Now THIS Is What I Would Call A "State Of The Art" Inverter

The 3,000 watt unit advertises transfer switches beefier than those on the
magnum or Xantrex. The high power Outback seems to use the same DPDT relays as the Samlex dual 40 amp units. I have switched to 70 amp mercury filled relays on my Trace the originals gave up decades ago.

I bought one from Best a couple years ago and it's very nice. If we need one again for current fleet, it will be that.

BFL13 wrote:
I don't understand gen auto start in an RV. You don't want it coming on at 3am! What is the scenario for needing an auto gen start?

They are programmable so they do not start at 3AM. They are programmable so they start when your batteries need charging and if the temperature inside goes too high for your critter you left inside to survive or just to keep the butter from melting.

It is another tool that some don't want or need but one that I find convenient when dry camping.

The Samlex looks interesting, is it field repairable? If I lose the transfer switch can I replace the contactor or do I have to send it in or replace the entire unit?

Movie set towed generators give a gentle wheeze when standing next to them. A person can successfully whisper. But that quiet comes at a loss of much four dollar a gallon efficiency. My 12.5 Kw Kubota is a 12 turn generator and it drinks 14 gallons per 24 hours. Fifty six dollars a day. The Isuzu turbo acts as the muffler.

Win the lottery and it all can be yours. Oh by the way in your dreams for successful boondocking jam an extra 150 gallon fuel tank somewhere under the rig. Running to refuel take the bloom off the rose.

It doesn’t offer enough genset features to suit me.

The controllers from Intellitech and Onan let you start the genset on battery level OR temp inside the RV AND you can program it to not come on during quiet time. They also have a look ahead feature to top off the battery before quiet time.

I didn't see in the above posts why an RV needs an auto-start gen. I know they need them at hospitals and farms (where you need the well-water pump to still work for the animals' water)

When we go off-grid, the inverter does it all till we get home. Any gen time would be to recharge the batteries at a time of our choosing if there isn't enough solar.

If you are a CPAP user, you should be able to get by until regular gen hours at a civilized time of day to recharge the batteries so the inverter can keep going.

If you go home and leave the res fridge on and worry about a power interruption that will let the food spoil so you need the gen to come on, there is another way to handle that. Don't do that! No need to leave the gen ready to come on in the middle of the night and drive your neighbours crazy, and you not even being there for them to pound on. :)

BFL13 wrote:
I don't understand gen auto start in an RV. You don't want it coming on at 3am! What is the scenario for needing an auto gen start?

I can understand it with respect to some large glamorous Class A rigs whenever they are dry camping.

I was close to one once with it's probably-1800RPM diesel genertor mounted deep inside it's undercarriage somewhere that was really ... no kidding ... whisper quiet with, for some reason, no fumes. I thought I heard something, so I walked right up beside the motorhome so as to finally make out the sound of a very low muffled low-RPM engine running somewhere within it's chassis structure.

That experience made a believer out of me. Ultra-quiet RV generator designs and installations are indeed possible. What a boon to worry free full power, day-or-night, any weather, any shade, RV drycamping it would have been if all RV generator installations had been like this down through the years.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
My tiny 300 watt Samlex was pricey. But in years past the total price I had paid for an aggregate mound of Harbor Freight garbage was a lot higher. All of them combined lived a total of six years. My Samlex have survived nine years. Who's The Dummy?

Mex ..... yup - you're right on with that.

My 300 watt Samlex inverter is 9-10 years old and still going strong: Powers a CPAP all night long via being plugged into a 12V receptacle. Chargers up all the little gizmos during the day. Will somehow run the DW's hair dryer set on low (when direct connected to the power distribution panel).

And if direct connected to the house battery terminals ... will probably power our two personal 150 watt heaters, plus maybe kinddof power our small 120V AC RV vacumm cleaner.

It never makes a sound either ... does it's thing in complete quiet - as well designed and constrlucted electronic gear should be. You never regret buying quality, you just have to figure out how to pay for it.

I don't understand gen auto start in an RV. You don't want it coming on at 3am! What is the scenario for needing an auto gen start?


That's exactly why I "missed" earlier announcements about the inverter.


TRACE inverters were expensive Samlex inverters are expensive, but they do not break down.

Why is the fact that something broken costs an enormous amount of time and expense, almost hypnosis-grade forgotten?

Ego? "I wasted money by trying to save money"

I kick myself in the AS$ when I find myself doing it. Like with those Wal-Mart tires. It wasn't a mistake. It wasn't being thrifty, it was just plain stupid. I knew better.

My tiny 300 watt Samlex was pricey. But in years past the total price I had paid for an aggregate mound of Harbor Freight garbage was a lot higher. All of them combined lived a total of six years. My Samlex have survived nine years. Who's The Dummy?

Take time to learn about product features. ZERO CROSSING TIME means the inverter switches so fast you won't see the slightest flicker in lighting. Computers do not see a blip and re-boot.

Absorbsion voltage AND TIME are adjustable. And when I took a look inside my SAMLEX I did not see mainland Chinese GARBAGE GRADE components. Many of the capacitors and FETs are Malaysian.

Personally I like the 3,000 watt unit because of the over-kill supply relay capacity -- actually a pair of relays.

I find that if I am spending more than an hour or two yearly standing in a customer service line or going to the post office to return a defective product it is time to re-examine my purchase selection methodology.

I laugh when I see remarks about Chinese military islands in the south China sea. They have to be built on landfill consisting primarily of failed factory garbage.

I don't understand gen auto start in an RV. You don't want it coming on at 3am! What is the scenario for needing an auto gen start?