inverters

tony · February 18, 2011, 09:13:52 AM

hi i am looking at buy an inverter for my mci 9 bus it is 24 volt does anyone have any ideas on what i should use in size and how good they work are they worth putting in or should i just put in 12 volt light thanks tony

NeoplanAN440 · February 18, 2011, 09:23:52 AM

are you looking for an inverter or converter??

inverter is to convert 24v dc to household AC power

converter can step down 24v dc to 12v dc
or a battery equalizer can be used to tap into the 12v

on all of these , you will need to know your main loads and type, before you can decide on a model or size.

bevans6 · February 18, 2011, 09:54:53 AM

Aside from saying 24 volt is my preferred way to go, and pure sine is my choice, it's hard to suggest anything until you know your application requirement. At a minimum I would look at what your anticipated loads are, your desire to run off the bus battery/alternator while running or house batteries while stopped, and what else you have in your electrical system already.

Brian

tony · February 18, 2011, 01:49:11 PM

an inverter i plan to se it to power the lights tv and maybe the air if it can be done

Brassman · February 18, 2011, 04:03:20 PM

Quote from: tony on February 18, 2011, 01:49:11 PM
an inverter i plan to se it to power the lights tv and maybe the air if it can be done

Oh no Tony, now you've gone and done it. So you want to run the A/C off the inverter?

Welcome to the madness.

Melbo · February 18, 2011, 04:17:53 PM

I have a magnum 4024 that I got from Wrico and I run my AC (one only) going down the road or when stopped and fueling -- If I remember correctly it doesn't do power sharing but I haven't needed that yet

HTH

YMMV

Melbo

NeoplanAN440 · February 18, 2011, 04:32:48 PM

u run a xantrex sw4024. it will power 2 of my roof ac's with no problems. i also run a household fridge and standart appliances on it, but then i have watch my load and switch down to one ac. great about these older xantrex units is, that they allow power sharing . if you have only 15 amp service , you still can run all your items. it will share and ad the rest from your house bank. when demand is lower it will recharge the bank again. the mc units also have inputs for gen and service. so no need for transfer switches.
also i think that xantrex is the only unit meeting ground and bonding codes.

i have the same units stacked in my off grid home. they run now for 6 years with no problems or downtime.
knock on wood

gus · February 18, 2011, 05:12:15 PM

Never could understand running ACs from an inverter when driving instead of using the genset?/

Maybe someone can enlighten me?

Barn Owl · February 18, 2011, 05:35:32 PM

If you are setup for it, using the 50dn off the motor to power the inverter is more efficient than running the generator.

FloridaCliff · February 18, 2011, 06:01:19 PM

Quote from: gus on February 18, 2011, 05:12:15 PM
Never could understand running ACs from an inverter when driving instead of using the genset?/

Maybe someone can enlighten me?

Gus,

Me Too!

The math doesn't work out unless your running down the road full time.

Especially with a modern diesel genset, sized to around 80% of your average load.

Barn Owl · February 18, 2011, 06:04:33 PM

I assumed road travel. Otherwise noise?

Melbo · February 18, 2011, 06:09:30 PM

What math?

I am driving and I have the inverter that is paid for --- Just wire up the bus the right way and you can run the ac from either source --- The thing I like is letting the ac run while fueling when it is hot outside and not having to worry about engines running. I also run the ac when we park for lunch and don't have to fire up the genset.

YMMV

Melbo

Sean · February 18, 2011, 07:00:43 PM

Quote from: gus on February 18, 2011, 05:12:15 PM
Never could understand running ACs from an inverter when driving instead of using the genset?/

Maybe someone can enlighten me?

Sure. Generator time costs me about $3.75 per hour at today's fuel prices. If you have a generator that is more than twice as efficient as mine, you'll pay more like $1.60 per hour.

By contrast, if you already have an inverter and a large alternator, then using those to power the A/Cs will cost you more like $0.60 per hour (at today's fuel prices) -- less if you spend a lot of time in the hills -- for the same amount of power. That's a savings of from $1 to $3 per hour, depending on the size of your genny.

For us, driving as we do about 500 hours per year, using the inverter vs. running the genny while we are driving saves us somewhere around $1,000 per year.

YMMV, as they say, but it will never be as cheap to run a separate generator as it is to use an alternator driven off the main engine to run the same loads. Ever. It is a simple matter of math and thermodynamics.

Are you enlightened?

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

Depewtee · February 18, 2011, 07:57:27 PM

Any opinions on the Xantrex XW Hybrid?

http://partsonsale.com/xwinverter.pdf

Brian S.

Oonrahnjay · February 19, 2011, 06:53:53 AM

Quote from: Depewtee on February 18, 2011, 07:57:27 PMAny opinions on the Xantrex XW Hybrid?
http://partsonsale.com/xwinverter.pdf

Brian S.

These seem to be geared toward the large capacity, off-the-grid building market. Only the 4K version will accept 24V; no 12V model available. Also, "New, Higher-Technology" usually means many $$$$$. But they look good as regards to their efficiency and features.