As we enjoy our RV travels, we want to power those electronic devices and appliances that require 120V AC. And recently we have seen the devastating power of nature leaving so many without electricity for extended periods of time and a generator may not be available or adding to the challenge, gasoline to operate a generator doesn’t exist. This is where battery power with an inverter can be very important in a disaster recovery kit at home or your RV. The foundation of converting battery power to household current requires a properly sized 12V DC to 120V AC inverter. We contacted BougeRV and ask for a mid priced, yet feature rich inverter to evaluate. In this blog and the video below, we review the BougeRV 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter plus we share how to determine the wattage needed and the proper battery size to support an inverter 120V load.

Determining Inverter Wattage Need and Battery Capacity

We often find many who run into problems with their inverter and battery installation where ether or both are undersized to power the appliance in the RV or home. This is most often found when powering a residential style microwave. The model we have in our RV requires 1800 watts of 120V power to produce 1100 watts of cooking power. At a minimum, we require a 2000 watt inverter and during the operation of the microwave, no other 120V appliance could be used.

Wiring and battery become the next misunderstood components for the installation. The 12V power required to produce 120V is much higher than the amperage used by appliance. A quick rule of thumb is to divide the 120V appliance wattage by 10 to determine the battery BMS output needed by the inverter. In our microwave case, that would be 180A. We would need to ensure our battery BMS was capable of 180A of continuous output and would suggest at least a 200A rating for added margin.

Lastly is the wiring between the battery and inverter is very important. To support a short run of 2 to 3 feet, you should consider 3/0 copper wiring. For lengths greater, use one of the online wire size calculators to estimate wire size.

BougeRV 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter

We received a BougeRV 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter model BV122000 for this evaluation. This pure sine wave inverter provides pure power, with a low distortion rate (≤5%) to ensure proper operation of computer, routers, TVs and other sensitive electronic equipment.

Specifications

• Rated Output Power: 2000W
• Peak power: 4000W（1s
• Output voltage: 110VAC/120VAC(default)
• Output frequency: 50/60 Hz(default)
• The input voltage ranges: 10V-15.5VDC
• Output waveform: Pure Sine Wave
• Full Load Efficiency: ＞86%
• Operating ambient temperature range: -40°F~185°F（-40°C~85°C）
• Outlets: (2) 120VAC 15A
• Hardwired Connection: (1) 120VAC 20A
• USB port: 18W*1（5V-3A,9V-2A,12V-1.5A）
• Product size: 17.59 x 6.65 x 3.98 in
• Weight: 8.6 lb
• Protection function: Input over-voltage/over-discharge protection, output overload/short-circuit protection, and inverter over-temperature protection

Testing the BougeRV 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter

We connected the inverter to a 300Ah lithium battery capable of supporting a sustained 200A of power. Out test bench had a clamp on amp meter to monitor battery output, we also connected a DVM to validate the voltage created by the inverter, and connected an oscilloscope to monitor the quality of the sine wave during the various 120V loads.

The video below shows the tests we performed and results. Overall the inverter performed very well with both nominal and heavy loads.

Conclusion

Overall the BougeRV 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter met all of our expectations during the tests. We found the inverter to be a well built, feature rich, and at an affordable price.

Our thanks to BougeRV for supplying the inverter for our evaluation. We have provided helpful links below if your are interested in purchasing a BougeRV inverter from 1000W to 3000W.

Helpful Links:

BougeRV 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter (as shown in the video)

BougeRV Full Line of Solar Products

15 amp automatic transfer switch

Not sure about what RV accessories you need as you start RV travel?

Check out our RV Accessories page where we have listed a wide range of products from essential items to those “nice to have” RV products to make RV life more enjoyable. Every item listed is being used or has been used by Joan and I as we’ve traveled across the country in our RV.

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