Calling on Solar Techies

1L243 wrote:


I would like the total cost of my system to be under $1500

That means using a 'junk' inverter.

How is your energy audit coming?

1L243 wrote:
Slapped back to reality not only buy the thoughtful comments here but found the price of a 3000 watt pure sine inverter with smart charger and built in transfer switch ridiculous.

I will forget the idea of electric heat but would like to be able to power Tv's, Satellite, USB charger, Furnace if needed and a coffee maker once a day plus a small microwave for 10 minutes a day.

I will research a 1500 to 2000 watt pure sine inverter with smart charger and built in transfer switch. Is a all in one inverter the way to go or would going with separate units be more practical for purpose of replacement and cost?

Inverter with built in smart charging is a bit useless if you are planning all solar charging..

The smart charging built in to inverters is from 120V AC shore power, not compatible with DC from solar panels..

Solar panels would need their own "smart" charging controller, making paying the extra premium price for a "all in one" inverter/converter a bit of waste of your money.

Built in transfer switch is not really needed if you are planning to be 100% off grid and zero gen use..

So, you could just buy an inverter that meets you max wattage needs without the transfer switch or charger and just plug your shore cord into the inverter.. Saves a ton of money for batteries and solar..

Personally, put some money upfront in a good brand inverter and that may not be the cheap no name "pure sine wave" inverters..

My favorite inverter is made by Tripplite, I am using a PV1250FC for my home fridge conversion.. It IS a MSW but it is a big heavy duty industrial inverter designed to handle high start up surges from inductive loads. 1250W continuous, can handle surge up to 2500W for up to 10 minutes.. Not going to find any other inverter that has such a long surge capacity, most are microseconds..

Looks like this..


Weighs a whopping 22 lbs!

Currently $288 for that beast..

HERE

If you feel you must have 2,000W then a PV2000FC would be what you are looking for..

If you MUST have 2000W AND Charging AND transfer switch, then Tripplite APS2012 is what you are looking for, it is 2,000W with ATS and charger built in and is a hardwired unit..



Currently it is going for $730 HERE

Yes, it is also MSW, Microwave oven will work on MSW, might be a bit reduced on power (take a bit more time), some items like electric blankets/heating pads with all electronic controls may not work with MSW but pretty much everything else will work.

USB chargers, do yourself a huge favor, just buy a cig lighter plug in USB charger. That is silly and a huge waste of battery power to run a USB charger from an inverter.. Put a couple of cig power ports in your RV and use a couple of the 12V to USB chargers, they work very well and will use a lot less battery in the process.

For say a laptop PC, do the same, you can buy generic 12V to laptop power supplies, they use a changeable plug that sets the output voltage and amperage to your laptop..

For coffee maker, lots of non electric ways of making coffee, or I would recommend firing up the genny for that if you must have electric brewed coffee.. Electric coffee makers are the same issue as trying to use battery for heating.. They use a huge amount of wattage and to be able to use only battery power will require more battery and more solar..

Personally, if you skipped the microwave and coffee maker from battery usage you could get along with a small inverter for TV and sat equipment.. 300W-400W inverter should handle most LCD TVs up to 60" plus the sat receiver.. Smaller inverters have a much lower no load draw and loading them to half capacity will net you more battery efficiency than the way you are planning..

Conservation is king, oversizing the inverter for the loads will result in more battery usage..

Some folks actually use two inverters, one small one for TV/sat and one larger one for heavy loads like microwave.. Turn off the inverter when not needed and turn on when needed.

1L243 wrote:
We do all most all our dry camping in Wyoming in the summer

Good ! Lot's of sun but I am sure it is chilly in the morning.

1L243 wrote:
I would like to switch the conversation to best product for the least cost. Research on inverters shows a wide price variation $200 to $800 on 1500/2000 watt inverters with comparable reviews?

TRUE !

The common brand names (Hart, Xantrex, Samlex) command high prices but put all the functionality you want in one package (ease of installation and operation)

theoldwizard1 wrote:
This one is a bit small (1200 watts), but it still does everything you want, without the generator start function. Samlex EVO-1212F-HW Pure Sine Inverter/Charger - $744 Amazon

Only one review on Amazon, but it is 5 star. Most other Samlex products also got 5 star reviews.

We do all most all our dry camping in Wyoming in the summer

I would like to switch the conversation to best product for the least cost. Research on inverters shows a wide price variation $200 to $800 on 1500/2000 watt inverters with comparable reviews?

I would like the total cost of my system to be under $1500

1L243 wrote:
I will forget the idea of electric heat but would like to be able to power Tv's, Satellite, USB charger, Furnace if needed and a coffee maker once a day plus a small microwave for 10 minutes a day.

I will research a 1500 to 2000 watt pure sine inverter with smart charger and built in transfer switch.

This one is a bit small (1200 watts), but it still does everything you want, without the generator start function. Samlex EVO-1212F-HW Pure Sine Inverter/Charger - $744 Amazon

1L243 wrote:
Is a all in one inverter the way to go or would going with separate units be more practical for purpose of replacement and cost?

For ease of installation and operation an "all in one" is the way to go. I would not be concerned about replacement if you buy a good quality unit.

Standalone units from less common companies (Chinese) are much cheaper Reliable 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter - $309 Amazon. (Yes, this is direct from China, but is gotten a lot of good reviews on YouTube.)

No automatic transfer switch and you have to rely on your solar and converter to charge the batteries. An automatic transfer switch could be added but the wiring is non-trivial.

Slapped back to reality not only buy the thoughtful comments here but found the price of a 3000 watt pure sine inverter with smart charger and built in transfer switch ridiculous.

I will forget the idea of electric heat but would like to be able to power Tv's, Satellite, USB charger, Furnace if needed and a coffee maker once a day plus a small microwave for 10 minutes a day.

I will research a 1500 to 2000 watt pure sine inverter with smart charger and built in transfer switch. Is a all in one inverter the way to go or would going with separate units be more practical for purpose of replacement and cost?

1L243 wrote:
I have been thinking of going solar for some time and decided to pull the plug.
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I wanted to build the solar system with that option open and reduce the consumption of propane and the need to frequently refill the tanks.

Stepping back and looking at the "big picture".

What 1L243 needs to understand is that any solar power system needs to have a backup !

Propane is NOT a good backup for electric power unless you have a propane powered generator.

A good backup would be a generator OR a DC-DC battery charger so you can recharge your battery bank from your tow vehicle. Either should charge a depleted battery bank !

1L243 wrote:
I would like a blue tooth controller and a automatic transfer switch and a auto smart charger.

With automatic transfer switch and smart charger, the only other thing you need is a Bluetooth battery monitor like Victron SmartShunt Battery Monitor

pianotuna wrote:
I wish, that instead of getting a generator when I went full time, that I had redone the solar with a massive upgrade.

The OP would have to at least DOUBLE his solar charging and battery storage in order to run that heater. Even then, he may not have enough power left at the end of a cloudy day to run his furnace.

Dusty R wrote:
For example, Michigan ranks 47th out of the 48 continual states in available sunshine.

You don't have to remind me ! (Looking out the window at another cloudy day !)

1L243 wrote:
Of course I want the best system for the least amount of money.

The big issue with going solar/battery is how fast do you use the energy stored in the batteries

It is very similar to driving with your RV. 80 MPH will use a lot more gas than 55 MPH ! . Also, if you really want to drive 80 MPH, you are going to need a bigger, MORE EXPENSIVE engine ! "You get what you pay for" is true in this case ! (More below.)

1L243 wrote:
I was thinking of going with a 3000 watt pure sine inverter they tend to be on the expensive side.

Unless you want to run your coffee pot, toaster and microwave all at the same time, 2000 watts should be adequate.

1L243 wrote:
That said We do not do a lot of winter camping but I wanted to build the solar system with that option open and reduce the consumption of propane and the need to frequently refill the tanks.

But it is easier to refill a propane tank (or maybe gasoline for a generator) than to increase the amount of sunshine on a cloudy day !

1L243 wrote:
Typically when we do use a heater it's during the day at night we switch to furnace which keep a things from freezing.

Again, but like driving at 80 MPH. You might run out of fuel (energy in the batteries) before you get to your destination (energy in the batteries to run the furnace fan).

1L243 wrote:
It it best to look for a kit? or buy individual components? I plan on installing the system myself.

Depending on how much of a DIY person you are and how much you want to "assemble" parts you can save a lot of money !

The simplest, but most expensive, solution is to buy a combination inverter/charger/automatic transfer switch, like a Samlex EVO-2212. Remove your existing converter and connect the DC distribution panel (fuse panel) directly to your batteries and disconnect the AC Shore power (outside plug). Installing the inverter/charger/transfer switch requires only 3 electrical connections. Connect the AC power that used to go into the converter, connect the AC output to the AC breaker panel, connect the DC output to your battery bank. YOU ARE DONE !

If you buy all of the components separately, directly from some Chinese manufacturers, you will save a lot of money ! Hooking them together properly is up to you.