Archive for September, 2009

What inverter do I use with my cigarette lighter socket?

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Ok, for all of you go-getters who want to power their house from a cigarette lighter socket, I have news for you, good idea but not possible with an inverter. However, there are many things you can power with your cigarette lighter socket.

Anytime you want to power a device with your car battery, you’ll need to determine what device and for how long. If you want to power anything that is 1.5 amps (180 watts) or less you can use your cigarette lighter socket. If your power requirements are more than 180 watts, you’ll have to direct connect to your battery.
A few examples of items you can power with your cigarette lighter socket:
cell phone
handheld games
digital camera chargers
mp3 players
small warmers
small fan
laptop (1.5 amps or smaller)

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Can an inverter be used to power a microwave?

Monday, September 21st, 2009

As summer approaches people are once again getting interested in road trips and travel. One question that we hear a lot at Theinvetrerstore.com is “can I power a microwave with a power inverter”. The answer to this question is, Yes! Although there are a few things that are good know before purchasing an inverter.

Microwaves need to draw extra power as they start up in order to kick on the heating element. For this reason it is important to properly size your power inverter. Be careful selecting the right inverter and make sure you have all the start up requirements for your microwave before you do.

If you use a modified sine wave inverter it may take longer to heat your food and the microwave may run hotter than normal. For this reason you may want to look into getting a pure sine wave inverter instead.

Most of the stories that you hear about microwaves being a problem on the road are caused by people not fully understanding the power source that they are drawing from.

Theinverterstore.com offers excellent customer support and we would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. We have a wide selection of pure sine wave and modified sine wave inverters and our goal is to make sure our customers are purchasing the right equipment the first time around.

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Can I use my inverter for tailgating?

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Calling all sports fans! As we approach football season, I just wanted to let you know that you can use your blender, electric skillet, TV, radio, microwave or whatever you need while tailgating using your car battery or a stand alone battery and a power inverter. All you have to do is total the amps of all appliances you want to power. Here’s an example:

Blender – 6.5 amps
TV – 1.5 amps

If you add 6.5 and 1.5 you get a total of 8 amps. You then multiply your total amps by 120 to get the wattage. 8 * 120 = 960 watts. You want to get an inverter big enough to handle any type of start up amperage your appliance may have to I would recommend our 1250 watt inverter or maybe even our 1800 watt inverter.
All of our inverters include a low voltage alarm so your inverter won’t leave you stranded with a dead battery. Time to take your kitchen on the road. One thing worth mentioning….. Most vehicle alternators are 80-100 amps. You don’t want to use an inverter bigger than 1800 watts unless you know your alternator is bigger than 100 amps or you have two batteries. Happy tailgating!

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