Samlex PST -15S PSW Inverter

NY RVer wrote:
I bought a small 100w inverter to plug into 12v socket to use for tv when stopped for the night. When tv tried to come on, inverter went off, so I bought a 175w Go Power and does the same thing. I then plugged to shore power but left tv plugged to inverter and they both work fine. I tested the batteries with a load tester and they both come up fine. I am still thinking that it may be the batteries, as I am assuming that the load duplicates starting vs lasting in deep cycle. Heading out next week and really would like to figure this out. By the way, one battery is about 3 yrs old and the other about 2. Any thoughts?

On shore power the converter keeps the 12v at 13.6 volts so the inverters stay on even in the 12v socket. On straight battery, the voltage is 12.x and the 12v socket can't run that much load as your TV etc on its long, thin wires to the battery bank.

You can clamp (if it comes also with a set of clamp wires) the inverter to the battery wire lugs on the DC fuse panel, by-passing the 12v socket. Run a cord from the inverter over to where the TV is and plug in the TV. It should be ok now. Don't trip over the wires on the floor. :)

I bought a small 100w inverter to plug into 12v socket to use for tv when stopped for the night. When tv tried to come on, inverter went off, so I bought a 175w Go Power and does the same thing. I then plugged to shore power but left tv plugged to inverter and they both work fine. I tested the batteries with a load tester and they both come up fine. I am still thinking that it may be the batteries, as I am assuming that the load duplicates starting vs lasting in deep cycle. Heading out next week and really would like to figure this out. By the way, one battery is about 3 yrs old and the other about 2. Any thoughts?

Samlex and Morningstar are great. I use GoPower 300w for small items.
Lowest idle draw and provision for remote power switch.

I had been using a 140W MSW inverter for TV's and sat receiver. This worked fine, but a small fan did not like it at all. I have purchased a Go Power 300W psw inverter to run these devices as well as charge cell phones and laptop. I don't like running generator all night when AC is not needed, so this was my choice. It has low idle draw and has a simple SPST remote capability. My sat receiver draws 20+ watts when shut off. I don't want that draw on my batteries when not using it, so the inverter remote will become my sat receiver kill switch to save battery power. It isn't installed yet so I can't give any real world experience yet. The go power has been recommended by some on this site.

Thanks, guys. We are usually on either FHU or generator power and only the inverter(s) on the rare occasion where we don't have hookups and don't want to run the generator overnight. Will check the wiring in the bedroom to see if the 2 outlets I want to power are on the same circuit. If so, will go with the Morningstar 300W. Don't expect any 12V voltage issues as will be mounted adjacent to 12V distribution panel.

Samlex inverters are excellent. The Morningstar 300W is even better.

We have a 300 watt Samlex PSW inverter that has proven reliable for many years powering our rig's entertainment center which includes 40" HDTV, HD satellite, Xbox/dvd player, Bose, and for charging laptops, tablets, and cell phones.

STBRetired wrote:
I need a couple of small PSW inverters. Did some searches around the forum and found topics about larger inverters (1000W and up) but not anything about small (150W in this case) inverters. This one seems to have good reviews in Amazon, for whatever that is worth. Any opinions or suggestions from those in the know?

I have one of the Samlex PST-15S-12A inverters, the one with the cig lighter plug. The inverter itself is fine. The problem is that if I get anywhere near the 150 watt load, it will cut out because of the voltage drop over the 12v wiring I am plugged into. I still carry it as a spare. I would guestimate that if you are counting on it for more than 75 watts from the DC plug, you'll be disappointed. Obviously if your wiring is better than mine, you might get better results. It does seem like a high quality piece of equipment.

I hard-wired a Morningstar Sure-Sine 300W into the rig, and routed its 120vac output to an existing circuit that serves our upper bunk bed outlet and the TV outlet. This inverter was expensive but it's a great device. I leave it on all the time when the house batteries are on, with a dip switch set so it won't light up until there is demand. It has provisions for a remote on/off but with that other setting, the idle draw is almost nil. It has no fan, so it is silent. It will surge to 600W for up to 15 minutes. We have an ancient 1 slice toaster that draws 450-500, and the inverter will make 2 consecutive slices of toast. :)

I started out with a low wattage unit and right away I wished I had one just alittle bigger...

Once you start using them for the little things it keeps getting bigger haha... Mine has the 120VAC Multi-tap Extension cord run to the home entertainment area and to the cabinet top close to where we sleep. The multi-tap extension cords have ON-OFF switch on them...

I think the 300WATT level covers most of those little must have things going...

I ended with the 600WATT PSW AIMS PWRI60012S unit from AMAZON for $159 a few years back for my always on DUTY UNIT. My use is usually around 300WATTS during the 6PM to 11PM time period for electronic items and chargers etc... I would not plug these type of items in anything but a Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter.

Roy Ken

I've used a PST 150W for several years in a travel trailer and recommend the brand. Even Mex has 1 or 2 PST's. The PST series is one of the few that tolerate higher DC voltages (10.5 - 16.5 VDC / 21.0 - 33.0 VDC). Many other brands top out/turn off at 15 VDC. When charging batts, 15 can be easily exceeded when boondocking in colder climes.

I run the inverter to only 1 outlet for very limited use and have a Kill-A-Watt meter plugged in it to ensure I stay below 150W. Most RV's would benefit from a single 300w or larger to simplify wiring.