Looking for a RV all in one Inverter/Lithium Charger/Converter/Solar charge controller

[lagreca]

I have a 33’ 5th wheel that has 30amp shore power. It currently has 4 6v lead acid batteries running to a Xantrex 2000w RV GS Series Inverter/Charger. Honestly, we don’t use the inverter all that much, just occasionally to run the microwave to heat some food up and maybe power a laptop and monitor.

I already bought 2 SOK Batteries 100Ah "H" 12v that are Heated & have Bluetooth (https://www.currentconnected.com/product/sk12v100h/).

I’m looking at swapping out my current inverter to one that is an:

AC to DC lithium charger (is this also the same as the DC converter?)
Solar lithium charge controller
2000 watt PURE SINE inverter

I don’t want to add solar yet, but think it would be nice to get an inverter that supports it. Do you have any suggestions?

I also tow it with a Ford F450. Do I need to do anything to protect the alternator in the truck, when converting to lithium?

Thank you.

 

[John Frum]

The class of device you are seeking is called an all_in_one.
It includes an inverter, ac2dc charger, automatic transfer switch and solar charge_controller.

Does your Ford F450 have an inverter per chance?
If yes, you can use an extension cord to transmit power to the trailer.
If no, then a dc2dc charger is typically used to protect the alternator.

 

[rmaddy]

Why do you wish to swap out the existing inverter/charger? If it can be setup to charge your LiFePO₄ batteries then there's little reason to get another one. If you wish to add solar at some point then simply get a solar charge controller (SCC). Even if you want a new inverter/charger, using a separate SCC has its benefits.

 

[John Frum]

Xantrex 2000w RV GS Series Inverter/Charger.

Please provide a product link, I'm not familiar with that model.

 

[lagreca]

The class of device you want is called an all_in_one.
It includes an inverter, ac2dc charger, automatic transfer switch and solar charge_controller.

Do you have any example or suggestions for one of these all in one devices?

Does your Ford F450 have an inverter per chance?
If yes, you can use an extension cord to transmit power to the trailer.
If no, then a dc2dc charger is typically used to protect the alternator.

There is an inverter in the cab of the truck to run small devices, but NOT to power the trailer. Maybe it's not an issue, but I have a round plug from the trailer that plugs in the bed of the truck to control the brake lights, turn signals, and brakes. I'm not sure if that cable is used to charge the trailer batteries. I'm not looking to make it do that, just if it does, want to not fry my alternators.

The inverter I currently have is: Xantrex RV2512GS

The reason I want to swap out the current inverter is because Xantrex says it won't charge a lithium battery. I briefly talked to BattleBorn, and they suggested I use the AGM profile of the inverter to charge lithium batteries. Also, the inverter is NOT pure sine, and make the microwave sound like it is about to explode when we run it. And a pure sine inverter would probably be better for my laptop that I would like to power from time to time.

 

[rmaddy]

One common issue with all-in-ones is the high idle power usage. With a separate inverter/charger and SCC you can avoid this problem by turning off the inverter when not needed and still be able to charge via solar or shore power.

 

[John Frum]

Do you have any example or suggestions for one of these all in one devices?

Not really, the only ones I know of I would not recommend, especially for mobile applications.
I suggest a decent inverter/charger and a decent solar charge controller.
Same functionality but 2 components instead of 1.

There is an inverter in the cab of the truck to run small devices, but NOT to power the trailer. Maybe it's not an issue, but I have a round plug from the trailer that plugs in the bed of the truck to control the brake lights, turn signals, and brakes.

That is called a 7-pin tow cable.
It will provide a small amount of charge to your batteries but may expose your batteries to voltage above full resting which causes some wear and tear.

The inverter I currently have is: Xantrex RV2512GS

That is a modified sine wave unit which is not awesome.

Do you ever use shore power?

How big in the inverter in the tow vehicle?

 

[Willhk]

The MPP PIP 2724 which Will Prowse went over a few months back seems to be the sweet spot for situations like yours. It does everything you need except DC-DC charging and has a much lower idle power draw than other all in one devices. <25w vs ~50w. Points other posters have made are super valid so do your full research but checking out the 2724 might be worth it.

 

[lagreca]

It seems like the Victron MultiPlus Inverter/Charger 2000VA 120V would work well. Cost is a bit higher than I would have liked at $1200 (plus another $100 for the bluetooth module), but Victron seems like really good stuff. Then when I am ready to add solar, I can add a separate solar charge controller.

It looks like it uses about 10 watts in idle mode. Not sure if that is good or bad? I guess because the charger is integrated, I couldn't shut it off when not using it....

I use shore power quite a bit. So far, not much boondocking, just a day or two here and there.

Inverter in truck is maybe 200-400 watts? Why do you ask?

 

[John Frum]

Inverter in truck is maybe 200-400 watts? Why do you ask?

If the inverter were larger it could be used to charge the batteries in the trailer through the inverter/charger's ac-in.
Its something I've been thinking about for a while.

 

[rmaddy]

I have the MultiPlus Compact 24V/2000VA inverter/charger. It's an excellent choice. It can be put in several modes: Off (no inverter or charger), On (both inverter and charger), inverter-only, or charger-only. It of course uses no idle power when off. If you are plugged into shore power then the idle power is basically irrelevant since you are not using up battery capacity on the idle power. If boondocking you would either have it off or in inverter-only mode so you can keep the idle power to a minimum. There are a few different settings to help reduce idle power use. 10W is pretty good. Some of the all-in-ones can be up to 50W which would use up an entire 12V 100Ah battery each day.