What does a Power Inverter do?
A power inverter converts your car's DC battery power into conventional AC power which can then power & charge a range of household products such as power tools, TVs, mobile phones, laptops etc when an AC outlet is not available. This is particularly useful for camping or long road trips when the standard battery power on your device won't last long.
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| 12v Power Inverter - Handy when your laptop runs out! |
Just connect the inverter to your car battery, and plug your AC devices into the inverter and you've got power on the go. (Smaller inverters will connect directly via the car's cigarette lighter)
How do I know which Inverter to use?
Power inverters which run through your car cigarette lighter are designed for lower wattage devices - laptops, phone chargers etc. If you try to pass more than about 400 watts through a cigarette lighter connection, it will fail - it may even start a fire in your vehicle so it is important to ensure you have the right inverter to match your requirements.
The first step in selecting a power inverter is to match the inverter to the voltage of the battery you'll be using for power. In most cases, you'll be using a standard 12-volt car battery, so you would want to select a 12-volt inverter.
The next step is to identify which devices you plan to power with the inverter. Each device should have a label which tells you the wattage it requires to function. The wattage rating of your inverter must surpass the wattage of the the total wattage of all the devices you plan to run at the same time, or of the wattage of the largest device.
The first step in selecting a power inverter is to match the inverter to the voltage of the battery you'll be using for power. In most cases, you'll be using a standard 12-volt car battery, so you would want to select a 12-volt inverter.
The next step is to identify which devices you plan to power with the inverter. Each device should have a label which tells you the wattage it requires to function. The wattage rating of your inverter must surpass the wattage of the the total wattage of all the devices you plan to run at the same time, or of the wattage of the largest device.
Some devices draw a higher wattage than their normal operating wattage rating when they first start up. This is known as peak or surge, and this information should also be listed on the device's label. Most power inverters also have a peak rating, so make sure the inverter's peak rating is higher than the peak wattage of the device you intend to power.
*Note: Microwaves are a special case. For example, you may know that your microwave is a 400-watt microwave. This is actually the cooking wattage. The power wattage might be twice that amount. Again, check the label on the device to make sure.
*Note: Microwaves are a special case. For example, you may know that your microwave is a 400-watt microwave. This is actually the cooking wattage. The power wattage might be twice that amount. Again, check the label on the device to make sure.
