How to Select a Car Power Inverter

Power inverters are become more and more common everyday. Most of us now take our electronic devices on the road with us and the need to have an A/C outlet in our cars has been a problem. From our iPods to our laptops, there are countless toys and work related items that we need and want in our cars. This is where the power inverter can save the day. These unobtrusive metal boxes fit easily into a glove box. They can be taken out, plugged into a cigarette lighter and presto, you have an A/C outlet. Now there are many different sizes and models to choose from and also a lot of confusion.

Selecting the right model

The first question to answer is what make and model do I need. Well, to be fair not all power inverters are created equal or priced equal for that matter. You can pick up an inexpensive model at your local big box store for under $30. However, don?t expect it to last very long. I personally purchased 2 of these cheaper models trying to save a buck and neither one lasted more than 2 months. I suspect it was because the cheap model didn?t come with a cooling fan and simply burned up. Based on my past experience, I would recommend a model that has a cooling fan. Power inverters build up heat and need to be cooled in order to function properly. Also, look for a model with metal construction as opposed to a plastic shell. I have dropped mine several times getting out of my car and the heavy duty metal construction has saved my car power inverter on more than one occasion. Another feature that the larger models have is the ability to hook your inverter directly to your car battery with a pair of cables and clamps. This is a nice option if you are camping or have a temporary power failure at the house. You won?t have to crank your car and the direct connection is superior to going through the thin cigarette lighter wire. The cigarette also limits the amount of watts you pull.

Sizing a power inverter

Power inverters come lots of sizes, ranging from small 100 watt inverters that fit directly into a cigarette light all the way to a 3,000 way model with 4 or more A/C outlets. Selecting the right size car power inverter is a relatively simple process. How many and what types of devices will you be running from your inverter? To find out, just look for a sticker or label that specifies how many watts that device will require. Sometimes only amps are given and there is a simple formula to calculate the watts. ( Amps X Volts = Watts).

Here is a quick list of common electronic devices and their watts:

Laptop computer 300 watts

Small desk lamp 20 watts

Toaster 1,500 watts

Radio 15 watts

Television 100 watts

Installing your power inverter

The smaller 100 watt models are the easiest to install. They simply plug into your 12 volt cigarette lighter plug and some models are totally self contained. This means that the whole unit fits right into the power source. This basically converts your cigarette lighter into a 110 volt A/C plug. Larger inverters are in a metal box with a cooling fan and have a cable with an adapter that plugs into the lighter. These models are generally small enough to be stored in a glove box until needed or can be mounted under the dashboard as well. The biggest models have cables that can be directly connected to your car?s electrical system or hooked directly to the battery terminals with some clamps. These large 1,000 to 3,000 watt models are great for emergency power in a blackout or on a camping trip.

Armed with this information, you should be able to select the right car power inverter for your needs and never be without 110 volt A/C power again!

Jason is the webmaster for Red Hill Supply - Online Air Tools

Car Power Inverters

The Common Mistakes A New Real Estate Inverter Might Make

When investing in real estate there are many mistakes that a new investor might make, if you make a bad enough mistake when investing in real estate it can discouraged you or you can even end up in financial trouble. One mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is that most people will be willing to do an unconventional deal with you. Most people want to do things the conventional way even if the way you propose can benefit them better. If your trying to buy property unconvincingly, just prepare to hear no more than you hear yes. If you are persistent and don't get discouraged you will find a seller that is willing to work with you.

Another mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is buying a house and expecting to resell it fast with out promoting the property. It is a good thing to put a for sale sing in front of the house. The only thing is if you are looking for a fast sale you will have to promote the property more. One place you can promote the sale of the property is the local newspapers another place you can promote the sale of the property is online. The more promotion a property gets the faster it will sell.

One last mistake that you might make as a new real estate investor is charging to wrong price when renting a property out. If you charge too high it will be harder to get some one to rent out the property. If you charge to low and something need to be fix or replace it can eat up your profits. When investing in real estate it is common too make mistake but if you use the information you read here you will know some mistakes to stay way from.

A good web site where you can see more information on topics like this is Real Estate Facts which is highly recommended. Thank you and enjoy.

Cheap Power Inverters

Quality is the hardest thing to evaluate from the description of a power inverter. You can go by status or by price (i.e. you generally get what you pay for). Cheap power inverters can be good value for money, but be prepared to purchase another one at short period.

Power Inverters convert DC power stored in batteries into AC power to run conventional electronic equipments. A power inverter allows you to run computers, entertainment systems, power tools and kitchen appliances.

Power inverters differ in price, power rating, efficiency, waveform and reliability. They produce three types of waveforms, square wave, modified sine or square wave, and true sine wave. The simplest and cheapest is a square wave inverter, but today it is uncommon. Many devices will not work on a square wave signal. True sine wave inverters work well, but are expensive. It is important to remember that the cheap power inverters might not be of good quality.

Cheap inverters often produce a square wave signal that has the same frequency of a modified square wave inverter, but sharp edges in place of smooth curves. They cause noises in many appliances, but they work quite good most of the time. Transformer operated appliances actually don't like this type of signal. There is really a risk of damaging the power supply running it from a cheap power inverter.

Cheap inverters are fine for light bulbs, but appliances like variable speed motors (e.g., electric drills) and sensitive electronics (e.g., computer power supplies) often get damaged. Lots of cheap inverters are available in the market these days. One way to find such inverters is to read the advertisements and special deals posted by each of the major companies. Then simply compare the prices from company to company and select one. The Internet is also a place where you can do all your cheap inverter research and purchasing.

Power Inverters provides detailed information on Power Inverters, DC To AC Power Inverters, Emergency Power Inverters, Car Power Inverter and more. Power Inverters is affiliated with How to Replace a Circuit Breaker.

What are Power Inverters?

The storage batteries used in alternating power systems store DC (direct current) power. But, most modern electronic appliances depend on AC (alternating current) power. A power inverter can provide the comforts and conveniences of modern living. It is an electronic piece of equipment that converts DC power into conventional AC power.

During blackouts, a power inverter can be used for emergency power. It is used to run all sorts of household equipments, including kitchen appliances, power tools, TVs, computers, and more.

Power inverters are normally small, rectangular shaped units. There are normally one or two outlets available for standard cords. Inverters normally draw their power from 12V, 24 V batteries, or several batteries wired in parallel. The batteries are discharged as the unit draws the power out of it. Automobile motors, solar panels, gas generators, and other standard sources are used for battery charging.

Power inverters are available in several models that differ in watts. The required amount of inverter wattage depends on the total draw of the devices, plus at least 50% more to account for peaks or spikes in the power draw. For example if your computer draws 100 watts and your home theater another 100 watts, a minimum 300 watt inverter is suggested.

A typical power inverter produces square wave, modified square or sine wave, and pure sine wave (true sine wave). The waves denote three dissimilar qualities of power output and three different price ranges. Owing to uneven power delivery, square inverters, the initial types of inverters, are almost outdated. Modified inverters, less expensive and probably the most common, produce consistent and efficient power. True sine wave inverters are highly expensive and they also deliver the most consistent wave output.

Always use highly rated power inverters for the devices you are running. Avoid adapters that would permit more outlets than the unit is designed to accommodate. Since improper use of a unit may lead to burning, make sure that you read and follow all safety measures listed in the user?s manual.

Power Inverters provides detailed information on Power Inverters, DC To AC Power Inverters, Emergency Power Inverters, Car Power Inverter and more. Power Inverters is affiliated with How to Replace a Circuit Breaker.

RV Fix and Advise on Inverters

This following RV fix advice is intended to provide basic preventive/corrective measures to keep your RV working properly. The first subject concerns the function and maintenance of the Inverter. There are a few brand/models on the market with varying load capacities. First off is to ascertain what brand and load capacity was supplied with your RV. Most models have a basic instruction manual detailing what the Inverter will actually do including what 120 volt loads it provides power for. These loads normally will be located in a separate load center/breaker box in the RV. After reading the manual and turning the Inverter on insure all the supplied loads have power. If for some reason a designated load is not working the first thing to do is check that the circuit breaker has not tripped due to an overload condition. In addition, insure the 12 volt power source is available.

Some of the jargon in your manual may overwhelm you but let?s give it a try. First, go to the specification page of your manual which normally lists the electrical capabilities of your unit e,g,: Amperage, voltage, wattage (volts x amps). The.wattage number is important since this is the total load carrying capacity of your Inverter. So if you had a choice of what to get when you purchased your RV, bigger in this case is better. The rest of the stuff normally is about safety issues to prevent personal injury, etc. and overheating of the space where the unit is actually located. Very important, don?t store anything near or next to the unit, it has to ?breath? to survive. Lets now go over some preventive/corrective measures that hopefully will aid you in trouble shooting some common problems that can arise. Along with the technical data in the manual, an electrical elementary diagram is provided. One frequent problem that comes up in addition to just a tripped load breaker or inadequate 12 volt power source being available (normally covered in your manual under the trouble shooting section), is a blown fuse located inside the Inverter itself. If you look closely at that electrical diagram you will notice a small device that is labeled FUSE ~. I point this out because if that special fuse is blown the Inverter will not function properly and will cost you an hours worth of labor/material to replace it at a shop. The fuse is a protective device designed to protect the Inverter in case of an electrical overload condition. This overload condition may have been only there briefly and the fuse can safely be replaced with the same type available at an electronics repair shop or maybe even Radio Shack. Do Not substitute with a higher value or different type fuse. If the overload condition is still present the fuse will blow again but, lets be optimistic.

To replace the fuse, turn off the Inverter and disconnect/turn off ALL power sources to the Inverter The cover of the inverter has to be then carefully removed (lots of screws). After replacing the fuse, and again using care, replace the cover and reconnect/turn-on all power sources to the Inverter and then turn it on to see if it works properly. If it still does not work, we have done all we can and you will have to contact the manufacturer for repair.

RV Solar Inverters

A power inverter converts DC (Direct Current) power from your solar or wind charged battery into AC (Alternating Current). Anything that plugs into a wall outlet in your home runs on AC.

RV (Recreational Vehicle) power inverters are designed for use with RV mounted solar panels. Having an RV solar power system is like having a mini onboard power plant. It allows you the freedom and flexibility to camp out where there is no conventional power source; what's commonly known as living off the grid.

The key to portable solar powered success is investing in a properly sized power inverter. As with everything else, when you purchase an RV power inverter you get what you pay for.

A well made power inverter should be efficient at all input levels, rugged enough to stand up to changing environments and won't overheat while providing the power to run your small appliances.

Various brand name inverters include Outback, Magnum, Xantrex and Go Power. Choosing and installing a properly sized inverter is a task best left to your local RV professional or alternative energy store.

In order to pick out an RV inverter perfectly suited to your needs, you will have to provide your local professional with some basic information.

You need to know what appliances are going to be powered with the system, how much power they consume (amp/hours), and the phantom load.

Phantom load is the electricity consumed by an appliance when it is turned off. Your television set is one example, but the worst offender is that cube shaped transformer used to charge cell phones. These transformers are 60% to 80% inefficient and should be unplugged when not in use.

The power consumption of each appliance is stated somewhere on the appliance itself, and is expressed in terms of AC watts or AC amps. What the RV owner really needs to know is the equivalent in DC amps, since that's what the battery bank is supplying.

Where an appliance's power consumption is expressed in terms of AC watts, one can use a simple formula to calculate the equivalent power expressed in DC amps:

DC Amps = AC Watts / 12 volts

Example: A TV set with a 100 (AC) watt rating used for one hour would consume 9.17 DC amps.

Look for an inverter with three distinct charging rates: a bulk charge at 100 amps; then dropping to a lesser rate as the voltage increases in the battery bank; and finally applying a float charge just sufficient to maintain the batteries in a fully charged condition.

The result is much faster recharging of the batteries, either from shore power or from the motor home or tow vehicle alternator.

The remote monitor and control mechanism mounted inside the coach performs a wide range of functions pertaining to both the inverter and charger functions. It also has the basic "on/off" switch for the inverter.

When "on", the control panel provides information about whether the unit is operating in inverter or charger mode. If operating in the inverter mode it will tell you the present level of amps being consumed and the present voltage under that load.

If in the charger mode, it shows the present level of the amps in, along with the voltage at which it is being charged along with various warning functions pertaining to overheating and overloads.

Clearly this is not a "one size fits all" choice. Especially important is the need to consider your RV lifestyle when determining whether or not an inverter would be a useful resource.

Alternative-Heating-Info.com provides unique alternative heating information for geothermal heating and cooling, outdoor furnaces, corn boilers, radiant heat, solar heating systems, fireplace inserts, and cheap pellet stoves.