Forum Discussion

lane_hog's avatar
lane_hog
Explorer II
Apr 13, 2021

Inverter Recommendation

Hoping someone has seen one of these, and can give a recommendation...

On our now-deceased Winnebago Class C, the 1000W inverter that came stock with it had a pass-thru 110V plug so that it would sense shore or generator power, and not engage the inverter & draw down the battery.

I'm looking for something similar in the 2000W range that I can use to have all of the plugs off of a given breaker be energized when we're off shore power, essentially splicing the inverter to be behind that breaker.

Can anyone recommend something that won't break the bank?
  • I don't have recommendations for you that won't 'break the bank' (I have Magnum and am very happy with it but it's not cheap, Victron is in same league). But want to caution you that you need a battery bank and wiring to support a larger inverter, especially if you plan on running much off of it. A 2000W inverter can draw ~150A from you batteries (or more) which means THICK wires needed and will drain standard batteries in minutes. The inverter may not be the costliest part of your plan...
  • "... Break the bank ..." is hard !

    What you want is an inverter with automatic transfer switch. I suggest going one step further and getting an inverter with automatic transfer switch and charger. Then you can get rid of your converter and simplify your wiring. One such device is the Samlex EVO-2212
  • I have and recommend Go Power inverters. Not the low price solution. I recommend a stand alone inverter with a separate transfer switch. Most inverters at this level have a remote power switch available to stop the power consumption when not in use.
  • If you're just looking for cheap, Amazon has a ton of off-brand Chinese stuff.
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    2oldman wrote:
    If you're just looking for cheap, Amazon has a ton of off-brand Chinese stuff.


    And many of those sound like a helicopter when the cooling fan kicks in.
  • Ron3rd wrote:
    2oldman wrote:
    If you're just looking for cheap, Amazon has a ton of off-brand Chinese stuff.
    And many of those sound like a helicopter when the cooling fan kicks in.
    Yeah, and you'll be replacing them along with your batteries. And with some of them, the cooling fan never stops.
  • Not looking for disposable, but I know that the Victron is out of my price range.

    time2roll wrote:
    I have and recommend Go Power inverters. Not the low price solution. I recommend a stand alone inverter with a separate transfer switch. Most inverters at this level have a remote power switch available to stop the power consumption when not in use.


    Those look reasonably priced.

    Our footprint is fairly small -- it would handle some light TV and possibly 5 minutes of a coffee maker drawing 1000W. We have 130W solar and a pair of 27DC's currently which does fine for our 12V needs.

    I do have a 30A transfer switch from the Winnebago, so I guess that could be spliced in-line. Maybe that's a better option in that I'd only have to have one run of Romex from the inverter (near the battery) and put the transfer switch in back of the power distribution panel.
  • With two batteries consider just 1500 watts. Could use microwave with the 2000 but you really need more battery.
  • I'm in the same boat as the opp looking for an 1000 watt psw inverter that won't break the bank and have been reading reviews for two weeks now..lol..Taking a break from looking because I have a Jackery 1000 that will do what I need for now..

    If I had to buy one today,the GoPower would be my choice just over $300 with the Wagan as a second choice..

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