Reliable Inverters?

DougH

Just a public service advisory...  if you have a somewhat higher power inverter...  like 2000-4000W...  consider buying a spare one when you find them on sale.

I have a couple lower power cigarette lighter type inverters I've had for decades. No problems. But once I wanted to power espresso makers, heaters, and air conditioners I've had pretty bad luck. Never a dead one straight from the manufacturer. But even with careful fusing on both sides, no measured hard spikes, and auxiliary fans keeping the inverter area well within the specified operating range, I've had inverters go six months and then suddenly give up the ghost (no output power, burning smell).

I thought it was just me; just bad karma, but then I started reading every Amazon review. There's hardly any issues with the old fashioned transformer type 12/24V to 115V inverters. The fifty pound, $2000 units that last forever. But for the ubiquitous HF digital pure sine inverters on eBay, Amazon, Banggood in the 2000+ watt range, a significant number of folks report shorter than expected life spans. Truckers, boaters, RVers for Aims, GoPower, Samlex, and the plethora of no-name units all had horror stories to tell. Anecdotal, to be sure. Maybe most customers are happy for a couple years or more.  Or maybe they're using under a kilowatt and only few times a year, not at higher powers and not for days or weeks in a row. On the bright side, the one time I had an issue with Giandel, they rushed me out a replacement inverter under warranty right away.

Just the cost of dry camping with power hungry gizmos I suppose.

Cbusguy

Don't know,  I have one in the work shed 3k from harbor freight,  pure sinewave,  run circular saws, power miters and even the Tab ac unit with zero issues,   I think it is 3 years old or so.

The thing to remember is you need appropriate sized wire and a large enough battery to supply the surge.   

Tabaz

I had a $425 2000/4000 inverter go bad within a year. It was secured in a metal box on the trailer tongue. I since bought a $129 2000/4000 model from Harbor Freight but mounted it inside the T@B cabin on foam feet for shock absorption. It's been about a year with no problems. 

DougH

@Cbusguy : I have 0AWG to the inverter and only two foot runs, but I'm just using a 250Ah bank right now.  My cheap battery monitor doesn't show spikes, just 50-55A @ 12V continuous in hot weather day use with everything on.  But the Fluke has seen occasional very brief 80A spikes as the compressor starts up. I thought that was pretty good for an A/C unit. Should I go back to 375Ah to reduce inverter issues, or is 250Ah enough?  I can run the A/C for over two hours without hitting 50%.  Could be vibration and higher temperatures are factors.  Maybe I should "spring" for something like a set of four of these...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F7XQC3

Cbusguy

vibration?

Possible, don't know,  that would be one of a couple of differences.   The second being my inverter is mounted on the wall, even with heavy use the cooling fan does not turn on.   Not sure where you have your mounted.   but heat is a possibility.

The other thing is mine is in the 3k range so it operates at a lower percentage of max capacity.

Sounds like the rest of your setup is super solid.   On public forums you just never know,   

DougH

@Cbusguy @Tabaz :  I did just order those vibration dampeners, so maybe that will help, or reduce the future probability of failure.

And the nice folks at the inverter company reached out this morning since it was still within their 18 month warranty and I had registered it, so perhaps I'll get that spare inverter to carry going forward free of charge or with just some shipping charges.

In terms of heat, I had the inverter mounted on the floor under the bed (no feet at the time, just 3M tape for cushioning).  I had placed a 4" hole in the Azdel floor of the T@B right near the exhaust of the inverter, with a bug screen, the highest volume / high end exhaust fan I could find, and a protective fan cage.  That was situated a few inches from the built in exhaust fans on the inverter, and was operating when the inverter died.  Overkill perhaps, but I'd measured the temperatures under the bed there in that rear storage area, and never allowed the waste heat from the inverter to build up in the enclosed space. OCD, but I used to be an engineer, and we love over-thinking things.

But the RV was above 100F at the time of demise of this particular inverter (although most of their spec sheets say they work up to 140-160F).  The DW, also a PE, is leaning towards heat being the likeliest factor.

Cbusguy

Gotta laugh outa that doug,   ya over thinking over engineering.    well you had all the bases I was thinking of covered,   

Vibration and rogue neutrinos are all I have left.