I believe unless you are dead set on a 12 volt inverter you will find it makes more sense. Four 100W solar panels wired in series on the sunny side do the job nicely. Most quality MPPT solar controllers have selectable 12-24-48 volt controller settings. I added a 2,500 watt inverter with a 48 volt DC input to run specific power tools as I use the golf cart not for golf but a utility vehicle around our property. I elected to put 48 volt lithium batteries in my golf cart (100 Ah) with an on-board digital charger. If your new inverter does not have a built in charger there are many battery charger choices providing 48 volts for anything from Lead Acid to Lithium at reasonable prices. Ironically, (not really) the same four batteries wired in series to provide 48 volts will power the more efficient 48 volt input inverter. On the battery end using 100 Ah 12 volt batteries you will need at least 4 to meet the input needs of the 12V inverter. Efficiency is improved due to less energy conversion loss. The result is the inverter runs cooler (and should live longer) and cabling size is reduced considerably as are connectors. The DC amperage draw is now 83 amps at 48 VDC. The fast and dirty calculation for 120 volts is a 2.5:1 conversion. Now, consider an inverter with a 48 volt input. This conversion produces significant heat in the unit, requires heavy cabling and connections and thus loses efficiency through energy conversion loss. This means at 4K watts (33.3 amps) your battery load will be 300.33 amps. Using fast and dirty calculations a 12 VDC inverter is a 10:1 conversion. Both 24 and 48 volts DC are popular choices. Glenn, while it may be more "convenient" to stay with inverters that have a 12V DC input, once you get to or past 4K AC output it is really better to consider inverters with a high DC voltage input. But the A/C, electric water heater element, and 120V electric refrigerator element were not wired into the inverter sub-panel. This convenient and portable RV power adapter allows you to convert the electrical connection of your 50-amp camper or recreational vehicle to plug into the 30. It easily handled everything that we needed, including occasional microwave use. We full-timed in a 50 amp RV (12000 watts), but had "only" a 2500 watt inverter. So unless you intend to operate the A/C or the electric side of the water heater, you really shouldn't need all that much. They are choosing enough capacity to run the appliances that they need. Most folks with inverters are not trying to match the full capacity of their shore-power hookup. Aims have a 4k 12v but I am concerned about their reliability. Now Victron does offer an 5k 12v Quattro but they are proud of that unit. On a motorhome I see a lot of advantages on staying 12v. So seems 4k 12v inverters would be plentiful. Not parting with Teton but one for later use when I retire. Rated for 125 Volts/ 3750 Watts.I have been looking around around at smaller Motorhomes.
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