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Inverters are very popular for RVers to use while they are out boondocking or really any time there are no hookups and they don’t want to have to listen to a generator. An inverter allows us to use 120 AC power inverting the DC Power from your RV battery bank. Usually we look at the two kinds of inverters. The Modified Sine Wave are really inexpensive and are not the best to use with many devices in the RV. If you were to look at the power coming out of it on a scope you would see a blocky pattern. The other kind that I recommend is a “Pure Sine” wave inverter or a “True Sine”. If you were to look at the power output on a Pure Sine Wave inverter you would see a smooth wave looking graph. Inverters also come in different sizes some will be 1500 watts while other RVers like to use a larger one at 3000 Watts. The bigger the load and the longer you want to run your devices the bigger your battery bank needs to be. For example, if you want to be able to have the TV on and make coffee or turn on the toaster the 3000 watt inverter will be what you are looking for. If you are just looking to be able to power a computer and use some small devices than a smaller one will do the trick. The sky is really the limit to what you want to power, just remember the more you want to power the bigger the battery bank or the bigger the solar setup you will need.
Let’s look at a few of the options.
Victron is the number one choice for many RVers for the quality, innovation, and features that are put into the equipment. The most popular inverters from Victron have power assist meaning if you are plugged into a 20 amp circuit it will know to not pull more than 20 amps and if you use more than 20 amps in the RV it will combine that with the available power from the batteries and produce the power you need in the RV up to the limit of the inverter capabilities. It also has an internal switch to switch between shore power and the inverter power. It has the ability to change the battery type and setup any charging stages and parameters you need for your specific battery type and bank. There is also the expanding capabilities of being able to monitor and have limited controls through the bluetooth module and the USB port for a PC. The two more popular ones are the two different sizes of the MultiPlus. With the recent drop in the 3000 watt model it has become what appears to be the front runner.
Victron MultiPus 2000
2000VA (1600W) continuous power, 4000W surge
Victron MultiPlus 3000
Most popular option with 3000 watt continuous and 6000 surge with power assist settings and a programable charge controller
Go Power has been a popular option for many with units that are just an inverter or a couple of options of converter chargers with a similar power assist as the Victron. I also like some of the Inverters from Xantrex and the Magnum Inverter.
Right now my pick would have to be with the MultiPlus because of the price and the features that keep getting added on to it. If you are looking for just the least expensive, oftentimes you will be looking at a unit like Power TechOn Pure Sine Inverter. We have used this one for a long time and it doesn’t have too many features but it works as long as we don’t push it too hard. I was surprised when I opened it up one day and saw how thin the wire gauge was inside. I definitely didn’t want to push it to the limits for too long.
Setup Options.
In the video at the top of the page I run through different setups so I thought if you needed to see those diagrams I would post them here to reference them easier. The first one is the simplest of setups to just connect your inverter to your batteries and then plug in whatever device you want to for use.
The second diagram was for a setup with an automatic switch tying it into the RV system to use your plugs and anything else you want to run on the inverter. The main point of this one on the video is to show the use of a sub-panel to remove the chance of the inverter and the converter being on at the same time. This is one of a few ways to make that happen properly. The converter in this instance is getting power from shore power before the switch. The problem when the inverter powers the converter is a big loss in power as you use power from the batteries through the inverter to power the converter that is trying to charge the batteries with the same power it is using for this entire process. The end result every time will be a loss of energy and eventually a dead battery.
I do have plans to show the best way to connect a Multi-plus to a 50 amp RV and also a 30 amp RV with easy to read diagrams that you can download for your own use. Some of these steps will be simplified in coming videos and posts and we will gain convenience in the process as well.
I’m very excited to see a device like the MultiPlus 3000 come down to a more affordable price. We have more info coming soon to a video of details of installing an inverter like
the MultiPlus on a 50 amp RV and a 30 amp RV. Here is a quick look at that diagram coming soon.