Inverter Recommendation

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum #1
What's a good inverter recommendation for the 700 to 1000 watt range? Nearly all the stores around here sell the Vector (sp?) for about $80 for the 700 - 750 watt. Camping World has the Xantrex brand for a lot more money.
I'm just wondering what you guys recommended and a good source (Wind&Sun?).

TIA,
tsp
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Comments

  • nigtomdaw
    nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
    #2
    Re: Inverter Recommendation

    A little bit more info would help.

    1. Do you require pure sinewave or modified sinewave ? .
    2. Do you just want an inverter or a inverter charger combi ?
    3. What loads are you intending to run, as modified inverters like to fry and let the smoke out of several products like mobile phone chargers, dewalt power tool chargers and PIR lighting and switches.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #3
    Re: Inverter Recommendation

    I guess I have two needs. For now I can use MSW for general use but I will soon expand to a pure sine wave system for stereo and TV use. Perhaps I should just have one good inverter (pure sine wave). I have a small MSW inverter 150W that hardly drives anything. I have a UPS that has 24V system and 400 W / 700 VA pure sine wave. I was looking at charging the external battery pack with the built-in charger but it seems silly going from 12 V solar to 12 V battery to 120 VAC inverter to UPS that converts it to 24 V for the battery pack. But it does have a large battery pack of 10 6V batteries and I can add 10 more soon.
    I also like the idea of running the system down - if need be - to the point that I need to charge the batteries. At night I do not mind doing that via normal 120 VAC. Nothing too big since my system will have two 12 V 108 AH batteries and 60 watts of panels (plan to add a lot more watts of panels soon).
    What say you guys?
    Again - thanks in advance for your help,
    tsp
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Inverter Recommendation

    quoted from tsperez:
    "I also like the idea of running the system down - if need be - to the point that I need to charge the batteries."

    I'm not sure what you are saying here, but if you are saying that those batteries can be discharged farther than the batteries we talk about here in the forum without hurting them then think again as those ups batteries are not different or better batteries. the same rules do apply to those batteries and you shouldn't be going farther than 50%dod unless that battery manufacturer says it's ok.
    as to the inverter, get a sinewave inverter and be done with it. which one with what features at what price is up to you.
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  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    #5
    Re: Inverter Recommendation

    quoted from tsperez:
    "I also like the idea of running the system down - if need be - to the point that I need to charge the batteries."

    I was not clear with my statement. I meant to say that I like the idea of having a switch over to grid AC when or if my batteries run down to the recommended minimum. I imagine there are seamless switch over systems out there.

    So... I need a true sine wave with grid AC backup. Battery charging will be via solar panels and maybe an Air-X also.

    tsp
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