Posted: 10/22/2011 12:51:25 PM EDT
| Want to install a 2500 watt inverter in my truck. Any tips or warnings? |
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A lot of alternators don't run at full output at idle, so you'll want to check that. You'll also want to check and see what type of alternator you have, and what the total amperage is.
Short story: I installed an electric fan on my 4runner instead of using the stock belt driven fan. The fan was out of a lincoln mark VII, good fan. That fan takes a lot of current, around 30/40 amps. My alternator on my 4runner had a max amp output of around 60. Stop and go traffic it actually killed the battery while I was driving. Since then I installed a 140amp alternator.... runs perfect now :) |
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That's going to be putting damn near 200 amps worth of load on your electrical system. Lots of houses in my AO have smaller electrical service than that. Why so big? Houses are 120 volts. Cars are 12. To find find the amperage draw from watts divide it by the voltage of the system. So 2500 watts = ~208 amps. |
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That's going to be putting damn near 200 amps worth of load on your electrical system. Lots of houses in my AO have smaller electrical service than that. Why so big? Houses are 120 volts. Cars are 12. To find find the amperage draw from watts divide it by the voltage of the system. So 2500 watts = ~208 amps. Yep, I was thinking about the output side (~22Amps) and the post was thnking about the input side. And my brain missed the switch. One 20 amp circuit of an invertor at least makes some sense. Still is a big invertor –––– fuses or circuit breakers are your friend. |
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A 1500W draws 200 Amps at peak output load due to losses.
You'd probably want to go with 2 1500W inverters rather than 1 larger one. A bit of redundancy, and you won't be running them at peak load continually. You WILL need to let your engine idle while using this setup, I've done it in emergencies for almost an hour. Beyond that, I'd suggest a genset. Though the inverter is handy to have around. |
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I have a 2000w inverter on the diesel work van, and it has created more battery/alternator problems than it's worth. When running my hilti's off it, it doesn't kill the battery too quickly, but constantly running other equipment will kill the battery FAST. You will need to keep your truck running during the the outage. It seriously isn't worth it.
For the price of a good small inverter, you can purchase a good small gas generator inverter (Honda EU2000i/yamaha 2000 whatever) for your needs. Please take my advice for your application. Quoted:
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I want to use my truck as a generator in case of extended power outage. What color is your truck, and how big is the engine? Black?? 6.0 liter gasser |
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My advice is as follows:
I received a newly converted chase vehicle for escorting convoys (CONUS) it was loaded down and very nice with any extra capacity alternator, and a huge fuel tank so we would not have to stop. Inverter was bolted directly to the floorboard/ transmission hump and was on top of carpet. Note: Inverters may get hot ! Do not place on carpet!. So we were going down the road escorting a truck, who could not pull over, and we likewise, could not pullover, so we were rolling down the road with smoke trinkling out from the orifices of the SUV. It was quickly dealt with, while on the move. But thought I would share this bit of advice, since the geniuses that did our conversion did not know this. Good Luck OP -Private Contactor- |
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You know, I've been thinking about a "spare battery" for when I'm in the middle of nowhere to power my auxilliary items. Inverter, stereo, computer, etc.
I was just thinking of getting a charged battery I can keep in a box/bag. Small but efficient. I've been in a few places where battery failure could have meant a very long and dangerous walk. What does anyone else do for this? |
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You know, I've been thinking about a "spare battery" for when I'm in the middle of nowhere to power my auxilliary items. Inverter, stereo, computer, etc. I was just thinking of getting a charged battery I can keep in a box/bag. Small but efficient. I've been in a few places where battery failure could have meant a very long and dangerous walk. What does anyone else do for this? That is how most of Nigeria and other 3rd world/4th world is on the internet. They actually have "Battery guys" that drop off a freshly charged old battery each day and pick up the battery from yesterday, the battery guy makes a LOT of money. Then they run the computer from an inverter on that battery. They don't have internet/phone at home, instead, they scurry up the telephone pole and run their own wire to a working pair. Poverty makes people creative, I guess. For your situation, just keep a deep cycle battery on a block of wood in your basement, with a smart trickle charger on it. Then hook up the inverter with jumper cables when you need it. (Don't expect more than an hour of desktop computer use, or a couple hours of notebook use, or a few minutes of power tools) |