Will this work, Electric ?

[Versatile]

Can i use an inverter to run 120 volt items while idling my bus. Bus will be a diesel. I want to run a Coleman over head Ac unit and occasionaly a microwave oven etc.
Wouldn't i need to install additional alternator?
thanks for looking.

[bapos]

You can but this is not how you would want to do that. Your power consumption on the AC is far too much for an inverter. This is why people run them off of generators. Both the microwave and ac have start up cycles that will run very high then come down once they get up and running.

I guess to answer the question... yes you can but you will need a sizeable bank of batteries to draw from. On the charging end of the alternator running at very high amps is not really good on them all the time.

Hope this helps.

[lapeer20m]

Its not that it is not possible, just not practical. At the minimum, you will need a high output 24 volt alternator/inverter.

3k watts @ 27 volts = about 111 amps. That's before all the power loss from inverting and delivering the current. 100 amps or so is easily delivered at higher rpm, but may be more difficult for long periods of time at idle.

Trying to run an ac from 12 volts would require twice as many amps which is generally not practical.

Rather than adding a second alternator, buying a 24 volt inverter , and a bank of batteries, it would be cheaper and less problematic to just buy a cheap generator, especially if you buy one from craigslist.

[Versatile]

Thanks. I am learning.