If you’ve been reading the articles on my site, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t suggest buying the cheap power inverters that you can find in the big department stores.  Maybe you’ve wondered what it is that makes one 12v inverter better than another.

There are some important features that the higher end 12 volt inverters have over the entry level models.

1. A good 12v inverter will have a reverse polarity fail safe.  I once bought a cheap inverter, hooked it up backwards and poof, I let the smoke out.  There’s a saying when it comes to electronic devices that says, “once you let the smoke out, it’s done”.  When electronic components fail, there’s often a brief putrid smelling puff of smoke.
2. Good 12 volt inverters will be fused.  Should something go wrong with the power supply to the inverter, you want the fuse to blow so the sensitive circuitry doesn’t get fried.  The fuse should be replaceable by the user as well.
3. A good 12v inverter will be efficient.  The high end units will have an efficiency ranting of 90% or better.
4. Good 12 volt inverters will have a very low no load current drain.  I’ve seen cheap inverters that had a 1.5 amp no load draw.  This is very bad.  Higher end inverters will draw less than .3 amps when not under a load.  Some very nice inverters have zero no load draw.  They have sophisticated electronics that sense when something is trying to draw power from then and automatically turn themselves on.
5. A good 12v inverter will have large ventilation holes and high quality fans to keep the circuitry cool.  The cooling fan is often a week point on cheap inverters.  I’ve had two that failed because the cooling fan ceased to function.
6. Good 12 volt inverters will have a high voltage overload fail safe.  Usually if the voltage jumps above 15 volts, the fail safe will trigger protecting the unit.
7. A good 12v inverter will have a low voltage alarm to let you know to charge your battery because the voltage is getting dangerously low.
8. Good 12 volt inverters will have a low voltage shutdown to keep the inverter from draining the battery so low that it is permanently damaged.
9. A good 12v inverter will have a high surge capacity.  When many electronic devices first turn on, they require a surge of power that is greater than the amount of power need to keep the device running.  If your inverter doesn’t have a good surge capacity, it may not operate certain electrical devices.  My inverter is rated at 2000 watts continuous and it has a surge capacity of 3000 watts.
10. Good 12 volt inverters will have a decent warranty.  The inverter that I’m currently using is made by Go Socket and it has a 2 year warranty.  This is the best warranty that I’m aware of.

Look for the features listed above when purchasing your inverter if you want to get a good one.  If you don’t care about quality, buy one from your local department store but when it fails at the most inopportune time, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.

Let me take a minute and introduce you to the Xantrex XPower Digital Micro 12v inverter.  Most people who have small power inverters have purchased them at a store like Walmart or Napa Auto parts.  These small inverters are cheap in both cost and construction.  I’ve owned a few of them in the past and they simply don’t hold up to continuous or long term use.  You are much better off spending a little more money to buy something like the Xantrex XPower Digital Micro.

The XPower line is Xantrex’s smallest line of 12v inverter.  There is 400 watt or 800 watt models to choose from.  They output 120 Volt AC power at 60 Hertz which means they are for use in the US or other countries that use 60 Hertz power.  In Europe the power is supplied at 50 Hertz.

400 watt 12v inverter specifications:

Costs around $64.00

320 watts continuous and 700 watts for brief surges

2 AC outlets

Small size

Digital LED meter that show the amount of power being used, the amount of voltage in the battery, and fault codes

Overload and over temperature automatic shutdown

Protection for over voltage

Low voltage automatic alarm

Low voltage automatic shutdown

90% efficiency

No load draw of

DC input voltage 10.5 – 15.5 Volts DC

Dimensions – 3.64″ x 6.68″ x 9.25″

Weight – 2.2 pounds

6 month warranty

800 watt 12v inverter specifications:

Costs around $100

640 watts continuous and 1200 watts for brief surges

2 AC outlets

Small size

Digital LED meter that show the amount of power being used, the amount of voltage in the battery, and fault codes

Overload and over temperature automatic shutdown

Protection for over voltage

Low voltage automatic alarm

Low voltage automatic shutdown

90% efficiency

No load draw of 40 amps

DC input voltage 10.5 – 15.5 Volts DC

Dimensions – 3.64″ x 6.68″ x 9.25″

Weight – 2.2 pounds

6 month warranty

This 12 v inverter is supplied with a cord to plug the inverter into a cigarette outlet.  This makes them very portable and handy.  You can easily move them from one vehicle to another if you so choose. If you you are in the market for a small power 12 v inverter you should consider the Xantrex XPower Digital Micro 12v inverter.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when installing a 12v inverter in an RV.  Whether it be a motor home, a 5th wheel, or a popup trailer, the installation concerns are the same.

The first and foremost thing that you should concern yourself with this type of installation is wire gauge.  The farther your inverter is from the battery, the heavier the wire should be.  With low voltage 12volt power that will be supplied to the inverter from the battery, long wires mean voltage loss.  If you have 12.7 volts coming out of a freshly charged battery, you might only have 10 volts that actually reach the inverter if your wires are too thin and there is a long distance from the battery to the 12v inverter.  Not to mention, using too thin of wires may cause them to get hot and cause a fire.

If you are going to install the power inverter in the front of a 35′ RV and the batteries are in the rear, you’ll need to use really heavy gauge wiring.  Most power inverters will have a chart in the instruction manual that tells you what gauge of wire to use depending on the distance.  If you have to use 30 feet of wire to supply power to your inverter, you might have to use 6 gauge wire.  Wire gauge is backwards from how you think it should be.   12 gauge wires are thinner and 8 gauge.  Lower the number, thicker the wire.  Be sure and consult your instruction manual for the gauge of wire you should use for your particular installation.

Next you need to make sure that the wires are secure and out of the way.  You don’t want to run the wires on the inside from the battery, in front of the couch, down the hallway,  taped to the wall in the bedroom and then finally get to the inverter.  They’re likely to get stepped on and it will look awful.  Either run the wires secured along the frame rail under the RV or trace the wires that are going from the battery to the power converter and fuse panel and run the wires in the same space.

Lastly, be sure and install the inverter someplace where it will be out of the way.  You don’t want to install it someplace like on the counter next to the sink.  It’s likely to be in the way there and it could possible get wet and destroyed.  A better solution might be to fasten it to the bottom of the cupboards with the provided mounting screws.  This way it’s out of the way but still easily accessible.  A better solution still would be away from water all together.  Water and electricity don’t play well together and can create a dangerous situation.

Oh, one last thing. Be sure and screw the inverter down securely.  Many people get lazy and skip this step.  Inverters come with mounting tabs and hardware for a reason.  They last longer if you can minimize the vibration the are exposed to.  Screwing them down will limit the amount of vibrations that your inverter will see as it’s traveling down the road in your RV.

Thanks for visiting my website on 12v inverter info!