Power Inverters and Solar Blog for OutsideSupply.com

Choosing a simple Solar RV battery maintainer.

Here is a question submitted to OutsideSupply.com regarding RV Solar Battery Maintainer.

Q: We always leave our RV parked from May through August. The lot we park at does not have power. Every time I go to the RV at the start of the season the battery is dead, what can I use that is reliable and durable?

A: This is a very common problem with RV, Travel Trailers, Class A, Class B, and Class C campers. The battery in the vehicle often drain without some charging. It often take several months to drain on its own but this problem can be eliminated with a small RV Solar Trickle Charger. We offer a few different models of solar chargers that are perfect for this application.

Note these are not really strong enough for going Boondocking very much, you may want to look into a full rv solar kits for that purpose.

Here are a few panels I can recommend:

Go Power 10 Watt Solar Kit No Regulator Required

Go Power 20 Watt Solar Kit With 4.5 AMP Regulator

10 Watt Unbreakable Solar Module Panel 12 Volt

5 Watt Unbreakable Duralite Solar Panel

Unbreakable 20 Watt Solar Panel

15 Watt Solar Charging Kit

Solar Car Battery Maintainer 1.8 Watt

5 Watt Solar Battery Trickle Charger

On standard size batteries in vehicles it is a rule of thumb that solar charge controllers are only needed over 10 watts of charging power.

Using a power inverter to run Freezer.

Here is a power inverter questions sent to OutsideSupply.com:

Q: I need to understand what kind of power inverter to use to power a freezer to transfer ice cream from one location to another. I read something that I may also need another battery.

A: We get a lot of customers who want run freezers on power inverters for a variety of reasons. There are several inverters that will run freezers. True sine wave inverters are the best, but modified sine inverters can run many freezers on the market.

With True sine wave you can get a GFCI outlet and know that the power will be clean and reliable to your freezer. Here would be a sample Freezer Power inverter setup on a true sine wave inverter.

	Item
		3000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter 12 Volt Item Number: GPSW-3000-12
		Power Inverter Install Kit 5 Item Number: GP-DC-KIT5

Here would be an example of a freezer power inverter setup using a heavy duty modified sine inverter:

		Power Inverter Install Kit 5 Item Number: GP-DC-KIT5
		Go Power 3000 HD Power Inverter Item Number: GP-3000

Either setup would be fine to run a freezer, but I would recommend the True Sine Wave Hands down. It is better for the equipment and the GFCI outlet adds an extra layer of safety.

Customer On Grid Solar Question

Today I got a question about an On grid Solar Panel System:

The question came into OutsideSupply.com

Q: Can you help me size an inverter for an on-grid solar system?

A: We really don't sell too much stuff for Grid Tied solar setups. In fact many times we might recommend away from a grid tied solar system. You may be able to run a small off grid solar panel setup for less money.

Many customers are currently powering small off grid systems for refrigerators and lighting. They save the extra expense of grid tied equipment and fees. While they cannot sell back the power, they generally size their system to use almost all of their generated solar power.

Check Out these Guides for more Information on some Off Grid Solar Projects.

• Power Inverter GuideRV Solar Guide

Cabin Solar Guide

You can also call us at 1-800-796-1990.

American Made Sine Wave Power inverters

I get a lot of request for American Made Sine Wave Power inverters:

 

Here you go, Exeltech is an American Made Innovator and leader in the Sine Wave Power Inverter Market. Their high reliability power inverters continue to serve customers long after purchase. In fact many inverters sold by Exeltech boast a 21.5 Year MTBF.

This is an awesome product line available at OutsideSupply.com

Kayak Fishing Trip Charges Battery and Reveals Trash

On a recent fishing trip down to the Cocodrie Louisiana are I was amazed at the amount of trash and junk polluting our water ways and roads. The feet in the pics are mine and the other guy is my Fishing Buddy Matt. Louisiana has some amazing fishing, and to give the fish a fair shake we go in our kayaks. I always bring my radio and GPS, which I charge using a solar panel.

I kept my GPS and radio charge using a solar panel. Sorry no pictures of the 20 watt solar battery charger.

We did OK fishing this day, but was disgusted at the trash and junk that is thrown on the road and floating in the canal we launch our kayaks from.

Just a note to other people, pick your trash and junk up. It makes Louisiana look ugly and pollutes our waterways.

Pop-Up Camper Wants RV Solar Kit

I got a call on 1-800-796-1990 at OutsideSupply.com from an avid Pop-Up Camper looking for an RV solar kit. This customer was looking to keep his batteries charged while out dry camping in his tent trailer. He asked how much solar would be recommended. We determined he had two 60 amp hour batteries, for a total bank of about 120 Amp Hours.

He would get 3 to 4 days of use from these batteries before needing to recharge. He was located in a fairly sunny area of the country and mainly camped during the summer. This will help his solar battery charger maintain his tent trailer's batteries while camping.

 

After a lengthy discussion on needs, we decided on the following setup for the customers pop up camper or tent trailer.

	Item
		300 Watt Pure Sine Inverter 12 Volt with GFCI Item Number: GP-SW300-12-GFCI
		Go Power RV 95 Watt Solar Kit Item Number: GP-RV95

He may have chosen a smaller panel, but the physical size was larger than the high efficiency 95 watt solar kit from Go power.

Why power inverter cable size is important!

I had a non customer/ potential customer of Outside Supply call today. He had bought a power inverter at a big box. It was a 2500 watt off brand power inverter. He said it was working, but had some additional questions. We started talking about cable sizing and fuses for this power inverter.

via blog.outsidesupply.com

Just a note that we carry a wide range of power inverter install kits and power inverter fuses. I wanted to provide links to these items that will help you use the right size cable and proper fuses.

Power Inverter Install Kit 2 Inverter Install Kit 2 : For 12 Volt 600 to 1000 Watt inverters and 24 Volt 600 to 1800 Watt Inverters

Power Inverter Install Kit 3 Go Power Install Kit for Inverters in 12 Volt 1100 to 1800 WATT and 24 Volt 2000 to 3000 WATT

Power Inverter Install Kit 4 12 volt 2000-2500 Watts Power Inverter Install Kit.

Power Inverter Install Kit 5 Go Power Install kit for Large Inverters

Also a selection of power inverter fuses:

110 Amp Fuse for Inverters 110 Amp Fuse Class T

Go Power 110 Amp Slow Blow Fuse Class T 100 Amp Slow Blow Fuse

200 Amp Class T Fuse and Fuse Block Class T Fuse - 200 Amp and Fuse Block

200 Amp Class T Fuse 200 Amp Replacement Class T Fuse

300 Amp Fuse Class T With Block 300 Amp Fuse and Block for Inverter Install

Go Power 300 Amp Slow Blow Fuse Class T 300 Amp Slow Blow Fuse

Go Power 400 Amp Fuse Clast T With Block 400 Amp Class T Fuse and Fuse Block for Power Inverter Installation

400 Amp Slow Blow Fuse Class T Class T: Slow Blow Fuse - 400 Amp

Power inverter Video covering True Sine Wave 1500 Watt inverter

Power Inverters

This is a video on basic power inverter information. This video has information on the hows and whys of power inverter use. It features a Go Power 1500 Watt Sine Wave Power Inverter. It also has information on the Inverter Install kit required to properly install a hardwired power inverter.

Remember to always fuse a power inverter on the DC side. Follow the instructions located in your owners manual.

Discount Marine Power Inverters

Discount Marine Inverters

Are you looking for a Marine Inverter?

OutsideSupply.com always has at least one discount marine inverter. We carry a full range of Marine inverters. We are always offering discounts or sale prices on our Marine inverters.

We carry Marine inverters from 150 watts to 5000 watts. We also carry a full line of Marine Solar and Transfer Switch parts. These Marine type applications require caution because you will be using electricity around water. This always is cause for concern. Make sure you are using a GFCI outlet and that you properly fuse and install all inverters or power products. Marine environments leave little room for error, so always use care and keep safety in mind when installing these units.

Check out our Marine Power section to keep your batteries maintained during periods of non use. We also carry necessary accessories like fuses and Power Inverter install kits.

Bad RV Converter

An OutsideSupply.com customer called in for technical support for his RV on 1-800-796-1990 just now explaining that he had a bad 40 Amp Converter or inverter in his RV. I explained to him the difference between converters and inverters.

Converters provide battery charging and 12 volt power in your rv when plugged into shore power.

Inverters provide 120 volt ac power when running on battery power.

I explained that he should look for a a new 45 amp converter and add the charging brains. This will turn his unit into a 4 stage smart charger.

Here are the parts I recommended:

Your Shopping Cart Item 12 Volt 45 AMP Battery Charger Item Number: GPC-45 Go Power 4 Stage Charging Module Item Number: GPC-SMART-CONTROL