Solar, Inverter, and Converter Operation Clarification

[Ericb760]

I hope I can explain this correctly. My 89' Chieftain has an aftermarket 300W solar panel, Solar Charge Controller, and 1000W inverter installed. The PO boondocked almost exclusively, so I understand the need for solar to charge the house batteries. What I do not understand is how this works in conjunction with the coach converter, particularly the inverter on/off switch.

Am I to assume that when the inverter is OFF, the solar panels are not charging the batteries and when it is ON it is charging them?

Am I to also assume that when on shore power, the converter is charging the batteries?

I guess where I'm going with this is to avoid cooking my batteries by charging them from two different sources (solar/inverter and converter) at the same time.

My converter is probably OEM and I've read that these older units can "boil" batteries. For this reason I will soon be upgrading to a more modern converter. I just want to be sure that I am using these two systems appropriately.

In closing I summarize that the inverter should be OFF when hooked to shore power, and ON when running on house batteries.

I hope this makes sense. Thanks,

Eric

[twinboat]

The solar panels and solar controller charge the 12 volt batteries.

The inverter inverts 12 volts to 120 volts. Nothing to do with solar.

Coach converter charges the 12 volt batteries. Both it and the solar can work together because they both sense battery voltage and cut back, so they don't overcharge and hurt them.

Turning the inverter off is only to conserve some power, because they use a little while on.

Yes, inverter off unless you need to use it.

A modern 3 or 4 stage converter will do well for your batteries.

[Ericb760]

Originally Posted by twinboat

A modern 3 or 4 stage converter will do well for your batteries.

That's what I am researching right now. Thanks for the info.