Power inverter Ideas?

Ilikemy3s

Original poster
Member
Dec 3, 2011
367
Fist .. I hope everyione is having a good day.
Second .. I hope this post is in the right place (if not please let me know)

Anyway, I did a search but found very little info to a question I have. I know some of us are running power inverters for various reasons. But I was curious as to how big some of them are (power wise) and where and how you have it mounted and or hooked up? Up front off the battery and or off the BCM tap in the back? Will it do any harm to just have the truck idleing while the inverter is running and nothing else? (so long as the truck doe snot overheat that is) Any thought or suggestions would be appriciated.
 

DDonnie

Member
Mar 26, 2012
2,631
I've been playing around with the idea. I think it depends on where you need the power. Me personally, i was thinking about mounting it in the glove box.
 

Grimor

Member
Mar 28, 2013
954
Ilikemy3s said:
Fist .. I hope everyione is having a good day.
Second .. I hope this post is in the right place (if not please let me know)

Anyway, I did a search but found very little info to a question I have. I know some of us are running power inverters for various reasons. But I was curious as to how big some of them are (power wise) and where and how you have it mounted and or hooked up? Up front off the battery and or off the BCM tap in the back? Will it do any harm to just have the truck idleing while the inverter is running and nothing else? (so long as the truck doe snot overheat that is) Any thought or suggestions would be appriciated.

The bigger the inverter, the more of a direct line to the battery it should have (with a fuse as close to the battery as possible)
In most cases you can idle the truck until it runs out of gas and it won't cause any problems. But depending on what you're doing, you can usually run an inverter for a bit without the vehicle running as well. As far as what everyone is running or mounting, I don't know. Telling you where I put mine in my 87 towncar won't help you much lol.

Personally, I always wanted an Auragen G5000
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jonbo2002

Member
Sep 27, 2012
213
I dont use my inverter in my truck but I do have a 1000watt amp hooked up to the rear and have had no problems with it so far. as for running your truck alot of inverters have an auto shut off once the battery gets too low so you would be able to run it without running your truck at least for a little while, another idea is a battery shut off that dissconnects your battery once it get down to a level just high enough to start your truck. it all depends on how long you need the inverter and how much power you will be using. The main thing is to figure out what you want to run off it and make sure it has enough power to handle the start up wattage of what you are running.
 

BO TIE SS

Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,497
I was thinking about getting one of these for the back of the 'Hoe. It will be supplied by a 0 gauge line.

[EBAY]120956687266[/EBAY]
 

ShadowClutch

Member
Sep 5, 2012
88
I always thought about mounting one under the driver or passenger seat with the plugs facing the rear, but also thought about mounting it out of sight (like under the panels in the cargo area, and running extensions to outlets in the panel using something like:

41jw430qkOL._AA160_.jpg


Ultimately depends on your applications/needs.
 

Busterbrown

Member
Dec 4, 2011
253
I'll refer you back to a thread on the OS that I started several years ago. I found a nice 1200 watt unit at Advance Auto that came with a remote dual receptacle that I mounted below the glove box up front. The inverter is tucked nicely under the driver's seat. It has come in handy a few times on camping trips.

Wiring a power inverter - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum.
 

Sparky

Member
Dec 4, 2011
12,927
Screw the inverters, I just want to run a 120V generator directly off the belt drive :rotfl:
 

DDonnie

Member
Mar 26, 2012
2,631
Sparky said:
Screw the inverters, I just want to run a 120V generator directly off the belt drive :rotfl:

Brings whole new meaning to your username
 

willn513

Member
Dec 4, 2011
918
Busterbrown said:
I'll refer you back to a thread on the OS that I started several years ago. I found a nice 1200 watt unit at Advance Auto that came with a remote dual receptacle that I mounted below the glove box up front. The inverter is tucked nicely under the driver's seat. It has come in handy a few times on camping trips.

Wiring a power inverter - Chevy TrailBlazer, TrailBlazer SS and GMC Envoy Forum.

Sweet set up man! Very clean and neat install. Have you had a chance to rotisserie that chicken yet??!
 

Sparky

Member
Dec 4, 2011
12,927
DDonnie said:
Brings whole new meaning to your username

I got that nickname years ago for a reason :biggrin:
zx11shocked_zpsdfac430b.gif
 

DDonnie

Member
Mar 26, 2012
2,631
Sparky said:
I got that nickname years ago for a reason :biggrin:
zx11shocked_zpsdfac430b.gif

Ever wondered what happens when you try and plug a car CB into an ac outlet? If you guessed blows the entire fuse panel in your best friends trailer, you'd be right!

hey, i was 12!

:offtopic:
 

jimmyjam

Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,634


i put one of these in my work van. haven't tested it yet with power tools but i'm hoping it will run my angle grinder...

i opened it up and soldered wire to each side of the power switch so i can run a more accessible outlet and have an on/off switch by it.
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,045
Brighton, CO
That is a nice install. Did the inverter come with the remote mount kit? or was that something purchased serperately?

Wonder if that is still available. I have a 1000 watt, a 6000 watt (used in a Semi), 3x 800 watt, and a whole bunch of others. If I ever get a regular work schedule, I would love to be able to go out to the woods do whatever I need, whether it be 120v or 12v.
 

Busterbrown

Member
Dec 4, 2011
253
TollKeeper said:
That is a nice install. Did the inverter come with the remote mount kit? or was that something purchased serperately?

The one I installed was purchased at Advance Auto for about $60. It was on sale for $99 and I applied one of their $40 coupons in the cart. It came with the remote mount. I did have to buy the 4 AWG wire from Home Depot as the kit came with smaller diameter wire. They still sell the unit I bought:

Buy Peak 1200 Watt Mobile Power Outlet Kit PKC0CF at Advance Auto Parts
 

Ed H

Member
Oct 18, 2012
167
I've always contemplated an inverter to power an XBox 360 for the kids on long road trips. We already have dual 7" screens that came with a cheap DVD unit... :undecided:

Very clean install above. This might be a great weekend project. :yes:
 

jimmyjam

Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,634
Ed H said:
I've always contemplated an inverter to power an XBox 360 for the kids on long road trips.
the first gen xbox power supplies were rated at 200w and successive iterations used less than that so even a cheap 300w inverter would do the job
 

signalnc

Member
Dec 28, 2012
249
I have a 2400 watt inverter installed in my work truck. It has it's own battery and a battery isolator is installed in between the alternator and the battery, so it won't pull off the truck batteries. It's super expensive, but it is really great piece of equipment and the a/c is real clean. Just remember not all inverters are the same, and they will all run your battery down if you have a big enough inverter drawing enough current. You should be able to find a guide online that can give you suggestions on how much power you need. then when you install it make sure you have a large enough wire coming directly from the battery to feed it, along with a fuse close to the battery (as others have suggested already). Find a ground closer to the unit, I will usually use the seat post. Use the same size wire as recommended for you battery feed.
Just as info we had someone in my company complain about the squelch in his company radio. he said it was noisy all the time. it was determined he bought a cheap inverter and the noise from the inverter was causing static on his radio. Inverter removed and the radio issue cleared up. So like I said, not all inverters are the same.

http://www.dimensions.sensata.com/product-inverter/2400w-12vdc-pure-sine-l-series-inverter

I also have a 12 volt electric generator installed on the truck. I don't like it as much as the inverter. it seems to cycle, like it has a clutch in it or something. I never checked the HZ on it to see if it cycles at 60, or close to it. When you load it down you can feel the loss of power in the tool you are using, where as the inverter is steady.

http://store.phonetx.com/32082000.html
 

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