Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach) (Read 533 times) previous topic - next topic

Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Quote from: wa_desert_rat –
I also bought a "Ramsound" pure sine-wave 1500W inverter for $$259.99 (via Amazon). I have read conflicting reports about these relatively inexpensive inverters so I plan to do some checking with my handy-dandy Kill-a-Volt (every RVer should have one).
It will be interesting to read what your Kill-a-Watt shows on the inverter. When using our Heart 2500 inverter that produces "modified sine wave" (IOW --square-- wave) the Kill-a-Watt shows 0 volts. We have had no problem running most appliances from the inverter. The ceiling fan in the bedroom is too noisy to use on the inverter. The controllers on the mattress warmer won't work at all on the inverter. We have to unplug it to keep the LEDs from flickering when on inverter power.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #1 –
JD,

I'm surprised about your problems with the Heart 2500.  We have the Freedom 25 inverter, which I thought was the same.  I have no problems with either the ceiling fan or our mattress warmer.
Regards,
Brett

'99 42' Foretravel Xtreme
'14 Brown Motorsports Stacker
'05 Chevy SSR
'02 BMW R1150R

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #2 –
Mattress warmer? Is this a coach installed item or one of those heated mattress pads? Inquiring poretraveler's want to know... :))
Quote from: amos.harrison –
JD,

I'm surprised about your problems with the Heart 2500.  We have the Freedom 25 inverter, which I thought was the same.  I have no problems with either the ceiling fan or our mattress warmer.
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #3 –
Quote from: acousticart –
Mattress warmer? Is this a coach installed item or one of those heated mattress pads? Inquiring poretraveler's want to know... :))
It is a heated mattress pad. I put it under a memory foam topper so I wouldn't be sleeping directly on the wires. We've used it several times. It has never generated enough heat to cause concerns about a fire. It only uses about 60 watts when running full bore.

We do some traveling in the winter. We use a 325 HP Cummins engine to heat the bed on travel days. ;) We use the heated mattress pad on days that we are parked. It makes the bed a bit more cozy when the weather is chilly. We poortravelers can enjoy a few comforts. :D
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #4 –
Quote from: J. D. Stevens –
We use the heated mattress pad on days that we are parked. It makes the bed a bit more cozy when the weather is chilly. We poortravelers can enjoy a few comforts.
Heated mattress pads are wonderful!  We have one in both the FT and the S&B... and both are on a timer (the type used for lights to turn on/off while on vacation) - they're set to turn on a couple hours before lights out, and to turn off automatically after a couple of hours.  Sort of like the "preheat" cycle on the oven!  :P
The selected media item is not currently available.Pat Hatfield
2000 U295 3600 #5666 WTFE (sold 1/7/20)
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
previously: 2003 U295 3610 #6228 (sold 5/29/14)
previously:  2009 Honda CRV (sold 6/9/14)

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #5 –
We have electric blankets in the coach and a waterbed (for the last 30 years) in the C&B (cement-block and brix) but the mattress pad warmer sounds like a nice solution too. Since we like to cross-country ski the electric blankets have been very nice. I don't know what they draw... I'll try to remember to check tomorrow.

I'm surprised that your Heart inverter shows 0 volts as I have checked several of my plug-in-to-the-cigarette-lighter-plug inverters and they all showed voltage around 114 to 121 and frequencies of 60.1 to 61 Hz on the kill-a-watt. But I promise to measure the new "pure sine" and let everyone know. I might even see if I can't find my old portable oscilloscope and take a look at the wave pattern.

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #6 –
Use heated mattress pad on the Sleep Comfort air bed at home. Tring to figure out how to get one of those in the coach. 
2025 Wanderbox Outpost 32 on F600 Expedition Motorhome
2015 Born Free Royal Splendor on Ford 550 nonslide version  for sale
Former Coaches  covering. 360,000 miles
1999 34 U270
2000 36 U320
2001 42' double slide U320
2018 Jeep Rubicon

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #7 –
Quote from: John S –
Use heated mattress pad on the Sleep Comfort air bed at home. Tring to figure out how to get one of those in the coach. 
John,

The mattress in our coach is an air bed. I bought a West Point heated mattress cover that fits well. We put a memory foam topper over that. The pad would warm the body more directly without the topper, but one might feel the wires. Don't know. Didn't try it without the topper. The West Point mattress cover doesn't play well with our inverter. It works fine on shore power or generator power.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX
 

Re: Modified Sine Waves and heated sleep (was Re: What did you do to your coach)

Reply #8 –
John,

For heated mattress pads, try Kansas Wind Power at: Bed Warmers If the URL doesn't dome through, you might Google them or their number is 785-364-4407 .

Look at their 12 volt model twin bed mattress pad. It is the only size available so I have two of them - one for each of us. DC power is more efficient and surprisingly the 60 inch length is not the problem I had suspected it to be. In the engine compartment you can find sources of DC to install receptacles in the nightstand bases. If desired, inexpensive DC timers can be found on EBay.

Kind of a lot of bother but it circumvents the use of the inverter at all or problems operating a electronic controlled AC mattress pads on modified square wave models.
Jim Frerichs
2002 U320 42'