All i need is a simple answer about inverters

jpatton98

Hey guys
All i need is a simple answer.  I know what wattage inverter I need, 2500 to 3000 watt continuous load.
My issue is, No one seems to know what truly good quality inverter means. 
I want a PSW inverter. I want one that can and will hold up. All these chinese inverters and so called US made inverters are simply all made of cheap plastic crap. 
I have looked and researched for over a month now and still no closer to making a choice. Soon as I think I have found what I need, I find a serous review that says, Do not buy, Drives me crazy.
So I thought I would get on this forum and hope for the best.  
I dont want the answer to be "Well first you need to blah blah" 
I know what power I need,  I just need a truly trustworthy long lasting inverter that the company will in fact warranty for at least two or more years.
I do not need a grid tie in.
The unit must support a 12V system as this is my set up.  I know its best to go with higher voltage setups, but to be honest, I dont have money growing out my back side. 
I need a quality brand 2500 or 3000 watt inverter,  No i can switch to 24 volt setup but that's all my solar controller can handle. 
PLEASSSE  no lectures about this and that. 
Just a good quality inverter.  

Thanks guys
jpatton98@yahoo.com 

Aguarancher

Being married to 12V, you will be hard pressed to find an inverter in the size you are looking for. The sponsor of this site has a store link at the top of this page and carry a good selection of inverters. They don’t carry “junk”. What charge controller are you using?

Raj174

Hi jpatton98,

Given your requirements, high quality, pure sine wave, reputable company, no grid tie, and dependable. In my opinion, there is only one inverter that fits that description. Mind you, it is pricey, but you get for what you pay for.
And no lecture.
https://www.solar-electric.com/maenms2020wa1.html

Rick

Photowhit

I'd pretty much go with rick, Outback also makes a quality 2800 watt inverter, the Samlex 3000 watt is the cheapest thing I'd buy (and I wouldn't try to support an inverter above 2000 watt on 12 volts unless it was for a specific issue, like starting a washing machine while using a toaster oven, I would not try to run anything above 2000 watts continuously, and perhaps you're not?) but Understand why Quality inverter manufacturers don't make high out put inverter that draw from a 12 volt source. It's simply bad engineering... Please note if you only have 1 solar controller, you likely don't have large enough array to support a continuous 2500 watt load. But perhaps you understand that you'll be running a generator A LOT!

Lecture, about why it's cheaper to run a 48 volt system, for other reading the forum and might think this is recommended, please ignore at your own peril/expense;

You say "...but that's all my solar controller can handle"
To run a continuous 2500 watt load during sunny days, during peak sun hours (about 4-5 each day), you would likely want at LEAST a 4000 watt solar array! for a 12 volt charge controller you would need one that could handle 4000/12 x .75 = 250 amps, There is not a quality off grid controller I am aware of, currently being built that can handle more than 100 amps, So you'll want 3 of those, getting expensive yet?  You understand that it would only require 1 of those if you use a 48 volt inverter, at $850 each that's a lot of money toward a quality 48 volt inverter!

...and you know all about running multiple strings of batteries, even large fork lift and traction batteries would likely need to be run in multiple strings to support a large 12 volt inverter. and then there is a large investment in very heavy copper wire for all the connections Particularly at high wattage output, and you know to keep your inverter very near your batteries, voltage sag will be a real problem with low DC voltage, and you should fuse those runs for safety...

The only reason we 'lecture' is that we don't want you to design a system destine to fail, or that is unnecessarily expensive, a quality 48 volt inverter will cost you about the same and you will save on charge controller(s), wiring and fuses. We really don't harp and we're all pretty cheap.

If I could build my system from scratch I would have gone for a 48 volt system. I had the battery already and it would be unlikely to bring much of anything for a 1100lb used forklift battery that the nearest person would have to travel 40+ miles to pick up. You might be in the same situation. but more likely you have several strings of 6 volt batteries and could put them in parallel for 24 volt use.

You can certainly design a system where you will run a generator a lot, it makes more sense cost wise for a backup system...

Photowhit

Forgot the link to the Outback 2800 watt;
https://www.solar-electric.com/outback-power-mobile-sinewave-inverter-vfx2812m.html

I think someone has spoken of having issues with Samlex supporting their warranty. If you purchase from a big dealer who's been around for a while, like Northern Arizona Wind and Sun, they have a couple advantages with warranty claims, they have more leverage with the company and they have their own good reputation that they need to support.

https://www.solar-electric.com/sa3wa12vosiw.html

bill von novak

jpatton98 said:

Hey guys
All i need is a simple answer.  I know what wattage inverter I need, 2500 to 3000 watt continuous load.
My issue is, No one seems to know what truly good quality inverter means. 
I want a PSW inverter. I want one that can and will hold up. All these chinese inverters and so called US made inverters are simply all made of cheap plastic crap.

Outback VFX2812.  Or if you are into antiques, see if you can find a Trace SW2512 on Ebay. 

mike95490

Don't forget Victron  https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters
But that steady 2800W load, is going to be sucking 270A @ 12.5V
That's going to be a pretty hefty demand on any battery bank

Estragon

FWIW I had a board go bad on one of my Outbacks last summer and they were good about getting me replacements. It was just over two years since purchase, a bit under since put in service

Pulling that much current you will want to put it in as cool and dust free location as possible.

Marc Kurth

@jpatton9: Have you looked at what your battery bank voltage will do under that load, and what that means in terms of current draw?

Don't forget that your inverter will be a constant wattage device, so as you load the battery bank the voltage will sag, causing an increase in amperage draw. Then increased current draw will sag the voltage further..........  Lots and lots of battery bank storage capacity can suddenly become "unavailable" unless you have planned for it.

If the large inverter capacity is simply to support a high, brief inrush current, the problem won't may not be serious.

I will add another vote for Magnum for high output inverters in the 12v world. Very common to see a pair of that 2812 size in motor coaches. They are well known for long life in the belly of a bus/motorhome running the Southwest desert highways.

What type and capacity is your battery bank?

HarryN

Since you are committed to a 12 volt system, if you can do it, I would suggest buying 2 each inverters of about 1.5 - 2 KW instead of trying to hit 3K with one inverter.   It isn't always possible to split loads up this way, but dealing with 300 amps into an inverter isn't all that easy either.

Saggys

> @bill von novak said:
> jpatton98 said:
>
>
> Hey guys
> All i need is a simple answer.  I know what wattage inverter I need, 2500 to 3000 watt continuous load.
> My issue is, No one seems to know what truly good quality inverter means. 
> I want a PSW inverter. I want one that can and will hold up. All these chinese inverters and so called US made inverters are simply all made of cheap plastic crap.
>
>
>
>
> Outback VFX2812.  Or if you are into antiques, see if you can find a Trace SW2512 on Ebay. 

I second the antique Trace inverters. I have been running a PS 2512 for almost 3 years without a problem, even got second one in case of failure on the first. If you can find one cheap it may be the way to go.

BigTrouble

Take a look at the GoPower 3000w PSW.