Can a modified sine wave inverter damage rlectronics

I will always recommend separate components for inverter, charger, transfer switch.

2oldman wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
and buy a cheap 2500 watt pure sine wave inverter to power the trailer.

Why do you advise cheap?

I'm just meaning I can purchase a stand alone pure sine wave inverter for much less than the cost of replacing my Xantrex inverter/charger.

2chiefsRus wrote:
is it possible that not all MSW inverters are created equal?

Yes.

Ones that have a nice big heavy transformer tend to be better.

Small true sine wave under 400 watts have prices that went down like a stone.

My Favorite is the Victron. Sometimes on sale for $80.

4x4ord wrote:
and buy a cheap 2500 watt pure sine wave inverter to power the trailer.

Why do you advise cheap?

Me Again wrote:
I had a MSW Freedom 10 in to two boats and two trailers and never had a problem. Picked up a West Marine 1500 (AKA Freedom 15, which Heart Interface never marketed under their own label) and ran that for like 15 years on the last boat and never had a issue with anything running on it also. The Freedom units have great 4 stage battery chargers built in. They are worth it just for the charger.

That might be a good idea to keep the Xantrex for the battery charger and buy a cheap 2500 watt pure sine wave inverter to power the trailer.

is it possible that not all MSW inverters are created equal?

I have personally killed two Windows laptops with an MSW inverter.

I ran one of the laptops off the inverter for several days or weeks before the laptop died.

I had a backup laptop, different model from the same company, and it used to the same charger. I plugged the charger into Shore power, and charged my backup laptop with it. This killed the backup laptop. So the MSW inverter damaged the charger in some way that caused it to kill the second laptop.

My MSW inverter has a USB Jack that is active even when the inverter is switched off. I've used that to charge my phone a few times with no problem. Of course I don't know if doing it multiple times over time would be problematic.

I had a MSW Freedom 10 in to two boats and two trailers and never had a problem. Picked up a West Marine 1500 (AKA Freedom 15, which Heart Interface never marketed under their own label) and ran that for like 15 years on the last boat and never had a issue with anything running on it also. The Freedom units have great 4 stage battery chargers built in. They are worth it just for the charger.

Our first motorhome had a Xantrex MSW inverter. DW bought several LED night lights and plugged them into several outlets. They all melted within days. I figured she just got cheapo night lights so I bought more from Lowes. They melted around the LED also.

When we replaced our Norcold fridge with a new residential Frigidare, I installed a new Magnum PSW inverter. We got more LED night lights and they worked fine for years after that.

One of my employees wanted to plug his Apple laptop into my MSW inverter. I told him not to as I'd heard it might damage it. He said he really needed to use it and would just take the chance. It immediately fried his laptop. He had to buy a new one.
A customer of mine with an off grid cabin was using a MSW inverter to power the cabin. They plugged in 2 brand new gas ranges before they realized they weren't defective, the MSW inverter was destroying them.
So yes, MSW can and will destroy some things. They can also make motors run hotter which can shorten their life. However, I have used MSW inverters for years to run things like lights and corded power tools with no problems.