converter-changes 120V AC shore power or generator power to 12V DC power for using 12V appliances and charging batteries.
inverter-changes 12V DC battery power to 120V AC to use 120V AC appliances with batteries.
generator-conventional-uses fuel to make 120V AC power and noise to use 120V AC appliances and charge batteries via converter when shore power is not available. Runs at constant speed.
generator-inverter-uses fuel to make 120V AC power and noise to use 120V AC appliances and charge batteries via converter when shore power is not available. Runs at variable speed depending on power demand and makes less noise when can run slower.
inverter-charger- a combined unit that replaces conventional converter and inverter. Needs 120V AC when working as a converter and batteries when working as an inverter. The AC power can come from the shore power or a generator.
batteries-supply 12V DC power to 12V DC appliances or inverter to produce 120V AC when shore power or generator not available. Can be recharged using a converter or inverter/charger using shore power or generator or solar power when AC power not available.
You are correct, but you would have to run the generator continuously, to keep those AC appliances running. An inverter will take battery power and convert that to AC, allowing you to run the generator only to recharge the battery bank.
That way, you won't have to start the generator if you need to recharge your cell phone or power your clock radio. With a properly sized battery bank & inverter, you can power yourself all day while running the generator for just a few hours, at most.
tjschaefer wrote: See,,I'm still confused. If I had a generator I would plug my TT into it and run all my ac appliances and at the same time keep my battery charged for lights etc. through the TT's inverter, just like I do here in the yard at home. So what does a generator inverter do for me, that also runs on fossil fuels? (Still haven't figured that issue out yet, they both run on gas etc.) Or am I missing something??
Paul & Sandra
New Bedford, MA
2003 Monaco Executive M43 DS2
VintageRacer wrote: In normal use a generator is a gasoline or diesel or propane powered internal combustion engine with an AC power head that creates 120 volt AC power when it is running. An inverter is an electricity conversion device that uses DC power - 12 or 24 volts - and changes that to 120 volt AC power. So generator is an engine that produces AC power and an inverter is a battery powered device that produces AC power. If you need power to charge batteries, you can use a generator. If you have batteries fully charged you can use an inverter. Generators make a lot of noise, while an inverter is essentially silent. I have both.
The confusing bit is that generators can have an inverter producing the power too - so you can have an inverter-generator, like the popular little Honda's. There the gasoline engine drives a DC generator that feeds an inverter to produce the power. The advantage is that the engine doesn't have to run at a constant speed to develop the 60 hz waveform that AC power requires, so they can be a lot quieter.
Brian
Great explanation!
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