Inverter on or off

Question

Our previous Class A's had a converter but not an inverter. A we always used the genset when travelling. I never thought much about the difference in the 2. Our new FW has a residential fridge and an inverter. I am not 100% sure when to have on or off. During storage I think it's obvious it would be off - along with the disconnect if for any length of time. I have found that my solar still charges the battery even if I use the disconnect - I am hoping it's supposed to. I am also pretty sure I will need the inverter on during travels if I need the fridge to keep food cold. What I am unsure about is when I am plugged into shore power. Should I turn the inverter on or off? I understand I will get power to TV, appliances and outlets via shore power. Will the batt still charge via shore power and/or solar? The dealership actually had the ground off the inverter until I brought it home and while plugged in everything still worked with the inverter out of the loop, so it seems like the inverter is only for travel or boon docking. Am I understanding this right?

reneeg · Answer

With our solar setup, we turn off the inverter if we are not using the solar system. In other words, it's off until we need to watch TV or use the outlets. While the inverter is off the system is charging and storing energy. We found that by leaving on the inverter, which we did for years, our batteries were not keeping up. Now that we've wised up, we have plenty of power when needed.

When we're home and plugged in, our inverter is still off and yes, it still charges. As you noted, when we are en route, we turn on the inverter and the fridge runs on solar while we're traveling. If it's cloudy and doesn't charge adequately, we turn off the fridge and rely on ice to keep it cold till we stop and turn on propane. We do not have a residential fridge.

lwiddis · Answer

I’m an “inverter off” fan when not in use. And, yes, inverters are not needed when plugged in.

dmck413 · Answer

Turn mine on while travelling. If just an overnight stay I leave it on while on shore power. Keeps me from forgetting.

way2roll · Answer

dmck413 wrote:Turn mine on while travelling. If just an overnight stay I leave it on while on shore power. Keeps me from forgetting.So, if you leave it on, is it basically a pass through if on shore power? is there a risk to leaving it on and on shore power?

time2roll · Answer

Any OEM install should not present any risk to leave the inverter on.

Reasons to leave it on would be to power the fridge if the utility power goes out or to be sure you don't forget as you depart.

Yes it is best to turn off in storage. Good chance the inverter may bypass the disconnect switch, might be worth checking but still best to power it down with the intended inverter power switch.

Yes the solar should charge regardless of the battery disconnect switch position. If you service the battery it is best to disconnect the panels from the controller before you disconnect the controller from the battery.

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