Looking for inverter recommendations.

I am new to the forum and after reading through some of the threads I have come to realize that I should have joined long before my first purchase. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
I purchased a 2.4kWh kit from ShopSolar back in March of this year and after months of emails, phone calls and sending products back for testing I am left with 6 - 400W solar panels and the Mammoth 48V 9.6kWh battery. I am trying to find the best inverter to work with this battery. This system is going in an off-grid cabin and I would like to have the option to use a generator for backup. Again, any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Budget ?

What loads are you going to attach?

AntronX said:

Budget ?

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I would like to stay under $4000.

Partimewages said:

What loads are you going to attach?

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Not sure if I know exactly how to answer that. This cabin will mostly only see weekend use. Its only 900 sqft with one bedroom and 1 bath. I will have a refrigerator and a 1/3 hp 120V water pump and a couple ceiling fans. Other than that, I just have a dozen or so LED lights and a vent fan in the bathroom.
Hope this helps.

robertsg71 said:

Not sure if I know exactly how to answer that. This cabin will mostly only see weekend use. Its only 900 sqft with one bedroom and 1 bath. I will have a refrigerator and a 1/3 hp 120V water pump and a couple ceiling fans. Other than that, I just have a dozen or so LED lights and a vent fan in the bathroom.
Hope this helps.

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No heating or cooling?

List your appliances, list how many watts each uses (= the load in watts) and list the length of time that each appliance load will require power. List any known "appliance surge" (search the forums on surge load threads if you are not sure what that is. This is called a basic "energy audit", it is only about appliances and power/watts and time of use. Search the forums or resource section for "energy audit" and "inverters", of which there are "low frequency", "high frequency", "AiO" = All in One, "Grid-Tie", "Generator Assist" and "Inverters/Chargers" types of inverters, (all are also suggested forum or web search terms in quotations). So without more info from you it is not accurate to say to get, A, B, or C.

FWIW, building size or structure type is irrelevant unless heating and cooling "appliances" are involved and even then, you would need to consider and state insulation installed or not and maybe even calculate insulation or losses.

So in the end, its mostly just basic math, watts used, watts inverted, watts generated, budget, "inverter" watts, "inverter" cost, then add and subtract as needed. Inverter is in quotations because it can mean several things and be different types, mostly inverter only or inverter plus charger.

I like Victron equipment, (I use it full-time in my MotorHome).

With what you listed I would look at:
Inverter/charger - Victron Multiplus II 48/5000 or a 48/3000.

You need a shunt to know how full/empty the battery is - Victron Smartshunt or BMV712

A Cerbo (to control the Multiplus) and to track what is happening in your system.

If you need a solar charge controller a Victron mppt 150/45.

Be sure and do the load calculations for your place - before you buy anything- also make a plan and post it here - that way others can make sure you have everything- correct cable size- fuses, etc. Plan before you buy!

Good Luck

robertsg71 said:

I would like to stay under $4000

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That rules out SolArk..I am happy with my SolArk. Previously I had used two different Outback products. Most Tier One products are going to be above that budget but but it is up to you to determine whether their value is worth it to you. Off grid does not generally require the features that a grid interactive inverter offers. I don't know much about generator integretion but from posts here, my understanding is you want to make sure the generator and inverter are comparable. Many inexpensive generators produce a sine wave that isp not clean enough for some inverters.

Victron, Samlex, Magnum, EP6000, MPP, Schneider, Outback and others are well regarded and used by forum members.

But depending on your needs, patience, location, you could also look for used inverters, even 10-25 years old and get a great low frequency, pure sine wave, high efficiency 95%+, high surge rating, generator assisted, inverter/charger with low standby draw, all the mostly desired inverter features. Some Tier 1 inverter brands mentioned above can be found used. Many are sold just because people tire of the off grid monitoring or learning required and often they were installed by a parent or spouse whereas the other family members or home buyers were not involved or interested.

Eg: mine is a Trace SW4024 that is probably 20 years old and it has been bullet proof and handles any appliance or motor that I've tried. It also comes in 48 volt version SW4048 or SW6048 for a 6000 watt version. Mine also has a generator function, auto or manual and remote starting though your generator needs the same function. It can auto start based on battery voltage settings, has changeable DC charger current settings. People sell them to "upgrade" though, IME, there is really little to upgrade other than communication with other devices or inverters which is not really needed for simpler systems. That has pros and cons

Trace became Xantrex, then Contex, then Schneider I think, but good deals for a great solid (heavy) reliable inverter would be Trace and Xantrex versions like an SW4048 / 4,000 watts running with high surge capacity. Plus they can handle grid input and can be configured for 120/240 volts from the grid or a generator. I've seen them for $500-800 CDN. A MUCH MUCH better inverter than all the new crappy high frequency inverters on Amazon and even elsewhere, much of which is hype with out a track record and often missing or ambiguous specs and features vs marketing jabber.