You also want to determine if you have enough battery power available. Using the example above, you don’t want to install a 5,000-watt inverter if the 166DC amps needed to supply it will run down your batteries in 30 minutes.

To estimate your anticipated power consumption, take the current (from the example above) 166 DC amps and multiply by the number of hours per day that you expect to use it. Let’s say you will run 2000 watts, 166 DC amps for a total of 2 hours per day. You will need 166 * 2 hours = 332 amps total. You will also want to check the efficiency of the RV inverter that you are selecting. Because the process of converting from 12 VDC to 120 VAC generates heat, the inverter will always draw more watts from the batteries than it can deliver. Some brands have greater losses than others (usually 8 to 10%). If you have a battery bank of 400 amps, you will be able to run your 2000 watts for 1.2 hours, but we don’t recommend fully depleting your battery bank. Take your total available battery amps of 400 and divide by your total amp need of 332 and you get 1.2 hours. 400/332 = 1.2 amp hours. We recommend no less than 50 depths of discharge. If you follow this recommendation, you will get 1.2 hours * .50% = .6 hours of run time.

Features of RV Inverters:

We offer many inverters that have built in transfer switches that allow you to go back and forth between shore and inverter power. Our inverter chargers allow you to use the inverter with city or generator power to recharge the batteries/bypass when you have access to AC. Some have cooling fans, remote switches and add breakers for safety. Some also have direct connect terminal blocks to tie into a panel. Please call us if you need more info about RV inverters.

Whether you’ve asked yourself what size inverter you need for your RV or tried to understand how many batteries you need for your travel trailer, hopefully our helpful guide on the topic has offered insight. It’s important to remember that when utilizing power sources for your off-grid systems, rounding up is always the better option. With the right size inverter, the right number of batteries and the right cabling systems, you’ll have a noise-free electrical solution for your days.

Total appliances running at the same time including the surge is 3600 watts but the running watts are only 2000 watts. You would get an inverter that is 3600 * 1.20 = 4320 watts. Obviously, we don’t have a 4320-watt inverter so we would recommend a 5000 watt. Your continuous running amp draw is 2000 watts/12DC = 166DC amps. Note this number for the next section.