DrewE wrote:
I would guess that there is some sort of a transfer switch arrangement, either an automatic transfer switch, some sort of manual switch (which would probably be incorporated into the AC electrical panel and have more or less clear instructions printed on it), or a socket to plug the shore power cord into that connects to the generator.
Do not hook anything up that relies on you remembering to disconnect the inverter before plugging in. Any such arrangement I can think of would be unsafe and not up to electric codes. Most leave the shore power cord disconnected but energized, for example, which is problematic in itself; a bit of loose metal or a misplaced hand could come into contact with it. If you're at all like me, too, you'll at some point or another forget and cause a fried inverter or similar.
As others have said, a 3000 watt inverter demands a very substantial battery bank. Many of the cheap inverters available have rather optimistic ratings (to put it kindly) and do not take well at all to being driven hard for very long.
What are you interested in powering with the inverter? How much power do you really need, and for how long of a stretch? If it's a lot, it may make more sense to purchase a generator, preferably an inverter generator...or to rethink your electrical usage (e.g. make coffee on the stovetop rather than with an electrical coffee brewer).
I already have a 3600 watt (500 peak) generator that I can use when necessary, its just a portable one on wheels rather than an on-board one.
