VOLTS How to determine

[MisterSandals]

Unless you are running 12 volt appliances, go with a 48 volt system.

On a practical level, the higher the voltage the better in almost every case.

I am not sure I am alone in saying that I have a sh-load of 12V tools, toys, lights and gadgets. Its dang hard going to 24 or 48V.
My next battery and inverter will be 24V. Its dang hard doing this because I don't own ANYTHING that runs on 24V.

 

[JoeHam]

I know it is rediculously redundant, but I am thinking of getting a separate units for my fridge, hvac, dialysis machine, washer and dryer. so far i have whittled my usage to 1092 kwh per month. Hanging our clothes helps.

You will definitely want a 48v system to run stuff like that. As mentioned wiring size and cost, fuses etc. all get unmanageable with a lower voltage system which needs to put out a number of kW’s.

The HVAC, unless it’s something like a mini split, will be very hard to do. Same with the dryer. The rest is very doable although I don’t know much about the power consumption of a peritoneal dialysis machine but it will likely be significant as it’s kind of a big fluid pump that runs for a bit of time.

Can you provide any power consumption info from the manual or back of the machine ? Even a model number and make would help

 

[Just John]

I am not sure I am alone in saying that I have a sh-load of 12V tools, toys, lights and gadgets. Its dang hard going to 24 or 48V.
My next battery and inverter will be 24V. Its dang hard doing this because I don't own ANYTHING that runs on 24V.

Yes, but the original poster is talking about his house, not an RV. Very unusual to run 12v at home.

 

[Substrate]

The general rule is this when dealing with a system supporting inverters, and keeping cabling size/loss down to a minimum. Line voltage drop should always be taken into account, but here are the go / no-go starting points.

For every 1000 watts of AC, add 12v. Example:

0 to 1000 watts = 12v ok

1000 to 2000 watts = 24v ok

2000 watts or more = 48v system.

Note that 36v systems are not really mentioned because equipment for that voltage is usually harder to find and kind of a niche application - most simply jump to 48v when exceeding 2000 watts of draw.