Pure Sine Wave Inverter
 

Pure Sine Wave Inverter

Going to put one of these in my truck,

http://www.gpelectric.com/products/3...-wave-inverter

My question is will it have any drain on the truck battery when it's in the off position?

TS

Should have none. However check to see if there is any 'lights' on it. Those would give it a small drain much like in a house with a microwave clock, etc.

If your truck does not have dual batteries (12vdc / 24vdc) you may wish to consider it, would give you allot more duration on using items when camping or using them before having to run the truck.

LOL, where the hell do you place another battery! ;)

I'm already having nightmares on where I'm going to place the inverter.

TS, you might try putting in a DC rated 12 volt toggle switch between the DC feed and the inverter. If you have a spare location in your dash, or under the dash. Only operate the toggle when nothing is plugged in, of course, but it would be a fail-safe to keep those pesky LED lights from slowly draining the battery. My 2 cents ;)

Actually as soon as I made the first post that very thought hit me. A toggle switch is a great idea and simple to do. Thanks, I'll do that.

Now to get all this wiring done in 112 degree heat.........

I mounted mine under my passenger seat of my truck. Just make sure it gets plenty of air, it is going to be in a pretty hot environment as it is.

Careful if you pull wire through the firewall, use grommets.

Also decide if you want it available all of the time, or just when the switch is in the accessory position.

Depending on when you want to use it, as an alternative to hard wiring, most of them come with battery clamps so that you can attach it directly when you need it, but that isn't helpful when you want to be driving at the same time. A cigarette lighter plug could work for that.

Any idea what you want to plug into it?

Nice item to have, BTW.

TR

Get all your stuff together, drive up to Flagstaff, and spend the afternoon getting it all put together! :D

My truck comes with two battery locations TS. So for me it is simple.

Have fun in the heat.

TS

We use Marine 1500 watt inverters in out groups vehicled. All the trucks have bed liners and hard flush covers. I mount them in the right rear side on a wood base and I use a marine battery switches like -Series Mini Battery Switches.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...classNum=50547

If you do not have a positive cutoff your battery will die if you park for 2 weeks. We also mount them in trunks and in the cab if the truck has room like the cab and 1/2's do. For them I make a 1/2" plywood box to protect and mount them. If we are going to run a lot of things we put an extra battery to the system.

It all depends on the work needed. 400 watts are a little under powered for me.

What kind of truck doesn't have a spare spot for a battery under the hood? :D

I like Zonies idea. and I have a garage here.

The switch is a great idea. Another useful item is a small 12v solar trickle charger. I have a small one that I keep on my dash in the winter. It seems to keep the battery in good shape. They really are not that expensive. You can also modify them to charge just about anything you want without draining your battery. It really depends on your driving activities though, to get full use out of one. I normally park my car in the early morning before doing a 12 or more hour shift. If your driving about all day long it would not be as useful.

Computers, and why I got the pure sine wave.

Adal, good idea, I'll be up next week!!!

TS:

If it is a laptop, you don't need it. They already run off DC power, all you need is a cigarette lighter charger plug for it.

TR

Ha! Never thought of that...... The difference between pure sine and modified sine was not much hence the purchase of the pure sine inverter.

Now it's wiring time.