Inverter Advice Needed

[Mbl35]

My customer has a 2011 e350 flexfuel 5.4l. He wants to install an inverter. Basicly he wants to keep his power tools charged up while he's driving and also keep a small air compressor plugged in to keep his high pressure water pump tank pressurized.

With that all said, what is a decent inverter for this and would i have to install a heavier duty alternator?

[Keith Browning]

You need to determine the power wattage needed by looking at the devices you want to power by looking at their specifications. Then determine the required output of the inverter you need. Remember that peak output is not the same as continuous output. Two more important things to know is that deep cycle batteries are recommended in applications where the engine/charging system will not be running and it is recommended not to use more than a 2500 watt power inverter on automotive applications.

 

I found some good information at this link http://www.invertersrus.com/inverterfaq.html and remember Google is your friend... there is a lot of information on this!

[Mbl35]

I will call them in the morning. Thanks Keith.

[GregH]

Be aware too that any electric motor will draw a lot of peak current when starting up. It may work to his advantage to change over to a 12V compressor and tie into a deep cycle battery - a lot of power is wasted by making the conversion to 120VAC, and the waveform is not necessarily optimum for motor operation.

 

Using an RV isolation relay and a little imagination you can set up a deep cycle battery to charge when the engine is running, but be separate when the engine is off - tie your inverter and compressor into the isolated system.