NOVA 3K12 - 3000W 12V Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Built-in Transfer Switch

An inverter with a transfer switch built in, which means shore power passes straight through to your outlets when it is connected and the unit switches to battery in under 20 milliseconds when it is not. For an RV or a van, that removes a separate transfer switch and the wiring that goes with it. Note what it does not do: there is no battery charger in this box, so it will not replenish your bank from shore power.

Why this inverter

• 3,000W continuous, 6,000W peak for five seconds, with total harmonic distortion under 5% - clean enough for CPAP machines, laptops and anything with a switch-mode supply.
• Transfer time of 20ms or less, with selectable Normal and Fast modes. Normal suits fridges and tools; Fast is intended for computers and servers that will not tolerate a longer gap.
• Adjustable low-voltage shutdown anywhere from 10.5V to 12.8V, so you can set the cutoff to protect your specific battery chemistry rather than accepting a fixed threshold.
• LCD display for live voltage, load and status, plus RS232 and RS485 ports if you want to integrate it with a monitoring system.
• Certified to UL 458 and compliant with FCC Part 15.

Wiring and installation

• At 3,000W and the 91% peak efficiency Rich Solar publishes, this draws roughly 275A from a 12V bank. That means 4/0 cable, a class-T fuse in the 300A range, and very short cable runs.
• Rich Solar lists the minimum battery as a 12V 100Ah deep-cycle or LiFePO4 pack. Be careful with that figure: 275A out of a 100Ah lithium battery is a 2.75C discharge, and most 100Ah packs ship with a BMS rated 100A to 200A continuous. The 100Ah minimum is realistic for light loads, not for running this inverter at its rating. Check your BMS continuous discharge spec, or plan on two batteries.
• If you want the same 3kW without that current problem, the 24V NOVA PURE MAX 3K draws about 142A - though it has no transfer switch, so it solves a different problem.
• Operating range is -40°F to 160°F, but full rated power is only available from -4°F to 122°F. Outside that narrower band it will run derated.
• 15.6 x 12.0 x 4.1 inches, 17.6 lb. Accepts 80-140 VAC input at full power and 45-70 Hz, which is forgiving of poor campground shore power.

Warranty and what is not included

• Covered by Rich Solar's standard limited warranty. Ask us to confirm the current term before ordering.
• Rich Solar describes "marine-grade durability" with a drip shield. The drip shield is listed as optional, not supplied, so do not count on it for a wet locker.
• The manufacturer's page summary claims 92% efficiency while their own specification table and feature list both say 91%. We have used 91% for the current calculations above.