12v inverter

drifter460

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12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #1

I want to buy a large 12 v inverter what size should I look at? Ring has two 1100 w and 2200 w are these to large for motorhomes .

Ally

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #2

What do you plan to run off the inverter?

the fat controller

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #3

Depends on what you are wanting to run, but the larger they are the more power they will draw from your batteries and may not last too long.

drifter460

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #4

Want to use hair drier , toaster and charging laptop I have two 110w batteries +a solar panel thanks Ally.

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #5

I am no expert by any means, from experience though, inverters eat batteries especially something powerful enough to power a hairdryer. I am sure you would need the 2200 for the hairdryer alone.

Anything that produces heat needs loads of power so the toaster would be a heavy user also, the laptop would get away with an 80w inverter I think.

Julie wanted a hairdryer - I got her a new towel

(joke) and we make toast in the gas grille.

Saying all that, a toaster and a hairdryer are not on for long so you should be ok for short periods with a 2200 inverter. Check the wattage on the hairdryer though as I think some maybe more.

the fat controller

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #6

My Freind had a ring main fitted to his motorhome to run the microwave etc all off the batteries

drifter460

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #7

Hi John is Ring a good make

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #8

Not ring as in the manufacturer, ring main as in the same as your house producing 240v

cashmp

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 26.02.2013 · #9

hi drifter460

i asked that same question last year and the answer i got was "calculate the power you require" ( a good hairdryer could be 2400W of power) and on top of that the power used in the converter itself, so i ended up with a tidy 300w to run the tv,laptop and phone chargers. just having the inverter on with no item plugged in will draw from your battery

pat

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #10

hairdryers and toasters are not really an option off batterys you would have to tow an old milkfloat full of batterys to use them use your gas for toast and head out the window for drying hair

a small 300w will do the rest and is handy to have
PS you could bring a small nuclear reactor but i would not recomend it ( no insurance )

pogonogo

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #11

Your 120amp alternator at 13.4 volts would run 1600watts provided you keep your engine rev'ed up but you would need heavy cables to and from your batteries to supply that power. You would also need a seriously heavy diode/relay between the alt and the batt.

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #12

Thank you all for good info I have decided to buy a 400W after reading all your advice. Roy

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #13

400w won't dry your hair!! Better off with a small genny

willie

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12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #14

We have a 1200w ring invertor, the true sine wave are better but more expensive, though no problems yet and we have it about 4 years and we use it all the time for the TV, the cable run must be as short as possible to the batteries , a remote control for the invertor can be useful. the downside from small invertors is that they are often too far away from the batteries and are frequently used in the TV socket, the voltage drop in small gauge cables is a serious drawback, remember many invertors stop working at arount 11volts
An invertor will only draw from the batteries what it needs, so make sure it is big enough for the maximum load you will need

drifter460

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 27.02.2013 · #15

Thanks jag147 & Willie for your post I think I will stick with 400W.

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Re: 12v inverter

· Posted: 03.03.2013 · #16

Using Power Inverters to Convert 12V DC to 240V AC

If you use 12V DC to 240V AC power inverters to run your appliances this should also be taken into consideration when calculating your usage.

Inverters typically work at around 85-90% peak efficiency meaning that they draw 10-15% more energy from your battery than the devices actually require. This means the daily power consumption used to calculate the size of motorhome solar panel should be increased by approximately 10-15%. Large inverters used to power small loads will have even lower efficiency.

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