Quick Connect Inverter To Battery

[Rounder44]

Howdy,

I'm eyeing a 1000w inverter for running a couple printers and computer IF I get off grid for too long and need to work. I run an online business I'm gonna keep going while on the road.

Hard wiring probably not going to happen but I want to buy a good pre sine inverter and just plug it directly to batteries outside if need be.

I'm thinking a 2 foot pigtail to a quick connect such as:
https://powerwerx.com/anderson-sb-co...s-sb120-120amp

So ~4 feet from inverter to battery.

Leave one end hooked to battery and the other to inverter.

Have to work a fuse in there somehow but...

What do you think? Am I asking for trouble?

Really can't figure out how to pull wires inside local shop says they just drill another big hole which I could figure out down the road or wait till electrical upgrade and use the same inverter.....

Thanks,

Warren

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Not really clear on just how you get from a couple of printers and a computer to 1KW. These days, it's unusual for a computer to average over 100W and a max of 300W. A typical printer should be under 100W max, with idle power under 30W.

If indeed 1KW is a reasonable drain, you need to carefully look at your batteries. It is unlikely that they can deal with this for very long. Is "very long" twenty minutes? ... that depends ....

The Power Pole's should be fine. The normal approach is to pull about 4 feet of wire into the trailer from the battery box and then plug in there.

Bob

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Not really clear on just how you get from a couple of printers and a computer to 1KW. These days, it's unusual for a computer to average over 100W and a max of 300W. A typical printer should be under 100W max, with idle power under 30W.

If indeed 1KW is a reasonable drain, you need to carefully look at your batteries. It is unlikely that they can deal with this for very long. Is "very long" twenty minutes? ... that depends ....

The Power Pole's should be fine. The normal approach is to pull about 4 feet of wire into the trailer from the battery box and then plug in there.

Bob

Planning ahead. Seems to only be $100 difference in low watt and a 1000w. May come in handy to power something else and I'd eventually like to get it inside!


I'd love to pull the wires inside but can not see a simple way to do so. Even if I could get the caulking plug out it enters a sub floor and then what?

Couldn't find much about pulling cable through the existing caulked up hole....

As I said local AS guys just drill a new hole which I could do myself down the road if this proves to be something I need to do. Sounds like a bad way to do it...

Thanks,

Warren

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The gotcha with "going big" is that the amount of energy that a large inverter simply throws away at low power is likely to be higher than what gets tossed by a smaller unit. Put another way - they optimize efficiency at (maybe) 80% load and things aren't so good elsewhere.

Bob

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The gotcha with "going big" is that the amount of energy that a large inverter simply throws away at low power is likely to be higher than what gets tossed by a smaller unit. Put another way - they optimize efficiency at (maybe) 80% load and things aren't so good elsewhere.

Bob

Oh man!

I must have mis calculated or got wrong information....

Maybe I can get away with a cigarette lighter style. I know I should get pure sine wave and just jumped to a mid level design (after mis calculating load ). I see 300 watt version for ~$100.. that's enough of a savings to leap upon.

.....

hmmm....

Thanks!

Warren

[Paprika]

Warren, I spent quite a few years running an online business from the road, and it can be a very enjoyable lifestyle. That said, your current electrical setup may not be up to the task of supplying power when off-grid.

As Bob wrote, a larger inverter will waste more power when not running at full capacity, and your batteries will be quickly drained if you do use it at full capacity. And if you did, well...

1,000 watts is 80 amps at 12 VDC - in the real world, probably more like 90 amps, due to conversion losses. You have a 55 amp-hour battery, which gives you about 25-30 usable amp-hours. Putting a 90-amp load on that battery would suck it dry in minutes.

In short, there's no way you could use a 1,000 W inverter at anywhere near its full power with your current battery, and using it at lower power would be inefficient. Instead, add up your computer setup's power needs and shop for an inverter that meets them. Bigger is not better in this case.

When figuring your needs, ask yourself how often you're going to be working off-grid, and what you need to get the job done. For example, do you really need two printers? Do you even need to be able to print while boondocking, or can you wait until you're plugged in? Is your computer a laptop? A desktop computer with large screen is going to be too power-hungry.

My overall impression is that for what you're planning to do, your battery is very small. I think in the long run you're going to find that either you can do little or no work off-grid, and will be spending most of your time in full-hookup campsites...or you're going to have to double or triple your battery capacity, and provide a way to replace the power you draw from those batteries. Solar panels are the preferred solution. (Or you could run a generator and piss off everyone within earshot. ;-)

If you're serious about running your business while out in the boonies, away from hookups, you're going to need to do some upgrading, but the results will be worth it.

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by Paprika

Warren, I spent quite a few years running an online business from the road, and it can be a very enjoyable lifestyle. That said, your current electrical setup may not be up to the task of supplying power when off-grid.

As Bob wrote, a larger inverter will waste more power when not running at full capacity, and your batteries will be quickly drained if you do use it at full capacity. And if you did, well...

1,000 watts is 80 amps at 12 VDC - in the real world, probably more like 90 amps, due to conversion losses. You have a 55 amp-hour battery, which gives you about 25-30 usable amp-hours. Putting a 90-amp load on that battery would suck it dry in minutes.

In short, there's no way you could use a 1,000 W inverter at anywhere near its full power with your current battery, and using it at lower power would be inefficient. Instead, add up your computer setup's power needs and shop for an inverter that meets them. Bigger is not better in this case.

When figuring your needs, ask yourself how often you're going to be working off-grid, and what you need to get the job done. For example, do you really need two printers? Do you even need to be able to print while boondocking, or can you wait until you're plugged in? Is your computer a laptop? A desktop computer with large screen is going to be too power-hungry.

My overall impression is that for what you're planning to do, your battery is very small. I think in the long run you're going to find that either you can do little or no work off-grid, and will be spending most of your time in full-hookup campsites...or you're going to have to double or triple your battery capacity, and provide a way to replace the power you draw from those batteries. Solar panels are the preferred solution. (Or you could run a generator and piss off everyone within earshot. ;-)

If you're serious about running your business while out in the boonies, away from hookups, you're going to need to do some upgrading, but the results will be worth it.

Thanks!

I have two Lifeline GPL-24T rated at 80 amp hours each. Factory solar and an upgraded Wilkat converter.

The must use thermal printer runs at 24v 2 amp through a transformer. 50 watts

Plain paper printer ~20 watts..

15" Macbook Pro 85W Power Adapter.

So 150 watts. Would only have to run one at a time too since Mac is battery powered.

Since for "emergencies" maybe I can get away with a 100-150 watt inverter....

Thanks,

Warren

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

Oh man!



I must have mis calculated or got wrong information....



Maybe I can get away with a cigarette lighter style. I know I should get pure sine wave and just jumped to a mid level design (after mis calculating load ). I see 300 watt version for ~$100.. that's enough of a savings to leap upon.



.....



hmmm....



Thanks!



Warren

I had a really big (5,000 watt) MSW inverter, it didn’t waste much. I have since replaced it with a 2,000 watt pure sine inverter, it wastes more....


Nonetheless, I love my inverter and wouldn’t want a trailer without one, although being schooled now I’d probably stick with a Modified sine wave over the pure sine wave that I really don’t need.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The printers only run when you need them right? Unless you have a truck full of paper, there is a finite amount of operation on any one printer. For a 2A / 24V device, just use a DC/DC converter. Forget about the whole inverter part of it. They are a sub $10 item on eBay or sub $100 if you get the name brand.

For the Mac, get an automotive charger. That or charge it via a fairly normal USB outlet. Depending on your workload, normal USB may or may not keep up for a full day.

I would really do a deep dive into the need for the second printer. It's been decades since I've seen people need that kind of thing. Even more so in a *very* small work environment. Where does all the paper go? If it *is* vital, get a < 100W inverter to run it.

Bob

[mythbuster88]

So we are trying out a new Victron Phoenix 1200VA inverter. $400 through Bay Marine Supply.

Not to sure how to measure efficiency but it idles at 12 Watts.

Which may be more than 2X better than the stock AS inverter.

Which is free to whoever wants to come get it.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by mythbuster88

So we are trying out a new Victron Phoenix 1200VA inverter. $400 through Bay Marine Supply.

Not to sure how to measure efficiency but it idles at 12 Watts.

Which may be more than 2X better than the stock AS inverter.

Which is free to whoever wants to come get it.

Hi

I have another of the stock inverters here on a "come and get it" basis..... Might be a bit closer to some out there.

Bob