where is the inverter located? 1981 HR Imperial 33b SOLVED - it doesn't have one

[boohoo222]

handy dan, your floor plan is exactly like mine, but my inverter is not under couch(foldout bed), or in closet(bottom is glued in), any ideas

[joanfenn]

under dinette? Hm?

[boohoo222]

just a big open area, I know it has one cause it works

[ClydesdaleKevin]

It has to be in there somewhere...lol!  Check under the bed and behind drawers.  On our 89 Holiday Rambler, it is behind the drawers under the bedroom closet (which I will be relocating soon, since it is WAY too far away from the batteries).

Kev

[boohoo222]

only thing under 1 bed is heater, under other bed is watertank

[HandyDan]

Are we actually talking inverter or converter.  The converter is under the closet floor.  You might have to find a way to pry up the closet floor to access it.  The inverter has to be under the couch up near the driver.  I'm going to dig through my picture files to show the locations on my motorhome.  There is a possibility that the PO removed the big ipac inverter and replaceed it with a solid state unit and put it in the battery compartment, ala Clydesdalekevin. If it isn't under the couch, that would be my bet.

[boohoo222]

handy dan, the closet floor does look to be new plywood, I tried with hammer but it would not move so ill go back with crowbar i??

[HandyDan]

My inverter hides behind the screen under the driver's side of the couch.





This is without the screen.  It is right above the battery compartment.



This is what it looks like under the closet floor, except I have installed a newer converter.

[CapnDirk]

If it's the original one, find someone with good hearing and follow the hummmm.

[boohoo222]

under my couch/foldout bed is a big box carpeted from factory w/ no access under it , on both sides is empty storage, inverter switch above bed

[boohoo222]

well I went ballistic on closet and found this....still no inverter........


.......also a 12volt fuse box

[HandyDan]

Take a picture of your battery compartment. I would like to see how different it is from mine.

[boohoo222]

, to get to anything you have to pull both batteries....

[boohoo222]

the right side of batteries touch wall, left side is that little opening you see, just in that opening is a blade switch and you can see all the wireing and connections

[DRMousseau]

Been watchin' this one too.


My "upstairs rolling apartment", an '87 Georgie Boy, Cruise Air II, is pretty "fancy" for the era of RVs. It DID NOT have an inverter!!! AC was either shore-line or ya fired up the genny from the dash. Either gave all the power necessary for the fancy convection/microwave, Air Conditioning system and a number of standard AC outlets for TV and "luxury appliances". ALL lights and basic essentials of heat, water, fridge etc., are DC powered via battery/converter system.


I installed an inverter (inside the closest bunk to my battery bank) as a convenience to lighter AC needs as many others have. Actually, it was essential for my replacement household fridge, and for heating my coffee in the micro a few moments, when I really didn't want to run the genny. Btw,... inverters aren't practical for air conditioning systems,... THAT will require genny or shore power.


While I wouldn't be surprised if your RV had an OEM inverter,... I would find it very unlikely. Any PO installed inverter (or OEM equipped) usually requires a heavy multi-position switch capable of some big amps AND some special considerations of the genny/converter system (can't run the converter with an inverter from the same battery bank, AND can't run the genny with inverter on same AC power system). Such a switch is typically a large, heavy duty "stacked" rotary switch. In an OEM installation (fancy late-model RVs), I would expect this switch to be near the power panel, genny, or shore-line connection, and accessibility may be as varied. In a PO installation,... well, I put mine right above my inverter in the front sofa panel.


Does your motorhome manual note inverter options???


pic posted as I was writing this,.... a good pic of that "blade switch" might be helpful. A simple on/off,... or is it a redirection of power???

[boohoo222]

on / off switch with battery cables connected to each end

[boohoo222]

just got manuel today and it does not have inverter

[DRMousseau]

From that blade switch,... does one cable go directly to battery positive???


If so, I would expect other cable of switch to go to the power panel. Not sure if you can determine that. And if so, I would assume it to be an "isolator" switch to facilitate safer removal of battery cables when removing or servicing batteries. That's a pretty tight space!


BUT,... the other cable "could" go to chassis battery. A switch to "jump" the chassis battery if needed, and such a setup would indeed surprise me as most every RV has a "MOM" switch on the dash for this purpose.


So it's important to see where that cable goes to know the purpose of that blade switch! Also important to see other components AND battery connections in this area,... yup, better pics. Others here will quickly recognize those components and jus how your system is arranged.

[boohoo222]

there is a battery cable near battery up front near motor battery that is not hooked to battery and it looks like it goes back to battery compartment,,,and there is a battery assist switch on dash

[boohoo222]

[HandyDan]

This is what was originally under my closet before I changed it out.

[HandyDan]

This is my battery compartment.  The solid state device in the foreground is the distribution block for charging the batteries.  The silver circuit breaker behind it goes to the power seat.  The large red and black cable going straight up go to the inverter.
at a salvage yard.











This is from another Holiday Rambler at a salvage yard.

[boohoo222]

mine did not/does not have an inverter, the converter/battery charger is about 2 foot long and beside it is a large 12volt fuse bank and above that is 110 breaker box and 12volt breaker box

[circleD]

Are there battery cables coming up under the couch? Maybe they relocated it to the genny compartment. Or behind the coach battery. There is room under the sink with the central vac and water heater.

[boohoo222]

pos cable runs from batt to blade switch to isolater to what looks like a silinoid , two cables come off that, one disappears back behind battery bank through wall, the other goes to the hood compartment and is just hanging near starting batt but not hooked up i?? i??