Having an inverter on hand is helpful wherever you want to camp or boondock in places that don’t have any electrical hookups. It will also save your dull days while having a long drive. But have you once thought about how safe it is? Before you buy or even install the inverter, you have to know first its safety reminders.
In this way, you and your loved ones don’t have to worry about its underlying complications, particularly the secureness of its area and wirings. Otherwise, it will result in property damage, injuries, or worse, loss of life. Hence, to prevent this from happening, here’s the list of safety warnings you need to keep in mind:
Reminders when using Inverters for RV
TIP 1: Hire a Professional
Most RV owners ought to think that hiring a professional when installing an inverter is quite costly compared to doing it by themselves. Indeed, you have to add another budget for this aside from the materials you need to purchase. If you don’t know much about electricity, you need to hire one rather than putting your life at risk and the people riding in your RV. You have to remember that when dealing with electricity, every mistake might cost you a lot.
To be safe, you have to consult with a professional electrician and not just rely on what you read or even watch on youtube. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with following the preventive measures, especially when it comes to this topic. But, in the end, if you keep on pushing to make a DIY installation, the damage that might incur is more than what you would have paid a professional.
TIP 2: The Check Wirings
You need to check any possible complications of your RV, such as its cable wirings. If you notice any cable wiring peeled off, you should change it immediately before further damages occur. This way also ensures that there would be no unprecedented occurrences, especially while being on the road or even at night, where you have nothing to rely on for power except the RV inverter.
TIP 3: Do Not Install the RV Inverter in the Engine Compartment
You should not install the inverter in the engine compartment because it might have water or oil contamination, might as well have excessive heat under the hood, a spark that the inverter may produce, and a danger from gasoline fumes. Hence, for the safeness of everyone, you should run the battery cables to a dry location. Think of a place that is suitable and ensures security for the inverter.
TIP 4: DO NOT Overheat The Inverter
The RV inverter has the possibility of overheating, and do not wait for it to happen. The common reasons it happened are the wrong cable size, extreme outside temperature, poor ventilation, and overloaded. These might no longer surprise you, but your regular check-up to your TV inverter is still a must. If the fan inside has a problem, the inverter might not cool down, and the other electronic components inside the inverter may also get implicated.
On top of this, you need to ensure the placement of the inverter is well secured. It would be best not to put it too close to the other objects, especially those flammable. Lastly, you must first calculate its cable size correctly to handle the demand of the load. Otherwise, it might be prone to fire hazards or much worse. After all, if you won’t put these into your prior consideration, this will likely cause a lot more damage than you could imagine.
TIP 5: Check the Voltage
Volts of the current can be lethal. Therefore, it is necessary to check the voltage from any campground power source before plug out the RV system that connects to it. Also, you always have to ensure that its voltage is within a safe range; otherwise, it will result in various damages.
TIP 6: DO NOT Expose the Inverter to Wet or Moisture.
Always keep your inverter dry. Do not use or operate the inverter and its other surfaces if it’s wet. You have to remember that water and other liquids can conduct electricity, which is quite dangerous to you and may lead to severe injuries and, worse, death.
TIP 7: Avoid Exposing the Inverter to Heat
Aside from wet places, it would be more helpful if you won’t put the inverter in a hot location, mainly on or near the heating vents, radiators, and any other spots with heat sources. Instead, it would help if you found a place with an air temperature between 50F and 80F. In this way, your inverter will be in a cool and dry location that is safe and secured.
TIP 8: Don’t Wire Your Shore and Inverter all together
When you wire your shore and inverter all together to provide power to your RV outlets, it would likely cause disaster. Use one at a time and do not let it operate at the same time. It would be best to be mindful of this to be even safer during your long rides.
TIP 9: Know When Your Inverter is Beeping
There are two reasons why your inverter is beeping on you – ran out of battery or overloaded. First, you must know that if you load your inverter beyond its capacity, it will burden the inverter and possibly shut down on you. So before this happens, you need to ensure that the appliances you connect into must be enough to the inverter’s capacity; otherwise, it might also lessen its life span.
Conclusion
Traveling with the luxuries of home brought by the inverter is indeed promising. However, everything will be all for nothing if you forgot to consider all the safety precautions needed before and after installing the inverter for your RV. Being safe amidst the long drive and even where there’s no source of power is what you need to put into the top list to consider. After all, the safety of everyone in the middle of enjoyment of on-road adventures is what matters the most.