Giandel 1200w Pure Sine Wave Inverter Unboxing, Test & Review

[@DaveSquibbSr]

Great video, however if you're going to run 1000 watts you're going to need a bigger inverter because you have that one running full open and that is going to cause heat, also you need to get that thing out of that little cupboard down closer to the floor level because all your heats up top of the room and even though the fans blowing that little cover is not going to let it vent enough even with the door open.

[@RaymondLohengrin]

Thanks for the video. You would probably want to install the inverter vertically in open space (not in the cabinet) with space on top so that output or hot air would exit freely. (definitely not mounted on a wooden surface) Having it inside that cabinet when you close the doors ventilation will be quite poor.

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

Thanks for the comment. The mounting location was selected for a couple of reasons. First, living full time out of this unit we wanted these components concealed. We have pets and they enjoy messing with pretty much everything, especially items they can tell we don't want them messing with. Secondly, having everything up high keeps wire runs very short minimizing voltage drop. I do not run heavy loads with the cabinet door closed. It spends much of its time open. Also, The battery we are using does not have low temp protection and where I don't anticipate the interior reaching freezing temps, I suppose anything can happen and this allows me to quickly warm that cabinet up when it is necessary to do so. I completely agree that it's not the ideal placement for a component that generates heat but under testing I don't believe that played a factor in the unit reaching OH protection. I also agree that the unit needs to be spaced off of that wood surface. The unit comes with rubber dampeners but I did not like them so they were not used. I have another idea in mind to give it about 1/2" of space that I think may work better. Thank you for watching and I appreciate your suggestions.

[@RaymondLohengrin]

@@homebuilthappiness2919 Thank you for your reply. Yes I love pets but around electronics it could be a problem. I once had a very expensive Sony Super VHS editing component and one of my cats urinated on it and that was the end of the units power supply 🥴. Saludos!

[@ponypowerperformance7185]

The temp being high on those screws is totally normal it's where the mosfets are mounted actually, install it lower and vertically I bet you will be fine.

[@Zerpersande]

Mine just arrived this past weekend. I picked up those wires and they didn’t seem to have the heft of pure copper cables.

[@petuniaromania6294]

You're running the A/C, right? I have this inverter, so can't I just plug the A/C directly into it?

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

Yes you can if you would like to. Keep in mind we are using a dual inverter air conditioner (variable stage compressor) and powering off of a lithium battery which has minimal voltage drop. A traditional AC unit may overload the inverter when the compressor cycles and a smaller lead acid storage bank may also trigger low voltage protection under a heavy load as well. Just some things to keep in mind. Good luck and I hope it works out great. Thanks for the comment.

[@Zerpersande]

What’s the post size on the input terminals?

[@Ringo5000]

Mounted upside down at the top of a pretty confined space with other possible heat sources, and about 8 inches of space from the fan to a bulkhead. NOT the way to go at all sir. This is pretty basic stuff..... as in read the manual or physics 101. These units are quite good, especially for the money when used properly. The idle loss is pretty good for a larger unit like this.

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

You are misinformed on how this unit is used. It is able to be mounted upside down per the OEM. The unit is also used with the cabinet open in direct path of an AC vent so it is adequately cooled/ventilated. It is very close to the battery to minimize resistance over the cables. Yes I do close the cabinet on nights that see subfreezing temps because it keeps the battery from getting too cold essentially acting as a heater since LFP batteries are permanently damaged if they freeze. The box has never exceeded 110'F (and that was last july in florida while closed up, not in use). You can have your opinion as you wish but before I installed this PSW unit I had a cobra MSW unit in its place that ran absolutely perfect. I'm just sharing my observations. Have a good one.

[@KPussGT]

Why no ground connection?

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

We chose to completely isolate all power from the trailer on both AC and DC sources. This trailer has a frame ground to earth since we are permanently docked on our homestead in case of a lighting strike or something similar but nothing electrical uses a common ground. We have never experienced an issue and the giandel is still in operation full time. Our A/C is running on it as I type this. As much as I would like to say I'm not impressed, this unit has actually stood the test of time and see heavy daily service and runs at 1200w for about 10 minutes daily supporting both our microwave and hot water kettle. Thanks for watching and I hope my reply helped answer your question.

[@kellyoconnor9773]

Giandel are owned and made in Australia. The best cheap inverter you can buy. They last years with no problems.

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

Hi Kelly and thank you for your comment. The unit operates full time with us (and is actually on as I type this). It does very well up to about 800w constant. Right now I am using it with a constant 520w load and it is flawless and I can touch it all over with minimal heat. Over 800w it gets very hot very quickly, the negative lug specifically heats to over 200'F and at 1Kw it usually hits overheat protection within 15 minutes even with cold air blowing directly on it. I have this unit wired with 2x 6 AWG on each lug. I have a bestek that doesn't even do this at 115% of rated load. After putting quite a few hours on it my opinion is that it is a very good 800w inverter with a 1300w peak. I think 1200/2400 is a stretch. We'll see how long we can stretch the life of it =)

[@ponsderigaudcismarin5185]

Australia brand but made in China.

[@fatty2027]

Good review, I am surprised it started the AC. I just got this one, not hooked up yet, I have 2awg wire for it. I am hoping to run my fridge, freezer(155watts combined), surround sound and computer(150watts combined) and my washing machine(600-900watts short bursts). I may try the AC too by itself . I have had the 300watt version for a few years, the last couple months it runs 24/7 powering my internet modem, alarm clock, then when home it also runs 2 computers, a 32" and 24" monitors, a stereo, a separate surround sound system and a couple chargers nearing a total of 300watts with no issue. The only complaint I have is when the batteries are charging from solar, say over 13.4 volts I cannot turn on the surround sound without it tripping the inverter, smaller loads are not a problem and I can run all these loads if they are already on before the charging starts. I am hoping this 1200watt can handle that situation. I also have a Giandel 1600 watt modified sine inverter that I currently use to run my fridge and freezer, when I ran my washing machine the motor seemed to groan more so I decided a pure sine was a better choice for running compressors and motors. I will keep the 300watt running for the 24/7 loads because it only draws 2.8watts at idle, I will use the 1200watts through my automatic transfer switch to run the fridge and freezer when I am getting solar energy and the 1600watt modified sine ??? I don't know use it for bigger loads or lights or backup.

[@homebuilthappiness2919]

Thanks for the comment. We still use this unit full time off grid and I've added a microwave which pulls 1.25kw according to the inverter and 1525w off the battery via our shunt. I have a 120mm fan blowing 35CFM directly into the front vent of the inverter. It runs that microwave for about 7 minutes at a time under that load before overheating. I generally use it for 3-5minutes to heat vegetables then let it rest if I need it longer. At first I was pretty dissatisfied with the unit but it has taken a beating for over a year of constant heavy full time use and keeps ticking. We have acquired a washer recently. I've only done 3 loads in it and use our generator to power it since our vans solar system cannot support it (due to voltage drop from our lead acid batteries). I plan to wire an outlet specifically for the washer where we can use it off this setup (which now is 1100w PV to 2 x Rover 40 MPPT on the same battery & inverter). I think it'll handle it. I'll report back and let you know what my findings are since you are wanting to do the same.