1000w 110 invertor for my truck

[bikerbeans]

I would like to hear from folks who have installed a 1000w 110v invertor in their truck. The load i want to power is 400w max but i want excess capacity.

Thanks,

BB

[rancher1913]

the thing about inverters that most dont understand is that they will only produce what the alternator will put out and if you go over the watts that the alternator is capable of you will destroy your alternator. I highly doubt that your 1000 watt inverter will overtax your system but you might just double check your alternator output just to be safe. we run huge inverters at work with no problems, but the electronic guy has them matched to our high output alternators. I use them when traveling in my personal car with no problems and during the storm that hit new jersey people were powering their homes with them using the toyota prius and its huge alternator.

[bikerbeans]

Thanks, i will verify the output of the alternator.

BB

[Lloyd Smale]

don't understand that. My inverter is hooked to my battery. The alternator through the voltage regulator charges the battery. So if anything it will kill your battery because the charge cant keep up. Any inverter I know works even with the motor not running so how would it be dependent on the charging rate of the alternator. If it did youd burn up your alternator everytime you left your lights on and your battery went flat and you jumped it. You battery is rated in amp hours. watts are nothing by amps x voltage. Matter of fact when I had one on my old jeep I ran two batterys with a disconnect and when I used the inverter I used only one battery. When it went flat I knew I needed to start the jeep and recharge it. Bigger the inverter the faster it will draw down you battery. Alternator as far as I can see has nothing to do with it. You sure wont damage it.

[Petrol & Powder]

An inverter converts DC voltage (12 volts in the case of automotive applications) to AC voltage (typically 110 volts at 60 Hz)

An inverter isn't 100% efficient and there's some loss in the process but in any event you cannot get more power out than you put in (in fact, you have to put in a bit more power due to the loss)
1000 watts at 110 volts requires 9.09 amps at a bare minimum. That means even before the loss of conversion from low voltage DC to high voltage AC, you need at least 83 amps at 12 volts to make 996 watts (pretty close to 1000W). There's no free lunch. Watts = volts x amps.

Lloyd is correct, the system will either deliver the needed power or not. And, a bigger demand will deplete the battery faster than a smaller demand, the alternator simply converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and that electrical energy is used to recharge the battery (which stores than electrical energy via a reversible chemical reaction )

To the OP, If you only need about 400 watts, buy a 500 - 600 watt inverter. There's nothing to be gained with excess capacity that you're not using. Bigger inverters just require bigger cables, cost more up front and make more heat.

[rancher1913]

not how the mechanics tell it. your battery stores volts and makes amps for starting yes, but after the car starts your alternator is running the show and the battery is recharged so it can be used again, if you pull more amps than the alternator can make you will rob from the battery until its shot and then your system will collapse. kind of like a brown out on the electric grid, more people are trying to use power than can be made(not sure if its a close enough analogy but you get the point). last time I checked, after starting, I could unhook the battery and the motor still ran and all electrical systems worked fine but most everything I have is diesel.

[shortlegs]

We use an 800 watt inverter to run our 2 cpap's in a power outage rather that run a gen all night and have the noise. Let the vehicle idle 30 min. in the am to recharge battery. Going from 12 v to 120 v takes 10x the amps for the wattage as stated in post #5. If you want to run tools it would be better to use 12 v tools hooked to the battery or run a120v battery charger with the inverter and charge battery powered tools.

[skeettx]

I run my cpap on a 12 volt battery (trolling motor battery) when I am camping

https://www.thecpapshop.com/shielded-dc-cord-for-cigarette-lighter-socket?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o1&scid=scplp1001956&sc_intid=1001956&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5fCT5M7v4wIVEv_jBx15XAxxEAYYASAB EgJ1y_D_BwE

[bikerbeans]

I plan to run a 6 lpm high flow oxygen concentrator. This will allow me to travel with a lot fewer oxygen bottles. Running the CPAP is another option if i camp. My thoughts on a larger than needed invertor is my experience has been manufacturers tend to overrate their products.

BB

[Three44s]

If you worked a larger inverter at capacity for an extended time you would deplete your battery and over work your alternator depending on it’s capacity to recharge. However your anticipated load of 400 w with a 1000 w inverter should be fine. If this combination is going to be used fairly regularly you might shop on efficiency and in particular the amount of juice you lose in standby mode.

Three44s

[GregLaROCHE]

If you are planning to use the inverter when the battery is not being charged, consider getting a deep cycle battery. They are designed to put out powder for an extended period. Car batteries are designed to have a high output for a short period of time(starting).

[Petrol & Powder]

If you are planning to use the inverter when the battery is not being charged, consider getting a deep cycle battery. They are designed to put out powder for an extended period. Car batteries are designed to have a high output for a short period of time(starting).
And I would recommend that deep cycle battery not be the battery needed to start the vehicle.
There are different ways to set that up but the basic premise is the battery used for starting the vehicle is held in reserve and the power needed to run the inverter is drawn from the deep cycle battery.

[bikerbeans]

Thanks for the input gentlemen. Now to get busy and have the invertor installed, deer season is just around the corner.

BB

[MaryB]

Stay away from the cheap Walmart etc Chinese inverters! I use a 24 volt version of this https://www.amazon.com/Samlex-Solar-PST-1000-12-Pure-Inverter/dp/B00AYH6E6S and you get what you pay for. Mine weighs just over 10 pounds, that weight is in the heat sink to make things run cool and not burn up. I can run full load indefinitely versus read the specs on the cheap Chinese junk and you find it is a 10-20% duty cycle because they only weigh 4 pounds https://www.amazon.com/Ampeak-Inverter-Converter-Outlets-Modified/dp/B071NZ8DSB/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1000+watt+inverter&qid=1565317782&s=automotive&smid=A125TIT65X19SU&sr=1-4

Th weight difference is mainly heat sink! The part that makes things run cool! If planning ANY 120 volt tool motor loads go full sine wave output instead of modified sine. Modified will make the motors run a LOT hotter! I have seen modified sine inverters fry drill motors. Full sine output is also easier on electronics with fewer harmonics in the output waveform.

The inverter I use was selected for low RF noise and full sine wave output because it runs my fridge/freezers(on a rotating basis, not all at once) during power outages. The low RF noise lets me keep ham radio comms up and running to pass emergency messages...

[Lloyd Smale]

good advice mary. Some see a box and think a box is a box. Not the case with invertors. You get what you pay for if you go cheap.
Stay away from the cheap Walmart etc Chinese inverters! I use a 24 volt version of this https://www.amazon.com/Samlex-Solar-PST-1000-12-Pure-Inverter/dp/B00AYH6E6S and you get what you pay for. Mine weighs just over 10 pounds, that weight is in the heat sink to make things run cool and not burn up. I can run full load indefinitely versus read the specs on the cheap Chinese junk and you find it is a 10-20% duty cycle because they only weigh 4 pounds https://www.amazon.com/Ampeak-Inverter-Converter-Outlets-Modified/dp/B071NZ8DSB/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1000+watt+inverter&qid=1565317782&s=automotive&smid=A125TIT65X19SU&sr=1-4

Th weight difference is mainly heat sink! The part that makes things run cool! If planning ANY 120 volt tool motor loads go full sine wave output instead of modified sine. Modified will make the motors run a LOT hotter! I have seen modified sine inverters fry drill motors. Full sine output is also easier on electronics with fewer harmonics in the output waveform.

The inverter I use was selected for low RF noise and full sine wave output because it runs my fridge/freezers(on a rotating basis, not all at once) during power outages. The low RF noise lets me keep ham radio comms up and running to pass emergency messages...

[georgerkahn]

A double A+ on post by MaryB (#14)! What needs to be noted is "application" -- e.g., if you wish to simply run, say, a 100watt incandescent light bulb, pretty much any inverter will do -- provided, first, you read its fine print. To wit, the elcheapo I once bought is labeled "100 watt", but ONLY puts out 60 watts CONTINUOUSLY! Once you find an inverter which will supply power your device requires, the second factor is the "type" of power. Huh? Many electronic devices require SINE WAVE output, either required for their internal clock circuitry and/or other important, necessary criteria. Others -- e.g., that 100 watt drop light -- will use ANY 110Volts applied. A third "monkeywrench" to the equation is MANY battery chargers have a big warning to NOT power them with inverters which must also be factored in.
From Amazon (~$168.00) I bought Go Power! GP-SW300-12 300-Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter -- worth every penny, imho, and it has efficiently and safely powered both sensitive (Yamaha digital piano) as well as not-sensitive (lighting) quite nicely at our off-grid camp.
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