2000 watt pure sine wave inverter recommendation needed

[Hemi_Joel]

Hi, what is the right inverter for my truck camper? I will use it a couple time per day in short bursts to run the microwave, and the Kurig coffee maker. Plus sometimes for longer stretches to run the heating pad or charge the computer. That's about all. I will switch it off when not in use, so it needs a remote switch (preferably hard wired) and it does not need an automatic power saver mode. It doesn't need to have a charger.

My camper has 3 group 31 lead acid battery's, 400 watts of solar, and a converter/charger.

I want proven quality that will last for years, not some unreliable piece of junk that will fizzle when I'm on the road.

Your recommendations will be much appreciated! Thanks, Joel

[otrfun]

12thgenusa wrote:
I have been using the Xantrex ProWatt 2000 for about ten years. Good, reliable unit. The fan will come on under heavy load such as microwave use. It's not very noisy, but mine is mounted in the front bay on a fifth wheel. Might be more noticeable in a TC. It has an available remote switch and is on the lower side price wise, $365 on Amazon. 1800 watts continuous with 3000 watts surge though I'm not sure of the duration of that. No-load current is less than .8 amp.

Xantrex ProWatt 2000

We used a Xantrex Prowatt 2000 for about a year, primarily to power our small microwave (700 cooking watts; 1050w line input). No complaints until we tried to power the 11k BTU a/c on our truck camper. Even with 4/0 battery to inverter cables, a 200ah Lifepo4 battery, and a Micro Air Easy Start installed it wouldn't start our a/c unit. Sold the Xantrex and installed an Aims 2000 watt pure sine wave, high-frequency inverter ($400). Problem solved. The Aim starts/runs our a/c unit just fine. The Aims has similar parasitic (no-load) current as the Xantrex (approx. .6a-.7a). The Prowatt 2000 is a good unit; unfortunately, it has limited inrush/surge capability.

[12thgenusa]

I have been using the Xantrex ProWatt 2000 for about ten years. Good, reliable unit. The fan will come on under heavy load such as microwave use. It's not very noisy, but mine is mounted in the front bay on a fifth wheel. Might be more noticeable in a TC. It has an available remote switch and is on the lower side price wise, $365 on Amazon. 1800 watts continuous with 3000 watts surge though I'm not sure of the duration of that. No-load current is less than .8 amp.

Xantrex ProWatt 2000

[Veebyes]

I had a very expensive Magnum 2000W PSW inverter charger. It died after very little use of the inverter side, just outside of warrantee of course.

After two attempts of repair by a Magnum certified tech enough was enough.

I went to the marine way of doing things & now have a stand alone Samlex inverter & a multi stage charger. No charger/converter. Now if one of them fails one gets replaced.

The inconvenience is that we have to be sure that the charger is not online with the inverter. A simple thing to do by pulling the charger power supply plug.

[KD4UPL]

Hemi Joel wrote:
So what are the differences between the Renogy at $319 and the Samlex at $719, the Go Power at $749?
And I was able to find something that said the Renogy was made in China. How about the Samlex and the Go Power, where are they made?

Some things to look at if you can find the specs.:
Surge capacity, efficiency, warranty, voltage regulation, temperature rise under load, radio frequency interference to TV, radio, wifi, etc., input voltage lower limit, built in overload protection, built in thermal protection, built in low voltage protection, total harmonic distortion of the output waveform.

There's a lot more to it than just rated watts and price.

[wa8yxm]

I'm using a Xantrex Freedom. it's cheap but it works Connections (120 volt side) are **** however.. used to use a prosine (no longer made) much better.

Any of the ones above. most all the 2KW inverters (or larger) are well made (I would not hesitate to recommend whatever you find with the following suggestion

LOOK at how you connect

The Prosine had wire leads and wire nuts to connect the stranded cable to solid ROMEX... I'm not a fan of wire nuts and yes had one fail (They don't fail after I fix 'em)

The Freedom has this thing where you move a lever and stick a wire in a hole. the hole is 12 ga. a 2,000 watt inverter really needs 10ga.. (See the problem)

The wire leads with wire nuts are ok if you do 'em right
Wire bent around a screw is my preferred connection.
Or a proper lug and bolt (like the 12 volt connections on dang near all of 'em)

One thing to look for is a remote.. I like the wired kind not the bluetooth/wi-fi kind.

[BFL13]

Hemi Joel wrote:
So what are the differences between the Renogy at $319 and the Samlex at $719, the Go Power at $749?
And I was able to find something that said the Renogy was made in China. How about the Samlex and the Go Power, where are they made?

These guys have this one on sale for way less than those and free shipping once they get some more in stock. You could ask them when expected.

https://www.boatandrvaccessories.com/collections/power-inverters/products/powermax-pmx-2000-12-volt-...

They have most of the other brands too. Usually have good prices.

[theoldwizard1]

Hemi Joel wrote:
So what are the differences between the Renogy at $319 and the Samlex at $719, the Go Power at $749?
And I was able to find something that said the Renogy was made in China. How about the Samlex and the Go Power, where are they made?

I will be shocked if you can find an inverter NOT assembled in China.

Assembly is one thing and it can be backed up with quality control. Robust design is another.

[Hemi_Joel]

So what are the differences between the Renogy at $319 and the Samlex at $719, the Go Power at $749?
And I was able to find something that said the Renogy was made in China. How about the Samlex and the Go Power, where are they made?

[jaycocreek]

Hemi Joel wrote:
Hi, what is the right inverter for my truck camper? I will use it a couple time per day in short bursts to run the microwave, and the Kurig coffee maker. Plus sometimes for longer stretches to run the heating pad or charge the computer. That's about all. I will switch it off when not in use, so it needs a remote switch (preferably hard wired) and it does not need an automatic power saver mode. It doesn't need to have a charger.

My camper has 3 group 31 lead acid battery's, 400 watts of solar, and a converter/charger.

I want proven quality that will last for years, not some unreliable piece of junk that will fizzle when I'm on the road.

Your recommendations will be much appreciated! Thanks, Joel

I looked for a long time before I took the jump on a PSW inverter..I found a Wagan MSW on closeout for $60 and couldn't pass it up with a 2-year warranty..Works flawlessly even on the microwave..Full digital microwaves humms with it but the non digital(dial) microwave works just like it was on reg power,no extra humm at all..One of the few MSW inverters that is recommended for microwaves...

I still wanted a larger PSW that I had been looking for a long time..i went with a Wagan (2 year warranty) 1000 true sine inverter...It runs the microwave at 1130 watts(victron smart shunt) fine so far..Short on cash or I would have gone larger..renogy had a 2000 watt PSW for $200...Will Prowse gives the Giandel a good review and my 300 watt Giandel has worked great...I just decided I wanted a unit that was warranted for 2 years..

Goof luck on your choice...Jayco

[theoldwizard1]

pianotuna wrote:
Another vote for Samlex.

But for inverter charger I'd pick Victron.

Victron is good, but Samlex makes a nice inverter/charger/automatic transfer switch. Not cheap. Get rid of your existing converter and wire directly to the battery bank.

Their 1200W unit will output 1800W for 30 seconds. Very few manufacturers will specify overload capacity.

[pianotuna]

Another vote for Samlex.

But for inverter charger I'd pick Victron.

As to capacity for a microwave I'd want 125% of the input wattage. The micro in the RV is 1561 watts so 2000 watts is just about perfect for size.

[KD4UPL]

Samlex is the best inverter only. If you want inverter/charger then Magnum.

[WNYBob]

I bought Samulex PST-2000-12
I mounted mine in my truck.
Samulex site is also a great source of information on designing a solar, battery, inverter system. They even have a cabling kit with the proper sized cable.
Good luck on your design.

[BFL13]

Hemi Joel wrote:
Thanks BFL13, how is it for sound? Is it noisey?

Not really. Fan comes on only when needed, not loud. Same as other inverters, it needs air for cooling--see installation instructions.

A truck camper does not have many suitable locations to get an inverter near the battery bank so you might have to do a little "arranging". 🙂 (BTDT in the TC in sig)

[Veebyes]

Not so sure about the need for a 2000W inverter given your setup. A 1500W would probably be more than enough without running it near it's limits.

The weakest link will be the charging method while dry camping. You have a good sized battery bank though you might want to consider Li or AGM batteries when the time comes to replace.

Solar is nice but slow, & requires sunlight. Not so good if you are in the shade of a forest. Great if you are a dessert dweller.

We have a 1000W PSW inverter & a stand alone multi stage programable charger. We are wired like a boat. No converter. Everything 12V comes from the battery bank, a single 4D case Lifeline AGM. No solar, we like trees. We carry a 2000W inverter genny for charging & the rare occasion when the microwave is wanted. Perked coffee on the stove & propane water heat as needed.

It is all about knowing what the power hogs are & power management.