mine originally had a separate inverter and charger, like most of our vintage. the only way to go is with an inverter charger.
there are two choices and then choices of brands.
choice one....modified sine wave. this is fine except can potentially cause some problems with a few lcd tv's, but most will work just fine with it. my samsung lcd tv's work fine. computers like clean power, but i have had no problem with mine on a modified sine wave.
choice two....pure sine wave. this is the way of choice. but it is considerably more expensive. if i were to replace mine, i will go this way. you can even get the ability to have the generator autostart when the batteries get too low.
i happen to like Xantrex brand. they have great tech support and are really great units. i have the freedom 458 2kw. i know michael has a pure sine wave and there are two different choices of them from xantrex.
size of the inverter is usually the larger the better, but not always so. a large inverter without the supporting batteries will give you lots of power for a very short period of time.
there are other brands too that i am sure are fine.
as to installing, if you are reasonably handy with wiring and not afraid to dig into it, they will not be real tough to put in. that said, it is critical to install them correctly and very dangerous if you dont.
xantrex has downloads of their installation manuals on their inverter chargers that you can download and look at. it shows various configurations and will give you a feel.
i just repaired my inverter by putting a new control board in that fixed not being able to turn it on and off. so i will keep mine for a while. though this weekend i am rewiring it to work the way i want with new romex and ne breakers.
so, i wouldnt myself be afraid of putting it in.
you will need to determine if the thumb sized wires coming from the batteries are big enough for what you want to put in, and the same for the romex going to and from the inverter to the panel. as well you will need an large inline fuse by the batteries and the proper wires for whatever control panel you put in. nowadays, they require a 6pin phone cable or cat5. i ran cat5 for mine as i relocated the control panel.
my inverter charger is under my bed with the batteries being on each side of the coach just behind the inverter.
i am sure michael will have great comments here as well. sounds like a fun project. i would be glad to sketch out my complete wiring for you if you think it would help.
the thing with having it installed is that you will pay full retail price and then i would guess 4-700 dollars labor. i am not afraid to shop online and in fact, i would not be afraid to be refurbished units either. i know michael bought a refurbished one and has had no problems.
contact me privately if you want to talk and i will give you my phone number.
later
tom
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