INVERTER/CHARGERS

An inverter is designed to turn 12V power into 120V just as a converter allows you to utilize 12V from a 120V power source. When either term is paired simultaneously with “charger”, as in “inverter/charger” or “converter/charger”, it simply means the power supply will charge your battery bank. In an RV, many of the essential appliances and electronics operate under 12V or propane, such as lights, stoves, refrigerators, LP detectors, awnings and slides. In order to power anything beyond those 12V or propane appliances, you will need to be plugged into shore power or have an inverter or a generator.

There are (5) major considerations when choosing an inverter:

1. Battery Bank Capacity - In off-grid scenarios, an inverter will be limited by the capacity of your battery bank. This is crucial in lead-acid applications because voltage affects performance. When a lead-acid battery bank is taxed with a heavy energy load, it will compromise the performance of everything in your RV and throw off low voltage warnings. For lead acid applications, advise a bank of at least (4) batteries for a 2000W or larger inverter. Lithium batteries are not susceptible to this same issue (Peukert’s Law) but managing energy consumption while you are off-grid is still a consideration, regardless of battery type.

2. Desired Loads - Your intended loads will also help determine the size of inverter you need. Here is a general guide for sizing your inverter:

   300W or less - Computers, Lights, Cell Phones
   2000W or more - Refrigerators, Microwaves, Blenders
   2800W or more - Air conditioners, Laundry Machines

   Note that you will likely have to use energy management in order to power your appliances. Depending on the size of your inverter, type of battery bank, and the energy demand of your loads, you might have to be selective with what you have running and whether or not you’ll be able to run certain loads in tandem. For instance, it is unlikely that you are going to be operating many other appliances, if any, while you are running a microwave off a 2000W inverter that is powered by an AGM battery bank. Depending on the equipment you select to complete your off-grid system, it may require conscious pausing of certain loads in order to power items which will tax the inverter, battery bank, or both.

3. Built-In Charger - When you see the language “inverter/charger” it simply means the inverter has the ability to both produce 120V from a 12V power supply and charge your house battery bank while you’re plugged into shore power. Without getting too into detail, the ability to charge a battery is possible by a voltage differential between a charging source and load. If that voltage differential isn’t met, then the batteries will not reach a full charge. The average RV is equipped with a Progressive Dynamics converter/charger that has a maximum absorption of 13.6V. To give you a clue of its efficacy, LifeLine’s recommended absorption for their AGM batteries is 14.4V. The lower voltage set point of a stock converter/charger prevents the battery from reaching a full charge and further, slows down the charge cycle. Over time, with any kind of lead acid battery, this can lead to sulfation and diminished battery capacity. The inverter/chargers we offer are fully programmable according to your battery’s charging profile and would make your stock converter/charger obsolete. In some instances, the cost of upgrading to an inverter/charger might not always be justified. For those upgrading to lithium batteries, a charger upgrade of some kind is usually necessary but in lead acid applications, it is optional. Flooded wet cell batteries tend to be more forgiving to charging abuse and much less expensive to replace so an upgraded charger can be a point of compromise in those applications.

4. Automatic Transfer - The term automatic transfer is used in conjunction with the term Passthrough which refers to the inverter’s ability to draw power outlets from shore while plugged in, rather than the battery bank. The idea of automatic transfer is that the inverter will recognize the shore input when you’re plugged in and automatically preference it to power your outlets.

5. Power Assist - Power assist inverters allow you to draw power from shore and your battery bank simultaneously. This can be advantageous when your loads exceed the output of a shore service, like if you want to power an air conditioner but are only plugged into 15A. The Victron Multiplus 12/2000 and 12/3000 are equipped with Power Assist. In the inverter world, you might also hear the term “hybrid” used as a synonym for power assist.

COMPLETE VICTRON INVERTER/CHARGER PACKAGES

In the Complete Inverter Charger Packages, we install the Victron Multiplus Inverter/Chargers between the shore connection and AC distribution. This allows the inverter/charger to power every outlet in the camper, assuming the inverter, battery bank, and/or shore connection are equipped for the load demands. It can still be an exercise in energy management because you may need to “free up” energy by turning off some loads in order to power other loads with heavier energy demands. This can be especially prevalent in lead-acid battery setups which are subject to Peukert’s law. As we mentioned earlier, the inverter/charger can be programmed in such a way that power is drawn strictly from shore when you’re plugged in, rather than the battery bank. It can also assist shore power when power demands exceed shore output.

STANDALONE INVERTER PACKAGES

The Standalone Inverter packages are designed to power a select number of outlets. The packages we offer utilize the Samlex Pure Sine Inverters which come equipped with AC outlets on the face of the inverter. Optionally, additional electrical outlets can be remotely integrated into the inverter for convenient access. This is common because the ideal position for the inverter is close to the battery bank and often the batteries can be located in more secluded areas of the camper. The Standalone Inverter/Charger Packages are designed for people who say, “I’m not really looking to utilize every outlet in my camper while I’m boondocking. I just want to be able to use a few lighter appliances on a few specified outlets.”