Inverters

The cigarette lighter will work for small things. I have a 3000 watt and it runs my tv,refrigerator, microwave, fan,vacuum cleaner, and anything else. But a 2000 is probably all you need and there easy to hook up.

 

I just did some Google shopping, and anyone looking at inverters, try this outfit:
www.theinverterstore.com. You can get a pure sine wave inverter for reasonable money, and they even have good used equipment, with warranty if it's the money.

 

Mailman, does your 3,000w inverter handle multiple appliances at one time? Is it a pure sine wave type? And, will it run brush motor stuff, like polishers, angle grinders, other tools? Thanks.

 

I'm not sure the type I bought it at Love's truck stop and yes it runs all of my appliances at the same time. I have used a power drill with it before also my refrigerator stays plugged in and I can watch TV and use the microwave at the same time with no problem

 

The HF Freedom is a modified sine. Its the same that was in our T680 and couldn't use my desktop on it so it was useless for myself.

 

You had an actual desktop computer in the truck? Where did you put it, lol?

 

Yes I have a full desktop in my truck. Its a shuttle and tucked in a cubbie hole in the prostar under the bed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101129

Yes I am a nerd.

 

The one thing that nobody has mentioned yet is this. When planning how big of an inverter to get you need to figure out the max wattage your appliance uses. For example my microwave is 700 watt with a peak of 1300 watts. I have a 1500 watt inverter on my truck and it can run the micro and minifridge at the same time but it takes a bit longer to cook things. I had a rental truck last week with a 2500 watt inverter and the micro worked great with the extra power. I am thinking about asking my company if I can upgrade to at least a 2500.

My point is to plan what your going to have plugged in at the same time and figure out the max watts needed for that and get an inverter that can do at least that.

I also have a 400 watt cig liter inverter for my personal pickup. Good for charging electronics or my drill batteries. It could also run my laptop while in use. I had a 150 and it would shut down if I tried to power up the laptop while plugged in.

 

Newegg is a good resource for electronic stuff. I just bought a new wireless router there for my home office. It turns out that Best Buy, Fry's, and other megastores sell the low priced or mid-range products, and even then the ones they can make the most profit by selling to casual users. (go figure!)

So they have a lot of interesting and useful products at newegg and theinverterstore that you won't find in the chains. PFJ, TAP included. It's a good idea to research there before hitting the plastic.

 

Cheap inverters use modified sine wave energy. That will burn up any rechargeable battery like smart phones, tablets, laptops, portable tools. The more expensive inverters make pure sine wave energy, just like the electric company delivers to your house. Our rather just like the electric company is SUPPOSED to deliver.