Searching for the unicorn: affordable 48v 3000w 120v inverter

[Skid]

The last several days looking for an inverter to fit my needs has been an exercise in frustration. I'm looking for an inverter, off grid but any style is OK that is PSW 48v and 3-4000w for under $1200. I know about Outback and Magnum but perfection comes at too dear a price for me right now.

The brands I think I can trust in that price range such as Samlex and lower end Victron that are 48v but output 230v. Looking at Growatt and AIMS and their variations make me a little hesitant as it is a big expensive hassle to get the equipment delivered here and I only want to do it once, thanks to a friend who can bypass most of the exorbitant duties and taxes.

Now thinking redundancy such as two 3000w Growatts or if two Samlex 48v 1500w inverters could be paralleled which at about $1000 is my preference.

Are only a few inverters such as Outback, Magnum and MPP/Growatt capable of parallel operation?

 

[Woodey]

I'm leaning to buy one of these all in one units in the 5500w inverter size. Price looks crazy good by comparison to buy separate peaces for all it does.

This product is no longer available.

This product is no longer available.

www.alibaba.com

If you buy 1unit 3500W or 1unit 5500W, shipping cost to USA is USD160 by DHL.
If you buy 2units, shipping cost to USA is USD237

 

[JoeHam]

I have a cheap WZRELB 48v 3kw one that I have abused for nearly 6 years. It was under $300 then. To be honest I never thought it would live this long.

My Sigineer is much heavier and cost around twice that.

Both of the above are used in the field for various applications.

In my house I have a Schneider CSW 4048 that was just over $1200 but you really have to add a $300 ComBox to program it.

All of the above are 48v PSW and the last two include chargers.

 

[AussieSim]

I'm using this All In One unit.

Foshan SNAT SNADI hybrid all in one

I thought I would make a post about my new Foshan SNADI / SNAT all in one. Looking at inverters, the options are high frequency and low frequency, and of the low freqency they tend to be either elongated or rectangular, with or without an solar charger. Whilst many have posted their wall...

diysolarforum.com

I have 16s EVE280 cells inside with a large BMS (Although it is tight! From Will's review of the Lishen cells, they appear not to undulate on their long sides, so should fit even better)

I sent the EVE technical documentation to SNADI who appear to have factory set the LVD to 22V and the charge HV limit to 57.1V. They should be able to custom build a 120V output unit for you.

There is a solar on/off safety switch and a battery on/off safety switch. I have since discovered that the battery safety switch only turns off the internal battery leads, so you can separately charge and discharge another 48V battery through the external battery terminals.

I have also discovered that the solar charging MPTT function works with the inverter switched off.

 

[BarkingSpider]

I have the $150 24v/1500W version of this and it runs my cabin AC and starts my tablesaw. This $300 bigger version must be very powerful.

Amazon.com

For split phase 240v get 2 MPP 3048 all-in-one units at ~$700 each.

 

[fafrd]

I have a cheap WZRELB 48v 3kw one that I have abused for nearly 6 years. It was under $300 then. To be honest I never thought it would live this long.

My Sigineer is much heavier and cost around twice that.

Both of the above are used in the field for various applications.

In my house I have a Schneider CSW 4048 that was just over $1200 but you really have to add a $300 ComBox to program it.

All of the above are 48v PSW and the last two include chargers.

I’ll second that. Have a 3kW 24V WZRELB 120V which has been great value for the money (a shade over $300 w/ remote on eBay direct from the company).

If you are aiming for a split-phase solution, you’ll either need to get a pair of split-phase-enabled inverters or add an Autotransformer (which is not that expensive).

The Sigineer split-phase inverters also seem like a good budget option if UL certification and permit/code are not a priority (though I don’t have any personal experience with their products, though a family member does).

Edit: just saw in the title that you stated 120V - definitely worth checking out WZRELB for that use-case.

 

[the_colorist]

If you want to go higher-end and catch a Victron, it might be possible to get a setup that is sub-$1200.

It would consist of 2 main components:
Multiplus II 3K 48 230V
SolarEdge 5KVA Auto-Transformer (2x120V legs from a single 230V inverter)

With that, you'll have all the advantages of a high-end tier-1 inverter/charger and you can add a GX device eventually to monitor it and any other Victron components you may add in the future. The Victron inverters are designed to be used with Auto-transformers in locations where 120V legs are needed.

If you're interested, feel free to pm me and I can give you exact pricing. I'm an installer so I get discounts.

 

[fafrd]

If you want to go higher-end and catch a Victron, it might be possible to get a setup that is sub-$1200.

It would consist of 2 main components:
Multiplus II 3K 48 230V
SolarEdge 5KVA Auto-Transformer (2x120V legs from a single 230V inverter)

With that, you'll have all the advantages of a high-end tier-1 inverter/charger and you can add a GX device eventually to monitor it and any other Victron components you may add in the future. The Victron inverters are designed to be used with Auto-transformers in locations where 120V legs are needed.

If you're interested, feel free to pm me and I can give you exact pricing. I'm an installer so I get discounts.

I love Victron products and think they are great value for money within their quality and price tier.

Unfortunately, Victron and ‘under $1200’ rarely fit into the same sentence, at least when total system cost is considered.

If I was building a system where reliability was a higher concern than budget, Victron or Magnum or Schneider would be top of my list.

But for those of us on a severely tight budget and not requiring UL certification, budget vendors such as WZRELB and Sigineer warrant consideration.

At the cost of a 3kW or 4kW WZRELB 120V PSW inverter, you can afford to purchase 2 and keep the second as an always-ready backup (even wired-in if but turned off if needed).

It’s really boils down to a question of how much you need top (or even near-top) quality and how much you can afford to pay for it...

 

[the_colorist]

I love Victron products and think they are great value for money within their quality and price tier.

Unfortunately, Victron and ‘under $1200’ rarely fit into the same sentence, at least when total system cost is considered.

If I was building a system where reliability was a higher concern than budget, Victron or Magnum or Schneider would be top of my list.

But for those of us on a severely tight budget and not requiring UL certification, budget vendors such as WZRELB and Sigineer warrant consideration.

At the cost of a 3kW or 4kW WZRELB 120V PSW inverter, you can afford to purchase 2 and keep the second as an always-ready backup (even wired-in if but turned off if needed).

It’s really boils down to a question of how much you need top (or even near-top) quality and how much you can afford to pay for it...

Thanks for your input! I deal with budget and low-cost installations all the time so I get where you are coming from.

The thing with Victron is they are easily 35% or more (sometimes 50%+) cheaper than people realize. It's all about if you are an installer/dealer or not. It's risky for me to say that but it's true. That's why I offered for him to contact me since I'm an installer.

 

[fafrd]

Thanks for your input! I deal with budget and low-cost installations all the time so I get where you are coming from.

The thing with Victron is they are easily 35% or more (sometimes 50%+) cheaper than people realize. It's all about if you are an installer/dealer or not. It's risky for me to say that but it's true. That's why I offered for him to contact me since I'm an installer.

Well you are certainly tempting me, but when I was going down the full ‘UL certification / permitted install’ route, Victron had done gaps to fill versus competitors such as Magnum or Schneider, and once I decided to go off-road and forego permits, there were much less expensive options based on budget offerings from China and Taiwan.

Safety is of course a priority, so I will say that if I was not concerned by the latest US certifications and permitting but I was looking for the safest of the non-certified budget options out there, Victron would be near the top of my list.

Victron has a remarkable track-record in boating here in the US and across all segments in Europe - it’s just unfortunate that the US split-phase market has never been important enough to them to get the certifications that other competitors in that segment like Magnum and Schneider have achieved.

My brother has an off-grid vineyard, all based on Victron. Great stuff. He just has more money to spend on his toys than I do .