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Xantrex, a real valueMarch 2, 2008 2 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Xantrex inverter was delivered quicker than expected and although I have not installed it yet as it is still winter here, it will be the 120 volt source of backup power sourced by my new solar PV/battery system. I am confident that I chose a top product from the plethora of choices out there.
One killer inverter at a great priceDecember 25, 2007 31 out of 31 found this review helpful
Note - when this was written the price was $549 and was the best deal on the net. Amazon has raised their price but the Xantrex prosine series is still in the top tier of inverters. Also note that Amazon's description makes reference to a staged charger - the prosine series HAS NO CHARGER and is reliant upon an external charger (alternator, AC, or solar etc) so amazon should correct their description. I later purchased a D31M Optima battery and a 1.5 Farad capacitor Optima Batteries OPT D31M Group 31 Marine Battery, BlueTop POWER ACOUSTIK 1.0 FARAD Digital Power Capacitor (POWER ACOUSTIK PC10F) to improve the surge performance of this inverter for starting an air compressor. I also added a 50 foot 10/3 extension cord to use with it so that power would not be wasted in the extension see: Coleman Cable 10/3 50-Foot Vinyl Outdoor Extension Cord #02688-88-02 Updated 1/2008. Using these add-ons makes a very functional 1000W continuous inverter with 1500 watt surge capability that operates in my car and doesn't complain what I operate from it.
I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why amazon put a guide for generators on this item. It DOES NOT CONSUME GASOLINE, DIESEL, PROPANE, NATURAL GAS, ALCOHOL, OR ANY OTHER FUEL SOURCE! An inverter takes a low voltage DIRECT CURRENT (in this example a car battery is a mediocre choice) and changes it to 120 volts AC which runs your appliances similar to a generator, but without the fumes which can kill you, the noise which can annoy you and your neighbors, and all the heat which can burn you. Trust me - I own several auto start 12,000 watt natural gas generators and they do all of these which is why I am buying the smaller 1000 watt inverter when I shut them off or need ac power on the road in oddball places.
PROS:
Lets start positive: Inverters are almost silent. They make a very very slight buzzing sound on the poor quality models, but a true sine wave inverter is almost completely silent except for cooling fans.
A true sine wave is just like the power that comes from the utility. A modified sine wave is squared off without round corners - this causes heat generation in alot of electronic devices and can blow fusses even blow transformers. For those non-electricians it's like using square tires on a car meant for round tires! I have used alot of modified sine wave inverters in my time - they are much smaller, much cheaper, and tend to DESTROY your expensive electronics. That is why I bought a TRUE sine wave inverter - the power is just like what comes from the wall socket, but you pay more for the inverter and get less power out. It's a tradeoff that can save your valuable electronic parts. For me, this one will drive > $250,000 in Agilent test and measurement gear in my truck, so $549, which is the best price around, is cheap! (revised: 1/08 not any more - several companies sell it for 599)
OK - more pros - the Xantrex brand comes with a nice LCD display showing volts, amps, and watts. This display can be removed and relocated in your vehicle with a simple telephone cord for $5. No exposed printed circuit boards are present and the remote display is self contained as it comes from the factory. Other higher wattage Xantrex sinewave inverters do not include this display and sell it optionally for $400 alone. Some sites advertise the display board as an optional item. I don't know why - it comes with the inverter in the 1000/1800 watt variant. Cheaper brands have red/green lights on the front that are permanent. Like a fine auto, guages are essential to proper operation to know when your battery is dying or if you have a bad connection somewhere. The LCD display shows Volts, Amps, and has a bargraph showing your instantaneous wattage including surge to 1500 watts.
You should know the two prosine models (1000/1800 watt continuous) each come in 3 models - 1 is hardwired for an RV (no GFCI, conduit in/out), 1 is hardwired with an auto switchover when AC is present (like a UPS), and 1 has a GFCI outlet on the front panel to just plug into. This model is the later. You give it a 12VDC source and it gives you 1000 watts (1500 surge watts for a few seconds to start lights, motors, and such). Keep in mind that to get 1500 surge watts, you need 150 amps at 11 or so volts. That is not going to come from the cigarette lighter - this must be installed with heavy wire going to a top of the line battery as startup currents for some devices may be 130+ amps. Motors and incandescent lights can draw as much as 10x their operating power at startup, which is why a good inverter gives you both max and surge values.
If you want one of the other models they are more expensive and you can add features later if you really need them, but its not an easy task. Odds are you don't need these features but if you think you do, this is the wrong model - it is the entry level model w/o all the features. There is also an 1800 watt version available for more money. I bought this because of the value at the $549 pricepoint. Today I'd probably buy the 1800 watt model as the prices are closer. Everyone else is $680. (note prices are higher now)
Another "PRO" of this is the xantrex inverter has a power down (sleep) mode where it will wake up every 2.5 seconds and look for a load connected to it - if there is no load of 10 watts or more (i.e. lights are turned off) then it goes back to sleep for 2.5 seconds. In this mode it only uses 1.5 watts from your batteries. It's very efficient this way to not drain your batteries if you turn off your load when it is not in use. Idiling (running the inverter without a load) takes about 22 watts instead of 1.5 watts in sleep mode. You can turn sleep mode on or off if you want power 100% of the time. In sleep mode you will notice the NEON lights of your power strips blink every 2.5 seconds during sleep mode - that is the inverter searching for a load to run.
Another design pro is the LCD dot matrix display can be removed and extended from the chassis for remote mounting (i.e. keep the inverter near your batteries and put the monitor near the drivers seat in an RV). I used a $5 phone extention cable to do this. If you plan to use it in a vehicle look into battery isolation modules - these allow your batteries to charge while driving and drain your EXTRA batteries with the inverter while not draining your engine starting battery (kinda important!) - I used a system like this to run an electric heater in my truck camper in the nevada winter - batteries charge during they day while driving and keep the truck warm at night, even running cooking tools for dinner.
Back to the inverter, now let's address the cons.
One sorta con and sorta pro is that the inverter is air cooled. The fan is VERY fast. Under light loads (50 watts or so) it doesn't even run the fan. As soon as you run 1000 watts (ex: printing on a laser printer) it runs the fan at full speed. In between it runs slower to minimize noise. It's a good compromise between needlessly running the fan and quickly cooling the inverter under heavy load.
Another con is that "TRUE SINE" inverters are not as efficient as "Sorta Sine" inverters are. In a perfect world if we need 1 amp at 120V, it will take 10A at 12 V to get it. Due to the fact that this not a perfect world, it's more like 14A at 12VDC to get 1A at 120VAC. Because this inverter can make 8.3A @ 120V (8.3A x 120V ~= 1000W neglecting the power factor which is beyond this review's scope - google "power factor" to understand it.) You need 8.3 * 12-14A at 12VDC. That's alot of amps, over 100 amps give or take the efficiencies and surges. YES IT TAKES >100 amps at 12VDC if you want 1000 watts out! This means HEAVY wire to your batteries. Notice I said batteries. You can wire more than one in parallel (all positves touch, all negatives touch, AND *NO* positive touches any other battery negative such as in 24V battery systems) and you can divide the load - 2 batteries in parallel and your 100 amps is only 50 amps per battery. With 4 it's only 25 A per battery. Think lots of matching batteries. A hidden "PRO" here is that the connector for the heavy cables is up to the task and won't fry when you run 100+ amps through it for hours at a time. Most inverters lack such a heavy duty connector. This unit can run 1000 watts continuous which means 100 amps continuous - be sure your wiring is up to the task or it may melt. You'll want #2 to #2/0 cable to wire this up which is between $2-$8/foot.
This is simple power conversion theory and regretably there isn't anything you can do about it except add more batteries to your battery array if you intend to pull 1000 watts for an extended time. If you seldom need the full 1000 watts or 1500 watt surge rating, then you can use smaller wire, but keep the runs short.
There is alot to like about the Xantrex design. If the only thing you ever intend to run is an incnadescent light and a computer, then the cheaper "sorta sine wave" inverters (they have many names but are not "TRUE" sine wave designs) will work fine, but don't use a modified sine wave to run any of the following "delicates":
+ wall warts (with transformers - they burn up from harmonics + microwave ovens (they have transformers too and use alot of power) + VCRs / DVDs / HiFi (clocks will be wrong and you'll get audio buzz) + some TVs (some do work on square wave but with shortened life span) + expensive stuff (is it worth it? Save a couple hundred and ruin it?) + clocks (they see time going by twice as fast without a pure sine wave) + flourescent lamps (the coil ballast types get really hot and blow their fuse on modified sine wave power)
Of all the options out there for a pure sine wave, Xantrex has the best name and amazon has [revised: HAD] the best price according to froogle and pricewatch.
Be sure and buy some heavy guage wire to connect the inverter unless you have a low power load. If you run 1000 watts through your cigarette lighter it will blow a fuse. If you put the wrong fuse it it will melt the wire! Run your wires to the battery.
With this inverter you can take your electrical outlet with you on the road or when the power fails have a backup source until your batteries die. A deep cycle marine battery typically will run 100A for 1 hour (or 1000 watts) so you must conserve if your runtime is important or else add batteries. Either way you'll love the clean power, no buzzing, dimmers working normally, and nothing being damaged. Short of a generator, which it is NOT, it is the best way to get AC power away from the utility grid such as solar and wind power systems, off grid living, or car outlets with clean 120 VAC. Just be sure you have a way to charge your batteries - that is left up to you which is incorrectly documented about the product. Bigger Xantrex inverters do have internal chargers, but not these.
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