control the fan.  I did this with a ac water valve to control temp.  My water valve was out of a washing machine and the valve needed 120V so I used one of those $20 cheapo inverters that was good for 100 watts and needed 12V.  I use dc for as much as I can so I never miss the "pole" power and when I have it it makes the DC I need.  Kinda a power philosophy sort of.

Now those bulb types that will handle 50 amps work ok but they cost.  Maybe if you had a few laying around from a previous project.

Good luck,

John