phemens wrote:
Thanks for the inputs. The converter I have now is a Boondocker (from Best Converters) that has an on/off switch and is not hardwired. I guess I will try the double conversion route and see how that goes, seems simple enough - I had installed an AC plug right next to the converter anyways, so i’m assuming I can just plug into that when on shore power (rather than to the factory installed outlet behind the distribution panel, only advantage there is it’s on its own breaker).
The combined inverter charger intrigues me for later if I step up to a higher wattage model. How does it handle the generator? If I get a remote start model like a Champion 3400 at some point, can it be wired to auto start the generator when it drops below a certain voltage?
You must not have the 2000w version with the 55 amp charger but just the inverter, or this would be even more fun!
Auto start gen would not be very popular when it fires up at 3 am in a park where gen hours start at 9 am. The inverter is supposed to do the 120v stuff in silence until gen hours let you recharge the batteries. I do not understand how an RV can use an auto gen start feature in any likely scenario.
The extra work in manual transfer is not much extra when you have a portable generator.
It is different with a 5er from a MH what the opportunities are for all this as to where the shore cord , converter, and batteries are.
You only need the converter when you are on shore power or on generator, so the converter can be portable too. The converter is only ever plugged into the Rv's receptacle when you are on shore power (mostly only at home) It plugs into the portable gen when you use that ( not often ) the rest of the time it is unplugged. You just need a place to stash the portable converter and the portable generator and your extension cord.
The real issue going without enough solar and that big battery bank is how to recharge it when it gets low when you only have a 2000w gen which can only run about 60 amps worth of charger. I have not figured that one out yet for my own case.
With the 5er it was easier. 3000w gen in the truck and big amp portable charger(s) onto the battery bank up front in the 5er. Can't do that with the Class C. That is why they put those built-in gens in MHs and use transfer switching. (Our MH does not have the built-in gen, and can only carry the 2000w size portable gen, so we have a similar situation to the OP's.)
The OP can do this with his Boondocker, having a 5er and a truck. Gen in truck.
