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On 8 Jan 2004 14:01:47 -0800, (Chuck Baier)
wrote:
I am upgrading my current inverter from 1500 watts to 3000 watts. This
will power anything on board. What I would like to do is find some
sort of a set up that would allow me to run a very, very small diesel
engine combined with a high output alternator to put the juice back in
the batteries that the inverter uses without running the main engine.
Any sugestions on how to do this or anyone with experience with this
kind of set would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Chuck, several suggestions:

You don't say what kind of inverter that you're getting but I'd
STRONGLY suggest a sine wave unit as opposed to modified sine wave.
The sine wave units cost more but are well worth it in terms of
overall quality and fewer problems.

Secondly, since most high powered inverters also double as a high
powered charger, why not get a small AC genset instead of DC? That
way you could also run some air conditioning as well. The transfer
switch on the inverter will give you a seamless transition from
generator AC to inverter AC and back again.

Last but not least, invest in a good battery monitoring panel if you
don't already have one. The batteries get quite a workout driving a
large inverter and it's important to keep a close eye on them.