Inverter Charger brands and sizing

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wopachop

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Instead of investing in more solar panels i think the inverter charger will be a better value. Most of us already have a powerful onboard genny that is matched to a weak onboard charger. 

What are the go to brands? I want to like Renogy and pretty close to buying their 2000w or 3000w inverter charger. Its just they get such horrible reviews when it comes to customer service. But then again if you expect you will need customer service to repair an issue, then youre buying the wrong brand to begin with. 

I plan to switch over to lithium at some point down the road. 5 years maybe. I would hate to buy the 2000w and then wish i got the 3000w. In terms of sizing i will only play music and charge 110v devices. Will the 3000w inverter be much less efficient the majority of the time im using it? I do like the idea of brewing coffee or nuking something in the microwave once i switch to lithium. Trying to learn if the 3000w might actually be a mistake, since my dual 6v will sag too much under that high of load. In 5 years inverter chargers might be cheaper too. Another reason to not invest in a 3000w right now. 

I really like the idea of a fast transfer switch. Renogy claims 10ms. Other brands i was looking at last week were 20ms.

 
I'll be following this thread.  My trailer doesn't have an inverter at all currently but I plan on adding solar and converting to lithium next year

 
On my 25-ft trailer, I was using a 400 w inverter to power a TV, 5.1 channel surround sound system, subwoofer and dish Network satellite. If you're only going to play music and charge phones, just get a cheap 750 watt inverter from Walmart and leave it at that for now. Then when you're ready to switch to lithium and run your microwave, get the 3000 watt Renogy inverter charger and that should run your micro and similar appliances no problem.

 
The 3000w is $200 more and also larger in size. Besides those 2 factors, is there a hidden benefit to buying the 2000w model? Wondering about efficiency at low power draws. Its almost like the 2000w is a middle ground we dont need camping in glamis. Its too big for a stereo and TV, yet too small for the microwave. 

Out at glamis my WFCO just aint cutting it. Can run the genny at night but it never kicks into 14.4v mode. So in the morning, not running much but lights, the batteries are low and struggle to start the gen for a morning coffee and shower. Its sad toyhauler manufactures still install a known to be bad device. How many years has the WFCO been sucking now?

 
I went with a Magnum 2000 watt inverter/charger when I did the set up in my Moho. Part of the reason I selected the Magnum is because it has a 125 amp charger so when I run the gen it charges my batteries fairly quickly. My research also showed Magnum to be a reliable brand. I also like their remote panel and auto gen start module. 

 
wopachop said:
The 3000w is $200 more and also larger in size. Besides those 2 factors, is there a hidden benefit to buying the 2000w model? Wondering about efficiency at low power draws. Its almost like the 2000w is a middle ground we dont need camping in glamis. Its too big for a stereo and TV, yet too small for the microwave. 

Out at glamis my WFCO just aint cutting it. Can run the genny at night but it never kicks into 14.4v mode. So in the morning, not running much but lights, the batteries are low and struggle to start the gen for a morning coffee and shower. Its sad toyhauler manufactures still install a known to be bad device. How many years has the WFCO been sucking now?
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I agree, the converters do a lousy job of charging batteries. You're also right that a 2,000w inverter is an in between size that cannot run all microwaves or coffee pots with enough reserve power reliably. That's why I recommend the 3,000w, especially at that price point, compared to the $3500 Victron inverter. It's a good inverter, but not at over 3.5x the price.

 
there was a good thread on this before the crash.   but i run a magnum 2800 you can run everything except your ac. i also have a AGS (auto generator start) it starts the generator when the batteries go low and shuts off when done charging. great for the winter but when you have to run the ac alot the generator has to run all day   now magnum has a line of inverters that they call hybrid. basically you could run a small 2000w honda with their 3000w inverter 3500 surge the inverter can combine the incoming ac to run heavy loads and charge the batteries with the surplus. i dont know much about them or how well they work i think Squacher sell or has alot of info on this  hopefully he will reply on this thread.

 
Our Moho is all electric and uses the Magnum 2800 works well runs every thing but the Heat pumps. Getting ready to install the 3000 Magnum hybrid in the bosses Toter will see how that works out if. If it works out like they claim may switch mine out I like the idea of combining the power for high loads.

 
I just upgraded my old trace 2000w modified sine wave to a magnum ms2812. 2800w pure sine wave inverter. The old trace had the battery shunt and auto Gen start built in, the new stuff is all separate units, so that kinda sucked. Just got everything in last weekend. I went with magnum because they have way better reviews then the others, and I researched every brand I could find.....

I don't like to have problems while camping. The extra cost of the magnum is worth the piece of mind.

 
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