Airstream 390 - Manual (Page 87)

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ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INVERTER
Xantrex Sales and Support
North America: 800/446.6180 or 360/925.5000
Email: [email protected]
The inverter in your motorhome is located in the lower compartment furthest back on
the curbside. When disconnected from 110 volt city power and the inverter is turned
on 12 volt DC power from the batteries is inverted to 120 volt AC. The circuits supplied
from the inverter are the microwave and all receptacles on the GFI breaker.
OPERATION OF THE INVERTER
Before attempting to operate the inverter you should review the separate Owner’s
Manual provided by the manufacturer. Start the unit by depressing the Start/Stop
switch. It will return to a neutral position once released.
Note: The Lamp will momentarily flash as the unit runs through its normal diag-
nostic sequence.
The Lamp indicates when power is being supplied to the receptacles. If no load is
sensed the inverter will not turn on.
INVERTER OPERATING TIMES
The inverter will supply you with quiet AC power to operate your electrical appliances.
Inverters convert 12-volt direct current (DC) into 120-volt alternating current (AC).
There are three factors to consider when you select the appliances that you would
like to operate with the inverter. Those considerations are: battery reserve capacity,
maximum wattage and typical operating times of appliances. Good estimating of these
factors will assure you have plenty of resources to operator your appliances.
BATTERY RESERVE CAPACITY
Batteries store the energy necessary for the inverter to convert DC to AC power. Your
Airstream motorhome has two 4-D batteries dedicated to the inverter’s use. Battery
performance is affected by temperature and age. Batteries operate best when the
temperature is about 77° F. If the batteries are hotter than, or colder than this tempera-
ture, performance is reduced. As batteries age, they lose some of their performance,
or ability to store energy.
MAXIMUM WATTAGE
Your inverter can provide a surge of *8000 watts of power for one minute and 2500
watts continuously. This means that your use of 120-volt appliances from inverter
power can total up to 2500 watts simultaneously depending on the usage time.
ESTIMATING YOUR OPERATING TIMES
With your Airstream inverter installation using two 4-D batteries (your XL has 4) in
good condition and fully charged you will find that the total capacity (running times)
will depend on the total wattage load of the devices you are powering. In general, the
running time is proportionate to the wattage.
Using the following tables, you can estimate which combinations of appliances you
may operate. Table 1 indicates the typical wattage of various appliances.
*Largest bank of incandescent light bulbs that the inverter can start simultaneously
and operate for at least one minute.
Notes: If the current draw at 120 VAC is known, then the battery amperage at 12VDC
will be 10 times the AC amperage divided by the efficiency (90% in this table).