[Woodrow]

I drive a 97 Ford F-250 7.3L Diesel.

I've been thinking about getting a power inverter so that I can run corded power tools remotely (electric drill, reciprocating saw, & circular saw...individually, not all 3 going at once).

I'm thinking something in the 1,500+ watt range.

QUESTION: How fast would this drain my battery & which battery should I hook it up to if I decided to get one?

 

[cabosandinh]

how fast depends on current used and wattage and what type of battery you have

from Xantrex power usage label for 1500w I think it's 20 min on conventional battery
If you leave your engine running it'll last until you run out of diesel

I recommend deep cycle like Optima, run 4g wires and keep it ventilated; go to
WestMarine and check out their 1800 watt Xantrex inverter

 

[Freshwaterman]

I have a 1800 watt 120 volt/20 amp inverter mounted in my VW Jetta TDI. It is is directly hooked to battery and ground with heavy 4 gauge wires and is mounted in truck a 100 amp 12 volt line fuse is close to battery for short protection. I have a 120 volt plug in inside vehicle and in truck. I find is useful when I tailgate and in emergencies. My Jetta has a great voltage controller and engine will speed up as current draw increases. Your engine must be on to power an inverter for a resonable period of time.

 

[fishingnotcatching]

I also find that my 1KW can't keep voltage up if the car isn't running, though this may be due to the fact that I haven't got a great battery and my cables aren't that heavy duty. Suffice to say, I'd keep the engine idling if I was to run power tools off of it.


Another way to look at it is that most 12v batteries are about 100 amp hours, or 1200 W hours, an inverter is 85% (at worst) efficient, so you can get 1020 Watt hours out of the battery converted into AC before the batteries is completely dead. Since you're getting a 1000 W inverter, you could at max get an hour at full load, best case scenario. However, depending on the minimum voltage the inverter needs to run, you will probably fall short of an hour by quite a bit, since the voltage of the battery is going to drop below what the inverter needs before it's 100% discharged. Also, I wouldn't recommend this with a regular car battery, since this is more the type of Job a Deep-cycle is designed for. By repeatedly discharging and recharging a starting battery, you'll probably jack up the cells and have to replace it.

 

[WilliamH]

I have a 1800 watt 120 volt/20 amp inverter mounted in my VW Jetta TDI. . . . . . My Jetta has a great voltage controller and engine will speed up as current draw increases. Your engine must be on to power an inverter for a resonable period of time.

Have you found a down side to the TDI Jetta? I've got to get me one of these cars.

 

[Freshwaterman]

Note one thing - I love my Jetta - except you always get these questions when filling up from the big diesel truck guys filling up next to you:

1. That car burns diesel?
2. What kind of mileage you get? - I answer over 40 mpg depending on how I drive "??!!!XXX ??? sure wished my truck got the same."

 

[boashna]

volt x amp=watts



12 volt x12.5 amp =1500 watts

your truck is producing 60 am max so it is 60amp x12 volt =720 watts



you will draw 50% more than you are producing at full load.



if you burn your alternator it will cost you $400

a inverter with 1500 watt power is too expensive -

a battery should be charged no faster than 10amp or it will have a short life.

battery will last 30 minutes and at 10amp it takes 12plus hours to charge ..



buy a generator or rent one ..



I have a generator for sell 4000 watt new for $500

 

[refugioco]

I did the inverter thing with an 8d battery and a 2000 watt inverter. I was disappointed in the performance. You need a good solid bank of deep cycle batteries for decent performance. On the other hand I just got my Honda 2000eu generator. Man she is quiet and sips very little gas. I bought it from Wisesales.com for 890 no tax and free shipping.

 

[Tiny]

volt x amp=watts

12 volt x12.5 amp =1500 watts

your truck is producing 60 am max so it is 60amp x12 volt =720 watts

you will draw 50% more than you are producing at full load.

if you burn your alternator it will cost you $400

a inverter with 1500 watt power is too expensive -

a battery should be charged no faster than 10amp or it will have a short life.

battery will last 30 minutes and at 10amp it takes 12plus hours to charge ..

buy a generator or rent one ..

I have a generator for sell 4000 watt new for $500

Wow, you should ask one of the Mods to create you a forum of your own.
You are like the biggest self-help guru ever!!

not...

 

[Freshwaterman]

Most alternators give at idle 100 amps at 14.2 volts= 1420 watts. Some jap alternators out out 15 volts at 140 amps = 2100 amps. My Jetta puts out 120 amps at 14.2 volts at idle = 1704 watts. What drives an big inverter is not the battery it is the alternator.

 

[TexasFlats]

volt x amp=watts

12 volt x12.5 amp =1500 watts (12 x 12.5 = 150 watts - you didn't buy into that Birk Economic Recovery Plan, did you?)

your truck is producing 60 am max so it is 60amp x12 volt =720 watts
(Stock alternator on a 7.3 produces 130 amps at a nominal voltage of 14.2, dual 115 amp alternators was an option)

130 x 14.2 = 1846 watts
230 x 14.2 = 3266 watts

you will draw 50% more than you are producing at full load.



if you burn your alternator it will cost you $400

a inverter with 1500 watt power is too expensive -

a battery should be charged no faster than 10amp or it will have a short life.

battery will last 30 minutes and at 10amp it takes 12plus hours to charge ..



buy a generator or rent one .. (a generator will require Woodrow to carry a separate supply of gasoline and he will have the risk of the generator being stolen. Inverters can be permanently mounted under the hood or in the truck and wired to an outlet in the bed)


I have a generator for sell 4000 watt new for $500
(was this your motivation for this gratuitous post?)

Bo, I know you are trying to get your post count up - and we love hearing your opinion - but what is your specific area of expertise in life? It doesn't take much effort to verify your facts.

Woodrow - if you have dual alternators you will have no problem with a 1500w unit, however, you may want to check the power draw on your tools. Some circular saws draw 1800 watts or more.

TF

 

[PasadenaMan]

I bought this Inverter durring IKE. Its made by APSI (power Pal). Its 1500 watts with a 3000 watt surge. It runs off a marine battery. After it looses 70% of the battery, it sounds an alarm and you jump start the battery for 20 minutes and its supposed to work for a few more hours depending on the load.

No need to specify a site but they are out there for about 500 bux + the battery. If your in conroe or pasadena, you can come check it out. I used it to power my fridge and microwave after ike, one device at a time.

By the way, I am not a reseller of this device nor am I trying to sell it, just share the information.