Looking for inverter recommendations
Hello everyone, I am currently full-timing in the TC for a few months while moving from NH to WA via a southern route and making a fine roadtrip of it! All has been going well but I would like to...
Forum Discussion
We run a Samlex PST 150 watt pure Sine wave. It powers all of our electronics (TV, DVD, IPad and phone chargers) well, takes up very little space (velcroed to the wall by the 12 volt outlet), is quiet, and has a good reputation.
A number of suggestions:
- Get a pure sine wave inverter, it allows you to run anything with less interference.
- Figure out how many watts you need at once to size it. There are trade offs with size. If it's small you have more options where to put it (ours is velcroed to the wall by the TV/ DVD unit and the 12 volt outlet. We carry a 120 volt extension cord in case we need power elsewhere) and the unit itself will tend to have a lower power draw, idle and under load. On the other hand if you work it too hard the fan will come on and draw power and make noise so a bigger unit may be quieter than a small one.
- Consider how noisy the unit is. Some have fans that run all the time, others have better passive cooling and only need the fan under severe conditions (ours rarely comes on).
A number of suggestions:
- Get a pure sine wave inverter, it allows you to run anything with less interference.
- Figure out how many watts you need at once to size it. There are trade offs with size. If it's small you have more options where to put it (ours is velcroed to the wall by the TV/ DVD unit and the 12 volt outlet. We carry a 120 volt extension cord in case we need power elsewhere) and the unit itself will tend to have a lower power draw, idle and under load. On the other hand if you work it too hard the fan will come on and draw power and make noise so a bigger unit may be quieter than a small one.
- Consider how noisy the unit is. Some have fans that run all the time, others have better passive cooling and only need the fan under severe conditions (ours rarely comes on).
