Here’s My Xantrex Prowatt Pure Sine Wave Inverter Review

Xantrex Prowatt line of inverters provide pure sine wave technology in an affordable, easy to use and easy to install unit.

My late father built an emergency power system for his house using several deep cycle batteries and several 5000 watt inverters. I was always impressed with how my Dad was able to make it all work.                                                                                                           

These days, there are better choices for inverters then my Dad had back then. Like this Xantrex Prowatt 1000 watt inverter.

I like the Xantrex Prowatt line of inverters in particular, so I decided to do a review on it

For me, and I would think for anybody these days, an inverter must be a true sine wave inverter as opposed to modified sine wave.

Yes, they are a bit more pricey, but well worth it. The Xantrex Prowatt series, whether it’s the 600 watt, 1000 watt or 2000 watt model, are all pure or true sine wave.

Why is pure sine wave better?

Pure sine wave inverters are better at running more appliances and running them efficiency without wasting energy. They allow your appliances to run on the type of current they were designed to run on.

Appliances that use motors, pumps, or compressors will run slower on modified sine wave inverters, causing them to use more electrical power, run inefficiently, and make buzzing noises.

Pure sine wave inverters don’t have these issues because the wave form of the electric current supplied is the same wave form that is supplied to your house by utility companies.

That’s why pure sine wave is my first consideration. By the way, some appliances that use advance electronics won’t even run on modified sine wave inverters.

Surge Rating

The next thing to look at is the surge capability of the inverter. In this regard not all inverters are created equal.

This is another reason why I prefer the Xantrex Prowatt. These inverters use a transformer that provides excellent surge draw capabilities. Other inverters are solid state and are not so robust.

Surge draw is important because many appliances can draw up to 15 amps (1650 watts) or more when first starting up. After the appliance is under way, the amp draw drops way down.

So after the surge draw, I look at the continuos draw requirements of the appliances I plan to run. Add all those wattages up and add 10 to 20% to arrive at the total wattage my inverter needs to be.

For example if my appliances all add up to 800 watts including 10% extra, the Xantrex 1000 watt with a 900 watt continuous rating would do just nicely.

By the way, a 1000 watt rating doesn’t actually mean you can put a 1000 watts of continuous load on the inverter. Many companies advertise the peak watts as though it were the continuous watt rating.

Many manufactures will claim they have a 1000 watt inverter with 1000 continuous rating, but our research indicates that is somewhat misleading.  According to the Xantrex rep. I spoke with, they will stand behind their continuous watt rating, which you may have noticed is lower than what the inverter actually is.

In other words, a Prowatt series 1000 watt inverter has a continuous watt rating of 900 watts. You can run 900 watts continually.

The peak watt rating of 1000 watts may be drawn for only 5 minutes before the unit shuts down on over heat.  To me that’s a little more honest then other companies.

Xantrex is the only company that I’m aware of that’s honest enough to tell you up front what the true continuous and peak watt ratings actually are.  The surge rating is double that of the peak rating and can only sustained for a few seconds.

I hope that makes sense because it’s important to know just how much continuous load you can put on the inverter you end up buying.

You have to use some judgement to ensure you get a large enough inverter for your applications.

The Xantrex Prowatt Pure Sine Wave Inverter Series 

Designed for commercial trucks, rv and marine applications, the Prowatt line of inverters are compact, easy to use, and easy to install.

Let’s take a look at the features in detail and see how they benefit us.

First and the most important is that it is pure sine wave. You can run everything on it. From variable speed power tools to microwave ovens. From coffee makers to LCD tv’s. It’s the only choice for me.

The Prowatt series feature continuous watt ratings From 540, 900, and 1800 watts. The Prowatt series also are rated for surge at 1200, 2000, and 4000 watts for their respective models.

It is important to note that in order to achieve the best results you should use the recommended wire size for the length of wire used to connect to the battery. You should also use a fuse. See the chart below.

Digital Display

The digital display gives you a constant read out of available voltage from the battery supplying the inverter.  What the output is in kilowatts, as well as any error codes.

Useful information that helps you quickly see if your battery is in need of recharging.

There are also LED indicators.  A green LED indicates that the unit is on and receiving power.  Whenever a shutdown occurs due to an error condition the Green LED remains on.  A red LED indicates an error or alarm condition.

GFI 120 Volt AC Outlet

The inverters are equipped with one 120 volt ac duplex.  It is a GFI outlet to protect you from short circuits.  Especially critical when using appliances around wet areas.

It is also important to note that the outlet is rated for 8 amps, which is 960 watts.  So electrically speaking there is plenty of safety features.

Remote Switch Port And Optional Remote Panel

The power inverter has an option for a [easyazon_link asin=”B002W87JNO” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”carbattery0e-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]remote panel[/easyazon_link] that you can purchase separately.

With the remote panel you can turn the unit on or off and monitor the status LED.  It also comes with a 25 foot cord.

USB Port 

These days most every inverter will feature an USB port.  The Prowatt are no different.  They feature one 5 vdc, 500 mA  USB port.

Here’s What Others Are Saying

Currently the Prowatt inverter has been given a 4.3 star rating over at Amazon.  That is out of 57 customer reviews.  Here’s a sample of what customers are saying.

• real 1000 watts. real sine wave. real nice inverter
• Finally satisfied
• Love it.
• I would recommend this to anyone looking for a well made power inverter that performs as advertised.

Click here to read full reviews

Were There Any Cons

The only negative I was able to find is the occasional defective product.  As with most complicated devices, sometimes a defective one is shipped out.

There does not appear to be any problem with the product itself, and the vast majority of customers were quite satisfied with the inverter.

Where To Buy

Given the high rating that customers have given the unit we can highly recommend the Prowatt family of inverters.  You can also find it at Amazon.com for the lowest price and free shipping.

Click the button below.

Categorised in: Articles, Inverter Reviews