Comments for The Inverter Store Blog

Comment on What inverter do I use with my cigarette lighter socket? by Administrator

Administrator — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:31:38 +0000

Hello Mark,
This will depend on your alternator size, battery size and number of batteries you are using. If you are maxing out the inverter at 5000 watts you will be pulling 416 DC amps per hour from you battery. Most cars will not be able to handle that load. We recommend you add another battery to your system. Any other questions you can call us 888-417-8673.

Comment on What inverter do I use with my cigarette lighter socket? by Mark

Mark — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:08:08 +0000

If I cable directly to my car battery, can I run a really large 5000 watt converter from it? Do I have to keep the car engine running?

Comment on Power inverters: back up power system. by john

john — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:58:25 +0000

have 1000 watt.wany to power rv ac/dc inverter to charge batt this well not do itmabe a 2500 what do we think

Comment on How do I pick the right Power inverter? by john

john — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:49:55 +0000

useing a 1000 wattt to run ac /dc inverter for rv wont run,do i need a larger one, say 2500 watt.this is to charge batterys at end of day,use is only for charging batt and few lights

thank you

Comment on What inverter do I use with my cigarette lighter socket? by Renewable Ray

Renewable Ray — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:39:45 +0000

Love these kind of post, really drives the basics home. By the way does any one out there know a good source for those 12 volt cigarette lighter wall sockets. I need some. In the old days we bought them through the JC Whitney catalog. LOL Remember them?

Comment on Power inverters: back up power system. by peter phillippsen

peter phillippsen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:11:41 +0000

Powering the house by an inverter, will it take as much electricity to recharge the battery bank using a charger from the grid as it would powering the house directly from the grid?

Pete

Comment on Power inverters: back up power system. by Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:41:07 +0000

Hello Chris,
This all depends on the total amps you plan on running and for how long. If you have that information, I can make a recommendation.

Comment on Power inverters: back up power system. by Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:39:47 +0000

Hello Kenneth,
If you multiple 10.5 amp * 120 volts you get 1260 watts. However, compressors have very high start ups so you may want to plan for 3x that just to start the compressor. I would recommend our 5000 watt just to start the compressor. You don’t want to prematurely fry your inverter by not selecting one big enough. Your DC battery drain is 10.5 amps * 11 (converting ac amps to dc) which is 115 amps per hour. If you only need to run for 5-10 minutes your car battery should be fine.

Comment on A Power Point Presentation On Connecting Power Inverters To Batteries by Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:35:16 +0000

Hello Bill,
Good catch. Thanks for taking the time to let us know.

Comment on A Power Point Presentation On Connecting Power Inverters To Batteries by Administrator

Administrator — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:34:25 +0000

Hello Peter,
Pure sine inverters product a true rolling sine wave vs. a stair step wave that tries to mimic a pure sine wave. The pure sine wave inverters product cleaner power.

•major advantage of a pure sine wave inverter is that all of the equipment which is sold on the market is designed for a pure sine wave. This guarantees that the equipment will work to its full specifications.

•Some appliances, such as variable speed motors and microwave ovens will only produce full output with pure sine wave power.

•A few appliances, such as bread makers, light dimmers, and some battery chargers require a pure sine wave to work at all.

•audio equipment, satellite systems, and video equipment, sound and look cleaner using pure sine wave inverters.

•these are the most expensive of the inverter designs and outperform all other types of inverters, regardless of use.

•use this inverter for electric shavers and emergency flashlights, garage door openers, laser printers and large strobes used in photography

Modified Sine Wave (quasi-sine)
A modified sine wave inverter actually has a waveform more like a square wave, but with an extra step. A modified sine wave inverter will work fine with most equipment, although the efficiency or power of the equipment will be reduced with some.

•Motors, such as refrigerator motor, pumps, fans etc will use more power from the inverter due to lower efficiency. Most motors will use about 20% more power. This is because a fair percentage of a modified sine wave is higher frequencies – that is, not 60 Hz – so the motors cannot use it.

•Some fluorescent lights will not operate quite as bright, and some may buzz or make annoying humming noises.

•Appliances with electronic timers and/or digital clocks will often not operate correctly. Many appliances get their timing from the peak of the line power – basically, the modified sine has a flat top rather than a peak – this may cause the occasional double trigger. Because the modified sine wave is noisier and rougher than a digital pure sine wave, clocks and timers may run faster or not work at all.

•Items such as bread makers and light dimmers may not work at all – in many cases appliances that use electronic temperature controls will not control. The most common is on such things as variable speed drills will only have two speeds – on and off.

•most equipment will operate without any noticeable difference, and because the lower cost, makes this the most common inverter sold and generally the only type found at your local retailer.