120VAC inverters on the trail

WSS

WSS

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What are DIY guys using for 12vdc to 120vac inverters? I know the jackery and bluetti all in ones are popular, but how about us DIY guys? I have used tripplite in the past. Is there a better inverter brand out there now? I am looking for a inverter to couple with my 100ah lifpo4 battery I installed in the rear cargo area of my JKU. What is a good balance as far as size? 500w, maybe 1k watt?

Any dialogue is good and appreciated.

WSS
 
Some people on the truck forum I am a part of have used the Samlex inverter with good success. The general consensus, however, is to not skimp and go with a good quality unit - Samlex, Victron, Progressive Dynamics, etc.
 
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tJKrider said:
Some people on the truck forum I am a part of have used the Samlex inverter with good success. The general consensus, however, is to not skimp and go with a good quality unit - Samlex, Victron, Progressive Dynamics, etc.
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Good info. I looked into the Samlex brand a little. My needs are under 1k watt. I think a 600-700 watt with a 1k surge would be fine. What general size inverters are the truck forum guys using?

The issue I am seeing with a lot of these (non industrial) inverters is they just stop working and not when using them. Reviews on all of the smaller inverters (samlex, xantrex, victron, shumacher, etc.) show a high failure rate at start up, or just not working when you plug them in. I have had two 700w Shumacher inverters do this in my F150. They work great when you install, then a few uses later, literally nothing. The third Shumacher inverter I installed has worked fine for years now. Seems like a crap shoot on build quality.

Anyone have luck with Renogy branded gear? My dad has a full back up solar set up on his man shed that he likes. It is a 200ah battery, 2k inverter and a mppt contoller handling the solar panels, which were used of of offerup, 2) 285w glass gigs.
 
WSS said:
Anyone have luck with Renogy branded gear?
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I have some Renogy panels but not their inverter. The inverters I mentioned are typically in the 2K range. I think with many of the less expensive units they succumb to the constant shaking/vibration of an auto/RV/etc environment, not necessarily a direct electronic failure. I am in the market for one to use in my RV (Travel Trailer) and I am leaning heavily towards the Progressive Dynamics since they design for that industry as well as marine applications. Neither off which are particularly easy from a vibration standpoint.

Note that Progressive Dynamics does offer a 1K unit.
 
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Just did some research on the PD 1000w unit. Looks like it is newish to the brand. I like everything but the price! I suspect it is one of those "you get what you pay for" items though. It does not have any receptacles, which means it is a hardwired deal. I kinda like that as I usually put the plug where I want it anyway. The $400 price tag means I may wait a little while and think the project through.
 
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I found this on offer up, anyone used this type?


xatrex 600w.jpg
 
WSS said:
Anyone have luck with Renogy branded gear? My dad has a full back up solar set up on his man shed that he likes. It is a 200ah battery, 2k inverter and a mppt contoller handling the solar panels, which were used of of offerup, 2) 285w glass gigs.
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I built a Renogy system for my home. Zero issues in 10 years. I'm actually looking to do a solar charge system for my Jeep. I'm tired of always plugging it in to trickle charge because my commute to work is so short. I've also been doing more overlanding extended weekend. This last trip it got down to -2°F and having a cell booster plugged in all weekend I almost needed a jump.
 
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JeepJeezy said:
I built a Renogy system for my home. Zero issues in 10 years. I'm actually looking to do a solar charge system for my Jeep. I'm tired of always plugging it in to trickle charge because my commute to work is so short. I've also been doing more overlanding extended weekend. This last trip it got down to -2°F and having a cell booster plugged in all weekend I almost needed a jump.
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What type of system are you planning? A small dash mount type or a larger outside type?
 
Dirty Dog said:
As someone who never uses them... how do these compare to the OEM inverter?
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Like the oem on newer vehicles? Lol none of my vehicles have luxurious features. My wife’s suv has a 200w inverter that handles Christmas lights ok. It always works which is one of my issues doing diy installs. That said, a quality aftermarket install will probably be better performing but maybe not as reliable as what is in the newer trucks. That’s just my opinion though. I don’t have a good oem inverter to compare too.
 
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WSS said:
Like the oem on newer vehicles?
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I don't know how you define "newer", but Mrs. Dogs 2011 has an OEM inverter.
WSS said:
Lol none of my vehicles have luxurious features. My wife’s suv has a 200w inverter that handles Christmas lights ok. It always works which is one of my issues doing diy installs. That said, a quality aftermarket install will probably be better performing but maybe not as reliable as what is in the newer trucks. That’s just my opinion though. I don’t have a good oem inverter to compare too.
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I googled it. The OEM inverter is 150W, so it's not going to run a cooler, but it'll power lights, hair driers, that sort of thing. Curiosity satisfied.
 
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Dirty Dog said:
I don't know how you define "newer", but Mrs. Dogs 2011 has an OEM inverter.


I googled it. The OEM inverter is 150W, so it's not going to run a cooler, but it'll power lights, hair driers, that sort of thing. Curiosity satisfied.
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The OEM inverters are typically square wave inverters. Fine for alot of stuff, but some items won't run or can be damaged unless you have a pure sine wave.
 
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tJKrider said:
Looks like this wholesale outlet has some older models at a good price:

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Dynamics-PD1210NR-Inverter-Transfer/dp/B083M6T7CM?tag=jkforum-20
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OK, tJKrider, you have caused me to do a much broader project than I had hoped, shame on you :sneaky:

With the 1k inverter, it is more than a "carry along" piece of equipment. I am going to mount it under the back seat, probably on the passenger side. The included remote will make it super easy to finish up. I installed a "12vdc hub" in the back to power the fridge, originally. It progressed into a solar setup, dual battery gig, 12vdc receptacle and even some USB C and 3.0 plugs. I left a 6ga pair of cables on one side connected to anderson connectors just in case I found a need. Glad I put the anderson connector on now. I will keep the thread updated with progress and pics as I go along.
 
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WSS said:
What type of system are you planning? A small dash mount type or a larger outside type?
Click to expand...

Sorry I missed this. I'm planning on an outside Renogy 100w solar panel mounted onto a Renogy 28" adjustable solar bracket. This will be mounted to my roof cross rails. The cables will be ran inside to the rear and into a Renogy Wanderer Li40 with a Renogy Bluetooth RJ12. I will have 100w ANL fuses for each positive wire. I got a stupid deal on 3 12v 100ah LIFePO4 Lithium batteries so I'm going to give them a try. As far as a inverters, I got 2 Vanner Inc. TS12-3000's I received for free from work. One was new in the box and the other was wired up but I'm not sure it was even used. We'll see how it works. Hopefully in the next few weeks it's not 12°F outside and I can start this project.
 
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WSS said:
OK, tJKrider, you have caused me to do a much broader project than I had hoped, shame on you :sneaky:

With the 1k inverter, it is more than a "carry along" piece of equipment. I am going to mount it under the back seat, probably on the passenger side. The included remote will make it super easy to finish up. I installed a "12vdc hub" in the back to power the fridge, originally. It progressed into a solar setup, dual battery gig, 12vdc receptacle and even some USB C and 3.0 plugs. I left a 6ga pair of cables on one side connected to anderson connectors just in case I found a need. Glad I put the anderson connector on now. I will keep the thread updated with progress and pics as I go along.
Click to expand...
Sorry @WSS 😂

Sounds like it will be a nice system, though!!
 
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