DIYbanter - View Single Post - OT

On 29 Mar 2006 08:57:42 -0800, wrote:

People on this group seem to have a lot of experience with stuff like
this, so I though I'd ask...

I'm going to buy a DC-to-AC inverter to run a small blower off a 12
volt battery, along with one or two other small motors occasionally.
It's all light-duty stuff -- no more than a single ~1/8 horsepower
motor at a time (but they will go for up to 8 hours or so).

I really don't know much about these inverters. Is there a particular
brand any one would recommend? Are some are particularly inefficient,
or have other problems I should watch out for?

Please supply more details about exactly what you plan on running -
there may be more efficient ways of doing the job.

For openers, there are considerable losses in boosting the voltage
to 120VAC to run something that could be done just as well at the
native 12VDC of your power supply - and be more reliable, to boot.
The telephone and power companies run 1/10 to 1/6-HP range manhole
blowers all day on one or two 12V 105AH batteries, no problems.

And what type battery do you plan to use? You need to use a
Deep-Cycle rated battery for running all-day loads like that. If this
is to be vehicle mounted, you need to add that deep cycle unit as a
second battery (besides the starting battery), and install a diode
isolator system for charging both batteries from the alternator. And
possibly a larger alternator to get both batteries charged back up in
the allotted run time driving to work and back.

If you try putting an all-day load on an automotive starting battery
it will not take that insult for long, they do not tolerate deep
discharge cycles well - want to replace the battery once every week or
two? Plus you get to jump-start the car to go home, when it's too
dead to run the starter.

-- Bruce --

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
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