Power inverter, what do you guys use

[J Tyler]

Power inverters became my personal nightmare last year....Two separate "Cyberpower" inverters bit the dust, gave my GPS puck fits, and drove me crazy. I had one of the Black and Decker inverters die, but another one work great. After all that hassle, I bought Sears 750 watt inverters because they had a one year warranty that allowed me to take them into ANY Sears nationwide and swap it out. Great for when on the road. So far, they have worked fine.

SO.....I agree with others in the thread that advise to buy a DC to DC for your laptop, as your laptop is by FAR the biggest hit on your inverter. My Dell uses a 90 watt brick. I really think that if I get my laptop off my inverters, it will be a big help for them.

 

[Matt Tottle]

I run a 1400w Vector that I've had for probably 6 years. No problems with it. I even used it to run my furnace in an extended power outage one time.

If you're considering a dual-battery system, yes you can very easily add a 'self jump-start' mode, by adding a standard starter solenoid (about $15) and a switch to the isolator. I had that setup on my old truck and it saved me several times.

Even a large inverter if lightly loaded (like with just a laptop and camera) will only draw enough power off your vehicle to run itself and the loads connected to it - it isn't pulling full power all the time. If it is going into "low volt protect" (on most brands this kicks in at about 11.0-11.5v) mode while idling, it means there is an issue with your charging system. Your alternator or voltage regulator may be failing, and it is not maintaining the electrical system at idle. Any time the engine is running, the voltage at the battery should be 13.8-14.2v, regardless of the electrical load or engine speed. Any lower or higher indicates a problem (unless you have installed an underdrive pulley on the alternator). If you don't already have one, go buy a cheap multimeter and see what you've got.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Even a large inverter if lightly loaded (like with just a laptop and camera) will only draw enough power off your vehicle to run itself and the loads connected to it - it isn't pulling full power all the time.

This brings up another point, your inverter should be rated at a wattage far above what you actually use. A 150W unit driving a laptop, cell charger and camera charger is running pretty close to, if not over, its rated capacity. Inverters have a finite lifespan, the closer to max capacity you work them, the less time they'll last. I've had several 400s go out within a year, but only one 750 has died on me. The 750 I have now, I've used continuously since 2005 in two different vehicles. I do carry a spare 400 in the truck in case the 750 does ever go out, that way I can at least keep the laptop going for a few days until I can replace the main inverter.

 

[James Wilson]

I use this one and it works great for anything you'd need on a chase. I even used it with a grinder once and it rocked!

http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-Technologies-851-0700-700-Watt-Inverter/dp/B00009OYH8

 

[Jeff Russell]

I bought a Duracell 1000 two years ago. Someone on here found them on sale cheap. If I remember correctly, it cost around $60. Had is installed by my local radio shop for around $75.

 

[Mark Blue]

Here's a website I receive e-mails from if you are sold on getting an inverter: Inverter Store. They appear to have a decent selection of different models, so I thought I'd pass it along.

 

[Matt Tottle]

Just one other thing to keep in mind (Jeff's pics reminded me), any inverter higher than about 250 watts is going to draw more power than your vehicle's dedicated power port can provide. If you don't have a power port and only have an actual cigarette lighter, the cutoff is going to be MUCH lower, around 100-125 watts. Power ports are on a dedicated 20A fuse, which will handle roughly 300 watts (minus about 50 watts in inverter waste). Cigarette lighter ports in most cars are on a 15A fuse, which is in most cases also shared with things like the radio and dome lights. So you will realistically only have 6 or 7 amps of slack in that circuit, limiting you to a very small inverter. Anything larger than 300 watts will require the inverter to be hardwired directly to the battery.

Also, some inverters (like Vector) have electronic on/off (they have a pushbutton, not a rocker switch like the Duracell), and will not 'remember' their last setting after power is interrupted (so you can't use a solenoid/relay to switch it on and off). These inverters are nice because they have a digital readout of voltage and output watts, but if you get one like this, you must leave the control panel accessible so you can turn it on and off. More expensive units have provisions for a remote control/display, but cheaper ones (like the one I have) don't.

 

[Joshua Nall]

I use a 400 watt Aims and at one time I had it connected to the power port, but I had problems with it shutting down when I would start my truck. Evidently because of the small wiring and extra distance of going through the power port, when my starter put a load on my batteries the inverter would see the lower voltage and it's low voltage cutoff would kick in. After I wired it directly to the battery I've had zero problems with it. This isn't the most efficient way to power some of this stuff, but right now I have my laptop, cell amp, charger to one of my video cameras, and a battery charger plugged up to it and it does fine. So I would agree with what's already been said ... don't go to big, don't go too small and wire it to the battery.

 

[DRMabe]

Thinking I'm gonna with with something in the 400w range, and directly wired to the battery and a power strip in the vehicle. Any brands in particular to avoid? Read alot of bad stuff about Black & Decker. Wanting to pick one up locally. Hoping to get one and get it installed in the next week or so. Planning a short trip to the Alley last week of the month, so thats motivation enough.

 

[Dan Robinson]

My 750 watt is a Black and Decker, it has lasted since May of 2006. The one I had previously lasted 2 years, but we put some serious loads on it (4 laptops, chargers, etc).

 

[DRMabe]

What happened to the other 2? They just burn up or what?

I doubt mine will ever see a heavy load. The most at one time would be a 17" laptop, cell phone (charging from the laptop via USB), and a Camera battery charger or 2.

 

[Dan Robinson]

All of the 400 watt inverters I've used before have stopped working within a single season. I'm not sure what happens internally, but they just stop producing power even with the light on. I think that the closer you work an inverter to its rated capacity, the shorter its lifespan will be. My current 750 watt has only been powering the basics for the last few years - just one laptop, the dashcam and a few chargers. I think if I was carpooling with chasers with multiple computers and a half dozen chargers like I did in 2005-2006, my current inverter wouldn't have lasted as long as it has. I have a spare 400 watt inverter that I keep in the truck as a backup, but it's just a stopgap to help me limp along until I can replace the big inverter.

 

[DRMabe]

How much pull would a 17" laptop have on a 400watt inverter? I saw a 800watt inverter, but didn't figure I would need that much power since I won't be running alot of stuff on it.

 

[Tyler Burg]

Don't get a black and decker. I have a 400watt one and its a piece of junk. Only charges my laptop when my car ISN'T running. Total fail. I just picked up a cobra 400watt on amazon for $27.

 

[DRMabe]

Don't get a black and decker. I have a 400watt one and its a piece of junk. Only charges my laptop when my car ISN'T running. Total fail. I just picked up a cobra 400watt on amazon for $27.

The Cobra is actually what I was looking at on Newegg. Either the 400watt or the 800. For myself, I'm sure the 400 would be fine. Thinking maybe getting the 800 though incase I have somebody riding with me that wanted to charge a battery too.