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Inverters are nice to have at times when you are dry camping
and/or when you don’t have access to 120-volts AC.
Batteries produce power in Direct Current (DC) that run at low
voltages. Power companies and AC generators produce sine wave
Alternating Current (AC), which is used to operate 120-volt
appliances and electronic equipment. An inverter takes 12-volt
DC power from your RV batteries and electronically changes it to
120-volt AC. Some RVers use an inverter just to watch TV or for
their personal computer.
Other RVers use an inverter to operate microwaves, coffee pots
or other larger appliances. When you purchase an inverter the
inverter’s output capacity must be capable of operating the
loads that will be placed on it. Inverters have two different
capacity ratings. Continuous output rating and surge capacity
rating. Continuous output is the maximum wattage the inverter
can output for a long time period. Surge capacity is the maximum
wattage the inverter can output during initial start up. All
appliances require more power when they start, compared to what
they use when they are running.
They can use as much as two or three times the amount to start
then what they use to run, so the starting power required for
any appliance that you plan to use with the inverter must be
within the surge capacity rating. There are modified sign wave
inverters and true sine wave inverters. A true sine wave
inverter is more expensive, but they are capable of producing
power as good as the Power Company and all appliances and
electronic equipment will run as they are intended to. Keep in
mind you are drawing the power from your RV batteries and any
power used has to be put back in through some type of effective
charging system.
Happy Camping,
Mark J Polk
Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101
RV Expert Mark Polk, seen on TV, is the producer & host of
America's most highly regarded series of DVD's, videos, books,
and e-books. http://www.rveducation101.com/
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