Whew! We’ve been working overtime here at Truck Camper Adventure lately. As part of our recent Expion360 Viper lithium battery upgrade, we just installed a Go Power GP-SW1500TS Pure Sine Wave Inverter. Having a powerful, 240 amp hour lithium battery bank makes having this big inverter practical. Not only that, the smaller, Group 24 lithiums freed-up just enough space in our battery compartment to install it. If you recall, we were using a Go Power 600 watt modified sine wave inverter in the camper before. Unlike that old inverter, however, this new Go Power 1,500 watt inverter has a 20 amp transfer relay that automatically switches its output to the camper’s AC outlets whether we’re on 30 amp shore power or running the inverter off-grid using our batteries.
Finding the right inverter was a bit of a challenge. We looked at several 2,000 watt inverters with built-in transfer relays, but all of them were too large for our camper. On the other hand, the GP-SW1500TS Inverter was the perfect size for our battery compartment. But size wasn’t the only consideration, the unit’s features were just as important. We already mentioned the transfer relay, which is the most important feature, but this inverter also generates a clean waveform with a 60 hz frequency deviation of plus or minus .1 percent with a maximum efficiency of 88 percent. The inverter also provides reverse polarity (fuse), under voltage, over voltage, and AC over current protection as well as short circuit, overload, over temperature, and over voltage protection. The unit also has seven power saving modes of 2 to 8 percent, which are controlled by DIP switches located on the front of the unit.
With an inverter like the Go Power SW1500TS a remote is needed unless you want to manually activate it each and every time you want to use it. The SW1500TS can be controlled using either the Go Power GP-SWR-A or GP-SWR-B remote. Unfortunately, Go Power’s smaller, new Industrial (ISW) remotes will NOT work with this inverter. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do.
After looking at several locations inside the camper, we decided to install the inverter underneath the dinette seat where the batteries are located. How did we get the inverter to fit in the same compartment as the batteries? It wasn’t easy. Like I said earlier, having smaller, sealed batteries made it possible, but with only 6.5 inches of clearance on top of the batteries, we didn’t have much room for the inverter. After looking at several options that involved everything from building a simple wood platform to an insulated wood box cover for the batteries, we opted to go with a simple L-shape plywood platform for the inverter instead. The 14×13-inch platform is supported by a simple 1×2-inch piece of wood screwed into the wall on one side and a plank of wood on the other measuring 8.5 inches high and 10 inches wide. The plywood used in the platform is only 1/2-inch thick. With the inverter mounted, the clearance on the top is only 1 inch with the dinette seat installed. To provide the needed ventilation for the inverter, I mounted a standard RV vent on the side of the compartment.
How did I wire everything up? It was pretty simple, especially on the DC side, though the instructions didn’t explain things very well on the AC side. No diagrams or suggestions on how to wire up the AC side were provided in the inverter’s instructions, which is the most important part of the installation. Fortunately, Go Power has an excellent support staff that is willing and able to answer any and all questions thrown at them. Bob Lane, in particular, was especially helpful. What size wire did I use for the installation? I used oversize 12/2 yellow Romex on the AC input and AC output wires, while 4 AWG cables (with a 175 amp fuse) were used on the DC side. Sources vary on what’s proper when it comes to inverter cable sizes and fuse ratings, but Purkeys inverter cable size chart has proven to be an excellent resource (when calculating the total wire length, both the positive and negative cables lengths are added together). When it comes to an inverter, you can never go wrong by oversizing your wires or by going with the cable size recommended in the inverter’s installation instructions.
The simplest and easiest way to wire any inverter with a transfer relay is to wire it directly to the 30 amp shore power input, but I couldn’t do that because the Go Power SW1500TS is rated for only 20 amps. So I wired the inverter’s input to the main breaker panel using a 15 amp breaker instead. On the inverter’s output, I disconnected the single 14/2 white Romex wire supplying the power to all of the camper’s 15 amp AC outlets from the main breaker panel and connected it directly to the inverter’s output wire using a simple AC junction box (this junction box was mounted underneath the kitchen sink, next to the WFCO 8945 Power Center. A thin wall separates the two. Fortunately, I had just enough wire length-wise to make this location work). See the diagram below on how I wired everything up on the AC side.
Like I said earlier, wiring the inverter was pretty easy. The hardest part with a project like this is running the wires and deciding where to mount everything. I did, however, encounter one “problem” worth mentioning. While testing the AC output, the plug-in circuit tester indicated that we had a bad ground, but this was a false reading. The AC circuit tested fine when connected to shore power, but not when running off the inverter. This erroneous reading is common for inverters in boats and RVs with floating grounds. Indeed, Bob Lane at Go Power says he gets this question all of the time and has to explain that this reading is nothing to worry about. Other than this anomaly, the installation went well and is considered done, though at some point I may upgrade the size of the DC cables and replace the AC outlet junction box with a small circuit breaker box.
It feels good to finally have this project done. We’ve been wanting to do this mod for over a year. We’ve hated having to plug directly into that old, manual inverter. It’s so much easier having an integrated inverter that ties in directly with all of the AC outlets in the camper instead. This translates into less clutter and trip hazards as the new inverter eliminates the need for running extension cords all over the camper. Having a bigger, more powerful inverter also means we can use it to run our new 1,500 watt induction cooktop and the wife’s 1,500 watt hair dryer using any outlet that we want. Of course, having a beefy, lithium battery bank made this mod possible. The entire electrical upgrade was made possible by the lithiums that essentially has given our camper four vice two batteries.
Stay tuned for an in-depth review of the Go Power GP-SW1500TS Inverter after we have time to evaluate it further. Follow Truck Camper Adventure on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest news and developments.
interesting read i have a few questions somebody might be able to help me with would like to install a 3K inverter into my generator box (no gen) but has #2awg leads from my 2 lithium batteries about 8 ft away and j box input power to camper also transfer switch installed under sink; could it be possible to use the cables to power the inverter then plug it into the J box ( that would have come from generator) to automatically supply to camper when switched on does anybody see any problems or any input would be appreciated
Yes, I did something similar in my old Wolf Creek 850 truck camper several years ago. But for a 3,000 watt inverter for 8 feet you will need to upgrade the cable run to 1/0. 2/0 is generally recommended for 4/5 foot runs for 3,000 watts.
Hello,
I am wondering about the ventilation for the inverter with it being in an inner compartment along with the batteries. I have the Go Power 2000 watt Inverter/Charger with automatic transfer switch. So, you said you, “… to provide the needed ventilation for the inverter, I mounted a standard RV vent on the side of the compartment.” Is this vent to the interior of your TC, or to the exterior? I vented mine to the outside via an old outdoor speaker I’d had there that no longer worked anyhow. Even with that, I am concerned with the air flow being adequate in the summer. I do not yet have Lithium batteries. I have AGM’s.
Good question. The ventilation is more than adequate to provide a good air flow, especially when you consider how little the inverter is actually in use. The longest we’ve ever run ours was maybe an hour or two.
Would this work? Install new 30 amp twist lock close to my shore power 30 amp on my Igloo.Then run inverter output to new 30 amp. Then make a short cord to connect both 30 amps. Connect together for inverter power or disconnect and run shore power to origional plug on my Igloo. Be hard to mess up if labeled good and inverter plug was female.
Mike, it’s looking good, very good! I am thinking that by having the setup inside you over overcome the drawbacks of heat/cold and provided a stable working temp environment.
That said does the Li Batteries and or the 1500 watt inverter produces heat in use or charging if so is it of concern?
You have some big cabling in there and wonder if you used welding grade? I have built a lot of battery cables for the offroad crowd and I don’t use automotive grade, but rather the welding grade. 2 reasons: More flexibility so it’s far easier to run the cabiling and its ability to handle more amps for any given size than the auto grade.
The setup does generate a little heat. Exactly how much? I’m not sure. More testing and use is needed in all kinds of temperatures. The cables right now are not welding grade. I purposely went with smaller 4 AWG cables (the smallest size authorized for a 1,500 watt inverter) so can I remove the inverter when needed. Big welding-grade cables would make any kind of movement very difficult if not impossible.
Mike,
Here’s a question. After I got thinking about it, I was wondering what the heck does someone do with a large inverter in a truck camper. I know you are not going to use it for the AC and I am not sure you have microwave. I know you have an AC/DC fridge, but it would be inefficient to switch the fridge to AC instead of DC.
So I’m thinking monster flat screen in the master suite? Please don’t tell me you need it for a hair dryer! 🙂 Got it, a 120-volt mig welder. 🙂 I love the quiet of inverters over a genny, but still – ?
Good question. I touched on it in the article, but we need it primarily for the 1,500 watt induction cooktop, which cooks super fast, and the wife’s hair dryer and curling iron. As you can see, the inverter won’t be used very much, but it will be there when we need it for those things and for running low amp-draw items like our 19-inch TV and to recharge our laptops and cameras.
Unfortunately, the Compressor refrigerator will run on AC when running the inverter because it automatically kicks over to that mode when we’re plugged into shore power. Nothing I can do about that now, but like I said, we won’t be using the inverter all that much. One future mod will be to isolate the refrigerator’s AC outlet so it won’t run when the inverter is turned on.
Mike,
125 amps through 4 ga.? That inverter can put out 1500 watts or 12.5 amps AC or125 amp DC draw off the batteries, right? What is the rating of the DC breaker/fuse you installed between the batteries and the Inverter? I don’t think the Inverter built-in will protect 4 ga wire between the batteries and the inverter. However, this is he best reason I have seen for Li+ batteries.
Ardvark,
I hear ya. The wire size recommendations vary greatly from website to website. Some sites recommended 4 AWG cables for short runs while others recommended massive 4/0 cables. I went with Purkeys’ cable size chart for 1,500 watt inverters, which recommends 4 AWG for short cables runs of 4 feet or less. The DC fuse is rated for 175 amps. Believe me, I’m keeping a close eye on this install and will report my results. I have enough built-in protection on both the AC and DC sides to keep things safe. I went with 4 AWG DC cables because I need to be able to move this inverter in and out of the compartment to get to the batteries. I didn’t want massive 1 AWG or 4/0 cables connected to it because this would make any movement extremely difficult.