Help Me Decide: Renogy DCC30 + Giandel 1200W Inverter or MPP Solar 1012?

[tjoiner1986]

My ever indecisive self got happy with the credit card. First, I ordered a Renogy DCC30 and Giandel 1200-watt pure sine inverter. Then I started having doubts and got an MPP Solar 1012. The Renogy and Giandel have been delivered. The 1012 is on its way. I can't keep both. One must be returned but I'm having a difficult time deciding which one stays and which one goes.

Minimalist van lifer here. My energy needs are not much. I'm running 200 W of solar (two 100w 12v panels in parallel) into a 280 Ah pack.

• Fridge: Iceco VL60D. Uses 65 watts but 1) that's only when the compressor is running to actively lower/maintain the temperature and 2) it's runs on 12 volts so this is actually kind of a moot point.
• Cooking: Instant Pot. 700 watts. Got it to replace my current propane stove so I can more safely cook inside the vehicle. This is the main reason I started looking into inverters.
• Other Stuff: Not required but would be nice to utilize since I have an inverter now.
  • Kobalt Tool Battery Charger: 45W
  • Soldering Iron: 25W
  • 5-Cup Coffee Maker?: 700W
  • Small Monitor/TV?: 45W
  • Low Watt Hair Dryer: 800-1000W

Renogy DCC30 + Giandel 1200W P.S. Inverter​	MPP Solar 1012LV-MS All-in-One​
Alternator Charging​	No Alternator Charging​
No Shore Power​	Shore Power​
1200 Watt Inverter​	1000 Watt Inverter​
$20 Bluetooth Adapter​	$75 WiFi Adapter​
$403 w/ Shipping​	$451 w/ Shipping​
Requires ~$160 in other components (3 breakers, cable, crimper, etc.)​	Requires ~$30 in other components (1 breaker)​
Low Temperature Cutoff​	No Low Temperature Cutoff​
Separate components means easy replacement​	All-in-One means sending the whole unit in for servicing​
Hit or miss quality/reliability (Renogy)​	Better form factor and construction​

EDIT: I removed my paragraphs listing the pros/cons and replaced them with the tables above. I was already having second thoughts about the MPP Solar unit, feeling that alternator charging would be more practical for me, but the lack of low temp cutoff might put the last nail in the coffin.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

A lot of people use renogy stuff successfully. Anecdotally, however, the renogy stuff is fairly unpopular due to failure and/or lack of adequate support from ‘local’ contacts, and seems to be disliked on the forum as well. When I bought my first 200W system a few years ago I spent a few hours reading about issues with renogy and a few other low-end semi-commodity brands. While ALL the cheaper-end stuff had a lot of issues, the sheer volume of issues that were not satisfactorily resolved from renogy sorta turned me off so I bought other stuff that has been reliable for ~4 years.

The Giandel 1200W pure sine inverter has been very reliable.

I do not have any mpp-solar products but if I were in your shoes I’d keep that unit.

You don’t mention your Wh requirements…
BUT if at the 1kW or 1.2kW level that 200W difference is disconcerting then I’d guess that you might be figuring too close and you may need a bigger unit? No way to make a wildhat guess without knowing your needs.

I do like the advantage that components in the case failure are more easily replaced. I have a backup Giandel new in box, a backup Epever, and a few spare panels.
Nevertheless, I think the MPP has broad enough reported use to assuage most of the worry. Plus iirc the max input voltage rating is way higher than renomagy has, letting you add some series panels for more oomph if you want to without requiring a bigger PV cable gage or whatever.

That’s my opinion! I like the Giandel for the pricing shelf it fits, but the MPP also makes sense in a vehicle where space can be an issue. The small size and little things like the case on the renogomajic just don’t appear to have had much thought for heat dissipation etc. MPP wins in my mind.

 

[tjoiner1986]

A lot of people use renogy stuff successfully. Anecdotally, however, the renogy stuff is fairly unpopular due to failure and/or lack of adequate support from ‘local’ contacts, and seems to be disliked on the forum as well. When I bought my first 200W system a few years ago I spent a few hours reading about issues with renogy and a few other low-end semi-commodity brands. While ALL the cheaper-end stuff had a lot of issues, the sheer volume of issues that were not satisfactorily resolved from renogy sorta turned me off so I bought other stuff that has been reliable for ~4 years.

The Giandel 1200W pure sine inverter has been very reliable.

I do not have any mpp-solar products but if I were in your shoes I’d keep that unit.

You don’t mention your Wh requirements…
BUT if at the 1kW or 1.2kW level that 200W difference is disconcerting then I’d guess that you might be figuring too close and you may need a bigger unit? No way to make a wildhat guess without knowing your needs.

I do like the advantage that components in the case failure are more easily replaced. I have a backup Giandel new in box, a backup Epever, and a few spare panels.
Nevertheless, I think the MPP has broad enough reported use to assuage most of the worry. Plus iirc the max input voltage rating is way higher than renomagy has, letting you add some series panels for more oomph if you want to without requiring a bigger PV cable gage or whatever.

That’s my opinion! I like the Giandel for the pricing shelf it fits, but the MPP also makes sense in a vehicle where space can be an issue. The small size and little things like the case on the renogomajic just don’t appear to have had much thought for heat dissipation etc. MPP wins in my mind.

Thanks for the input! Big help!

I've updated my initial post with my energy needs.

EDITED: Minimalist van lifer here. My energy needs are not much. I'm running 200 W of solar (two 100w 12v panels in parallel) into a 280 Ah LiFePo4 pack.

• Fridge: Iceco VL60D. Uses 65 watts but 1) that's only when the compressor is running to actively lower/maintain the temperature and 2) it's runs on 12 volts so this is actually kind of a moot point.
• Cooking: Instant Pot. 700 watts. Got it to replace my current propane stove so I can more safely cook inside the vehicle. This is the main reason I started looking into inverters.
• Other Stuff: Not required but would be nice to utilize since I have an inverter now.
  • Kobalt Tool Battery Charger: 45W
  • Soldering Iron: 25W
  • 5-Cup Coffee Maker?: 700W
  • Small Monitor/TV?: 45W
  • Low Watt Hair Dryer: 800-1000W

 

[12VoltInstalls]

1000W will do that instapot
(I’d probably employ propane for cooking if it were me- ymmv)

The instapot is a resistance load. No surge. Electric motors are where headroom is important.

 

[tjoiner1986]

1000W will do that instapot
(I’d probably employ propane for cooking if it were me- ymmv)

The instapot is a resistance load. No surge. Electric motors are where headroom is important.

I do plan on keeping the propane stove (Camp Chef Everest) because some things are just better/easier/faster on an actual stove. Problem is those cold or rainy days. That's why I got the Instant Pot. I'm currently in a Honda Element so I'd rather not have a burner flame going inside.

EDIT: Just noticed your point about electric motors. Initially, I was wanting to be able to use some of my corded power tools for the occasional project but I've been gradually phasing away from corded into cordless. Funny how years ago I thought "I'll never own cordless" but Kobalt (Lowe's brand) makes a surprisingly nice 24V cordless drill that is awesome in my opinion. I've been thinking of getting their cordless jigsaw.

 

[tjoiner1986]

After some thought, I'm starting to lean toward the Renogy DCC30 + Giandel inverter -- the reason being that the MPP Solar 1012LV-MS does not appear to have a low temp cutoff. Yes, my Daly Smart BMS has it but I'm paranoid about my $500 worth of battery cells turning into $500 bricks. Having redundancy so that, should the charge controller fail to disconnect, the BMS can serve as backup would be nice. Plus, as mentioned in my initial post, alternator charging is more practical for me than shore power. Perhaps if I had a larger vehicle and planned to do more campgrounds but right now it's been a lot of parking lots and places where I can't plug into AC.

Am I overthinking this?

 

[sunshine_eggo]

Am I overthinking this?

Based on the fact that you've been talking to yourself in this thread, yes.

However, I think you finally got to where you needed to be.

I'm not a big fan of the DCC30 due to its very limited solar, but it sounds like it will work for you.

 

[tjoiner1986]

Based on the fact that you've been talking to yourself in this thread, yes.

However, I think you finally got to where you needed to be.

I'm not a big fan of the DCC30 due to its very limited solar, but it sounds like it will work for you.

I like to document the progress, my thoughts, etc. Besides, it was rhetorical. I already knew I was overthinking. That's what I do.

This is all going on/in a Honda Element so I don't exactly have room for expansion. If I absolutely wanted to, I could add a 3rd panel on the roof but I don't plan to. As such, the DCC30's solar limitations aren't a big deal to me.

Now to see if USA MPP Solar can cancel my order before it leaves on the FedEx truck.