Invertors

[ianhyslop]

explain to me like I'm a 6 year old , when I am on leisure battery some of my appliances don't work , tv , microwave , kettle etc . I have been told that a inverter would sort this all out . Please help .

 

[laurieash]

Buy a sola pannel. 'Weeks'

 

[trekkin]

So how much power would a 12v TV take? I know it is a bit "how long is a piece of string" so assume a fully charged standard leisure battery with 4 hours of TV use and 2 LED lights, the water pump when needed (just occurred to me - does this use the 12V system?) and charging 2 phones in the 12v socket per day. How many days?

Is a motorhome 12v socket the same as a car cigar lighter?

Thanks

Trying to guess the length of string, but here goes.

110A/h battery, In theory, will deliver 110A for 1 hour or 55A for 2 hours etc down to 1A for 110 hours, however it is recommended to recharge at around 50% to maximise life, so assume 55A/h available. Your TV will consume around 3A per hour and maybe another 1A for the lights, so 4A in total per hour usage, gives you roughly 12-14 hours use before a recharge would be required. The battery performance may be compromised before this, as this is for a steady drain and does not include to peak inrush for stop start use.

Trust this helps

 

[DBK]

So how much power would a 12v TV take? I know it is a bit "how long is a piece of string" so assume a fully charged standard leisure battery with 4 hours of TV use and 2 LED lights, the water pump when needed (just occurred to me - does this use the 12V system?) and charging 2 phones in the 12v socket per day. How many days?

Is a motorhome 12v socket the same as a car cigar lighter?

Thanks

Gosh, for the TV you need to look at specific models, their power requirements vary a lot. LED lights use only around 3 watts each, but again they differ. The water pump is 12 volt but only runs for short periods so not a problem. The most likely big drain on your 12 volt system is your heating. Diesel or blown air gas systems will use a lot of power but there are big differences between different manufacturers, For example, Eberspacher or Webasto for diesels, the latter being a bit more battery friendly.

But the only answer is to give it a try and if battery life is poor address the problem by reducing demand or increasing supply. Or perhaps best of all, do both.

 

[Gollom]

Looks like instead of TV I will have to talk to my wife then Unless there is something else to do....

We have trauma gas heating so I guess I don't have to use the blown air therefore no electric consumption? Or find another way of keeping warm (see above!)

Such a helpful bunch of people and I hope I can pass the wisdom on to newbies at some stage.

Is a motorhome 12v socket the same as a car cigar lighter socket?

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[ianhyslop]

Stop now I can't take anymore , this has got stupid .

 

[trekkin]

12V is 12v may be from the leisure battery as opposed to the engine battery for the one in the front, but essentially all the same hardware, sockets, fitting, usage etc

 

[Deleted34567]

Stop now I can't take anymore , this has got stupid .

And if you go in deeper tinky winky must wave in perfect harmony in a pure form to get your microwave to heat... If he waves wildly then Mr microwave won't listen ! .. LOL

It's a bit of an art, something that a lot of non technical folk can have difficulty grasping... and even us lads who have a technical background can struggle.

Did I tell you about cable diameter.... Now where to begin.....
Well...
Once upon a time, in the land of copper wire..........................

 

[bertiebasset]

Is a motorhome 12v socket the same as a car cigar lighter socket?

Yes, but don't try plugging in a cigarette lighter as there will be no holding spring at the bottom.

 

[DBK]

Is a motorhome 12v socket the same as a car cigar lighter socket?

Yes, (he said above the noise of the children! ) that's the commonly used term. You can also get USB sockets these days which connect to the 12 volt supply but which provide a 5 volt point ideal for directly charging phones and tablets. Very useful and easy to fit.

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[Allanm]

Another thing to consider with an inverter is the initial current surge when used with items that have high inductive loads. Motor driven equipment can draw 15-20 times their rated wattage when first turned on.
A 20 watt fluorescent light can draw over 1500watts when first turned on, which could shut your 200watt inverter down!
This gives you an idea why lots of people send inverters back because they won't run what they consider low power equipment.
A pure sine wave inverter usually has a soft start system which will cope with surges up to 3 times its stated output, and still run.
They are more expensive though.
Allan

 

[Spade]

lads
Can I just ask,what is the advantage of an inverter so?
I have a 1000 watt inverter in my camper that I am "nearly" afraid to use because of this thread and others like it.
I have only charged a laptop from it so far.
Am I better to just throw it out, or are there people on here to champion THEIR Inverter

 

[Techno]

Yes I use mine all the time. It is a UPS 3 stage charger & 2000watt continuous output pure sine.
Mine has it's own 500ah battery bank supported by 300watt of solar so has no impact on the habitation batteries 230ah

The one on the left which replaced the sterling unit on the right

 

[funflair]

lads
Can I just ask,what is the advantage of an inverter so?
I have a 1000 watt inverter in my camper that I am "nearly" afraid to use because of this thread and others like it.
I have only charged a laptop from it so far.
Am I better to just throw it out, or are there people on here to champion THEIR Inverter

We use our 2kw pure sine wave inverter it runs the microwave, coffee machine hair dryer etc we have 160 ah Gel batteries and 320 watts of solar, if you know what you are taking out and how you are going to put it back in you dont have a problem.

 

[DBK]

As covered earlier, it just depends on what you want to run on 240 volts. If you want to use a microwave then get a big inverter and the solar panels to match.
Nothing wrong with microwaves, we have one at home and it is brilliant for defrosting frozen milk. We wouldn't dream of cooking anything it!

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[Spade]

well I have two 80 ah batteries plus one solar panel that I just don't know the wattage of (how do you check.theres no label on it?)

 

[funflair]

well I have two 80 ah batteries plus one solar panel that I just don't know the wattage of (how do you check.theres no label on it?)

Measure your panel and compare it to the size of something on the internet and yours will be the same output ish.

 

[Spade]

^^^^^
cheers, thanks.will do that .