Mobile power supply.

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xorcist

New member
I have one of those Craftsman wet/dry vacs, The 2 gallon model.
I wanna start a lil side business and do interior detailing. but I haven't the foggiest clue as to what I need for a power supply. And my shampooer is about the same, Small in comp. Both run on about 120v, Is what I am guessing. As I found out those cheap power inverters don't work. So If any one can lend a hand as to what I need to go mobile, I will greatly appreciate it.

btw, This is my first post here. Everyone seems to be up front and very helpful. I am glad I found such a place. The other places I have surfed seem to be full of knuckleheads and mean spirited folks.

Thanks a million for your time, It is truely appreciated.
-c
 
Honda makes some pretty nice generators, be able to handle you vac and shampooer, rotary ect. very nicley.
 
Also, if you have a Costco around, they have a 1500-2000 Watt inverter (forget which) for around $79 or so. It clamps to your battery and should have enough power for the vac and the shampooer (porbably not at the same time) - it's sold for truckers to power microwaves and such...

As Scott said, the other option would be a generator that makes the power you need. Just add up the wattages of your stuff and add a little for safety and pick the generator you need.
 
I've been here...posting on DC for a while now and I can't remember ever running across a mean spirited member. As you noted, that's pretty cool. Welcome to DC!!

I use a power inverter for my Vac n Blo and it works fine. I also use it for my PC.
 
In (my opinion) becuase everyone is diffrent and mainly through expierience it does depend on how mobile you plan to go . out of a car ? a pick up and suv? how much do you plan to work as much as you can or little side things here and there . And why stop at interior cleaning. Why not offer the full package ? its all prefrence i guess. Either way i say you wana go big and get as much wrok as you can. you can get yourself a little generator maybe even a used one for a decent price . if you plan on doing this often but not real often then maybe an inverter is rite for you.. i use a generac generator and man that thing makes some serious power. Good luck and welcome to dc
 
I use a honda 2000i generator and it is enough to run my spotter, rotary, vac ect...it puts out a rated 1600 watts constant. It only weighs 70 lbs. so it is easy to pick up and move around. Price is kinda high @$950, but a very worthwhile investment in my book. and it fits in my trunk very nicely.
heres a shot...
showphoto.php
 
You can find a small generator. Just make sure you look at the amps of all your tools to make sure you get a gen that can handle the load you'll put on it.

If you ever plan on running a large carpet extractor or similar, then you'll need 3000+ watts out of a gen.
 
How noisy are gas powered generators?
Do they have any exhaust fumes?
Can they be run inside the trunk of a car, or do you have to take it out every time you use it? They are pretty heavy...

I'm thinking of getting one or two of these, depends how much power they can give:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=10037445&whse=&topnav=&cat=

For that price I'd be able to get a gas powered generator.
But I don't want to have to take it out of my car every time I use it, and I don't want to have to keep buying gas for it (if it uses a lot of gas)
I don't want it to be too noisy either.
 
JohnC- that looks like a very nice alternative to a generator. for me that would make sense since i don't plan on powering much more than a shop vac and pc. i'm just now getting mobile and can't really justify a generator just yet. maybe as more $$$ come in and i get busier. until then i'm just part time and on weekends. anybody else have an opinion on the Powerpak 1500?

J.D.
 
The biggest question is how long will that powerpac last. It tells you charge times but not run time.
 
I’m thinking of setting up something like this:

Using car audio deep cycle batteries
Wire in a volt meter to watch the amps
Wire in a generator to charge the batteries when they get low
Should be able to run a buffer, vacuum, and a PC for maybe an hour or more at a time.

get a full charge, work though out the day if it runs dry...run the generator when no one is around or when you are at lunch and so...to charge the batteries then when you have a full charge shut it down (still thinking about this not sure yet, also thinking about this to run a compressor for an air tank for compressed air to help with drying of cars nooks and the whatnot.

who knows...just running some thoughts you might be able to use.
 
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