inverters

[highdesertranger]

so I just wanted to bring this up, I have noticed this a lot in threads lately. people are saying how terribly inefficient inverters are. actually most inverters fall somewhere between 85-90% which is pretty darn good. especially when you consider nothing is 100% efficient. whenever you convert from one energy source to another there are loses. you know solar panels are just about 20% efficient, less for cheaper ones. mind you it is always better to not convert ie run that laptop off 12v instead of an inverter. however this usually involves a conversion too, so it is not 100%. so I just wanted to add my 2 cents. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You're absolutely right about that, HDR. The key thing people need to remember about inverters is not the % numbers, but rather the fact that they are draining amp hours out of your battery bank whenever they are turned on, whether they are powering something or not. Even in so called "standby mode".

So only turn them on when you need to use them, and turn them completely off when you are done.

Regards
John

 

[akrvbob]

That's great advice, use them as little as you can but when you need them, it's not the end of the world! I run my Sat Reciever and TV off one every night!
Bob

 

[rinella]

Don't forget that typically devices run on DC. So, even if you are only losing 10-15% to convert that DC to AC, there is a second power loss while converting back to DC that needs to be factored.