I am an electronics hobbyist, but I do not have the knowledge to handle this
issue. I need a little help with a project I am doing.

What I would like to do is power a vacuum cleaner by a 12 volt battery. The
motor on this is a 2.5 horsepower. I know I will need an inverter but I am
looking for using the lowest wattage inverter possible to save some money. I
think this would be possible if I install some form of speed controller to
reduce the power consumption of the motor. The motor will be run only in
short bursts of a few seconds each but many, many times per charge.

Here is all the specifications I have for the preferred vacuum at this time:
http://www.shopvac.com/specification...nce.asp?ID=254
A slightly smaller motor in a test vacuum peaked around 1000 watts using my
Kil-o-Watt meter.

Anyone with a sufficient background who can supply some good advice on a
motor speed controller, inverter, battery (marine deep cycle?) and charger
setup and maybe some formulas as to expected battery life and requirements
would be welcomed. If there will be a reasonable fee for this information, I
will gladly PayPal.

Thanks a bunch!

-Johnnie