Most RVs have a converter that will charge the house battery.
Are you saying your RV does not have any converter and the only battery charging is from the engine while you are driving?
I'm still building my van camper and will be installing a charger or converter in the next couple of weeks, so I'm trying to find out which would be best; a charger with some seperate A/C circuits (for a hair dryer or TV) or a converter charger? I know that there are chargers and converter/chargers, but do not know the advantage of one type over the other.
The difference between a charger and a charger / converter is rather arbitrary. Both take 120 volt AC and produce 12+ volt DC power. Both can charge a battery and at the same time provide extra 12 volt power for lights, etc. The charger / converter is better designed for built-in use, and if it's "smart", will taper its charging so as not to overcharge and "cook" the battery. This is the way for you to go.
If you want to have 120 volt AC for hair dryer, microwave, etc., you need to install a 120 volt circuit breaker panel that serves these as well as supplying power to the converter / charger.
Go shopping at Best Converter. You'll find what you need.
There really isn't any charger/converters or converter/chargers. All modern converters are also chargers, they basically just parallel the battery and are really just a power supply. The good ones provide different voltages for multi stage charging.
Don't be confused by the fact that some converters are housed in the same enclosures as the AC and DC distribution panel, the converter is still a separate device.
Rick,
The difference is the quality of the components in a converter versus a household charger designed for light occasional garage use. There is a guy here that wants his Vector to be all that and for a while it might do but in the long run a charger is not up to the task and I don't care who makes it it. You need a converter/charger designed for continuous use. Anything less or suggestions for a charger with forty eleven different stages are smoke headed up wind toward your hind end.
Since you are going to add some a/c circuits I suggest installing a regular 30 amp RV AC & DC distribution panel such as Xantrex TrueCharge RV. The 40 amp version will do fine. (40 amps dc charging, 30 amps ac distribution)
The distribution panel will connect and protect all the 120vac and 12vdc circuits with breakers or fuses. It will bring all of the wiring connections to a single spot and make life much easier. I think you could wire it for just a regular 15/20 amp cord if you want to avoid the heavy 30 amp cord. If you will have air conditioning, medium to large microwave or electric heated water I would suggest going with 30 amps.
The differences of converters and chargers are endless. Many are made to do different things. The main difference is the converter is primarily made to power the 12 volt systems of the RV. They will all charge the battery. Good converters also will increase voltage for a limited time when needed to provide fast battery charging and then reduce the voltage to avoid overcharging and excessive water use in the battery. Most automatic battery chargers are meant to recharge the battery and shut off.
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