Power Inverters.....

justin30513

justin30513

Mobile Detailing Services
Has any mobile guys here used one to just power their vac or polisher? There are some nice ones out there and a lot quieter and smaller than a generator.



Input please?
 
I would be very interested in this as well, I am going full time with my buisness and I dont want to limit myself to places that have outlets.
 
I would do a search. I remember this being discussed several other times. IIRC, you cannot power much with them, and obviously, you vehicle would need to be running to avoid draining your battery.







Greg
 
I would think this would be a great idea for those that want to avoid the noise of a generator. You can get inverters with varying capacities from light duty like you see in electronics store to power small items in a car to heavy duty units that are used frequently in RVs and other larger vehicles with higher electrical needs but, the problem is going to be battery life. For that I would definitely consider carrying something like an Optima Deep Cycle battery.



I don't think this would be a practical solution though if you are thinking of using your car's battery and an inverter like those you typically find at WalMart.
 
Thanks guys. I would be adding a battery (deep cycle Optima) in series with my existing battery. I will be ordering a 4000 watter from Harbor Freight tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted.
 
i have talked it over with someone extensively....here is what we have come up with, and I may end up doing it...



3 batteries total - one for the truck, and two optima deep cycle ones

one 4000 watt power inverter

running truck to keep them charging 1/2 of the time during the detail - 20 on, 20 off type of thing - always down wind from the car I am doing to keep exhaust from choking me out...lol

when driving to and from the detail, have them charging via a simple switch setup - turn the switch on to charge, and off when not in use



seems pretty simple, just need to find the space and cash for such and operation...would be suitable for only one thing running at a time, but working by myself, that is fine...
 
My truck has an on board inverter(regular plug in the bed) the most Ive powered with it is a pc though. its only 400watts. now I have a quiet generator.
 
toyotaguy said:
i have talked it over with someone extensively....here is what we have come up with, and I may end up doing it...



3 batteries total - one for the truck, and two optima deep cycle ones

one 4000 watt power inverter

running truck to keep them charging 1/2 of the time during the detail - 20 on, 20 off type of thing - always down wind from the car I am doing to keep exhaust from choking me out...lol

when driving to and from the detail, have them charging via a simple switch setup - turn the switch on to charge, and off when not in use



seems pretty simple, just need to find the space and cash for such and operation...would be suitable for only one thing running at a time, but working by myself, that is fine...
Click to expand...



Why would you simply do this over a generator?



I just want to know why to see if it matches with my reasoning.



This is some really good info too.
 
the honda EU 1000 generator is super quiet and will power a vacuum and 2 or 3 porter cables with ease as well as a radio.



i think retail on the generator is ~700 bucks but could probably find a used one for under 500.
 
I have found many generators on craigslist for cheap, try looking there before buying a new one. more then half of those people used it once and forgot about it.
 
here are some posts to another forum I belong to and inverter questions were answered by engineers..



You have to be careful here. The reason most inexpensive inverters use square waves is that almost all appliances (computers, televisions, radios, etc..) convert the power back to DC. There is no need for the sine wave inverters for those applications. But for motors, I would either install DC motors and run directly off the battery, or get a good sine wave inverter. Square waves will kill motors for any extended period of time (or lots of short periods of time).

_________________



It is true square wave converters will kill electric motors and many electronic devices. True sine wave converters are the best. There are converters know as modified sine wave converters that produce a steped sine wave. This is less costly to manfacture than a pure sine wave converter and will run ac electric motors without problems. Always check the manfacturers specifications carefully, there is a lot of misleading product literature. If it's cheap it is likely a square wave inverter.



Al
 
i would do it because who wants to listen to a generator for 6 hours at a time while detailing...especially in an office park or the like...and unless the generator is enclosed, its going to be louder than this setup....i detail like you, out of a truck bed...
 
I used a 700 Watt Maxx inverter for a year or 2 to power mainly my porter cable. I've run the buffer for 30-90 minutes many times and don't run my trucks engine. I occasionally will start the truck up and let it run for a minute or two. I plan on picking up a 1200 watt inverter soon to run my vacuum as well. I currently have the rigid wd4050 and at 9amp it's too much for the 700 watt inverter I have. I have though on ocassion run the vacuum and was able to get the job down. The vacuum did run slower though. I figure I can run my buffer for 30-90 minutes without any problems so the vacuum which is 2.5x the amp should run for 10-30 minutes. That more than I need to vacuum anyway. The inverter will pay for itself in the gas I save especially in winter when I run a water heater. I have no plans to get rid of my generator but if I don't have to run it as much that is fine by me.





Heres a calculator for figuring out time. Inverter FAQ - DonRowe.com - Frequently Asked Questions about Power Inverters
 
toyotaguy said:
i would do it because who wants to listen to a generator for 6 hours at a time while detailing...especially in an office park or the like...and unless the generator is enclosed, its going to be louder than this setup....i detail like you, out of a truck bed...
Click to expand...







At only 46.3 pounds, the EU2000i utilizes Honda’s "state of the art" inverter technology to provide 2,000 watts of lightweight, quiet and efficient power. This generator will run up to 15 hours on a single tank of gas when used with the Eco-Throttle feature. This easy starting generator produces only 59 decibels of sound at seven meters with a full load, which is less than the rating of common speech. The Honda Inverter Technology makes this generator ideally suited for use with sensitive electronics (e.g., computer, fax, printer, telephone, stereo) because the generator produces a clean sine wave of energy that prevents surging. To prevent any possible damage to the unit, the Oil Alert will shut the unit off when the oil drops below a safe operating level. The unit also has a DC terminal for use when charging 12-volt automotive type batteries. The available power is commonly used for the following typical electric devices:
 
justin30513 said:
Thanks guys. I would be adding a battery (deep cycle Optima) in series with my existing battery. I will be ordering a 4000 watter from Harbor Freight tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted.
Click to expand...



Careful there - you do NOT want to put the 2nd batt in series with the first! You need to wire it in parallel.



I'd also recommend using a relay isolator with the 2nd batt and hooking the inverter directly to batt #2. THis would ensure that your main batt doesn't drain out. This is a fairly cheap one that works well: http://www.cardomain.com/item/LITS200



Edit: Also, make sure to use a fuse on the + line between the 2 batts (or 2 fuses, one on each end, if the line is longer than 18").
 
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