Inverter Charger

Thanks Pianotuna for the thorough follow up

Thanks pianotuna and time2roll.

ependydad wrote:
How are you switching between the big and little inverters?

I have a big and a little inverter.

Large is connected to the microwave branch circuit and one added outlet in the kitchen. Can drive your microwave, coffee, toaster, waffle iron all right there. (not all at once)

That was fine until all these devices started showing up. Laptop, chromebook, ipads, phones etc. But the large inverter draws 2 amps at idle so I bought a small 300 watt inverter and connected to the two branch circuits to power the rest of the outlets. Battery power was precious at times before the solar was installed. I have a note by the switch to remind anyone to switch the fridge to propane. Small inverter idles at 260 milliamps so it can be on and forgotten without much draw on the battery.

Now the devices are charging more off the USB adapter in the 12v cigar connector. Still the small inverter powers the chromebook, tv, dvd, razor etc.

Been a 12 year journey with no idea what the next few will bring.

sandstravels wrote:
Now let me re-ask the question, What is the latest and greatest charger/converter and the latest and greatest inverter?

Best charging is solar if you camp in the sun much. Next is a multistage converter from Progressive Dynamics, IOTA or Powermax. You will want 60 to 90 amps rated with 4x GC2 batteries charging from a generator.

I like my GoPower 2000 watt sine wave inverter. Runs very cool compared to my Xantrex Prosine 1800 that gave up way too soon but past the warranty. Many others are probably good too.

Hi,

The little inverter lives in the bedroom and I simply plug devices into it. Maximum load is limited to about 150 watts. It is powered by a cigarette lighter outlet. I want to keep it portable for use in the car.

pianotuna wrote:
Victron is hard to beat. Outback has a good reputation. Magnum may be cheaper and may get the job done.

I now have a 350 watt Victron psw inverter for small loads. It weighs over 8 pounds. It was less than $80. I use my small inverter much more often than the big one.

How are you switching between the big and little inverters?

There is a man in Quartsite who fixes Prosines... Alas I do not have his ID handy but hopefully he will read this.

I have heard good things about Samulex.

Hi,

Victron is hard to beat. Outback has a good reputation. Magnum may be cheaper and may get the job done.

I now have a 350 watt Victron psw inverter for small loads. It weighs over 8 pounds. It was less than $80. I use my small inverter much more often than the big one.

I can't speak to converters. I can say some inverter/chargers have custom battery settings which means the charging profile can be idealized.

For part time use, a well designed solar charging system blows a converter out of the water as it is a one time cost and can be set up and left alone. Before I was full time, my battery bank was totally full before any trip I took. I added a trick-l-start, so the chassis battery was also maintained.

sandstravels wrote:
Sounds like good advice, thank you. Now let me re-ask the question, What is the latest and greatest charger/converter and the latest and greatest inverter?

Hi Lantley,

The wiring is essentially the same and in some instances may be easier and shared. I.E. Wire inverter to battery bank, and converter to DC input on inverter.

Inverter/chargers are often more expensive than buying separate components.

The more complex a device the more likely it is to fail. With an inverter/charger failure the trip might end. If just an inverter fails it might be a little inconvenient, but it is not a trip ender. If a converter fails, an ordinary battery charger could be used on a temporary basis to allow the trip to continue.

Because I wanted a large pure sine wave inverter, and a load support feature, I did choose an inverter/charger. Due to a design fault (some one not thinking) the cooling fan on the unit is 120 volt. That means IF the inverter is turned off, and has been under a heavy load for some time, no cooling happens. I did not know that, and so the unit caught on fire. To be fair, they did cover replacement under warranty. But what use would that be on a holiday?

Fortunately I did leave the OEM converter in place, and I do have a generator (which I hate), for 120 volt loads.

It would have been a much better design for them to have used 12 volt fans so that cooling could continue with the inverter turned off--just as happens in many cars with electric radiator fans.

I wanted the load support feature because I misunderstood and thought it was voltage support. If allowed to operate "normally" load support does not keep the voltage up. For that, you need an autoformer (which I have).

If I were starting over, I would jump to a 48 volt dc system with a 4400 watt stand alone inverter. Much as I love the load support feature, I would go back to doing "double conversion" instead of the hybrid inverter/charger. It would be cheaper to do so, and more reliable.

I find myself using my small inverter a lot of the time and the big unit only for short term loads.

Lantley wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
The only reason for an inverter/charger is if you need the hybrid type. Otherwise stand alone components are more desirable.

While an inverter charger maybe more complex. Are they not easier to wire/install? Is one component cheaper than 2? I'm not very experienced on this subject but I'm learning.
I'm tossing these comments out to the crowd.

pianotuna wrote:
The only reason for an inverter/charger is if you need the hybrid type. Otherwise stand alone components are more desirable.

While an inverter charger maybe more complex. Are they not easier to wire/install? Is one component cheaper than 2? I'm not very experienced on this subject but I'm learning.
I'm tossing these comments out to the crowd.