Xantrex | What to Consider When Choosing an RV Inverter
For example, a 2000-watt inverter can handle a continuous load of up to 2000 watts, but it might have a surge capacity of 4000 watts for a few seconds, which is ideal for starting
An inverter uses the RV's 12v batteries to supply the power and inverts the battery 12VDC to become 120VAC power for the outlets. In theory, you can power everything with a large enough inverter, even the air conditioning. However, the inverter cannot provide more power than the battery bank that supplies it.
Understanding your power needs is crucial before you can select the correct size of RV electrical inverters. Your inverter is the heart of your RV's electrical system. It transforms DC power from your batteries into AC power for your appliances. It also acts as a charger when plugged in at the campsite.
This is the type of electricity received from the mainstream electrical grid, and it's, therefore, the power your RV receives when you plug it into shore power. This is why you don't need an inverter when you connect to the grid. Your batteries, however, run at 12V DC power.
Take 1,500 + 300 (which is 20% of 1,500) = 1,800 watts. This means you'll need a pretty average size inverter of at least 2,000 watts. A 2000- or 3000-watt unit is the most common size used in RVs. Does the Inverter Need to Power the Whole RV? Thankfully, no. If this were the case, we would all have to purchase very powerful inverters.
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