Electrical Issues! Renogy 2000 watt Inverter Review // Teardrop Camper Build

I continue working on the #offgrid electrical setup for the teardrop camper and test and review the Renogy 2000 watt inverter: renogy.sjv.io/5...
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[@bovinespongiformflu]

you arent missing 200 watts, you losing powerfactor to the fans, when you account for power factor the math works out, use a purely resistive load and see how that goes.

[@똠양꿍-r8b]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@atoiler1389]

What is the ‘ 500’ you mentioned twice in your comments?

[@jdub1922]

Yes, it takes 1800W to get 1600W. Efficiency of these units is somewhere near 90%, which approximately accounts for your ~200W discrepancy. Further, when drawing so many amps, you need very large wire (like 4/0) unless it's like 1 foot (1/3 meter) or something, or your voltage drop will be too much. Test what the volts are at the inverter with a standard voltage meter when you're using high power appliances, and I'll be it's at or below 10.5v due to voltage drop over the wires, hence the shutoff. There are calculators online to get the right wire gauge.

[@MP-qn1jw]

Overkill is never bad, but can be expensive. You are way over the 80% by NEC. 2/0 is rated for 200A. 4/0 for 400A. I do agree with Texas though, BIGGER IS BETTER.

[@brucey5585]

​@MP-qn1jw 😂 or maybe she could just get a 24v system and cut the amps by half. Then she can use her 4 gauge wires.

[@SteveV2023]

Is there a part 2 to this video? I'm very curious now because my Renogy 3000w is coming in 5 days and now I'm worried it won't function as advertised.

[@stanjuan1178]

Basically, everything that really needed to be said has already been said in the comments below. I just wanted to put it in my own words anyhow. Why? Because I have time, I'm bored, and why the hell not. I happen to be an electrician. That in no way makes me an expert on DC power. In fact, while I have a good working understanding of electricity in general, learning about DC systems for my RV has been, interesting. So, without going into loads of technical details that nobody is going to follow, there are some very general rules that DIYers can apply. 1) Once you figure out what you think you need mathematically in terms of power, there are two additional factors to consider. The Expansion Factor and for lack of better words, the "Reality Factor". Lets start with the reality factor because that's pretty straight forward. If you determine for example that you will draw 1800 watts with every appliance on at the same time, you might decide on a 2000w inverter (because 1800w inverters are not exactly common). A general rule of thumb is to add 20% capacity. More on that in just a second, but basically, you never want to run anything ( i mean like ANYTHING, motors, generators, inverters, ANYTHING) at 100% or near 100% rated capacity. In the most general of terms, the rated capacity of anything is what something can safely run for short periods of time. In some cases, a VERY SHORT period of time before things either melt down or they otherwise shut themselves off as a matter of self preservation. Adding (as a general rule of thumb) 20% additional capacity gives you enough head room to really consume the power you want to draw. (There are other considerations, for example, you're probably never going to run every appliance at once, but you are generally building any system for a worst case scenario). So 20% of 2000w is 400w additional. Now, generally speaking (seeing a theme here), you would be lucky to find an inverter of 2400w or 2500w. I'm not saying none exist, but companies generally go from 1000w to 2000w to 3000w. So depending on the brand you wish to go with, you may find that the next step up is 3000w. Thus, once taking the "Reality factor" into consideration, your 1800w power needs will best be paired with a 3000w inverter. Hopefully you are sizing your entire system around happily supplying your 3000w inverter. Yes, everything will be somewhat bigger than it "Technically" needs to be. But that "Reality Factor", as you are discovering, works in strange ways. The power factor concerns as pointed out by a previous commenter being one such bug bear. The bottom line is, we tend to do "Easy Math" because it's easy. The reality is, there is more going on than the Easy Math shows you. That's essentially why there's a general 20% extra rule. 2) The expansion rule is even a bit more subjective, and you can handle it in two ways. So the Expansion Factor takes into account the basic truism of life. What ever it is you need today, you're going to want twice more of tomorrow. Now, I'm not suggesting that in the example above, that one should move to a 6000w inverter and the commensurate system needed to support it. That is 1 of the two ways one might go about handling this Expansion Factor. But assuming money IS a factor, the other way to handle the Expansion Factor is to face that beast UP FRONT. One would be well advised to consider what one would need to double the capacity derived in number 1 above. Anything that is particularly difficult to get to (access), or expensive to replace, one might think about biting the bullet and spending the money up front to accommodate an expanded system later. For example, buying the wire needed for a 3000w system, while cheaper than the wire needed for a 6000w system, is still expensive. And the labor cost of manufacturing the cables and installing all that wiring? If your time is like my time, the cost of doing this is VERY EXSPENSIVE, and it's not a cost you want to endure twice. You don't have to USE the extra capacity you have built in. But you CAN'T use extra capacity in the future that doesn't exist. Strategically spending money upfront can in many cases save you money, time, effort and other resources in the future. One might additionally consider SPACE. Should you want to increase the Battery Bank in the future, do you have the room, and not just any room, but THE RIGHT room to add additional batteries? Is there generally enough room TOO expand into? And component's. Especially components that are rather expensive. Let's say a 3000w inverter is $500. And a 6000w inverter is $1000 Sure, you wanna save yourself $500 on the upfront cost. But later on when you decide you want a 6000w inverter, now that $1000 inverter is going to cost you $1600. Why $1600? Because 1) the cost of the inverter was $1000 a year or two ago. Now, that inverter is $1200. Further 2), ain't nobody want your used ass 3000w inviter unless you're gonna effectively give it to them. So, one might consider with the most expensive components, pre-emptively upgrading those from the very start. Upgrade the system with consideration of the Expansion Factor where things are going to cost you the most down the road, or in some cases, will outright prevent you from expanding at all. In the future, you can always add more solar, or a new charger or even an inverter to the system. But you will thank yourself many times over if the BULK of the work and expense to upgrade was taken care of from the start. It may be the case that you NEVER use the additional capacity you built in. Those larger wires were never used to their potential. Those more expensive components were never used to their potential. But there are always additional benefits to these things. Components can be removed and moved to a new build. The wire you left behind is a selling point to the next owner who effectively has a rig prewired to accept 6000w of power consumption. In general terms, you're almost always better to figure these two factors in from the start (The Reality Factor and the Expansion Factor). Millions of people have learned about these two factors the hard way. If you have ever been forced to rewire an RV to accommodate some serious solar power, you will know just how difficult installing that stuff is. You don't want to have to pay twice and more so, you don't want to have to tear out the work you already did and re-install upgraded components. This is a fools errand. Obviously budgets are a factor, and you may KNOW FOR A FACT that you will never use more than 1800w in your RV. Sure, then, skip the Expansion factor. But the 20% reality factor is virtually mandatory. And that's exactly the reason your 2000w inverter is not performing the way you thought it would. It's not that the Inverter is faulty (and I'm not a fan of Renogy). The fact is, almost every 2000w inverter is going to have the same capacity issue you are running into. You don't have the headroom you need. And virtually nothing should ever be run at 100% or even 90% of it's "Rated Capacity" for more than a few minutes. With inverters especially, the "Continuous Watts" claim is questionable at best (because of things like power factor that they are not informing lay people about), or outright false advertising in the case of many "Cheap" alternatives. I'll leave you with one more story. I recently bought a 500w 12v inverter that came with a cigarette plug and alligator clamps. The literature tells you correctly that you will only be able to draw a max of 150 watts out of a cigarette plug, which is technically not a lie if your plug is fused at 15 amp. But most cig plugs are fused at 10 amps so you are lucky if you can draw 100w continuous without blowing the fuse. And if you put a bigger fuse in, the wires in the vehicle will melt, light your car on fire and you will die in a fiery Hollywood style explosion. Most people SHOULD understand how Cig plugs work, but you would be surprised how many people don't understand why you can't get 500 watts out of the inverter when plugged in this way. But more interesting to me is the alligator clamps that come with the inverter. The instructions say to clamp directly to a battery in order to get the max watts. Well, first off, a 500 watt inverter isn't going to run 500 watts continuous for very long without either shutting off or destroying itself. But the wires on the alligator clamps aren't NEARLY large enough to run 500 watts. 41amps over 14awg wire? I don't think so jack. You want a fire in your engine compartment? Because that's how you get a fire in your engine compartment. What's the point of this story? I think in many ways, the Alligator clamps that come with this 500w 12v inverter are physical tangible evidence for why the 500w continuous rated inverter, can't actually run 500w continuous. Just like the wires that were included, the components in the inverter are not physically capable of running that much power for long periods of time without overheating. It can do it for a little while, until the fan in the inverter is no longer able to dissipate the heat being generated. Then the unit will shut down, if it has built in protection. A very well known KZbinr, (Will Prowse) has stated that most Inverters come with copper clad aluminum wire. He says very explicitly that you SHOULD NEVER USE the wire that comes with an inverter unless you are certain its pure copper. The wire that comes with most inverters is simply not up to the task of carrying the kind of power that the unit is advertised at continuously. In the same way, most inverters are not constructed to to continuously supply the rated power, or even 90% of rated power unless you install the unit in a freezer. And that is the best explanation I can give you for the 20% Reality Factor rule of thumb.

[@vantruong469]

WOW, you do have time. Thanks for the info.

[@FionaMarie1234]

88% efficiency is decent for an inverter by itself. For 150a that wire gauge and length will easily result in 0.25v drop which is 35watts by itself. Non- problem. Use 2ft 4/0 awg cables without all the connections and retest.

[@Reanimator7336]

That inverter should be 1/0 minimum for 166amps which that inverter puts out.

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

You cannot fit 4/0 lugs onto the Renogy terminals. My 2/0 lugs wouldn't even fit. Nor would my 1/0 marine grade lugs. Needless to say, i recommend AVOIDING all Renogy products (for this and too many other reasons to list.)

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

@@handoverfist7355 Ok, that's fair. Aside from Renogy using the cheapest (flimsy) battery cable terminals which NONE of my battery lugs could fit (because they were too large), ... Well let's look at that one, actually. My battery cables were both marine grade and standard lugs, sized and terminated properly for 2000w to 3000w inverters (which is the peak power delivery stated for a 2000W inverter here). So why is the CORRECT size too big? That's a question worth asking. Chinsy terminals were too small for the CORRECT cable lugs. Ok, then there's the lying cheating company itself, Renogy. You can look at all the failures of their batteries, chargers and inverters online. It's common, TOO common. So you need good customer service with a poorly designed (cheaply designed) product. Well, Renogy tech support is useless for any specific technical issues because Renogy doesn't design their products. So no tech knows about it past the technical bulletins sent out by the Chinese company that actually makes and manufactures all these products, which Renogy and Rich Solar and many others simply have their names and brand colors added to. I will paste this in from another reply to a question someone asked me on my costumer service experience with that company, just to avoid retyping. Read around any bits that don't apply to you: *Renogy is the single WORST company I've ever delt with.* The 2000w inverter (and 1k and 3k) are notorious for Ground faults, premature shutdown, and not delivering their rated power (look up the real reviews on amazon, as renogy sensors the reviews on their website). The company is impossible to get ahold of when RETURNING or referencing DEFECTIVE equipment, but quite EASY when BUYING. I had to file a fraud claim with my credit card company to get refunded a product i did NOT order, yet was double charged anyways. This took 14 HOURS of actual phone time and 5 WEEKS before the STOLEN money was returned to my account. Even this only happened after the A.G. (Office of the Attorneys General) of my state opened a criminal inquiry, as mine was not the first case referred to them. Then Renogy was "magically" able to process my refund in 20 Minutes! What "magic" when the active case number was given to the "customer service" manager, who 5 minutes earlier said i needed to contact the accounting department as it was "IMPOSSIBLE" for customer service to refund my money without their codes! Hmmm? I've been doing solar since the "big" PV panels were a wopping 45 Watts and cost $300 Each! Not exactly a newbie here. There is ONE and ONLY ONE company i recommend to AVOID AT ALL COSTS: RENOGY. Their electronics are cheap chinese company exports rebranded. Same products as "Rich Solar", but different colors and junkier QC and terminal hardware, etc. (I've never bought anything from that company and are not recommending them, just noting they have nearly identical products except without the junky hardware connectors Renogy specifies to boost their profits $0.05 per unit. And Orange instead of teal colors). I would recommend anyone NOT buy ANYTHING from Renogy unless you have a lot of time and a good consumer protection attorney, as i now do.

[@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475]

@@handoverfist7355 I have about a dozen Renogy solar PV panels, and haven't had any problems with them so far, seems fine. I bought through the Sky God Jeff Bezos company, who handles any customer service issues. Not expecting the 20 year power output warranty to be honored, but the PV does seem fine. The QC on their electronics though... I would just not ever buy another Renogy. A person i know is still waiting for their charge controller/ inverter combi to be repaired. Renogy said it was not repairable after it was shipped to them (at his cost). So they refunded his money, right? Right? .... It's only been 4 months, give 'em a little, have some patience. I'd definitely buy from a 3rd party who has leverage, like Lowes in your case. There seems to be no end to these Renogy stories online. It's definitely not an isolated event(s). Some people get a good copy of whichever product, some don't. You do NOT want to deal with Renogy directly if you have a bad product from them. You need to fill out multiple request service cards online (if they ever bother calling you back at all. And even then you can't call back and talk to the same person.) Definitely go 3rd party. Or with another company. Solar power is worth doing. You get a lot of satisfaction from energy independence with renewables. Aside from PV and wind, solar hot water heating is another great (yet often overlooked) option. It's actually a faster Return On Investment than PV or wind. Lots of plans online too. - Good Travels.

[@cawag98]

@@onebylandtwoifbysearunifby5475 Hmm. It would seem that your experience isn't that usual. I'd point out there are many more fly-by-night inverter companies these days also... But, too bad if, 2/0 or thicker wires can't be easily connected. Have you tried asking the company about crimp connections to larger wires? Maybe you can DIY make your own wires by using a crimper with thicker wires and their approved connectors...

[@freeranger1677]

Your problem is the difference between an inductive load and a resistive load. Inverters and generators rated at 2000W are only capable of delivering that into a resistive load, when connected to an inductive load it may only be capable of delivering 1200W-1500W depending on the power factor. Take a closer look at the specifications of your inverter but I am pretty sure it's not faulty.

[@Matt-df6hz]

the renogy docs say that a 2000w inverter should be able to momentarily handle up to 4000w so I'd have expected inductive loads of up to 2000w to not be an issue for it

[@WizzRacing]

@@Matt-df6hz She didn't account for efficiency loses..As that 200 watts that vanished. Is consumed in the conversion from 12volts to 120v.. Why even the best inverters you should expect 91% efficiency conversion. In the best of conditions...

[@MP-qn1jw]

WOW! No, the problem is that inverter is garbage. 3VAC swing at 5% load. Total garbage. A proper inverter can hold the line. The advertised load capacity should be attainable no matter what kind of load you put on it. It did not say 2000 peak, or short duty, no. It says 2000 constant. While the 80% rule is to live by, this inverter's 100% is actually 80% of what it claims. So if you did not test it, like she did, you would be running at 100% when you think you are just at80%. Did someone say FIRE?!?!?!

[@imxploring]

Going larger is never a bad idea. Pressing equipment to its max usual leads to problems.

[@mrcina8621]

Wires u get with inverter are useless,u need bigger ones to get maximum use from inverter

[@willtyers3555]

Had exactly the same problem, same inverter, same circuit breaker, changed the circuit breaker to heavy duty battery isolator and 225A mega fuse...works fine . figured the 225A circuit breaker can't really handle the current and starts to fail, tripping the inverter. Thanks for your channel your video really helped

[@j_m_b_1914]

Great advice about the circuit breaker. My guess is that there are some losses in the unit which is normal (200 watts for 2000 watts is a 10% loss which seems high but might be in line). Some loads will draw 2x the normal amps during startup so the circuit breaker is probably tripping / going bad quickly. Maybe a 250A breaker would work better?

[@fladave99]

I have the same system with 2 250 watt breakers incoming on two 400 amp battery packs and it blows at 1500 Its about 5 years old, pulls 1000 watts 12 hours a day from 1600 watts of solar so I cant complain. I am adding another 600 watts of panels and a 3500 watt inverter

[@MP-qn1jw]

A breaker is not "tripping the inverter". This product is simply garbage. A 3VAC swing when under 5% load means it is just plain garbage. Maybe ok for incandescent light bulbs. So sorry.

[@MP-qn1jw]

@@j_m_b_1914 Nah, it's just garbage.

[@atoiler1389]

Just trying to understand how a fuse that apparently did NOT trip would in any way impact the inverter? In my knowledge a fuse is either open or closed. That it is starting to fail (“starts to fail”) is irrelevant, i.e. if it has not yet failed then it remains closed, essentially allowing full current to flow through to the inverter

[@ast77777]

So ... an 2000w max rated power - 10% Inverter Efficiency - 3.2% loss: Cables ,conections, Shunts etc = 1736w Real max continous output power... and after that it shut off it seems normal and logical..so there is your discrepancy, because the shunt shows draw before the inverter (before the efficiency loss) and the wattmeter after the inverter (after efficiency loss) pull in 1800w but push out only 1620w.

[@EngineerMikeF]

I've been running appliances in a large diesel motorhome since 05 off a 2000w continuous duty inverter & all works fine. 3000w not needed. My microwave draws ~160A from the 12v batteries. Either the Renogy 2kw isn't continuous duty or it's faulty

[@WizzRacing]

It has active cooling...And if your running high loads all the time.. The fans will stay on to protect it....I have a hunch here voltage is to low..Which cause higher amps. Why people need an amp shunt on the line side of any inverter....

[@cheath8705]

If you decide to go 3000 watt over the 2000 watt, keep in mind the idle current will be higher. If you can afford to lose higher amount of amps, go for it. I have 1000 watt inverter charger and a 500 watt inverter. I also at firsf had 200 watt solar panels. 500 watt served me well when using computer, tv , or stereo while idle current is only 0.7 amps while my inverter charger draws 2.5 amps but only used it for vacuum or microwave.

[@MrDingaling007]

I wonder what the low voltage cut off is on that inverter. Looking at the battery voltage, it dropped down to low 12V range. The Lifepo4 BMS may of cut in and done something if any of the individual lifepo4 cells within went into low voltage threshold. Infact my money is one of the cells within the battery went down to 2.5-2.0v triggering the BMS unless the inverter low voltage cutoff is set at 11V or something

[@kswis]

The renogy name would suggest if they claim 2k watts it would be able to do 2k watts continuous. A current shunt would be the best way to analyze how much power its consuming. The lower the voltage the more the current and the faster the voltage goes. None the less I'm second guessing buying this inverter even though I have a few renogy items that have worked flawlessly thus far. I digress well put together video. I'm am now a subscriber thankyou for your help

[@MP-qn1jw]

Renogy looked to be a great brand, until I saw this video. I can't speak for other Renogy products, but from what I have seen in this video they suck. Or, at least their inverters do. 3VAC swing under 5% load is an EPIC FAILURE. Inverters by nature are voltage regulators, and Renogy fumbled the F_-= out of this one.

[@atoiler1389]

The Renogy inverter has 4000 watt momentary and 2000 watt continuous output

[@tseckwr3783]

There have been a number of reviews on this model. at 5% 1 star on Amazon. Mostly for DOA and poor customer support.

[@spazzman90]

Yours may be faulty. Mine, the fans never run under 1000 watts. At 1300 Watt draw, mine runs the fans occasionally. At close to 2000, the fans run continuous, and I've never has the unit shut down. Having said that, I bought the 2000 to run 1000-1200 watts. If I was going to run any more, I would have got the 3000.

[@Reanimator7336]

Hope my 2000w does as good as yours. These are highly rated. She is using 4 awg. That is rated for 2/0 to 1/0 awg. 2000w 12v = 166amps.

[@Captain_Char]

use a fanless dish heater, 300 watts resistive load and they put out heat

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

An inverter rated at 2,000 watts is required to *output* 2,000W. Period. End of statement. Beyond that, any inverter worth buying should briefly support twice the rated wattage. Best in class units sustain overloads for up to 30 seconds. Any loss (and 10% at 12V is to be expected) is measured *between* the input and output. The output is *never* derated for losses. In short ~2,222W in (185+A @ 12Vdc) and 2,000W out (16+A @ 120Vac). If the inverter doesn't meet its rating, return it. Lyn, for the usage profile you outline, a 3,000W inverter is overkill. There are lots of 12V PSW inverters available (in the same price range) from very reputable manufacturers from which to choose.

[@MrDingaling007]

Id say the missing 200 watts is the inverters efficiency. Unless there is some power factor not being taken into account, but the Victron shunt would be wattage of the fan Plus the inverters inefficiency.

[@leftturnaudio5678]

dont forget, the type of load you are applying. If you plan to use up to 2000 watts regularly, you should get at least a 2500 or 3000. You always want wiggle room instead of constantly maxing out your system.

[@scotttovey]

Go with a 3000 watt model. Don't design a power supply system that gives you exactly what you are going to use. Always design a buffer in the system so that should one of your appliances start to wear out, it won't take out your inverter in the process. Oh, and don't forget to put a 15 amp circuit breaker on that unlimited power port. Did you test the actual amps you were pulling, or just wattage? The unit may have been shutting down due to too much amps being drawn.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

I wouild say 16A but that's not a preferred value in north america (would allow another 120w of headroom)... plus you could choose a C curve breaker to allow short term overloads.

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

Wrong! For direct load wiring to the inverter terminal block, a 20A breaker should be used. A more typical application is to supply an AC distribution panel from the terminal block while reserving the included outlets for "convenience" loads. Breakers in the panel then protect downstream wiring and loads.

[@caseykelso1]

Wow. I'm glad you let her know. 😌 really...

[@daydog64]

Great video. Those pesky Gremlins need a few hundred watts to do their job. Thank you for your time.

[@atoiler1389]

What was your solution? I have the very same problem right now with my 2000 watt Renogy inverter….

[@nicolasfortin4216]

Did you get the "new edition" ? I'm about to buy it and not sure anymore...

[@vdt4037]

The problem is currency peak when you switch on some appliance...... you need invertor between 2500-3000W to consume 2000w of energy....simplified. When you start fridge for example the currency peak can be 4x higher.....

[@christopherverges2328]

www.renogy.com/2000w-12v-pure-sine-wave-inverter/ The spec says continuous power at 2000W, surge power at 4000W. Even assuming motor loads, 80% derating, etc. it should still work?

[@scotttovey]

@@christopherverges2328 Not if your appliance is drawing more amps than you expect. The heat build up in an electrical system is due to amps being drawn, not voltage being used. The higher the amps, the more heat. There of course are exceptions to this, but it's a general rule to keep in mind when diagnosing an electrical unit. You may think your within specs with your 120 volt unit at x amps, but if that unit is drawing more amps, the inverter will work harder and ultimately shut down due to heat build up. I suspect that there is an excess heat cut off circuit to prevent damage that a higher than 15 amp draw would cause.

[@vdt4037]

​@@christopherverges2328 Ok, that is true. Then lets wait for another product.

[@nthenet]

The 200 watts is because it needs 200 extra watts to deal with the inductive load. This is a power factor issues. Look up apparent power (kVA) vs Reactive Power(kVAr). And research inductive loads vs. resistive loads. Then research low frequency inverters vs. high frequency inverters. Then you’ll realize why the Renogy inverter was showing a 200 watt difference and could not power most of her appliances. It’s not a bad inverter. It’s a high frequency inverter(HF). And HF inverter can’t deal with inductive loads very well. She needs to purchase a 3000 watt low-frequency inverter. Maybe purchase a Sun Gold LF series 4000 watt or a Victron 3000 LF inverter. But these cost high $. And you’ll differentially need two batteries with at least 200 amp BMS.

[@BobGubbins]

I too have a 2000 watt inverter in my diesel motor home and it runs everything fine. On my sailboat that was totally off grid I used Xantrex Prowatt Sw2000 - True Sine Wave Inverter and I was able to run an induction plate at full power. That being said with what you want to run (at least what you are talking about in your videos) a 3000 watt might be a better choice for you. If you read the specs most of the 2k inverters are around 1800 watts continuous and peak at or just above he 2000 watts..... That being said living off grid is about learning to manage your power. You have said you want the instant pot which I believe is 1100 watts or rough numbers 10 amps @12v so every hour you run the instant pot you will deplete your battery by 10AH add on computers lights etc... it will add up. I personally the xantrex stuff they have been around for a long time and make a quality product. I know others have said go 24 volt but in your small system that doesn't make sense.... Thank you for putting out quality content!!!! Bob

[@TheWVContractor]

Question please, I am curious; would 10 amps @ 12v = 120 watts.. if so, an 1100 watt instant-pot would consume about 9 amps @ 120v , BUT, it would consume about 90 amps @ 12v.. So you'd need a 100ah battery to run it for one hour... is that correct, or do i have that wrong?

[@BobGubbins]

@@TheWVContractor yes you are correct I must of been tired when replying.

[@djp_video]

Go for a 3000 Watt inverter. Manufacturers, particularly the budget ones, tend to exaggerate the actual power output by a fairly wide margin. It is also better to not run them at close to their maximum rating for very long, particularly if you don’t want the fan coming on very often. Make sure to test your air conditioner too. A 5000 BTU A/C likely draws about 2500-3000 Watts for a few seconds during startup. Air Conditioners are quite difficult to power with inverters. You might consider getting an inverter/charger. That would allow you to charge the batteries from AC shore power. You also get much better monitoring and far more intelligent handling of power. I swapped my inverter with a Xantrex Freedom XC inverter/charger and am thrilled with it. One of the best decisions I ever made. You can also run multiple inverters. One small one for light loads like a laptop or charging phones, and a bigger one you can switch on when you need high power.

[@darbinorvar]

In my tests the air conditioner was fine but I'll probably end up with a 3000 watt unit.

[@MrBobisadog]

I agree with Doug on the inverter/charger. Having that integrated makes this like an rv and I have upgraded my I/C every time we get a new rv. They are fabulous.

[@MP-qn1jw]

Or just buy better equipment. That inverter is garbage. 3VAC swing at 5% load, what a POS! No excuse for a 3VAC swing at 5% load, none. No exaggerations here, that is just crap. The 2kW inverter I just purchased holds 119VAC all the way to full rated load, and then some, regardless of input VDC. 13.4VDC in 119VAC out. 11VDC in 119VAC out. Proper gear. No Noogies here!

[@SynthToshi]

I plan to use this with direct solar to DC. If clouds block the sun and there isn’t enough solar power, it will switch to AC power. When the sun provides enough light again, will it automatically switch back to using DC power?

[@MichaelEastForest]

Mine lasted exactly fourteen months from the moment it was professionally installed. The warranty for this product is one year. I contacted Renogy customer service bc an inverter is supposed to last something like twelve to fifteen years according to current design standards. Renogy informed me after asking me for photos that my unit certainly had malfunctioned but since it was out of warranty they cannot help me. Read that again if you are considering this for your van or camper. Mine is at least the third unit I’ve heard of wearing out before the fifteen month mark. It’s almost as if they are made just good enough to put outlast the warranty by a bit and die. I’m making a video about this product and the customer service of this company soon. For $400 more I could have had a Victron that would have lasted fifteen years. Now I’ve cost myself an extra $700 for this unit that is of poor design. Don’t buy this product and limit how much Renogy equipment you install in your build bc they will not stand behind their products if you encounter issues.

[@fladave99]

I run mine at 750 watts draw for 12 hours a day for 3 years. However it will blow at 1500 watts surge if my refer goes on. If I unplug my freezer I can add my AC with full sun on panels to about 1250 watts and it runs ok. I would go to a 3500 - 4000 for my next one though

[@jerrytalley802]

I just ordered a 3,000 Renogy pure sine wave inverter. I got 2 x 230 amp hour redodo batteries, 4/0 copper cables, etc. As soon as my hydraulic crimping tool gets here, I’ll assemble it and see how it runs my new camper. It will run a microwave 6 hours, central AC about 2 1/2, but hoping much longer if it cycles. I have 190 watts factory solar, going to add another 200 watt panel too.

[@budmartin3344]

@ 2:27 2000W/12.8 = 156A is not correct that is because the inverter has efficiency rating, 85 ~ 90% is typical, that means at 90%eff. the input power (power drawn from battery) to the inverter will be higher than 2000W, it will be about 2222W so at 12.8V the current draw from batteries will be 174A. Also the surge rating that claims 2 x the contentious rating are usually meaningless because most of these inverter can supply peak power at around 30 ~ 50 mSec (1 cycke of 60Hz AC is about 17 mSec), so if the load such as compressor may have surge duration in 100's of mSec then the inverter will not be able to handle it. The transformer based inverter usually has surge rating in seconds which can easily handle compressor/inductive load. Compressor can easily have 3 ~ 7 times higher power than running Wattage rating when it starts up. You should get a Clamp-on Amp meter with peak hold reading so you can see what the peak current draw is when it starts up.

[@matthewwakeham2206]

Watts is less important for inverters than VA. Victron inverters are rated in VA which allows for power factor. So for example my fridge draws 70-80 watts ish but the inverter shows 120-130 VA. VA is important because this in effect the power going through the inverter which is why they never put out as many watts as they say. You can think of the difference between watts and VA as power that is not being used but is being pushed and pulled from the battery. The extra current has to be handled by the inverter which means it has to be deducted from the inverters rating. That explains why Victron says a 1200VA inverter is rated at 1000 watts. Power factor is watts divided by VA. Power factor is all to do with whether the current and voltage waves are happening at the same time or if they become separated due to driving difficult loads like motors, transformers etc (things that use coils of wire).

[@10Flat]

Inverters should never constantly run at more than 80%……80% of 2000 watts is 1600 watts. A shutdown safety feature is built into them intentionally . Buy a larger inverter if you intend on using more than 80%

[@miketruitt8052]

There is nothing wrong with the inverter. Yes, when an inverter is working hard, it will use more power, You're simply overtaxing it. Also: You will not be able to rely on electric space heating utilizing 1,000 watts of solar, and 400 amp hours of storage. From a full charge, using an electric heater drawing 1650 watts, plus 200 watts for the inverter, you'll drain your batteries down to 50% charge in about 2 hours. Get some good sleeping bags, and down pajamas. You can't live an "on the grid" lifestyle "off the grid". Not a realistic expectation.

[@desparky]

Voltage drop on the input is the problem. She did all the voltage measurements at the start, but didn't measure the battery voltage and compare it to the voltage at the inverter input when it's under load. The cables from the battery are too long. Cable size is too small. Manufacturers recommend using a fuse instead of a circuit breaker, as fuses have slightly less voltage drop.

[@cawag98]

I'm not sure about your FAIL conclusion that 'it's not delivering what it should be able to' at 8 minutes, or so. If you're drawing close to 2000 watts at 13ish volts, you're going to need 2 gauge or maybe 2/0 (bigger) gauge wires in 3 ft or less lengths. It looks like your wires are longer. Is the gauge smaller also? It was good you checked connections etc. I think I also see 12v fuses/circuit breakers on the hot wires, close to the battery connection. Adequately thick and short 12v wiring and fusing/circuit breakers are very important. Great work on the project. Question: If anyone knows a good 1000 or 2000 w pure sine wave inverter that can be connected safely to house wiring - via a transfer switch - please post. I have found some that should work (unbonded neutral-ground) but which produce voltage on both cold and hot...ick. Does this unit produce all voltage on hot? Is its neutral bonded to ground?

[@solarcharging9743]

Of course it fried, it's a high frequency, transformerless inverter. High frequency inverters have short life expectancies, and poor surge capacities. If you want an inverter that's going to last more than a year, then you should buy a liw frequency, transformer based inverter.

[@karlos9394]

I had the same inverter running in my cabin. I have two one year old deep cycle batteries connected. Only lights can be run. 32" LED television will run for few minute then alarm at inverter goes on. When I check, it has about 43% left. Very odd.... and not what I was expected....

[@jamesrougeau]

Excellent review. I was going to buy the 3000w model but will wait for now. I will try to search your videos to see if you decided differently etc. Thanks for sharing amen, James & Kitties

[@Edgunsuk]

I got the 3000 watt today , have 400 wats of solar to a fogstar 560 AH battery ....first time doing this i have no clue so went overgboard on everything hopeing it asll works lol

[@hunter00047]

8 years ago I bought a cheap 1500W aliexpress pure sine wave inverter which still works fine. I use power tools, fridge, induction hob. It only uses 150mA on standby. Renolgy is good for solar, but their inverters are rubbish. You also need to look at a real life situation like when would you ever be using all your power items at once, in the electrical world we call it load diversity.

[@benbmw86]

What brand? Can l ask? Looking for something cheap

[@primelifttires6659]

I have the same problem with my 3000w Renogy inverter. Powering a heat gun at 1300watts should be easy with a 3000w inverter. However this one shuts off after 1 minute. Won’t be buying Renogy again.

[@SynthToshi]

does it automatically switch back to dc power when available?

[@serjhacopian1508]

Hi you need 3500 watts inverter then it will do the job for you. that's what I'm using, and it works for me!!

[@DrFunke]

It’s a shame manufacturers can’t be trusted to accurately rate their products. They should be erring toward the worst units hitting spec.

[@DiHandley]

2 x 12vdc 200amp batteries = 400amp capacity. So way above the inverters maximum requirement. If you can afford it go for the 3000 watt.

[@randylenart9674]

Hook your shunt up as close to your battery as possible and get a low frequency inverter and always go twice as big as you think you will use

[@atoiler1389]

When your inverter alarm sounded and it shut down which of the front LED lights illuminated, the yellow or red? Thanks

[@andyxuk]

renorgy products are garbage i had a 1000w inverter there was no surge ability so anything with a high initial load it would shut off and like this one the fans would come on with very light loads indicating it is wasting for more power that specified when i asked renorgy about it i just got a lad of bs i am an electrician and i know wasted energy is given off as heat it should not get as warm as it does from a very light load ie less that 15watts will never buy any of there products again as had problems with everything i have brought from them DO NOT BUY RENOGY went back to my old novopal inverter never had any issues with it stays cool on light loads and the fan only comes on when i am putting a high load through it and upgrading to the new 2000w novopal

[@jamesbuchanan3439]

I've been looking at a Renogy 3500 watt combination charger/inverter. The unit has extra intelligence, and many different modes of operation are programmable. The idea is to install it on our campground golf cart to perform a number of duties. For one thing, the device will allow the large golf cart batteries to power our stationary trailer during any power failure. For another thing, it will allow me to charge the golf cart with solar panels on a regular basis (as well as during any extended power failures course). Finally, it can charge the golf cart batteries without attaching an external charger, and be programmed to work in Uninterruptable Power Supply mode to protect the trailer refrigerator from any power failures when we are away. With the optional small BT-2 unit, all electrical parameters can be monitored via phone app via Bluetooth. Perhaps that unit would provide what you need, AND cut down on equipment count/weight/space?

[@jamesbuchanan3439]

I should add that this is a 48 volt D.C. unit and battery setup. (So D.C. cabling can be ¼ the areal thickness; or almost 3 gauge or aught sizes difference...)

[@CyrilHarnisch]

I use a Renogy PCL inverter/charger. This deals with shore power connection, too. My 2kW unit cost me about $600. I am now using a victron monitoring system and wish I had bought a victron inverter/charger. Of course, they do cost twice as much....

[@MP-qn1jw]

If you pay attention to this video, it is clear that Renogy does not know a F-ing thing about inverters. That thing is absolute garbage. duh.

[@DENMONKEY]

Specs say around 90% efficiency. That's a loss of 100w per 1000w. That should be the cost at the battery end though and not at the inverter output. It should be able to output the full 2000w as advertised.

[@raywsun]

The battery will be hard pressed to run the power-hungry appliances mentioned for any reasonable length of time. Assuming the battery is 12.8V nominal - 12.8V x 400AH = 5.12kWH of which 80% is usable, 5.12kWH x 80% = 4.1kWH. Assuming a generous DC/AC conversion by the inverter of 85%, 4.1kWH x 85% = 3.4kWH AC. On a cold night a 1.5kW electric heater will run the battery down from full in about 2 hours. The high demand appliances are not wise choices with a battery inverter system.

[@daversj]

Your calculation seems sound but heat requirement are exaggerated. Electric resistive heat would not the best solution if a mostly cold climate. But she wont need a 1500w(5000btu) heater in a little teardrop. 1kw of heat would cook her like a chicken in that small space, provided it was reasonably insulated. Probably only need 500w(1700btu) of heat intermittently on a t stat. That makes electric more feasible but still a significant load.

[@j_m_b_1914]

@@daversj Exactly. I don't know what kind of insulation other people have, but when we had this house built, we spent an extra 25k to get the best insulation possible. I can heat a bedroom on a cold night with just the GPU in my computer (200 watts) while gaming. Pick a few rooms (bedrooms) and just run 250w heaters off and on when needed. Hell, stick the inverter in the house to help heat the common areas. Good insulation goes a really long way. If I ran a 1.5kw heater in our bedroom, it would hit 90 degrees in about 15 minutes and would take hours to drop back down to the high 70s.

[@chrishessey9733]

Something is wrong with the inverter. The continuous power is 2000 watts and peak is 4000 watts. I have one and it will run at 2000 all day. I even have the 700 watt one and it works fine. Check the cables are they the right size check to see is all the nuts are tight.

[@TheBaronessvonGraf]

Enjoyed your candor! I'm running into same thing.

[@mikedunn4283]

I got the same inverter and it start beating the second time I use it. Now it won’t stop beeping. Really poor quality!

[@stevemcgavren7645]

EVERY inverter I have seen or read about under performs at bout 60-70% of it's rating. I hope you do the 3000.

[@MrDingaling007]

The victrons seem to perform better then rated. At least mine does.

[@stevemcgavren7645]

@@MrDingaling007 I'm going to test the GoWISE Power 3000W. We'll see how that goes.

[@imhungry2387]

You're not losing 200 watts, all of those connections and all of those wires you're going to lose at least 100 watts through amp draw

[@dtwistrewind7361]

That should have no problem running 2200w long term

[@G-ra-ha-m]

Interesting video. I bought the 1000W model, and with a 850W toaster it shuts off after a minute with a beep (overheat), so I'm having to downgrade the toaster to a 700W one. It seems the headline figure of 1000W is incorrect.

[@cawag98]

Check your wire lengths, wire gauge and battery/power source strength. It sounds like you could be having voltage drop below the shut off point either due to resistance/losses (long or thin wires) or due to an undersized battery/powersource.

[@AudiaciousLife]

What was the end result of this? you were talking about your unit and you might try a new one, what came of that?

[@slippery_slobber]

The title of your video might make people think that the Renogy inverter had issues.

[@davedixon6372]

The only real problem i can see it the fack you bought a renogy inverter i know the victron inverters are big money but thay are worth every penny Renogy is bin fodder after a yr dont get me started on there useless apps

[@MikeGrayM70]

I wonder if it's overheating. You mentioned that the fans kept turning on even with no load on the inverter. Anyway, I'm enjoying these videos. I also plan to wire up a trailer to charge with solar, the truck alternator, and grid power. Though my plan is to use all DC devices from the battery. Looking forward to the next video! :)

[@MP-qn1jw]

No, it is just garbage.

[@curtstacy779]

Go with the bigger unit, you don't want to run at the max anyway. looking pretty good! by the way, if you're ever thinking of heating or cooling the camper you will want to go way bigger on everything. the only reason you needed as big as you have is because of cooking.

[@mrcina8621]

Cook on gas,heat on gas

[@curtstacy779]

@@mrcina8621 Agreed Solar isn't cheap enough or advanced enough yet. best used for low current devices.

[@TheMightySar]

80% total power so @2000 watt will produce 1600 watts

[@mannyfragoza9652]

Many inverters dont live up to what they advertise on the box.I cant use my Reliable 3000 Watt pure Sign Wave inverter because it cant start my 6000 btu A/C very sad. I had to substitute a Harbor Freight 2000 Watt inverter and now i can run my A/C .The only problem is the H.F inverter is not a pure sign wave so the digital A/C makes a slight humming noise. Now i was thinking on buying the Renogy 2000 Watt Inverter,which should handle the load w/o the humming.

[@carlziemba6068]

Are those small leads from inverter 12 volt, Not 120?

[@derekis1joedirt]

Definitely should have a higher rating for loads like that. A 2000w would only be good for a fridge and maybe a couple fan.

[@klaas-janmodder9025]

if i see it corectly for us in europe the power plug on the side is for land power , not voor power out...

[@treadlightly2766]

Your very knowledgeable, I am just starting to put together a solar system and this is very helpful. Where did you get those battery disconnects? Thank you

[@Bullwinkl360]

Please do a follow-up vid. I'm in the market for a 2000 watt inverter and am unsure which one to buy. I've seen mixed reviews on Renogy inverters.

[@ProfessorDIY]

Nothing is wrong with it, I suspect that is us 2000W max and not constant load

[@ARepublicIfYouCanKeepIt]

Nope. 2000W continuous/4000W peak.

[@larry785]

A higher input voltage would make everything more efficient, especially with higher voltage solar panels.

[@ekimviewmaster5010]

It is sad that you must go through the time invested, the hassle of research, buying, waiting for shipping, etc....only to have an item fail to perform how it was proported to function. And now....you have to invest more time, research, hassle, etc. I wish I could get away with such ineptitude at my business. Sorry for your experience.

[@iamradiboi]

I have just learn a new word "Ineptitude" you must be an teacher 😊 ...an yes I agree with u

[@suskeuchiha4608]

Is there is 6000 watt or 8000 watt inverter Renogy inverter

[@davidsinclair7168]

Hi Check out this unit, I have one and it works for my trailer. Renogy 2000W 12V PURE SINE WAVE INVERTER CHARGER W/ LCD DISPLAY SKU: R-INVT-PCL1-20111S-CA

[@chadbrooker3147]

Gfci is shutting u down. You need to up plug thr wire to the gfci

[@waqarmughal4684]

Plz send me 12 v 2000watts price

[@MortifiedU]

2 x 3000w renogy inverters failed me within 6 months. Just ordered a giant and will eventually just go Victron as I am 100% offgrid and need reliability.

[@jerryroman8164]

Hello very good video. The fans on the inverter are noisy.

[@pometchandrabormon5435]

Hi am from Bangladesh. How can i get it?

[@spike178]

Puts me off ever buying a Inverter most seem to be junk.

[@awesomedee5421]

The specs says there is

[@ELECTROBUFF]

Love those solar panels. 👍

[@passsacaglia]

Helloo Swedeen!

[@pkefvkef4856]

very interested.Dear one question.Because in my place there are many lightings .in case some parts are burned ,even PIC chips ,will you sell me to replace them???

[@grahamnielsen4797]

The inverter should run at 2000w continuous is what the spec says with peak 4000w surge and your testing looked fine, yes it could be a faulty product but do consider the battery bms too as it might not be continuous, but a peak rating. Had mixed reviews over the years Renogy plus so have lot's of other brand's! (Made in China some time is ?) however victron gear seems to hold there owen. Good luck

[@WizzRacing]

Ditch that thing and spend the extra money on the Xantrex Prowatt SW2000 2000W True Sinewave Inverter. It's designed for continuous use of 1800 watts. High wattage appliances. ..And it stays cool. As it has both active and passive cooling.. And yes I install this system all the time. As your not the only one that finds out the hard way. How cheap built some of these are.. Good Luck

[@langtime]

You said that the input voltage "shouldn't be a problem". You should have measured the input voltage directly at the inverter input terminals while under maximum load before condemning this inverter. . An excessive Voltage drop may the cause of your shut down.

[@richdespiseus6243]

Anyone tried a low frequency inverter yet?

[@stphinkle]

The 200W discrepency may include the power used for the internal functions of the inverter. Often it consumes power for the drive circuits that turn DC into AC. They are only about 70-90% efficent in most cases, depending on the design of the inverters internal circutry.

[@kgradio]

Most quality inverters are about 88 to 92% efficient, so it's perfectly normal to have more watts going into the inverter than coming out. The watts lost through inefficiency are dissipated as heat, that's what the fans are for. If it were possible to make a 100% efficient inverter, no cooling would be necessary.

[@richdespiseus6243]

My experience is that anything with a motor creates problems with standard, high frequency inverters. Always specify a larger unit, batteries and solar array than you think you need. The idle current and losses are higher and the cables are expensive, but it will do what you want it to do. Fridges suck.

[@danielmarcomataya8632]

Renogy inverters do not deliver as advertised

[@SasaErkic-w6y]

do you need to precharge inverter?

[@davidpotter9462]

I looked at one of these two days ago to run a sump pump from my pickup to get spring water. I wound up buying an Ampeak 2000 watts inverter, 12 volts. I already have a 24 volts Aims inverter charger 2000 watts...it will do the rating. But it weighs 46 pounds too. Low frequency pure sine wave. I have it hooked to 20 AutoZone marine batteries. With two sets of #2 welding leads. The cables don't ever get warm.

[@MrThuggery]

You should always knock off 20% off what an inverter is claiming anyway mate.

[@MrCharrrles]

I don't understand why ppl go for 2000w just because it's sufficient when you can easily go 3000w. You never know if one day you get one appliance down the road that needs it

[@McUser1965]

I can say that all these stand alone inverters seem to have issues. Since I started using 3 - 5kw hybrid (solar) inverters (in my case from SAKO Sunpolo & Sunun Pro) which are supposed to power a home I didn't have any issues. The hybrid inverter gives you a charger and MPPT controller too along with WiFi monitoring. The MPPT controller will require a relatively hight starting voltage which you might not be able to achieve with a less than 1000W panel setup. But in this case you can add a separate inexpensive MPPT charger. Bit the inverters/chargers are real powerhouses. Maybe worth a thought.