time2roll wrote:
If the converter actually puts 45 amps into the battery you might overload the inverter. A single test will confirm with no harm. Of course the inverter would need to be hardwired to the vehicle start battery. And inverters don't really like heat under the hood. If you plan to do this while idling stationary the alternator may not keep up. Otherwise you are good to go. No harm to the alternator.
I am fairly certain it doesn't put all 45 amps into the battery. It's a three-stage converter so it has some smarts about sending the right amount of current into the battery. Lead-acid charge rate (I read somewhere) is C/6 to C/8, and group 24 batteries are 80AH, for a charge rate of between 10-13A on DC, to about 1-1.5A on AC, back to about 14-21A on the alternator.
Couldn't find solid numbers on what the alternator is capable of when idling but I think I saw it's 10% of full rated output, so I may have to jam a stick against the gas pedal to rev it up a little while charging.
Inverter runs from inside the cabin, no overheating.
I'm hoping to try it this week to be sure it doesn't scream.
