Installing a Xantrex 1500 watt inverter

[5thwheeler]

We have a Xantrex 1500 watt inverter we will be installing in the upcoming week - be sure & check back for a full review.

[5thwheeler]

Its finally complete - we let the smoke out of the first Xantrex for reasons unknown. We didn't have anything wired incorrectly so I guess I'll just chalk it up to random failure - electronic things usually fail in the first 24 hours of operation or run forever.
Attached are the photos of the install but in a nut-shell here is what we wanted

1. All of the outlets in the 5thwheel live if the inverter is turned on.
2. The ability to switch the inverter off/remove 12v source because it does
have a small draw even when idle with no load.
We sometimes leave our 5thwheel for a week or 2 parked without hookups
so anything to prevent battery drain is a plus.
3. Have the system automatically switch over to shore power when its
applied.
It makes no sense to have shore power converted from 115vac to
12vdc to the inverter and then have the inverter change it back to
115vac.

We bought a Xantrex 1500watt inverter on ebay for $98.00 new and a DPDT switch with 120vac coil from Digi-Key for $35. We also put a battery cut-out switch inline with the 12vdc supply from the battery to enable us to remove power from the inverter.

[rverdlm]

Loks good, but a question. Where did you run the 120V after the DBDT switch? I thought that 120 goes into the converter, not out. I guess I really don't understand!

[5thwheeler]

115vac comes into the DPDT switch from one of the existing circuit breakers in the converter. Basically the DPDT was placed in-line with the factory circuit from the converter out to feed all of the outlets. Its wired so that the 115vac when present energizes the solenoid and closes the shore power circuit.

Make sense?

[CAMPDOG]

Originally Posted by rverdlm

Loks good, but a question. Where did you run the 120V after the DBDT switch? I thought that 120 goes into the converter, not out. I guess I really don't understand!

The DPDT switch has 4 wires coming in 120 vac from shore power via the circuit breaker, to DPDT NO side... 120 vac from the xantrex inverter to DPDT NC side ( ...gotta switch the neutral cuz it carries current...) and two wires going out to the outlets DPDT com side shore power closes the switch 120 vac control coil outlet are hot all the time unless the xantrex inverter is not seeing enough dc voltage (shut off low batt) and all without laying a finger on it!!! Neat install !

[rverdlm]

When you say 2 wires going out to the outlets, where does that wire run go? Does it go to your main electrical panel? The way my trailer is wired all my outlets are fed from, I think, 4 breakers in the electrical panel. I don't see how to feed from the inverter to all these breakers. What I've done is place an outlet near the inverter and plug my main cord into it. I like the automation of what you've done and would like to replicate it on my new trailer, so I'm trying to understand it better.

[5thwheeler]

All of our outlets were run off of 2 breakers in the campers main panel. We pulled these off the main panel, tied them together as one large circuit and then placed them on the common end of the DPDT switch. With two open breakers in the panel we used one & ran a new 120vac circuit to the DPDT which is our shore power.

[rverdlm]

Ah, now I understand! Thanks for all the info. When I get the new MS I now know what I'll do.