Converter to Converter/Inverter Conversion?

[NovaEona]

I have a 1983 Winnebago Brave, and the converter it has seems to be pretty basic (I give it power, it seems to charge the house battery, leaves the chassis battery alone for the most part) so I'm thinking about options for upgrading to one of the newer three-stage ones, preferably one with an inverter.  I've got little money but lots of DIY capability, so does anyone have any recommendations for going about this?  If I could just get a 3-stage converter capable of charging and floating both batteries, that would be very nice; can always add in another inverter separately.  Thanks.

-Rob

 

[Karl]

Rob,
Typically you'll find that combination inverters/chargers start in the 1500 watt range, and are about $700 and up. See HERE for many examples. There is a big price difference between pure sine wave and modified sine wave units, with the pure sine wave ones being about twice as expensive. Figure out what your wattage needs are first, then decide if you really need pure sine wave. Some devices with electronic controls (electric blankets, clocks, coffee makers with electronic timers, etc.) simply won't work on modified sine wave and will burn out quickly. Get backto us with your needs, and we'll see if we can help pick out one that suits you.

 

[NovaEona]

I doubt I need the pure sine, the most sensitive device I'll need to power from the inverter is my computer, and I know that can run fine on modified sine (usually use it with a 300w inverter, but would like the extra capacity for the rv).  I'd like to be able to put a tv and game console on it too.  700+ is pretty pricy, and I do know a place where I can get a cheap standalone 1500W inverter, so maybe I should focus on upgrading to a 3-stage converter only.

 

[John From Detroit]

My recommendation is a TRUE SINE WAVE inverter/converter,  That said, they are more expensive, but several things just seem to work better, these include microwaves, televisions, radios, and more.

What I have is a Xantrex Prosine 2.0  I would suggest you visit the Xantrex web page and download the manual for the prosine 2.0, (Even if you don't buy it) lots of good information there,  Also check out the FAQ page on the product, Likewise, in fact most every thing I can tell you will be on those pages.

That said: There are several good companies, like Tripplite, as an example.  Without doing a lot more research (mostly into the converter section) I won't recommend any one brand over another.  I know the xantrex product I have and it is very good.

I truly like that I can program the converter section for several different types and sizes of batteries,  Basically I can set it up for most any battery I can plug into the rig.

One warning with Xantrex though.. Equlization (When you request it) is 17 volts plus, (On flooded wet cells, I think I use sixteen on my AGM's) so if you do an EQ run.... DISCONNECT, UNPLUG  DE-FUSE 17 volts can cause damage.

As for the chassis battery... Look up Trick-L-Start

 

[Karl]

Rob,
There's nothing wrong with going the stand-alone inverter and stand-alone charger/converter. Just make sure the charger is a 3-stage so it won't boil your batteries, and consider an inverter that has the capability of being hard-wired into your electrical system (rather than having to mess with plugging and unplugging power cords), and one that has an automatic transfer switch that automatically cuts in the inverter in case of loss of shore power. Which make/model are you looking at? 

 

[Karl]

While I'm thinking about it, just make sure the converter isn't powered by the output of the inverter. You'll have to unplug it or throw the c.b. when running the inverter off the batteries. Science has come a long way, but we're not at the point yet where you can charge your batteries by running a charger that is powered by them. ;D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I would replace the converter/charger with a decent one, either from Progressive Dynamics or Iota and get a separate cheap inverter when you are ready.  There are probably only a few things you would use the inverter for anyway and they are simple enough to wire up. If it is just the tv, for example, a 400-500 watt inverter will do it and can be had for $60 or so.

But if you want to go right for  a combination inverter/charger, you might consider a relatively inexpensive unit like this Go Power

Charging both batteries is a matter of how the charging system is wired and does not require any special charger. Basically you want an isolator diode between the house and chassis batteries so that you can charge the chassis battery but not drain it if you use too much house power and run the house batteries dead.