Inverter On or Off

[thebig05]

If I'm plugged into a 30-50amp plug, does the inverter remote inside the camper need to be on or off? Hopefully an easy question. Any help would be appreciated.

[wa8yxm]

For 12 years I used a Prosine 2.0 and plugged into 30, or 50 or not plugged in I left the inverter side "Turned on" full time.. This is a inverter/charger (I turned the charger off cause I like the Progressive Dynamics 9180 with wizard better) but left the Inverter side on, With Shore power it went into Standby mode automatically..

When Shore power failed, and it has many times.. Televisons, computer, Microwave, et-al did not even blink, only thing that Blinked was my Moto-sat In-motion Sat dish.. And I don't use it anymore.

[Bobbo]

I never have my inverter powered on unless I am planning to use it. I even put a Blue Sea disconnect switch on the hot cable going to it, so I KNOW it is off.

Also, my inverter does not charge my batteries.

[dougrainer]

Your model is made by Magnum Energy. Your model is an INVERTER only. NO 12 volt charger. So, to answer your question, DO NOT LEAVE THE INVERTER ON. Only turn it ON when you need to run the Refer when NOT connected to Shore Power. If left ON, then if you lose 120 shore power, the Inverter will drain your existing battery Power in about 24 to 36 hours. Also, I do not advise customers to leave Inverters ON unless you want Inverter Power. The reason? Inverters (stand alone or Inverter/chargers) are out of sight and out of mind. Some RV'ers ALL THE TIME, forget they had the Inverter ON (stand by mode) and when they park to store, the Inverter then is ON and drains the batteries in a few days. How do I know this? Simple. About 75 percent of my motorhome customers drop their unit off for service and after a few days the coach batteries are either DEAD or way below 11 volts. BECAUSE they left the Inverter/Charger ON. They forget. Out of sight and out of mind. Fulltimers rarely have this type problem as they are in their units 24/7. Doug

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Nice inverter. Now all we need to know if it is an inverter, or an inverter/charger.

In the first case--leave it off.

If it is an inverter/charger, leave it on, unless the RV is going to be in storage.

[MrWizard]

Converter charges batteries, must be on

Stand alone inverter uses batteries to make 120vac power, can be turned off if not using it

Combo inverter-chargers do both functions

The charge function needs to be on all the time
The 'inverter' function can be turned off, if you wish
Although mine was always on
If you have cable TV satellite TV or cable internet, leave the inverter function ON

Or everything is going to turn off and reset every time the shore power blips

[thebig05]

Thank you for your input, Sir.

[enblethen]

Look for a small plate on the unit that should have the exact model number.
Look at the manual for the one I posted earlier. Does it look like this/ Various sizes look the same or very similar.
If this is what it looks like then leave it on to keep batteries charged and have power to rig during shore power outages.
Don't for get to keep an eye on battery water levels.

[thebig05]

Don't know the particulars, but it is a MagnaSine Pure Sine. Just not sure what model it is. It's white, and kind of looks like an audio amplifier. If I'm not mistaken, when we bought it, the pitch for it was that it was for the residential fridge.

[pianotuna]

specific make and model would help.

[time2roll]

Does the inverter charge the battery? You want the charging ON if equipped.
The actual inverter can be ON or OFF depending on your preference or needs.
I tend to leave stuff OFF unless needed.

[2oldman]

wolfe10 wrote:
Do you want the inverter to supply circuits IF the shore power fails.

x2. And that depends on whether this is a whole-house inverter or just selected circuits. Sorry.. inverter questions are rarely easy!

[wolfe10]

If it is programmed as most inverter/chargers are, the question is:

Do you want the inverter to supply circuits IF the shore power fails.

On most, the charging and "pass-through" feature work whether the inverter is turned on or off.

[enblethen]

Quick search says this should be one you have. You need to find the exact part number on your unit. If it is this series you should leave it connected.
inverter/charger

[thebig05]

It's wired into the battery. There is a remote switch inside the camper on the light switch panel. Not sure if it's a inverter/charger or straight inverter. It's a Magna Sine Pure Sine if that helps.