So you have decided that you need to run some mains powered equipment when away from home and your caravan or boat is not plugged into an EHU or Shore Power.
Before we look into the options for inverters and what to look out for, we have to ask a few questions first. What are we wanting to power? If it’s that you need to charge your mobile phone or laptop, then maybe an inverter is not the best way of doing it. There are a number of manufacturers offering a wide range of products for charging your mobile devices. An older style phone may need a dedicated 12 volt charger, but modern smart phones can usually be charged via a USB port and there are a number of products that offer USB charging from 12 volt ‘cigarette lighter’ type plugs. For laptops, it’s a bit more difficult, but there are options. Companies such as Lenovo, Kensington and Targus offer such devices. I have not put any links in as manufacturers often update their sites but you can search for them as “Universal Auto/Air Laptop Charger”
So, you still need an inverter?
Well, there are three main categories of inverter – Compact or Lightweight, Heavy Duty and Inverter/Charger. The compact or lightweight inverter is one that will usually plug into your 12 volt accessory socket in the car, caravan or boat. Compact or lightweight are usually rated up to about 200 to 300 watts and because of the cost are usually of the modified sine wave type – read through Understanding Inverters to get to know the different types of inverter and how they work. Remember, only inverters with a rating of 180 watts should be plugged into your accessory socket or you risk exceeding the fused current rating.
I’ll skip the second type for the moment and go on to the Inverter/Charger type. These are probably more commonly known as a UPS. No, it’s not one of the brown short wearing parcel delivery guy’s…. UPS is Uninterruptible Power Supply. Small UPS’s are more commonly found sitting under desks in offices and larger units in network and server cabinets. These are bits of equipment that plug into the wall socket and a computer plugs into them. They usually have a set of batteries internally and are designed to keep a computer running for a short while in the event of a power cut. Some have the option of adding additional external batteries. UPS’s are great at running computers for a short period of time as the demand on them is fairly constant, they also have additional technology that will keep the output voltage stable and clear of transient spikes even if the supply voltage varies. To make them more efficient, usually they have 24 volt or 48 volt internal batteries, this allows the use of physically slightly smaller batteries for any given run time. The internal circuitry also monitors the batteries condition and will charge/discharge them in a maintenance cycle.
The device we are really interested in is the Heavy Duty inverter. These are available from 750 watts right up to 5000 watts – but at this wattage, only expect your 110Ah leisure battery to last a few minutes!
We decided that it wasn’t a mobile phone or laptop that we needed to charge, so what is it you want to run? Well, it could be anything… and the most common thing that people want to power is………… a hairdryer, closely followed by hair straighteners.
Well, we need to find out what size inverter we need to run our hair care devices. If we look at a hairdryer, it will have the wattage for the appliance written on it, lets say 1200 Watts for a professional hairdryer. When it’s connected to the mains supply, that 1200 watt’s is about 5.2 Amps ( P /V = I or 1200 / 230 = 5.2 ) which isn’t too bad. So how much will that be out of our 12 volt leisure battery? Well, 1200 watts is 1200 watts, no matter what the voltage, so we can do exactly the same calculation as before: 1200 Watts / 12 Volts = 100 Amps.
“Wow 100 Amps! That’s about what my car takes when starting!“
Yep, we are talking big bits of wire here. Now the calculation above would be great if some of the laws of physics didn’t exist and inverters were 100% efficient. Unfortunately they are not, far from it. It’s safe to assume that as an average they are round about 80% efficient, so we need to take that into account. It is always better having a 2000 watt inverter running a 1200 watt load rather than a 1200 watt inverter running flat-out. So, looking at our 1200 watt Hairdryer, we need to think of the 20% loss using the inverter, so we add another 240 watts and we have a load of 1440 watts. We need to be looking at that 2000 watt inverter really. If you are going to make the investment installing an inverter, it’s better to make sure you get one that will be comfortable doing the job.
Inverters of this size need installing permanently. The maximum current a 2000 watt inverter can draw is 166 amps… in fact it will be a bit more as the inverter itself needs power, usually to run a couple of cooling fans and its own internal circuits. The 12 volt cables that connect it to the battery are going to be as thick as your index finger, so some careful planning on its location is required.
So we have decided on the size of inverter, now what else?
Pure Sine Wave -v- Modified Square Wave
For me, there is no contest, always go for the Pure Sine Wave. It will be more expensive but you can be sure it will power absolutely everything you plug into it. Modified square wave always have a nasty habit of powering some things, but not others and it can be really annoying. In addition, some kit can be damaged if you try running of a modified square wave supply. If you are not sure what the difference is… it’s all explained in Understanding Inverters.
Inverter Efficiency
Sometimes bigger is not better. What we really need to know is what percentage of the power that goes into the inverter from the battery comes out the other side as AC power. To make this calculation even more difficult, the efficiency of an inverter changes with the output load placed on it. if a small load is put on an inverter it may be only around 50% efficient. However increase the load to near the inverters stated maximum continuous load and the efficiency will rise to around 90%.
A 3000 Watt inverter may draw around 20 Watts of power from the battery when it is connected and turned on without anything plugged into the output. This power is what the inverter needs to run itself… battery monitoring circuits, alarm circuits and maybe a small fan. Now if we plug-in a small AC load.. say 20 Watts…. the total load on the battery is now 40 Watts (20 for the inverter +20 for the load) so a bit of maths – 40 watts in – 20 Watts out shows an efficiency of 50%.
Now if we look at this again with a small 150 Watt inverter – connected to the battery with no load it takes about 5 Watts to run the inverter. Now if we plug in the same 20 Watt load we have 5 Watts for the inverter plus 20 watts for the load giving a total load on the battery of 25 Watts. So 25 Watts in and 20 Watts out gives us an efficiency of around 80%.
Practically this means that you coud run your 20 Watt appliance for much longer on the same battery by choosing to use the 150 Watt inverter rather than the 3000 inverter.
So size does matter…. but bigger is not always better. Matching your inverter size to your load size to maximize your run time of a battery is important.
What else?
Well, look for some of the following features:
- Low voltage alarm
- Battery auto cut out
- Over temp alarm/cut out
- Remote control
- Power save sleep mode
The low voltage alarm is a must have really. It will alert you when the voltage on your battery has dropped to a level that could start to permanently damage your battery by allowing it to discharge too much. On some models, this voltage can be set differently for the type of battery you are using. The Battery auto cut out will shut down the inverter when this critical voltage has been reached. As an inverter of this size is handling a big current, some of the internal components will get very hot, It is therefore essential when installing it to pay particular attention to the manufacturers installation instructions to make sure its located correctly. Nearly all good inverters will have an over temperature alarm and cut out that will stop your inverter being damaged if it does get too warm.
If you are installing an inverter in your caravan, motor home, boat or RV then make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions. Try to install the unit as close as possible to the battery to keep the big cables as short as possible and make sure you install an isolator switch and fuse between the inverter and battery. Modern leisure batteries store an unbelievable amount of energy that if discharged quickly can have a catastrophic effect and can kill. As with anything electrical… if you don’t know – ASK and stay safe.
Inverter Current and Power Table
One of the most often asked questions I get is “what current will be drawn from my battery for a XXX watt device plugged in to my inverter?”
To make it simple, I have assumed two things:- One, the rating the manufacturer gives is the inverter INPUT rating so a 300 Watt inverter is actually a 300 Watt input, not output. The second is that the efficiency is 80%.
So if you have a 300 Watt appliance you want to run, look down the right hand column (Output Wattage) for 300 Watts…. as there isn’t one for 300 Watts go to the next line – 320 Watts. Now look across to the left hand column (Inverter Rated Wattage) – 400 Watts. This is a good starting point for the size of inverter you would require.
Click on table to view full size
As we have seen earlier, some inverters are more efficient, some less dependant on the load, so the table doesn’t account for that. Also, some equipment has a higher starting current at switch on than when running, again the table can’t work that out for you, but it does give you a good starting point. If you think you know which inverter you want, check out the manufacturers specifications on-line. Most publish full details, including temporary peak loads – which is useful to know if you anticipate using something that has a higher starting current.
Top Tip
If you want to use an inverter using two batteries to provide extended run time, read my “How To: Connect Two Batteries in Parallel” as there is a right way and a wrong way.
I hope you found the guide useful, keep looking out for some of my other guides here on Caravan Chronicles
Copyright © 2011 – 2015 Simon P Barlow – All rights reserved
Caravan Chronicles 
Hi Simon. Not sure if this question has been covered before, but here goes..
I have 2 x 115Ah Deep Cycle Batteries and a 3000w Sine inverter. Firstly, will 2 batteries suffice or should I go 3? Secondly, the retailer recommends a 250Amp breaker between the aux batteries and the inverter but research I’ve done points to at least a 400amp !! Your thoughts? (Oh and the cables running from the battery bank are rated for 390amp (00B&S) because of the load required by the Inverter running full bore. (not that I intend to hammer it).. Thanks in advance
Hi Phil
As long as the breaker does not exceed the rating of the thinest cable connecting either the two batteries together or the equipment connected tot he batteries, you can go up to that rating. I have had a number of people contact me with issues about DC breaker units failing and I now recommend installing a battery isolator with and fuse unit (super fuse type) as this seems to be more reliable… and less prone to catching fire!.
Regarding the number of batteries… the best way is to check the battery manufacturers spec for continuous maximum rated output. It may be 100 Amps so running your inverter (3000 watts) would need just over 250 amps…. therefore if your batteries were 100 Amp max draw you would need three batteries to provide the total current demanded by the inverter. With two batteries, it is likely that the batteries BMS system would shut the batteries down. This is something that a lot of people don’t consider with lithium.
Excellent info. Many many thanks.
Hi, Hopefully there will be a “simple” answer to my query. I want to fit an inverter -1500W – to my two 105A AGM leisure batteries. Unfortunately space is a little confined AND after I had bought the camper new with a single battery I had the dealer retrofit the second battery in a cupboard on the other side of the camper connected via the underfloor space. It’s all been fine but now with background reading of your articles I am not sure that they have done a good job. The cabling between the two batteries is almost 2 metres and both of the connecting cables are identical black so I am unclear whether connected as you recommend. It also looks rather scrappy and I can see some bare cable where the crimping/ insulation was not good and It looks as if the earth/neg leaves the original factory fitted leisure battery.
I will investigate which leads go where and make adjustments if needed.
I realise I need the Inverter to be as close to a battery as possible BUT which one, and can I have one short Red Positive lead (30cm) and one long Black Neg lead (2m) or should both be the same length with a wasted redundant section. Thanks in advance- I can’t see that this particular query has been raised before.
Best to have both batteries together and the inverter further away…. putting the inverter next to one battery with the other 2m away is just going to be a bad job IMHO.
Going to put an inverter in my dually to run a 700 watt microwave. I bought a jupiter 2000 watt inverter to do the task. Am going to run power from 7 way rv plug in the box of the truck to a deep cycle battery and then from there to the inverter with 1/0 awg wires with a circuit breaker. What size deep cycle battery would I need and what size breaker ?
Hi Simon I have a 2000w pure sine wave inverter and a 100 amp hour lithium battery(100 amps usable for 1 hour), I use a 1200 w pod machine will it damage my battery?
Hi Shane
Using a 1200 watt load on a 2000 watt inverter will be fine, your lithium battery will be required to supply the inverter at a current of 100 Amps, so as long as the battery BMS allows 100 Amps it should be OK.
I’d only expect to be able to run that load for about 15 to 20 minutes though. It may be a 100Ah battery but don’t discharge below 10%.
Hello Simon.
Brilliant table of inverters capabilities :
Question: 2x 100 amp lithium ion 12v batteries via 1500watt max (1000watt nominal) inverter going to 240 volt heating up 10 litres of water via 800watt water heater. (50minutes to heat)
Charging system: 450 watt solar panels (when static) via controller > to the lithium batteries/ high output alternator 80amp ( moving).
Doable?
Thank you.
Anything is doable.
Very helpful thank you.
How many volts does take run a 3000w invertor
If you have a 12 volt inverter… then 12.
I think the question you meant to ask is “How many amps does it take to run a 3000 watt inverter?”
if it is a 12 volt inverter then it takes about 250 to 260 Amps depending on efficiency. If the 3000 watt inverter can surge to 3300 watts for starting something big (about 10% is normal) then upwards of 275 Amps.
I love and enjoyed your narrations thanks
Recommendation size of solar power for a 3000 inverter
Hi Henry
It depends on your battery capacity (Ah) and type…. and how long you want to run your inverter for at what load. Assuming the full 3000 watts for an hour then to replace that if you have a 300 watt solar panel it will take 10 hours in full sun…. 600 watts of solar will take 5 hours in the full sun… basic figures and assuming no losses or clouds!
A good rule of thumb is to have your batteries back at 100% by mid day (4 hours of sun)…. so using 3000 watts for an hour in the evening will require >750 watts of solar. In winter it will take longer but that rule should get you fully charged by sun down for the winter months. Again it also depends on what latitude you are at… the further north you get the longer it takes (In the northern hemisphere)
Hi Simon, I have learnt a lot from reading the above comments. My question is about fridges. The usual 12 compressor fridges are horrendously expensive, so i was wondering about investing the money more wisely. Can I run a domestic 220v fridge from a supply of 240 amp hour batteries via an inverter, with 150 watts of solar panels to top up the batteries. The rated watts of the fridge is about 100, but with the thermostat would not be constant , many thanks Jake
Hi Jake
That is the way I’d go. I’d look for an inverter that is sized just to run the fridge, that way the energy the inverter consumed during operation would be as low as possible. The second thing I’d look for is an inverter that had a sleep mode that ‘woke up’ on sensing a load. They are out there but tend to be at the better end of the market so you might pay a little more for one. Again this is to minimise the current draw from the batteries even when the fridge is not running but the inverter is on.
I did work out you could do a good setup of a buying a domestic fridge, inverter and 2 x 120AH batteries for the same price as just buying a 12 volt compressor fridge.
I think in the future that caravans and motorhomes will start to ditch the ‘normal’ 3 way fridges and go the domestic route as we are now seeing in RV’s in the USA.
Thanks for your response, reinforcing what i had thought. Another fridge related question. I am parked up in 30c, have an awning shading the fridge vents. Would the fridge work better with the vents removed (it is a dometic with a separate freezer compartment working on 220v) to increase airflow, or do the vents cause an increase in the speed of the airflow. I am struggling to make enough ice for my G&Ts.
Removing the vents won’t make any difference….. the best way is to instal a couple of computer fans in the top vent sucking air out therefore drawing cooler air in the lower vent. The biggest problem with running a fridge in higher outside temperatures is getting the back of the fridge vented properly for the fridge to do it’s job efficiently.
If you do a search on youtube for installing fridge vents…. there are quite a few clips. There are also kits available on line too. Some have automatic switches…. personally I’d just put a manual switch in.
I have a Pure sine wave inverter 3000w when I turn over on my coffee maker it runs for a while then its trips my 100 Amp breaker. What causes that to happen
Hi Jerry
A 3000 watt inverter supplying 3000 watts will draw around 250 amps from the 12 volt circuit (Power in Watts divided by voltage = current) So even if your coffee maker is only 1500 watts that’s still 125 amps it’s trying to draw from the battery.
Can I wire A 12v 240 V and a 12 v to120 V inverter to the same battery bank
Hi Bill
I don’t see any problems running two inverters with different voltage output’s
Hello Simon,
It seems this thread has been idle for a while, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. I currently have a 21′ Rv with 400 watts of solar, x5 105 AH deep cycle batteries @12v parallel and a 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter. The solar charges my batteries up easily during the day to 13.8v- 14.0v. I usually run off of shore power, but in the event I plug my shore power into my inverter to run off battery alone, with very low wattage appliances running (mini fridge, TV, led lights) I cant run for more than a couple hours without running my battery bank down below 12v. In the past I had a similar set up in a van with x3 100 AH batteries and a 750 watt modified wave inverter and this could run just about anything I wanted all night without draining my batteries. Any ideas as to why this is happening? The batteries are new, inverter is new. Is it the size of the inverter? Wiring in my rv? I’m not grasping what’s going on and I’m generally pretty good at things like this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Don
Sometimes these threads do sit for a while but then seem to spring back into activity.
OK, I think the simplest explanation is your 3000 watt inverter takes a lot of energy out of your batteries just to simply run even with little or no load on it. Your old 750 watt inverter probably took maybe an amp to run plus the current needed to run the appliance. Your 3000 watt inverter may take 10 amps to run.
It would be worth checking what your inverter draws with a known load. If you put say a 200 watt load on it and measure the 12 volt input current you can work out what the inverter uses. So in this example a 200 watt load should draw 16.6 amps from the battery but the inverter may be drawing 25 amps. 25 – 16.6 = 8.4 so the inverter is using 8.4 amps just to run your load.
One thing just to check…. when you plug your shore power into the inverter does the shore powered battery charger automatically disconnect?
It might be an idea if you only want to run a small fridge overnight to try a smaller inverter sized just for the fridge.. maybe 500 watts and keep the 3000 watt inverter for when you want to power the whole RV
Hi again.
I have a motor home with a Sargent PSU fitted, and two leisure batteries. According to the Sargent schematics, each battery has its own connection to the PSU. I need to connect an inverter directly to the batteries. Would I be better off connecting the batteries together directly and disconnecting the second battery from the PSU? That way the PSU should just see one battery and I can connect the inverter properly. Does this sound viable?
Thanks
Sorry for the double post. The first one didn’t show up until I posted the second. Don’t know why.
Hi again.
I’ve got an auto-trail checked, with a Sargent psu fitted and two leisure batteries . According to their schematics, each battery’s positive feeds a different input on the psu. I also have solar, but not regulated by the Sargent psu. I’m trying to work out how to connect my inverter directly to the batteries. I can’t see how the inverter can take advantage of both batteries if they are not directly connected.
Would it be better to manually join the two batteries, then only have the Sargent connected to one of them? That way I could connect the inverter in a sensible manner. Would charging still work properly?
Any help appreciated, thanks.
This is probably a bad idea, but just for arguments sake..
If I were to plug my inverter output into one of the sockets on a trailing socket extension lead (using a lead with a 3pin plug on both ends), would it power the other sockets on the extension when there was no power from the mains? Naturally the inverter would not be connected while mains was available.
Hi Alan
Sorry, this is the worst thing you could do safety wise and should not be attempted.
Thanks, I thought it would be.
Very useful. Thank you.
Hi Simon. Excellent article but I think I’m falling between the cracks! I have a coffee machine on my van which is gas powered for the boiler and has a 350w electrical rating (the pump and dosing). It is used to make approx 450 cups of coffee a week. I have a 220a leisure battery through a 1000w inverter which has powered it all nicely for about 5 years (the battery last around 2 years). Lately the machine is cutting out with no audible alarm from the inverter – the battery never gets to full discharge anyway. At the weekend I powered the machine from a 1000w pure sine wave generator and it never cut out once – am I right in assuming that I need to replace the inverter, or should I be looking elsewhere? Out of interest the machine will cut out sometimes just being in standby
Hi Neil
It does sound like your inverter might be the problem.
Hi Simon,
your site is very educative. I wish I had seen it before buying my inverter. The problem I’m having now is I use my inverter to power my computer. whenever there’s power failure the computer restarts due to inverter delay to switch to battery backup. Can I use a UPS combined with the inverter to compliment for this so the computer won’t go off/reboot?
Hi
Personally I’d look at a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) from APC (American Power Conversion ) for your computer. Plug your computer into a UPS and plug that into your inverter. If there is a power outage, the UPS will power your computer until the inverter kicks in. You can get inverters that will run a computer and screen for 20 to 30 minutes. UPS systems work slightly differently than basic inverters in two much as the output is already being run by the battery which is being maintained by the main electrical supply. Added advantage is they also smooth out any voltage fluctuations and suppress any voltage spikes.
Thank you very much for your quick response. I am indeed grateful. I will get the APC UPS. My inverter is 1.5 kva. Does the watts of the UPS matter?
Thanks again.
You need to make sure the inverter output is rated higher than the rating of the inverter.
Hi,I have a 1unit – 200 watt solar panel, 1 unit – 100ah battery, 40ah controller and 4000watts inverter. What do I need to add for me to run a 140 refrigerator.
Hi
You need to work out the total consumption of the fridge over a 24 hour period. Iv’e used 200 watts for the fridge to keep the maths simple.
If the fridge is rated at 200 watts = 200/12 volts = 16 amps. So we can say the fridge needs 16 AmpHours and a total of 324 Ah per day.
Just running of battery you would need at least a 324 Ah battery (and that would be discharging it to zero) As you are only supposed to discharge a battery to 50% you would therefore need at least a 650Ah capacity.
The solar panel produces 200 watts = 200/12 = 16Amps or 16 Ah. However as the panel is only effective for a max of 12 hours per day, it will only produce 12 x 16 = 192 Ah in total, so you can see that you would need at least 350 watts of solar panel (350/12 = 29Ah x 12 hours =350 Ah) to supply the same energy required by the fridge in a day returning the batteries to fully charged.
I haven’t included any losses…. inverter efficiency loss, battery and charger loss etc.
Realistically to run a 200 what load for 24 hours, given only 8 hours of sunlight per day you are looking at a solar panel setup of around 800 watts and a battery bank capacity of 600 Ah.
The other things to factor in are charging times of the batteries… can you actually charge the batteries back up to full in the given time.
Here is a great explanation of it, although it is for a domestic fridge installed in an RV… (watch the video) http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/rv-residential-refrigerator-power
Dear Simon, I want to run a 240 volt pulling 4.7 amps to start and runs on 4.0. I wanted to use a 12 volt. DC to 240 volt ac using it with my car idling and getting the extra push from the alternator, which at idle is 55 amps. I calculated the inverter at around 1600 watt with a surge to 3500 watt. I figure I would need 0 size wire no longer than 3 feet. The odd part is the run to the pump is probably 70′. Did I do that right. We thought that we could run the pump connected to do all the water things necessary and shut it down for the day ( when the power goes out) Did I calculate the power right? Do you see any issues that I need to take care of? Thanks all of your info was very helpful.
Hi Patrick
You need to check the figures for the pump first. The current draw you gave might be a “no load” rating. You need to check what the start up current is with all the pipework connected and primed, and check the current when running with all the pipework full. Fluids are heavy and have a mass when trying to get them moving with a pump.
Assuming the figures given are correct, 240 x 4.7 amps = 1128 watts startup
240 x 4.0 amps = 960 watts continuous
I’d look for a 2000 watt inverter.
The startup current drawn from the battery based on 1128 watts will be 94 amps and (960 / 12) 80 amps continuous when running.
I would be cautious about running an alternator at the same time as trying to run an inverter. The normal installation and set up in vehicles is based on the alternator only having to supply the vehicle electrics and charge a starter battery. If you suddenly put an additional load of 90 amps on top of what the vehicle system is designed for could potentially cause issues with the alternator electronics. Plus you will always be discharging the starter battery when the inverter is running.
It is more usual to install a second (or dual) battery to run inverters and have a split charge unit to allow the alternator to charge the inverter battery and this would protect the starter battery from being discharged so that you will always be able to start the engine. Some split chargers have the facility to switch a link to connect the two (starter and inverter) batteries together for emergency use.
I hope this does not sound too stupid, but I need help. I want something lightweight that I can charge at home, carry to a dog show and be able to plug a hair dryer or a straightening tongs into it, but I don’t know what this device would be called. Can you help me please and advise me where to get one? I am in Ireland. Thank you.
Hi Maureen
To power a 1500 Watt hair dryer for 15 to 20 minutes you would need something like a car battery and 2000 Watt inverter. I haven’t seen anything like this available commercially in one box. It would be heavy and ‘transportable’ rather than ‘portable’.
Nearly all the portable mains power packs are limited to just 200 or 300 watts and designed to run phone chargers or laptops. I don’t know of anything that would be big enough to run a hairdryer.
As an alternative, there are hair straighteners that work on gas… they are usually refillable from the cylinders used to refill gas lighters. For the hair dryer, there are also 12 volt versions available that could be used with the emergency car jump start power packs that have an accessory socket. I’m not sure how good a 12 volt hair dryer would be compared to a mains powered hairdryer though.
Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Simon
Thanks a million Simon. I don’t find the gas straighteners very good, but have ordered a re-chargeable one. It is the hair dry that I could do with the most and bought one a couple of years ago that also runs on gas, but it is useless. Oh well, I will keep on the look-out for something better. I appreciate your response. These dogs will leave me in the poor house lol.
Best regards,
Maureen.
say I had a 12V 125A leisure battery and wanted to run a fridge which uses 99kWh per year (based on standard test results for 24 hours`). How long would the fridge run for using a 1500kv inverter before the battery was flat?
There are a lot of variables… but to make any meaningful calculation you need to know the wattage of the fridge (volts and amps) when it is running.
I would use the following math:
Fridge consumption = 99kWh / 365 days = 0.271kWh = 271Wh/day
Inverter standby consumption (@1amp) = 12V x 1A x 24h = 288Wh/day
Total consumption = 288Wh (inverter) + 271Wh (fridge) = 559Wh/day
Battery energy = 12V x 125Ah = 1500Wh
Battery run time = 1500Wh / 559Wh/day = 2.68 days
Inverter standby usage will vary, so insert your figure instead of 1A.
Furthermore as Simon pointed out there are many further factors that might affect runtime in a negative way, such as high amp draw from the battery. Fridge compressor runs only for a short time but it may draw quite a lot of power. The higher the amp draw the less energy you will get out of fully charged battery (effectively less Ah). Another factor is how deep you want to discharge your battery. Fully draining battery will reduce the longevity.
Hi Andrius S
I’d also cone up with about 2.5 days, but the volume of the fridge and how much was in it, plus the ambient air temp and how many times the door is opened and for how long will all have an effect on the run time. I think that based on a 50% full fridge capacity and not trying to freeze anything and only discharging the battery to 50%, the calculated run time will be about 24 to 30 hours.
Pls I would like to know if I can use a transformer from a UPS rated 400watt to build a 400watt inverter thanks I must say your site has really been of help
Hi
I would suggest asking the question on one of the electronics forums such as http://www.electronicspoint.com/ would give you a more detailed answer.
S
Hello Simon.
What very helpful information, thank you.
I’m new to this and I now realise i’ve had our twin batteries and 2kw inverter in our MotorHome connected incorrectly.
Could you please help in wiring up 7 identical batteries. Is this the same as 2 batteries ie connecting down the line and taking power feed from bat 1 and neg from bat 7.
I’m a retired marine engineer/fabricator/inventor (old school) and keen on playing with powering my home/workshop with Gods sunshine plus alternative energy supply.
Kind regards
Graham
Hi Graham
Funnily enough it was a retired marine engineer (former submarine electrical engineer from WWII) who worked for Oldhams Batteries before retiring that told me about battery banks back in the early 70’s.
You are correct, +ve from battery 1 and -ve from battery 7 (or the last battery) will always balance out volt drop across a battery bank.
Apparently this also allowed them to use battery link straps of different cross sections saving copper, each link getting thicker as it approached the main feed (or return).
S