Dan Robinson
EF5
Unlike past inverters I've owned, the new 1200 watt model I bought this year drains my car battery very quickly when it is accidentally left on.
My setup is a main 12v bus in the trunk that is direct wired (and fused) at the main battery. All of my equipment, including the inverter, is powered via the 12v bus in the trunk. I have a main power switch under the steering wheel that shuts the entire circuit off manually, independent of the ignition. It needs to stay independent of the ignition (to keep systems running during fuel stops, for example).
This setup introduces the problem of me occasionally forgetting to switch the circuit off when I park for the night. With my old 750 watt inverter, the system would run for about 10 hours before draining the battery. This happened about twice a year with my old inverter, an acceptable number that I just dealt with. Now, the 1200 watt inverter drains it in about 3 hours, which has happened about a dozen times since May! This is obviously a problem that I now need to fix.
I'm aware of the dual-battery (deep cycle) setups using an isolator, but there are a couple of problems with this route. One, I drive a small car with no available space under the hood for a second battery. The second battery would need to go in the trunk. Two, a dual battery with isolator setup looks to be at least $200, and I'd also need to run an extra set of heavy gauge wire through the cabin of the car to reach the second battery. I'd like to do this without rewiring everything.
A disconnect switch (like a Priority Start) is the most attractive option, with a cost of about $100 and just a simple install at the battery. However, I'm worried that the unit will trip instantly if the engine is shut off, with my equipment circuit drawing power and likely dropping the voltage too much immediately. I'll have to go out with a voltmeter to see how bad the ignition-off voltage drop is. Does anyone have experience with these (in a storm chasing power systems environment)?
A third idea is a proximity sensor-like setup, with a permanent transmitter wired to the car's power bus. The receiver would be installed inside my apartment (the site of the most frequent battery drains), and would sound an alert if the power was left on that would act as a reminder when I go inside. I'm not aware of any device that could be repurposed to operate like this, and if the total cost would be less expensive than the other solutions.
My setup is a main 12v bus in the trunk that is direct wired (and fused) at the main battery. All of my equipment, including the inverter, is powered via the 12v bus in the trunk. I have a main power switch under the steering wheel that shuts the entire circuit off manually, independent of the ignition. It needs to stay independent of the ignition (to keep systems running during fuel stops, for example).
This setup introduces the problem of me occasionally forgetting to switch the circuit off when I park for the night. With my old 750 watt inverter, the system would run for about 10 hours before draining the battery. This happened about twice a year with my old inverter, an acceptable number that I just dealt with. Now, the 1200 watt inverter drains it in about 3 hours, which has happened about a dozen times since May! This is obviously a problem that I now need to fix.
I'm aware of the dual-battery (deep cycle) setups using an isolator, but there are a couple of problems with this route. One, I drive a small car with no available space under the hood for a second battery. The second battery would need to go in the trunk. Two, a dual battery with isolator setup looks to be at least $200, and I'd also need to run an extra set of heavy gauge wire through the cabin of the car to reach the second battery. I'd like to do this without rewiring everything.
A disconnect switch (like a Priority Start) is the most attractive option, with a cost of about $100 and just a simple install at the battery. However, I'm worried that the unit will trip instantly if the engine is shut off, with my equipment circuit drawing power and likely dropping the voltage too much immediately. I'll have to go out with a voltmeter to see how bad the ignition-off voltage drop is. Does anyone have experience with these (in a storm chasing power systems environment)?
A third idea is a proximity sensor-like setup, with a permanent transmitter wired to the car's power bus. The receiver would be installed inside my apartment (the site of the most frequent battery drains), and would sound an alert if the power was left on that would act as a reminder when I go inside. I'm not aware of any device that could be repurposed to operate like this, and if the total cost would be less expensive than the other solutions.
