What is a Power Inverter?
A Power inverter takes one form of power output and converts into another, in this case from the car’s DC 12v to a 110v AC current, or to put it simply, it turns it into a regular house outlet. As I mentioned above, you’ll need to figure out how much output you’ll want or need so you can determine which power inverter is right for you and your vehicle.
The alternator even charges the battery when the car is in idle. However, if your car is using more electricity than the battery is getting from the alternator, you’ll end up with a dead, discharged battery eventually. If you intend to use your car as a generator to power your house, you’ll want to be mindful of that and turn off as many auxiliary functions of the car as possible.
Different Power Inverter Options
There are a wide variety of options for a power inverter. you have variance by brand and quality, and you also have the amount of power an inverter can handle. Power loads range from relatively low, from a few hundred watts, to several thousand watts. There are different applications for each, and we have our recommendations at each level
Low Power
This is your cheap starter option. I have one like this that I have in my vehicle for running small electronics inside my car, like a laptop charger, video player, or other small output devices. This will power up to 300 w, which is a start, but won’t run much inside your house as far as appliances go. If that’s not a big deal to you, cool. If you want heat, to keep your freezers going, or if you rely on electric life saving equipment, you’ll want more power coming through your vehicle generator. A small inverter like this doesn’t take advantage of all the power your vehicle has to offer.
Medium Power
This is good to 500, with a peak at 1000. This also has connectors to connect directly to your battery. This is nice because your car’s cigarette lighter 12 v has small gauge wires and can’t handle the higher output needed once you get into the higher wattage. If you’re planning on using any significant power, we’d recommend using the alligator clamps directly on the battery.
High Power
This is good to 2,000 watts. This is the only inverter that can handle keeping a freezer cold. The compressor in a freezer takes a lot of power, and you’ll need all 2,000 watts when that compressor kicks in. If you cycle through what you need connected to power and only have 1 or 2 items connected to this, you’ll be able to keep most things functional in your house, although not all at once, this will meet your needs.
Extreme Power- Our Choice
This will meet almost all your needs. This puts out 4,000 watts. This is your set it and forget it option. It takes a bit more to install, but this can handle multiple freezers, or one freezer and some other appliances, assuming your battery or power source maintains a charge. This is also the only one that can handle an electric oven (I’d recommend getting a gas oven if possible. Electrical outages are more common than gas).
This is the one you want, whether you’re using this for your car or your truck. This is the one we recommend if you want your car or truck to take the place of your generator. It’s also only 1/10 the price of a good Honda Generator. It’s the way to go, either as a generator backup, or as a first option.
Conclusion
Having a power inverter provides options and opportunities to stay in power in an emergency, camping, or when SHTF. Your vehicle is one of your best tools, and an inverter allows you to get even more utility from your vehicle.
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