DIY 2000 watt Inverter Question

[DavidLs]

Have you installed one? I am at the point of finally getting one. So instead of reinventing the wheel. I just Thought I would ask if anyone has Put a 2k watt inverter in. For my Need when I am in a remote location I need to have a Min of 2k watts (2000 watts) Pure sine waver or MSW either one. What brand did you get & How tough was the install? Did you put power outlets in the bed? Where did you put the inverter . Will this void the warranty?? Just asking and Any information is appreciated.

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[Maverickman74]

From years of putting them in several vehicles. My advice is to not connect it to your trucks battery. I would run a second battery near the inverter(shorter dc wires are better) and set that up to trickle charge off of your rear 12v power wires. You could probably hide it all inside the cubby area if you don't have the cubby. There is already some bracing in there just add a lil more. If not could put it all in a small box or plastic tote or toolbox that you can take out easily and put in a tent or switch vehicles or whatever.

If you just run it off the factory battery you will eventually be jump starting it.

Also the wealthy are using those lithium in a box jobs these days.

 

[RichardCranium]

2000 watts is a lot of power to draw off a small car battery. And unless you have a battery that is rated for cycling, you will ruin it quick, even with the engine running in the truck.
you also didn’t say whether you have a hybrid or an ecoboost, because that changes the conversation as well. To run 2000 watts you need thick cables running a shorter distance or REALLY thick cables to run a long distance. Since the battery is under the back seat in the hybrid, you could theoretically do that pretty easy, but the ecoboost has the battery up front, which means you would have to run thicker cables to your inverter.
Either way, 2000watts is more than your alternator can produce, so no matter what you are going to be depleting your battery, which Means you will be replacing it more often.
If you do choose to mount anyways, mount the inverter as close to the battery as you can and run a 120v cable to the bed. Higher AC voltage has less voltage drop over smaller cables, and you could run smaller cables to the back than you would for 12 DC volts.

 

[Johnny0625]

What the above posters said, your not gonna want to hook a 2k watt inverter to the stock battery and alternator. That size inverter would pull 130+ amps at full tilt. And double that for split second surges (motor startups, ect)
You would def need 1 or maybe 2 100ah deep cycle batteries.

It all depends on what your trying to run and for how long.

 

[DavidLs]

Thank You. I do understand Caution. I Have a Hybrid . I have seen the Post where there in a 1.5K slimline behind the back fold down and a You tube Video of a 2 K in a Eco boost under the seat on you tube. I have DIY installed a 8K solar powered gen on my house with off the shelf component. I have a firm grip on the wiring needs.The Plan Right now is a HF PSW 2k under the back seat bench Thickest and Shortest run Possible Gauge welding Wire I can Get and a Breaker 150 Amp.( Then Run a power cord to the Bed of the truck for a outlet. For operating a 1/hp well pump (6 Amp Draw 10 Amp Hard start ) 120 amp at 12 volt after a 200 Amp Start for about 2 seconds. Has anyone installed on or am I the only nut job out here? Thanks again for all the comments.

 

[colinl]

Thank You. I do understand Caution. I Have a Hybrid . I have seen the Post where there in a 1.5K slimline behind the back fold down and a You tube Video of a 2 K in a Eco boost under the seat on you tube. I have DIY installed a 8K solar powered gen on my house with off the shelf component. I have a firm grip on the wiring needs.The Plan Right now is a HF PSW 2k under the back seat bench Thickest and Shortest run Possible Gauge welding Wire I can Get and a Breaker 150 Amp.( Then Run a power cord to the Bed of the truck for a outlet. For operating a 1/hp well pump (6 Amp Draw 10 Amp Hard start ) 120 amp at 12 volt after a 200 Amp Start for about 2 seconds. Has anyone installed on or am I the only nut job out here? Thanks again for all the comments.

that is insane, yes. an inverter that size in the cab wired into the tiny OEM battery sounds like a fire waiting to happen. just because you see it in a youtube video doesn't mean it's a good idea. hell, I've seen a wood burning stove in a civic.

Spoiler: civic

I would buy a generator, put it in the bed of the maverick when needed if you need that kind of output. if you do it infrequently and frequently need a lot less current, then the battery packs with trickle chargers make more sense. here's a good comparison: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/202...e-power-stations-solar-generator-storage.html

 

[DavidLs]

Yep Insane. But Still happening. I was thought to be nuts by neighbors when I Did the DIY home conversion to solar. (Most have copied my setup for a 911 situation. No gen units. The well pump will not run 24/7 is fill a tank up and shuts off. I do have a firm grip on the hazards. I will post all Data here when I finalize it. 120 amps on the hard start dropping down to around 80 amps after that. Since its not on 24/7 and only when needed I think it will be fine. Went to the Ford Dealer and did talk to a Older Mech/Tech who gave a few pointers. Then Said to make sure it was done by a ASE cert Tech an Keep the Docs. NP so I have talked to The Auto toys folks. Thanks for the comments. I am advancing with Caution.

that is insane, yes. an inverter that size in the cab wired into the tiny OEM battery sounds like a fire waiting to happen. just because you see it in a youtube video doesn't mean it's a good idea. hell, I've seen a wood burning stove in a civic.

Spoiler: civic

I would buy a generator, put it in the bed of the maverick when needed if you need that kind of output. if you do it infrequently and frequently need a lot less current, then the battery packs with trickle chargers make more sense. here's a good comparison: https://vanlife.4x4tripping.com/202...e-power-stations-solar-generator-storage.html

 

[Maverickman74]

Still think you would be better off with a dedicated battery, that you trickle charge with the factory 12v system. The load is heavy but that's beside the point of not needing a jump start when the life/capacity of your starting battery is unexpectedly cut short. After living in a van from 02 to 06, ask me how I know lol.

 

[weston_111]

I installed a renogy 2000w pure sine inverter on my hybrid. I got the monitor screen so I can see how many watts I'm outputting along with the battery input voltage. I designed a custom 3d printed bracket to mount it and it fits perfectly. I'll only ever run it with the seat propped open, the ignition on, and doubt I'll ever cross 1500 watts, but this thing is going to be super handy to have.

 

[Random]

I installed a renogy 2000w pure sine inverter on my hybrid. I got the monitor screen so I can see how many watts I'm outputting along with the battery input voltage. I designed a custom 3d printed bracket to mount it and it fits perfectly. I'll only ever run it with the seat propped open, the ignition on, and doubt I'll ever cross 1500 watts, but this thing is going to be super handy to have.

Would work well to jump after deep sleep

 

[72Maverick]

I mounted the SlimLine 1500W inverter behind my back seat. I've tested it with some small loads like a shop vac. I don't plan to push the limits of this set up. A pure sine wave will be more likely to handle the extra start up load if you're on the fence about PSW vs MSW. Be sure to connect the negative cable to the body/frame ground beside the truck battery. I've heard the body control computer doesn't like anything connected directly to the neg side of the battery. Like you said use the thickest/shortest cables you can and add a 150A inline fuse. Make sure the truck is running or on when you use the inverter for sure.

 

[Prickly Pear]

I've seen this asked but I can't find where it was answered. Can you hook an inverter up to the jump points under the hood on a hybrid and get similar results as hooking up to the battery under the seat? I have a 1000W pure sine wave I'd like to use without having to move all my gear from the back seat.

 

[72Maverick]

I've seen this asked but I can't find where it was answered. Can you hook an inverter up to the jump points under the hood on a hybrid and get similar results as hooking up to the battery under the seat? I have a 1000W pure sine wave I'd like to use without having to move all my gear from the back seat.

You could connect an inverter anywhere 12 volts is available on your truck, but the problem is the longer the wiring is from the 12V battery to the inverter, the more DC resistance you have. Which will limit the inverter output and could overheat the wiring causing damage. This is why the optional inverter available is limited to 400 watts (lightweight wiring ran a long distance through a small value fuse)
Plus getting a good solid mechanical connection to the 12 volt inverter input leads is critical for AC output. Clamp on connectors are not ideal for this at all. Ideally you want to have the shortest, heaviest gauge cables connected directly to the 12V battery. (chassis ground next to the battery for the negative).

 

[Prickly Pear]

You could connect an inverter anywhere 12 volts is available on your truck, but the problem is the longer the wiring is from the 12V battery to the inverter, the more DC resistance you have. Which will limit the inverter output and could overheat the wiring causing damage. This is why the optional inverter available is limited to 400 watts (lightweight wiring ran a long distance through a small value fuse)
Plus getting a good solid mechanical connection to the 12 volt inverter input leads is critical for AC output. Clamp on connectors are not ideal for this at all. Ideally you want to have the shortest, heaviest gauge cables connected directly to the 12V battery. (chassis ground next to the battery for the negative).

Ah, that makes sense. Amongst the things I am looking at getting short term power for is my son's Bi-pap machine, which does not need very much power but with the cost of the equipment I want the cleanest sine wave I can get. For anything pushing the limits of my 1KW inverter I'll go the short hard wired route.

 

[colinl]

Ah, that makes sense. Amongst the things I am looking at getting short term power for is my son's Bi-pap machine, which does not need very much power but with the cost of the equipment I want the cleanest sine wave I can get. For anything pushing the limits of my 1KW inverter I'll go the short hard wired route.

pros and cons to both.

since a jump start would definitely be a ton of current coming down the factory cabling between the jump point and the hybrid 12V battery, I'm sure it's overengineered for the load. but I'm also confident that's a long enough run that it would be more efficient to connect directly to the positive terminal on the 12V.

the other issue is if something were to fail with the inverter having a high current device in the cabin is less desirable than having it in the engine bay. if it melts, it's stinky, if it's on fire it could be much more serious.

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