Which is better 60 amp converter or 1000 watt inverter

[jimbo4UT]

Man this stuff makes my head ache 🙂

thanks in advance

[miltvill]

So you are talking about a Progressive Dynamics RV Converter PD9260C.

Features:

Converter charger changes AC shore power to DC power to quickly charge your RV batteries
Provides continuous power to your DC breaker panel to run 12V loads
Works with flooded lead acid, AGM, and gel batteries
Integrated Charge Wizard monitors your RV's batteries and automatically begins charging when needed
Multistage charging helps extend battery life
Built-in safety features protect your RV's electrical system
Status remote pendant (sold separately) lets you manually select the charging mode
UL listed
Made in the USA

If you have solar panels then you should have an additional system for the solar charging.

[ajriding]

If it is a camper, then you likely have a device onboard that does charge the batteries when plugged into shoreline. It is usually a "converter", which converts 120 household current to 12 volt DC current. The cheapest of ones will put out 13.6 volts DC current, a float charge, to the battery, so when you are using DC appliances there is a lot of converter DC power to run them and the battery does not get discharged. If you need more "amps" than the converter can supply then the battery will deplete, but big amp draws are usually temporary, so the discharge will be short-lived and minimal. Your fridge might be able to run off of DC power, and possible that the converter cannot supply enough juice for that, but it just depends on your power supply, if you are plugged in the fridge should be running on household 120 current and not 12v DC anyway.

The solar is a totally different system unrelated to the converter. Both solar and converter will put electricity into the batteries, think of it as having two glasses of water and both pour water into a bucket of water that has a leak and constantly needs more water.

I do not know, but I suspect that an inverter charger would be like an inverter generator. An inverter generator makes AC current, that is turned to DC current, and the inverter turns the DC current back into AC current. This is done so the generator can run at different rpm's but still put out the same 120 volts of AC household power. Maybe an inverter charger goes through these hoops so it will put out CLEAN power. Many campgrounds have very dirty electricity. Sometimes the electricity is too low, or sometimes there might be surges because the electrical system is wired so poorly and the entire campground is on the same power feed and demanding lots of power for fridges and AC units. The inverter thing could be a way to filter out dirty electricity, anyone want to chime in? This is just my guess to get the conversation moving...

There are DC to DC chargers that use a similar concept also.

[jimbo4UT]

Not sure what i am talking about but i believe it has a converter because it has a 12 Volt refrig. Does that sound right 🙂 Also has a 4 stage solar controller to charge the batteries.
I have a PD9260C – 60 Amp RV Converter/Charger

[wa8yxm]

Depends on two things
ONE: the make and model of the devices (Some convertes are better than others generally the inverter/chargers are among the "Better" converters)

What you want to do with it. 1,000 is kind of a gray area. Good for all the electromics May brew a cup of coffee. Won't run the microwave.
2000 will run the microwave

NOTE for each thousand watts of inverter you need one pair GC-2 Batteries or some other way of getting 200 amp hours. DEEP CYCLE

[ajriding]

apples to apples if he is talking about inverter-chargers compared to converter chargers.

Nobody knows what he is talking about as he is as confused as the rest of us. A little more detail might help you get your answer

[naturist]

Agreed, apples and oranges. They do entirely different things.

[theoldwizard1]

elwood58 wrote:
You need a converter to convert 110v AC to 12v DC in order to charge your batteries and power 12v DC lights and appliances when on shore power.

You need an inverter to make 12v DC into 110v AC for running AC appliances from your battery bank.

Correct !

IMHO, anyone who is planning on installing an inverter should get a combination inverter/charger/automatic transfer switch. Easy to install and even easier to use. (Yes, they are not cheap.)

Remove your old converter. Connect the DC fuse/distribution panel directly to the battery. Connect the inverter/charger/automatic transfer switch inpout directly to the battery and then the output to the AC breaker panel. Connected the shore power leads to the inverter. DONE !

[valhalla360]

Assuming your trailer currently has neither...I would go with the Converter (RV name for battery charger). Otherwise, once your battery is drained, you are completely out of electricity (I'm presuming no other charging source and not hooked up to shore power)

Of course, in real life it's apples vs clydesdales...they are two completely different things...other than clydesdales like to eat apples.

[pianotuna]

jimbo4UT wrote:
Man this stuff makes my head ache 🙂

thanks in advance

If you are trying to compare a converter with an inverter/charger, often the inverter/charger is more flexible about adjustments to charging parameters.

Before the advent of hybrid inverter/chargers, I preferred a stand alone converter and a stand alone inverter.

[jimbo4UT]

It is starting to get clearer 🙂 Thanks everyone

[rk911]

if you're replacing a converter/charger please look for a 3-stage or "smart" charger. this will help protect your coach batteries from overcharging which should extend battery life. the converter/charger does two things. it channels power from the shore power connection or generator to charge your coach batteries (and in some RVs the chassis battery(ies) as well). it also converts the 120vac shore power or genny power to 12vdc to power your lights, RV fridge and other 12v items in your RV.

you only "need" an inverter if you want to power one or more 120vac appliances such as a microwave, microwave/convection oven, TV, other entertainment devices or residential refrigerator while not plugged into shore power or running your generator. the more 120vac appliances you want to simultaneously power through the inverter will determine the size of inverter needed which in turn will help you decide how big of a battery bank you need.

[elwood58]

You need a converter to convert 110v AC to 12v DC in order to charge your batteries and power 12v DC lights and appliances when on shore power.

You need an inverter to make 12v DC into 110v AC for running AC appliances from your battery bank.

There are combo units that do both, but can be large and expensive. If you have a working converter, and only need to add an inverter, make sure it is Pure Sine Wave output, and sized large enough to handle your projected load.

[Lwiddis]

Xs and Os. You must have a converter. You might want an inverter.

[bob213]

Depends on what you are trying to do.
Converter changes 110v ac to 12v dc.
Inverter changes 12v dc to 110v ac.