Power Inverter?????

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Powere inverter, I am thinking of getting one. Lots of times I sure could use 120 V where I do not have it. Anyone use one? Do they realy work? I guess I have a hard time understanding the concept of 120V off of a 12V system. I hope it will not set my Chero up in SMOKE :eek: :eek: !!!!!! Any comments on performance, hazards, general info that would be useful. ;)

[The Preacher]

Not the same application but I use one in my caravan all the time. Just make sure you buy with enough juice for whatever you plan on plugging in. I have never tried it on the jeep.

[reddog]

Depends on what you want to run. They are usually rated for continuous output and peak output. Be careful that you get one rated with a continuous output about a 20% cushion on top of the current you will need. You will also need to know the real current draw of what you want the invertor to power. For instance a 700 watt microwave draws more than 700 watts. The 700 watts is the power it outputs - not what it draws. I don't have one handy but I am sure that a marine catalog (like West Marine) will have a pretty good write up on invertors.

Kerry

[JeepBountyHunter]

I have used power inverter's for a long time, Vector currently makes a good line of em....I have a 1500 continuous watt one that is nice, comes with an alarm for low battery..basically just need to keep the engine running etc...I use it to run my shop vac, drills, etc....very handy..got a Vector Power Station for xmas, includes a sealed battery, with jump cables, light, and air compressor and inverter..but it's only a 200 watt inverter, but handy is the word here.....Meijer's, Walmart are a few places that have these items...you pay more for the higher output ones...my 1500 watt, has two battery post jumper's on them to clamp to the terminals...which I don't like, cause I like the ones that run off the cigarette plug inside the vehicle...Good luck.

[porkchop]

I have a 350w inverter that I got at Harbor freight. It works great. I ran a 13" TV and VCR on the way to Ouray and while I was there. And then I used it to run a 13" TV, DVD and playstation all the way across country. Like the others have said make sure you get one with the wattage that you need.

[Stolen76]

With a 2 year old, I would never be without one ! I just have a small $20 job I got from a discount parts house, Coleman makes it. It runs a TV and VCR without a sweat. I made a pot of coffee in the truck just so I could justify the expense !

[Crazy_Jeepman]

I would want to run a angle grinder, drill, Circular saw. That would be the extent of its use. How big would I need, to run any of the above one at one time.

[Gwamp]

Get the best one you can afford. I got a cheap one and it blew up the first time I plugged in a coffee pot in camp one morning. It was pretty neat until then, I used it to run a drill and a large Craftsman hand grinder. It was a 700 watt jobbie. The next one will be a brand name and rated at a much higher wattage.

[Rande]

Check the wattage rating on the tools you are planning to use. If they only have an amperage rating, you will need to do some simple math.
Wattage= voltage X amperage. 120volt drill using 10 amps = 1200watts. 12v drill using 10 amps= 120 watts. 120v coffee maker using 15amps =1800watts.

Nuttin' to it. Just remember not to use too many things at one time.

[Gwamp]

Rande - I am sure that is what happened to me. Oh well, live and learn! Electricity is NOT my friend. :D I still have it in my basement. I wonder if there is anyway to fix it?

[lanierboy]

Crazy,

To know what size you need, check the amp rating of the tools you will be using. For example, if it says 7amps at 120V, that is 7 x 120 = 840 Watts. Use the Continuous rating on the inverter for your sizing and I personally would give myself some buffer, 20% - 50% to be safe. Also, the power wave that comes out of an inverter is not as clean as you get from the power company so your tools may pull a little extra current and therefore run a little hotter.

Be cautious when using your tools not to over work them. A standard electric motor, when overloaded, can draw as much as 3 - 7.2 times its rated Amperage. That will overload your inverter in a hurry. For reference, a tool running unloaded will normally draw about 1/3 the rated amperage.

For TV's and VCR's, it's not as critical since they will only draw a little extra for a second or so during power-up. This is handled by the burst power that most inverters provide. Also, these devices often pull less power than the Watt requirement listed which is worst case.

[Stolen76]

if you only want to run power tools with brush type motors (universal) go with on board welder, you can run universal motors on AC or DC as long as you have the voltage

[Zac]

Cabellas's has some good power invertors to choose from.

[turtle jim]

CJM,
My inverter experience is from years ago,using a Trace 2012 to power my house,but the principals apply to all size inverters.While most of the technical numbers escape me,I do remember using 0000 cable to feed the 2012.2012 means 12 volts in and 2000 watts at 110 volts out.The smaller size inverters of course use smaller size wire.
Anything that plugs into the cig lighter obviously uses existing wiring.Manufacturers of small inverters like to make it convienient to use their product.While the inverter itself may produce the rated wattage,the connecting wires may be marginal at best.Wagoneer size wiring,IMHO,is not well suited for a heavy draw from the cig lighter.Your intended use sounds to me like a heavy draw.
The next larger sizes of inverters will wire direct to the battery.A large enough inverter will run anything your battery can supply juice for.Running the engine will help,but now you start to stress the system.It becomes a vicious circle.

I certainly agree with the concept of 120 volts portable volts from the wag 12v system.The uses are many.It's far easier to stay within the practical limits,however almost anything is possible.

[TexasJ10]

Can you use variable speed tools with an inverter? I thought I read one time that you couldn't.

[Crazy_Jeepman]

Great thanks, I think I am going armed with enough info to purchase one.

[tuckers89GW]

Pete, they are great. I have one for the van's t.v. I also used it to power my christmas lights on my Jeep this winter. Kinda like a driving christmas Jeep.