Keep inverter cables as short as possible (< 2m recommended) to avoid huge voltage drops.
📊 Recommended Hardware
✓ Sizing Balanced
Recommended Inverter Rating
2,000 W
4,000W Peak Surge Capacity
Max DC Input Current
195 A
Recommended Fuse
250A Class-T / MEGA
Recommended DC Cable
50 mm² (1/0 AWG)
Voltage Drop at Full Load
1.7% (0.21V)
💡 Tip for 2000W+ inverters: At 12V, a 2000W inverter pulls ~190 Amps from your battery, requiring massive 50–70mm² cables. Upgrading to 24V cuts current in half to ~95 Amps!
How Inverter Sizing Works
An inverter converts 12V, 24V, or 48V direct current (DC) into 240V (or 120V) alternating current (AC) to power standard household appliances. Sizing an inverter correctly requires calculating both continuous wattage and surge wattage, plus sizing the heavy DC supply cables.
Inverter Sizing Rules of Thumb
Continuous Rating: Sum the wattage of all appliances you intend to run at the exact same time, and add a 20% safety margin so the inverter doesn't run at 100% capacity continuously.
Surge Rating: Appliances with electric motors or compressors (refrigerators, blenders, power tools, air conditioners) require 2× to 3× their rated wattage for 2–5 seconds during start-up.
Pure Sine Wave Only: Always select a Pure Sine Wave inverter for modern electronics, induction cooktops, and CPAP machines. Modified sine wave inverters produce harsh harmonic distortion that damages electronics.
Design and Fuse Your Inverter in the System Designer
In our free Visual System Designer, drag on a Victron MultiPlus or Phoenix Inverter, wire it to a Class-T fuse and battery bank, and test continuous power draw in real time.