looking for a compact 12 > 220v inverter

**AshleyR** · 19-04-2014, 13:16

After listening to Steven Harris on The Survival Podcast (Thanks for the recommendation, prepare2win) and the 30 hour power outage that ended just this morning, I'm in the market for a 12v-230v inverter that I can clamp onto my car battery in emergencies.

I get the idea I want a pure sine wave model, and that I should for aim for 800w or so. For shorter outages, I'd use it for charging small electronics (Phones, laptop, etc.), and for longer outages, run my fridge for an hour as Steven suggests, then wrapping it in blankets. For now, I'd be running it off my Fiesta, but I'd like to get something I can continue using when I get a bigger car some day, so quality is also important to me.

What brands or specific units should I look at?

**Andrew Leigh** · 19-04-2014, 13:55

P = IV

800W / 12V = 66Amps current draw not to mention the 30% inefficiencies. You car battery is done in an hour and you cannot start your car.

Cell phone and the likes do not take that amount of current. Laptops are about 150W cellphones less. 150W @ 220V = 0.7Ah.

Work out your requirement including some LED lights and then we can size it.

**AshleyR** · 19-04-2014, 15:24

Originally Posted by Andrew Leigh

You car battery is done in an hour and you cannot start your car.

Absolutely, which is why the car would be running while powering larger items. Or have I misunderstood how this works?

**atunguyd** · 19-04-2014, 20:25

Originally Posted by Andrew Leigh

P = IV

800W / 12V = 66Amps current draw not to mention the 30% inefficiencies. You car battery is done in an hour and you cannot start your car.

Cell phone and the likes do not take that amount of current. Laptops are about 150W cellphones less. 150W @ 220V = 0.7Ah.

Work out your requirement including some LED lights and then we can size it.

You gotta stop buying those made in Kazakhstan laptops.

Your average laptop power supply is rated to 68w (18v x 3.8A) and that is typically sufficient to run the laptop AND charge it's battery. A 150w laptop would be very crappy.

**Andrew Leigh** · 19-04-2014, 21:55

That is insulting, have a 13" HP and can read the specs.

I was using very generic over rated numbers to illustrate the point that power consumption adds up.