Camp, Forrest, Camp!
Boise, ID
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Joined: 10/28/2002
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77charger wrote:I added a 400 watt inverter under my sink cabinet area.Then put a household outlet under my 110 outlet that came with my lance(one by the kitchen counter).
I then got a small cord and ran that from my inverter to the outlet i added and wired that one.
NOw when i need 110 power for tv,sat,or whatever small things i need without the gen running i can use the inverter for that.When i switch to gen or shorepower i only have to move the cords a few inches.Is funny when someone plugs into my inverter outlet whenit is off and says my outlets dont work. I did the same thing, using a 1000W inverter. It will run my coffee pot and the 650W microwave, but it takes forever so I mostly use it for the TV/DVD player.
-2000 Chevy K3500 CC DRW. 7.4L, Auto, 1985 Lance 900, 1999 Bayliner Capri 1800LS Outboard
-Air Lift bags, Torklift tie-downs, Superhitch w/48", Rancho RS9000X, K&N FIPK, MagnaFlow exhaust.
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Steve_in_29
29 Palms (SEMPER FI), CA 92277
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Joined: 01/08/2004
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smkettner wrote:The draw depends on what is plugged in..... Unless it has some means of being turned off an inverter will still have a small draw (Idle Current) even with nothing plugged into it.
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2007 Outfitter Apex9.5,270W solar,SolarBoost2000e,2 H2K's,2KW inverter,2 20lb LP on slide out tray,4 Lifeline AGM bats,Tundra fridge
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Tizi
Puyallup, WA
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Joined: 08/07/2008
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I added an 300 watt PSW inverter directly wired to my battery.
Ran wires from battery to inverter:
Installed inverter under TV cabinet with cord from power outlet (I can switch plug from inverter to 110 very easily):
I can plug anything I want into the power strip...tv, dvd, cell phone, laptop, etc. I also have an additional PSW inverter that I can plug directly into a cigarette lighter receptacle in the truck or the camper.
2008 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 - HEMI
2004 Northern Lite Ten-2000 CD
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enine
OH
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Joined: 02/19/2004
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Execpt most inverters are not that efficient, does yours have an energy star label anywhere on it?
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Chuck and Di
Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 09/28/2008
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lanerd wrote:
Be aware that "inverters" are not very electrically efficient and can drain a 12vdc battery quite rapidly if you're not careful.
Today's switch mode inverters have efficiencies in the mid to upper 90's (95% typically) under load. Depending on the design, they may draw a little power when not in use, so switch them off or unplug them. For me, using an inverter would drop my potential laptop time from 60 hours to 57 hours between charges - if you are using it that much you should have probably stayed home. 
By the way, to those that say buy 12V chargers - maybe not!
My cell phone uses a switch mode supply from 120 V. This means (for example) that 95% of the energy from 120 V goes to charge my battery. If that 120 V comes from an inverter, then, because there are 2 switchers, 90% of the power (.95 * .95) taken from the battery goes to charge my batteries.
If I use my cell phone charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, it uses a linear regulator to drop 12 V to 5 V, which is about 40% efficient!
The story is a little murkier for laptops. They usually are supplied from 18 V or 19 V so in either cases a switcher is needed. You can gain a bit of time through the expense of buying a 12 V laptop supply, (assuming it is well designed) but the design efficiency is by no means guaranteed. If it is only 90%, the solutions are a wash.
By getting an inverter you will spend less (they are cheaper), and have 120 V available for other things. Seems like a no-brainer for almost everybody. (Those needing to squeeze out the last couple mW might make different choices in a carefully engineered system.)
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