Power Inverters - Am I The Only One?

[Al Smith]

One great advantage a static inverter has is the fact it puts out a more perfect sinosodal wave form .In other words much more stable than a generater .

I think the inverter in the motor home is 2,000 watts .I know my old man threw a fit when he had to replace it ,costs a plenty . The coach also has a 7.5 kva diesel generater as well .

If a person used an inverter in conjuction with a generater to run TV sets or computers then used the rest of the generater to power lights etc it would be a good combo .

A little tid bit .In cases of power failure if you run a refridgerater or freezer for 15 minutes every two hours this is enough to preserve the contents .Actually a freezer ,if not opened will hold for several days .

I'll do some research on the small gennys . They make these small units for campers .Light weight ,compact etc .

 

[Big A]

My mate just fitted a small inverter in his Land Rover, to power up the laptop, heat a kettle and so on, seeems a good idea to me.

 

[Reddog]

Now THAT'S the info I've been fishing for. What "small wattage generators" are you talking about, Al?

The little Honda and Yamaha's 1000 are nice. They have clean power, so you can hook a computer or TV direct to them.
Also for your inverter setup, they would work well to keep the batteries topped off during the day.

 

[MasterBlaster]

they would work well to keep the batteries topped off during the day.

They? What "they?" during the day? What's that? Every 60 minutes I'm gonna run my truck for ten minutes.

What is clean power? Is my inverter power clean?

 

[Frans]

Our power goes out all the time here. Remember we live in Cali. where if it rains hard, a state of emergency is called.

What I have learned is that generator or inverter, make sure you use a power protector.

Not all of these are made equal. Buy a good one. It will help to 'clean' up the power. Don't buy a little multi plug strip but spend some money on it.

 

[SkwerI]

Butch, 'clean' power is a constant voltage that doesn't fluctuate. Most power supply problems with computers and appliances are caused by spikes and dips in voltage.

 

[Koa Man]

Your inverter or generator provides "clean" power, suitable for computers and other sensitive equipment if it is a "true sine wave" model. All rated as such are expensive.

 

[Frans]

Doesn't a surge protector with battery eliminate fluctuating current?

 

[stehansen]

Our power goes out all the time here. Remember we live in Cali. where if it rains hard, a state of emergency is called.

What I have learned is that generator or inverter, make sure you use a power protector.

Not all of these are made equal. Buy a good one. It will help to 'clean' up the power. Don't buy a little multi plug strip but spend some money on it.

I live in the area served by the Turlock Irrigation District for irrigation water and electricity. I used to live in a area served by PG&E and had many more problems there than here.

 

[Reddog]

They? What "they?" during the day? What's that? Every 60 minutes I'm gonna run my truck for ten minutes.

What is clean power? Is my inverter power clean?

They being a small inverter generator. Like the EU1000iA .
The little Honda will run about 6-8 hours on a half gallon of gas at a low load, like a battery charger.

Clean power is the right voltage, hertz and wave length for the input of the appliance. (Ask Al, he should be able to go on for days on that.)

If your inverter is a true sine wave type, yes it is clean power.

 

[Al Smith]

Clean power is the right voltage, hertz and wave length for the input of the appliance. (Ask Al, he should be able to go on for days on that.)

If your inverter is a true sine wave type, yes it is clean power.

I could ramble for hours but I won't .That pretty well sums it up about "clean " power .

 

[Frans]

My thoughts on inverters vrs. generators are that a vehicle engine produces 'excess' energy while running, so that energy can be siphoned off to charge batteries, etc.
But a vehicle engine is designed to run the car, running it solely to power an inverter does not make sense to me. A huge waste not only in power, but also the wear and tear on the engine. Vehicle engines are meant to be run at speed. Overheating is just one of the problems you may experience.

 

[Al Smith]

The ones that are in use in motor vehicles are just an option used to provide small amounts of AC power .

To use a vehicle engine on anything but an emergency to make AC would be very inefficient ,no doubt . Then again though,in dire straights any port in a storm,so to speak .

 

[ChuckR]

MB

You might want to take a look at these FAQ's...

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm

Deep cycle batts are great but will likely need to be upsized to achieve proper cold cranking amps if used as a starting batt. Well, at least in MN they do. They're not designed for high instant currents.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Well, the inverter worked splendidly, but the 26 LCD TV proved to be too much of a drain on the battery. I replaced it with a 15" and turned off the computer (no internet, anyway) and all was well. However, next time I will have an Optima Yellow Top for MUCH better results.

Here's a couple pics I was attempting to post last week, but at that exact moment the cable went down. I'm even thinking about attaching another battery in parallel.

 

[sawinredneck]

I love the duct tape!!!

Glad it worked alright for you Butch.

 

[lumberjack]

Optima has turned up the suck over the past few years.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've heard they've squared away their problems. What alternative would you suggest? Remember it has to fit my Silverado.

 

[Paul B]

did some digging cuz I wasnt sure how inverters worked etc. This info ONE and TWO might help anyone else who arent up to speed.

 

[NickfromWI]

Power went out this morning. We couldn't get the cars out of the garages. No biggie. We got to rest in the morning a little more. But in the case of an emergency we woulda been f'd!

Is there like an inline back up battery that can be hooked up to the garage door opener to prevent a mess in the future?

love
nick

 

[sawinredneck]

Pull that little red handle hanging down and you can manualy open it

 

[SkwerI]

Power went out this morning. We couldn't get the cars out of the garages.

When I was 5 years old my father had a garage door opener installed. There was a red handle on a rope hanging down from the linkage where the opener attached to the door. I said "What's that handle for, Dad?" and he said "That's to disconnect the opener so you can move the door if the power goes out".

 

[NickfromWI]

That's all fine and dandy- assuming you're inside the garage.

The only way into our garage is via the garage door.

So anyone heard of some sort of temp back up battery thingy that might serve here?

love
nick

 

[sawinredneck]

No walk in door? No window? Thats a new one!

But no, I haven't, you might be able to convert a sump pump power supply to work with it?

 

[SkwerI]

I don't think that garage would comply with building codes here.