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What Is an Inverter Configuration?

An inverter configuration is the group of adjustable settings that tell an inverter when to shut down because of low battery voltage, when to restart, how it recognises that a battery is charging, and how it behaves when little or no power is being drawn. The inverter is the same piece of hardware in every setup, but its configuration decides how it reacts to the battery and to the loads connected to it. This page explains the main settings, using the Victron Energy SUN Inverter manual as the source for every number.

Quick answer

• A configuration is the set of thresholds and modes that control shutdown, restart, charge detection and idle behaviour.
• The SUN Inverter manual lists default low battery shutdown, restart and charge-detect levels for 12 V and 24 V systems.
• Settings for ECO (search) mode, such as wake-up power and search interval, also belong to the configuration.
• Change a setting only when you know what it protects and what happens at the new value.

Why the settings exist

A battery is not a fixed supply. Its voltage falls as it discharges and rises as it charges. An inverter draws power from the battery and converts it to AC for the loads. If the battery is allowed to fall too far, the battery can be damaged and the inverter can behave unpredictably. The configuration gives the inverter a set of voltage levels to watch, so it can stop before that point and restart once the battery has recovered.

The same logic applies to idle time. When nothing is plugged in, an inverter still uses some power to stay on. Idle settings let the inverter sleep most of the time and check for a load at intervals. Each of these behaviours is a setting, and the set of all of them is the configuration.

The low battery settings

The configuration section of the SUN Inverter manual lists three voltage levels for low battery behaviour. Each has a default for a 12 V system and a 24 V system:

Setting	12 V default	24 V default
Low battery shutdown	9.3 V	18.6 V
Low battery restart and alarm	10.9 V	21.8 V
Charge detect	14 V	28 V

Source: SUN Inverter manual, section 4.3, configuration page (listed in the source list at the end of this page). The manual gives these as defaults, so the values on a particular unit can differ if they have been changed.

Read the table as three points on the battery voltage scale. As the battery falls to the shutdown level, the inverter switches off. It does not restart at that same point. It waits until the battery rises above the restart and alarm level. The charge-detect level is the point at which the inverter clears its low battery alarm once it sees the battery being charged. The manual describes the restart behaviour in the same section: the inverter restarts once the battery voltage has increased above the restart and alarm level.

The gap between shutdown and restart is important. Without it, a battery that sits right at the shutdown voltage would cause the inverter to switch on and off repeatedly. The gap gives the battery time to recover before the load comes back.

Dynamic cut-off

The manual describes a second way of setting the low battery shutdown, called dynamic cut-off. It makes the low battery shutdown protection a function of the battery current drawn from the battery. In plain terms, a heavy load can trigger shutdown at a different voltage than a light load would. The manual states that this feature is disabled by default. If you see a configuration option for it, check whether it is on before you assume the default voltage levels are what apply.

ECO mode and idle settings

The configuration also covers ECO mode, which the manual also calls search mode. The configuration section says that the inverter switches to search state when there is no load or a very low load, and that it will switch on every 3 seconds for a short period, with that interval adjustable. The manual lists these ECO settings:

• Wake-up minimum power: default 14 VA, with a range from 14 VA up to the inverter rating.
• ECO mode search interval: default 3 s, with a range from 0 to 64 s.
• ECO mode search time: default 0.16 s, with a range from 0.08 to 5.00 s.

The wake-up power is the load level the inverter needs to see before it stays on. A load below the wake-up power keeps the inverter in search state. A load above it keeps the inverter running. The search interval and search time control how often and how long the inverter checks. Idle behaviour is covered in more detail in our separate explainer on inverter idle consumption.

How the settings fit together

It helps to read a configuration as a chain of decisions:

1. Is the battery voltage above the low battery restart and alarm level? If not, the inverter stays off or in alarm.
2. Is the battery voltage above the shutdown level? If it falls below it, the inverter shuts down.
3. Is there a load above the wake-up power? If not, the inverter may go into search state and check for a load every few seconds.
4. Has the battery been charged above the charge-detect level? If so, the low battery alarm can be cleared.

This is a simplification. The manual’s section on protections and automatic restarts describes the detail, including what happens after repeated low voltage events. Read the manual for the model you own before relying on the sequence in a specific installation.

What to check before changing a setting

• Write down the current values before you change anything. The manual lists defaults, not the values on your unit.
• Lower the shutdown level only if you understand what the battery will be exposed to. The manual’s defaults are the starting point the manufacturer chose.
• Keep a gap between shutdown and restart. A restart level set too close to the shutdown level makes repeated cycling more likely.
• Check whether dynamic cut-off is enabled. It is disabled by default in the manual.
• Do not change ECO settings if you are not sure whether a small load needs to keep the inverter awake.

How we chose

The settings on this page are the ones the SUN Inverter manual names in its configuration, operation and technical specification sections. We did not include settings the sources we opened do not describe. We opened four HTML5 pages from the same manual, dated © 2022, on 2026-10-27. The pages show no revision number, so the values are the manual’s defaults as published on those pages.

What we could not verify

• The manual figures are defaults. We cannot say what any particular unit is set to.
• The sources we opened do not cover every inverter model. The values here are for the models named in the SUN Inverter manual.
• The sources we opened do not state a configuration for 48 V systems in the sections quoted here.
• We cannot say how the settings interact with a battery bank of a given chemistry, because the manual does not address that.

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating the defaults as the values on your unit. Check the actual settings.
• Setting the restart level equal to the shutdown level, which removes the gap that prevents rapid cycling.
• Assuming dynamic cut-off is on. The manual says it is disabled by default.
• Changing ECO settings without knowing whether the loads you run are above the wake-up power.

FAQ

Is an inverter configuration the same as wiring?

No. Wiring is the physical connection of cables. A configuration is the set of adjustable settings and modes. A correctly wired inverter can still have settings that do not suit your battery, and a well-configured inverter can still be wired wrongly.

Where do I find the configuration of my inverter?

The settings are described in the manual for your model. The SUN Inverter manual has a configuration section listing the parameters and their defaults. Use the manual for your exact model, because the parameter names and ranges can differ.

What is the difference between shutdown and restart levels?

The shutdown level is the battery voltage at which the inverter switches off. The restart level is the higher voltage the battery must reach before the inverter switches back on. The gap between them prevents rapid cycling.

Does the configuration affect how much idle power the inverter uses?

Yes. ECO settings such as wake-up power, search interval and search time control how often the inverter checks for a load and how long it stays on during each check.

Should I change the defaults?

Only if you know why. The defaults are the manufacturer’s published starting values. A change should be made with the battery type, the loads and the manual in front of you.

Bottom line

An inverter configuration is the set of thresholds and modes that control shutdown, restart, charge detection and idle behaviour. Read the defaults in the manual for your model, write down your current settings, and change one value at a time with a clear reason.

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Sources

• Victron Energy, “SUN Inverter Manual” (HTML5 edition, © 2022), section 3 Installation. https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Sun_Inverter/en/installation.html. Opened 2026-10-27.
• Victron Energy, “SUN Inverter Manual” (HTML5 edition, © 2022), section 4 Configuration, including 4.2 ECO mode and 4.3 Low battery alarm and charge detect settings. https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Sun_Inverter/en/configuration.html. Opened 2026-10-27.
• Victron Energy, “SUN Inverter Manual” (HTML5 edition, © 2022), section 5 Operation, including 5.5 Protections and automatic restarts. https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Sun_Inverter/en/operation.html. Opened 2026-10-27.
• Victron Energy, “SUN Inverter Manual” (HTML5 edition, © 2022), section 6.1 Technical specifications SUN Inverter. https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Sun_Inverter/en/technical-specifications.html. Opened 2026-10-27.