13500 A/C on 2000 watt inverter?
My brother is having issues with a 13500 btu A/C starting while using a 2000 watt inverter. This is installed on a cake delivery van. The fan motor will turn on but not the compressor. He is using ...
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Yes that would be a huge load on the alternator, and probably would wear it out quickly.
Do they have any idea how many amps they would be drawing at 12 volts DC to run the A/C unit? Just the fan motor is probably drawing over 50 amps at 12 volts!
Is it a pure sine wave inverter? If MSW or some sort of pure modified sine wave, then it will not handle the high torque loads of the compressor motor.
I would suggest something like the Pure Sine Wave Trace 2500 watt with a 5,000 watt surge capacity. That will require #000 wire from the inverter to the pair of batteries (4 golf cart batteries would be my recommendation) and #4 wire from the alternator +12 terminal to the + 12 volt terminal on the inverter.
That way the inverter can draw 400+ amps from the battery, and 100 or so from the alternator while starting the compressor, and can draw just 50 - 75 amps from the batteries while the engine is running and the compressor is on, while also getting 100+ amps from the alternator.
You might also consider a Outback inverter in the 3000 watt range, with a 6,000+ watt surge rating.
SolarOnSale.com or SunElec.com might have one of the larger pure sine wave inverters.
When my buddy had his MCI bus conversion, he found that his Trace 12 volt 4000 watt inverter struggled with his 13,500 Btu A/C unit. While the 24 volt inverter worked much better, and less amperage. He has a 300 amp 12 volt alternator and 100 amp 24 volt alternator, so either one is rated at plenty of power to run the A/C unit. His 8V92 engine is much larger than your minivan (at about 1,600 pounds for just the engine) it is 756 cubic inches!
Good luck,
Fred.
Do they have any idea how many amps they would be drawing at 12 volts DC to run the A/C unit? Just the fan motor is probably drawing over 50 amps at 12 volts!
Is it a pure sine wave inverter? If MSW or some sort of pure modified sine wave, then it will not handle the high torque loads of the compressor motor.
I would suggest something like the Pure Sine Wave Trace 2500 watt with a 5,000 watt surge capacity. That will require #000 wire from the inverter to the pair of batteries (4 golf cart batteries would be my recommendation) and #4 wire from the alternator +12 terminal to the + 12 volt terminal on the inverter.
That way the inverter can draw 400+ amps from the battery, and 100 or so from the alternator while starting the compressor, and can draw just 50 - 75 amps from the batteries while the engine is running and the compressor is on, while also getting 100+ amps from the alternator.
You might also consider a Outback inverter in the 3000 watt range, with a 6,000+ watt surge rating.
SolarOnSale.com or SunElec.com might have one of the larger pure sine wave inverters.
When my buddy had his MCI bus conversion, he found that his Trace 12 volt 4000 watt inverter struggled with his 13,500 Btu A/C unit. While the 24 volt inverter worked much better, and less amperage. He has a 300 amp 12 volt alternator and 100 amp 24 volt alternator, so either one is rated at plenty of power to run the A/C unit. His 8V92 engine is much larger than your minivan (at about 1,600 pounds for just the engine) it is 756 cubic inches!
Good luck,
Fred.
