What kind of battery do I need to power an inverter and can it be charged by a gas generator?
battery September 28th, 2008New to this system. I recently bought a gas powered generator for outdoor use—wanting to use it sparingly, I would like to purchase a battery and inverter that will provide necessary power for my low-watt tools and appliances—with the generator being used to charge the battery when it runs out, and power more watt-heavy equipment—like my power tools.
I am looking for battery/inverter options and the wiring that would go with them to 1) charge the battery, and 2) connect the battery to the inverter.
Thanks in advance!
This sort of installation would work well with solar or wind battery chargers. The gas powered generator could be used to power a battery as needed.
I have some information on one of my web pages which may help.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html
September 29th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Careful! An inverter is a device that will convert DC (direct current) power into AC (alternating current) power. (usually with some loss) Small generators usually put out AC power. You can only run equipment with your generator that requires LESS power than your generator can deliver! If you have a 2 KW (2 kilowatt–2000watt) unit you can only run equipment that is rated at (or totals up to) less than 2.5 horsepower! i.e. a heavy duty drill (1/2 horsepower); plus a heavy duty (1.5 horsepower) saw. Most generator units can run at their maximum rated power levels only for short periods of time without over heating!
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September 29th, 2008 at 2:05 am
there are inverters that have a power switchover and a battery charger, so you can connect your generator to the inverter, the batteries to your inverter, and plug in everything to the inverter,
if you do not have your generator on, power will come from the batteries, if your generator on, the inverter will automatically run your equipment straight from the generator and charge your batteries.
just one example of what I think your looking for,
Inverter/Charger-100A/2000W - 13.75"L x 12.75"W x 8"H; 5/16" ring terminals part # ME2012-U $1,160.00
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/265332/377%20710%201651/0/Inverters/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/20/0?N=377%20710%201651&Ne=0&Ntt=Inverters&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=null&subdeptNum=null&classNum=null
and as for the wiring and battery details, it is probably easiest to read the instructions that come with whichever one you buy.
I will reply if you need more detailed help.
References :
September 29th, 2008 at 2:32 am
This sort of installation would work well with solar or wind battery chargers. The gas powered generator could be used to power a battery as needed.
I have some information on one of my web pages which may help.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html
References :