Renogy 3000 watt inverter 15 months on 

Hey viewers. The renogy couldn’t run the air con and I used another inverter to run the same air conditioner and it ran with no problems at all . If you watch the whole video you will actually see . Watch from 6:30 thanks 🤣 cheers 👍🍻

After extensive research on the renogy 3000 watt inverter I can possibly explain the reason it cuts out and how I solved the problem. However, it does not look like yours will allow you to solve the problem but maybe the explanation will help you or someone else. First thing is even though it is a 3000 watt inverter it only has a 25 amp output. The renogy inverter then splits that equally to each socket so, you will have 12.5 amps allowed per socket not all invererters do this however renogy does for safety so you can't overload the 20 amp rated outlets they use. Most Air conditioners need more than 12.5 amps to run usually need about 15-20 amps. So yes you have the wattage but you don't have the amperage to run it. Solution is get a renogy 3000 watt with the high output a/c terminal block like mine has and run 10/2 wire that can support the 25 amp output to a breaker box and run individual breakers to 20 amp outlets. This will allow you to run a full 20 amps on any one circuit and a full 25 amps over the entire system at the same time. That is how I had to set mine up in order to run my a/c in my off grid tiny house.

*Super compact and easy to carry and travel with accessories for the electric **Generater.Systems** .I was worried this was going to be bulky or hard to use.Hooks up easy and charges quickly*

I built a power box on wheels using 8 of the 280 amp hour EVE cells, 250 amp BMS, and 12 volt 120vac Renogy 3000 inverter like yours. It has on board solar MPPT and an Aims 75 amp charger to run off the Honda gen set if needed. The system has been on for over a year and sees loads of up to 2200 watts daily. The inverter is very reliable and I have no complaints with it. The battery has 7200 watt hours and all 12 volt supply cables are short in length. The 1/0 cables do not show heating even near full load. The inverter standby power consumption is only 14 watts.

Well done for calling out the undersized cabling which so many people overlook when the cabling is included with a device. To the best of my knowledge, earthing of inverters is not required and unsafe unless used with "shore power" or if the vehicle is connected to the ground via an Earth rod. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah you need a softstart aircon, that's what most caravans etc use.

Great vid mate, I’m using a Renogy 2000w inverter with no issues but we don’t have much call for AC here in the UK 🤣🤣👍🏽👍🏽

Your aircon uses an AC induction motor which requires up to 3 - 7 times the rated wattage to kick-start the compressor, this is normal for induction motors, a brush type DC motor on the other hand has relatively little start up and will generally use its rated power. Therefore the inverter required would need to be around 5000 - 6000 watts minimum if it is a mosfet transistor type, this type will generally allow double the rated wattage for half a second to 'kick start' an induction motor. However the transformer type of low frequency type inverter ( much heavier unit) will allow 3 times the rated power for start up and are generally more robust over time if carrying heavy loads. There are a couple of very robust Chinese toroidal transformer type inverters sold on E Bay in 3,4 and 5 kva sizes, ( orange or white if looking) that are very good for 100% duty cycle type use that are superior for load starting and I have installed a number of with very good results and life expectancy. Remember, consistently overloading transistor type inverters can shorten the life of the unit as they do run hot and as you noticed use considerable power even when idling, comparatively low efficiency at low power use or idle. I do prefer the Low Frequency (LF) type sine inverters as for a little more cost say roughly $200 for a 3000 watt unit will give better start capacity and generally longer life less prone to damage with heavy loading, more forgiving especially with AC induction motors startup.

enjoyed your simple and clear explanation when using inverters.I am starting small, tried camping using a small 300w, 1.3A fridge/freezer. Used a 1000w Pure sine inverter, but cuts out immediately. I prob need a stronger inverter, 2 / 3000w inverter. Your explanation using the plug anderson plug, was excellent. thank you for taking the time to produce these amazing vids.

Great video again but I want to alert you to something unrelated to the inverter performance. Disclaimer I am not a licensed 240v electrician nor auto electrician. I am an amateur on a learning curve trying to improve/modernise our caravan setup. I cannot reveal where this information came from specifically but it wasn't from just one source. 1: Don't run powerboards off inverter outlets, only connect single appliances unless using an RVD (no, not a typo for RCD). Residual voltage detector will discern 32+v leaking and switch off immediately. An RCD detect current (amps) going AWOL and shuts off immediately. An RCD only works with an earth to ground configuration like if you are at a caravan park and you plug a 15A cord into a camper wired professionally with 240v plugs the earth pin of the power supply at the park goes to ground, not a chassis. A cord integrating an RVD plugged into your inverter will make what you plug into it safe. DC earthing to your chassis does not replicate this. Your chassis is just your batteries 12v negative circuit allowing power to flow. Mate please check out what I have written and verify it for your audience. If it is wrong or irrelevant please explain it to me and your audience. There exists a difference between isolated and not isolated generators and inverters than can vary the necessity for an RVD but per my Disclaimer I cannot say more. I am writing this to ensure that you are safe and your viewers. I only discovered it after much research. 240v is deadly and I know you are a stickler for safety and if what I shared helps then my comment won't be in vain. Take care Dino.

Hey mate I bet if it was a latronics inverter it would run the a/c no problems but they cost a lot more. They are beasts of inverters though. All the best mate

It might’ve worth checking the capacitor for the compressor on that AC unit. Once the cap degrades, the i rush current is massive, I often change these and the surge current dramatically decreases.

Love the switch that the inverter comes with Dino. That’s actually a brilliant idea. Good to see it’s still going strong mate

even did the follow up. legend. thanks again

Was thinking of getting same one tel your video saved me, thanks. Sounds like BS rating 3000 watts

I’ve seen a few videos where they added a “soft start” box between the inverter and the AC to make it work. But I’d also be curious if a different 3000w inverter would solve this for you. I bought the Renogy 1000w inverter and had to return it. When turning on the inverter even with zero load, it would always trigger my battery’s BMS protection. I have the 209Ahr LiFePo from SOK, which is known to be outstanding. I bought a different 1200W inverter, and no problem. I found other reviewers had the same problem as me with the Renogy inverter. Renogy seemed to know about this issue. Their next gen will likely fix it. I think their inverters need a better soft start at the battery input.

Great info thanks, never can have enough POWER need a fusion generator.

Inductive loads like the compressor pull a massive surge on startup

Hey, thanks a lot for making this video....I almost bought the Renogy....now I have changed my mind...:)

From what I understand, using two smaller gauge wires per terminal is an acceptable way to do it. Splits the voltage and allows for more flexibility in positioning your inverter.

You would need to hard wire an outlet from the inverter and plug the air conditioner into it. This will keep it from shutting off. Cheers

Yea, maybe you should move down here to NSW, where you dont really need A/C (as much). If the little Kogan A/C unit has a star/delta motor winding available (unlikley), you could fit a soft start relay ($40 from Ebay) and fix the problem.

Hi Dino great video'sJust purchased 2000w model would you going to bigger cables start with I have Renogy Smart 100amp lithium batteries batteries You Right the customer service with that mob. Thanks 😊😊 look forward to hear from you thanks again 👍👍👍

Nice video, well done, thanks :)

Something I noticed about my renogy 2000w inverter is that it runs at about 225v. Not really a bad thing, I tried running my kettle to try and overload it but because of the lower voltage vs 230/240 at the wall, it could run it without issues, just a bit slower. Overall it's probably a good thing so it puts a little less drain on the battery, but I'm still testing it out. Might be why the AC trips it? Not enough to get the compressor going.

The problem could be when the compressor kicks in the wattage spikes (typical for compressor start) could be 3 to 5 x the wattage stated on the A/C. Have you connected one of those meters you plug in w/e device you want to measure Wattage/Voltage/Current to see what the A/C is actually drawing on start? Im also thinking some inverters dont like certain eletronics and wont run them no matter what...

I didn’t see this but with all the research, I went with 4/0 copper welding type cable, very hard to find. No supply house locally had it. Thanks to Amazon. I’m stating with 2 x 230 amp hours of REDO batteries, so we’ll see

Did you put an oscilloscope on the battery leads at the input to the inverter? Might be momentary input volt drop such as cable resistance or battery internal resistance. This would cause the compressor to draw even more of a spike current.

I'm glad I found this video before placing an order to Renogy, though, my impression is still that they're quite reliable. News of El Niño has me looking into off-grid cooling as a matter of safety. More than anything this was a good lesson into looking up specific parts.

The inverter cut out is due to power not being substantial enough. Likely the cables or the batteries. If you run 2 batteries you need to make sure the batteries can discharge at 150amps each for 300amp combined based on that fuses. BMS systems on batteries also can handle a spike as well. I had the same issue and it was the cables.

its the compressor, they draw an enormous amount of amperage when starting, but use less when running.

Yeah hard start / huge load aircon, even at home my portable aircon will cause a dip in the rooms lights.. The inverter may as above/ below be rated at 1500w per socket - the aircon prob spikes well over 2k

Hi Dino great video's I've just purchased a 2000w model would you thing bigger cables to start with thay look like 4 gage & size fuse l do two 100amp lithium batteries thanks look forward hear from you thanks again 😊😊😊

Good video I would be putting the kickass one in the van looks like a better inverter lad thanks for the info 😁👍🏾

Better put that kick ass in the van. All inverters seem to come with undersized cables for some reason. Cost cutting I guess.

Or just get a “soft start” box and add it in to your AC power line👌😉👍

You have 2 power outlets. If the Renogy unit is like other inverters, each outlet will be rated to 1500 watts. The other thing is inverters don’t handle induction loads , ie anything that has a motor, very well. Start up current will always test them out. Pure resistance load is always going to be more compatible to handling rated power. Some units also have terminals so you can wire the AC side to a remote location. So in your case if this was available you would get the 3000 watts to a single power point.

after watching videos on inverters the 240v plug on all inverters max's out at 1500w and 3000w peak. if you want to use the inverters 3000w or 6000w peak you need to use the terminals. The aircon that you are using shows a 3500w peak when using rapid cooling mode.

All the videos I have watched show an extension cord plugging into the inverter. If an RV has several outlets and they are on different walls, how are they wired into the inverter? I planned on running my AC through my power station/converter. Just when I think I've got it, I find some confusing information.

Try it again with the AIR CONDITIONER plugged directly into one of the outlets instead of the power bar. The more extension cord you have the higher the AMP draw.

A/C in a van seems over the top no? Would't a Maxxfan and Caframo Sirocco be enough?

Coffee maker is a resistive load, the air conditioner uses an inductive motor that pulls 2.5 times its lock rotor amps.... Try using a soft start or Variable frequency drive on the air conditioner

Was all set to buy the Renology until I watched your video. Could not find the kickass 3000 watt you had purchased, only the one with the LCD which is much more. I can get the Giadel for a reasonable price here in CA. did you happen to see if that unit would power the aircon?

use 16v super cap pack ive made one for mine as batterys discharge quick, cant keep up with high amp start but supercaps renew quicker than batterys also,. u can build a capacitor bank on output, stage,, a bank of 6 -8 - 240v caps if using 240 or 200v if using 120v,,m anythink with a motor uses loads of start up nrg,

I’m asume the batteries are in parallel, in just wonder if your exceeding the battery max amp output on start up and that what’s shutting down the inverter , where the other battery has a larger discharge rate . Only a guess 😊 I could write what I know about it on a cigarette paper, but it’s got too be worth a look 👁👁😊😊🐕‍🦺🍺🇦🇺. Stay strong,loving ya work 👍

Looking at buying either the 3000w renogy with charger or just the 3000w inverter. Is it still performing as you expected???

A lot of time the surge for the air-conditioner will be to much for the inverter. It could be the batteries. I would check the max discharge peak current amps that your batteries put out. Even if you have 300 Ah of batteries, it could be the size of the BMS in the batteries are to small for the draw to the inverter. If the battery has like a 900 amp out put for 2-3 seconds it should be enough of a surge to kick on the compressor.

I had the same issues with mine. I think a soft start type inverter would be the go. The capacitiors on the compressor are what kill the inverter. Oh I just watched the Kickass running. WTF?

in rush current?

Have you tried to connect a capacitor, maybe the ac compressor is pulling much power

Have you done ground cable from inverter? I seen a lot video if ground cable not connected doesnt want to kick in compresor.

BECAUSE THE A/C HAS A START CAPACITOR TO START THE MOTOR,OVERLOAD FOR INVERTER,THE HOT POT DOSENT HAVE A START PHAZE JUST HEATS UP USING WATTS AND AMPERAGE

I was getting mixed messages on what size cable to use with the 3,000 watt inverters, just decided to go with 4/0 copper. Bigger is better and probably not much difference in 3/0 and 4/0 price.? Did you ever get the Renogy to run the AC? Did I see the tag on your inverter say it was 240 volt? If so, now I see why. It makes sense that is the issue because you pulled almost 3,000 watts with the kettle & whatever you were running. Look at your video around 4 minutes. It clearly says 240 volt. Now maybe the inverters sent where you are, have volt 240, volt output, but the ones I’ve seen are 120 volt? Please forgive me if I’m totally off base but makes no sense otherwise unless the surge is more than 6,000 watts which is hard to imagine. Thanks

Air conditioners have HUGE startup surge requirements

Can anyone tell me where the buzzer is inside of this inverter/a standard inverter like this? I want to disable it or at least put tape/foam or something on it to damper the sound. I have lithium so I run them too low sometimes, but don't want to hear the ear piercing and obnoxious beep.

You need to connect the AC Unit directly to the Main 3000 Watt outlet which has 3 Screws. You will get full 3000 Watts. Not the 120 volt outlets which 3 Divided into 3000 Watts is 1000 Watts. Try That It should work.

hey mate are you still using the renogy inverters? looking into buying one thank you

My fridge pulls over 1000watt when the compressor kicks in. That's more than 10x it's running power. If your ac is 1000 watt then you'd need a peak capacity of 10000 watt which means probably a 5kva inverter.

Have you solved the problem with the renogy 3000W inverter is it working ?

I’m looking for an inverter to power my under-bunk Truma Saphir AC unit which rated at 1000w. I reached out to Truma tech support and they confirm that the startup current is 20Amp for 150ms = 4800w. Not all inverter can handle that.

Rekon this would run a 180amp inverter welder?

The 6000w surge is for 1 second. The compressor is running more than 1 second

I had the same problem and when I installed 4/0 cable it was ok

Your AC requires 230 volt to run compressor. The inverter is only 120 volts that’s why no issues with the kettle. The fan running off 120 volts

I bought the same unit off the Home Depot about 9 months ago it's been working great here's what I suspect with their distribution output they claimed 3,000 which it probably does but it's distributed equally through the three plugs that I got so that means 3000 all together with a thousand on each plug the one benefit that they actually sold me on was that there was an AC block that could be hardwired and it's supposably and I would expect does more wattage on that hardwiring so if it's a thousand on each with the hardwiring added that couldn't be good so I'm suspecting they dumb down each plug to like 700 600w and the hardwiring probably does 1200 w I wrote a really nice Theory earlier but I accidentally Connells did it and now I'm left talking out my ass but I stand behind what I'm saying advertising says one thing but when the plugs are there you / that I would really like to know what the AC block produces cuz I could probably run a little window unit I'm suspecting it's got to be over 1000 Watts on the hard plug that's the only thing I'm concerned about for anybody else wondering as well I'll keep searching

It's a shame the UK renogy 3000w got rid of one of the AC outputs and completely got rid of the AC terminal, bit of a cheek, the money they saved they should put into cables that don't become bar heaters when under high load.

Another option - Fchao 3000W inverter (as reviewed by Off Grid Garage)

Something is really wrong, I saw the back of your AC it said it’s 220 volts, that’s the issue. The inverter puts out 120 volts

if its not a pure sine wave inverter and just a modified square wave inverter it wont be efficient enough.. that AC/Heater could be the problem too, it might require more than it says it does... I know my problem was my inverter wasnt pure sine wave for anything with a motor on it

its a compressor it needs starting current FFS

The reason your renogy is cutting out is probably because the appliance is going past its "peak" wattage capability, what is its peak compared to the kick ass?

Need capacitors to soffen inductive load

The 3000 watt Renogy won't run the 12,000 BTU air conditioner because 12,000 BTU is more than the 3000 watt capacity of the air conditioner. 12,000 BTU is going to be somewhere around 3,400 watts, more than the 3000 watt rated capacity of the Renogy.

Looks like the a/c requires 230 volt.. that may be why.. well wait.. is 230 volt the standard over there and not 115?

DOES WAShing machine is working with this ?

There is no ground "earth" in a vehicle. Its a secondary neutral.

Hi Dino,sorry pushing two too Many buttons Again look forward to hear from you sorry.

2/0 is plenty for that many amps unless your running 100ft of wire

My experience is a bad one. I spent over $400 for 2 batteries on Amazon to replace the ones in my camper. I called Renogy and got their opinion first. I then call WCO who makes the WCO 6800 series for my camper and gave me the ok, then I called Cruiser RV and they said it should be fine. When I went to the dealer the tech said no way. They can overheat when plugged up to shore power and you can't turn off the batter disconnect or nothing will work in the camper. I tried to return them to Amazon, unopened. They will not take batteries back.. They refused to take them back They refused to refund the money and they told me to sell them myself. I called Renogy and they basically told me TOO BAD. I wish I had read the Better Business Bureau reviews before I bought them. Do not do business with RENOGY..................................Bad Company......This based on the truth and experience ! The tech department LIED to be or I would have never bought these batteries.

Renogy undersize the cables on all their inverters, not sure why they do this

It's not the first time I've seen Renogy underperforming.

Says power supply 220v-240v. You have a 110v-120v inverter. Your missing a few volts

The kettle doesn't have a compressor

Your lines are a different length is one problem

Compressor has too much of a surge on startup

I been through 2 in 3 months. Nothing special just normal setup, used double cables on lithium battery. 1st one constantly beeping, 2nd white smoke 💨..

My 3000 watt Renogy inverter was dead out of the box. I give companies ONE chance. Going elsewhere.

thar is tow motors in it that is y it wont run it

I've had mine 15 minutes and it's broken already

Said right on unit was a 240 not 110 Will not run a 240

no it's not 3000w at the most you will get is 2000w

your batteries ar not big enough for the a/c

Not very convincing. Such a small air-conditioner. Water kettle is better test example. It’s sketchy. First it didn’t work, with another inverter, it works. If it works for you, be happy

Renogy are garbage. And their back up service is even worse. Simple as. End of story.