Inverter and Power Strip Power Loss

[loverofpeace]

Hi guys, looking to buy an inverter for my solar van build. I read on an RV site today that it's relatively important to find one with more than one plugin socket if you want to use multiple devices at once as there is some power loss if you connect a power strip to a single one.

Do any of you have experience with this and could you potentially tell me approximately how large of a power loss this could be?

Thanks in advance.

 

[John Frum]

Most power bars can not handle even 15 amps aggregate.
If it has a nema 5-15p connection the most it can handle is 15 amps aggregate.
If it has a nema 5-20p connection the most it can handle is 20 amps aggregate.
BTW few are actually to be trusted at anything like these ratings.
Alternatively many inverters allow you to hardwire them into a distribution panel.

NEMA connector - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[loverofpeace]

Most power bars can not handle even 15 amps aggregate.
If it has a nema 5-15p connection the most it can handle is 15 amps aggregate.
If it has a nema 5-20p connection the most it can handle is 20 amps aggregate.
BTW few are actually to be trusted at anything like these ratings.
Alternatively many inverters allow you to hardwire them into a distribution panel.

NEMA connector - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for the super fast reply! I'll definitely look into one with 2 sockets then!

P.S. I'm in europe with 220V does that change anything as far as the Nema Plug capability goes?

 

[John Frum]

Thanks for the super fast reply! I'll definitely look into one with 2 sockets then!

P.S. I'm in europe with 220V does that change anything as far as the Nema Plug capability goes?

Yes, fundamentally.
Look up your socket and we can go from there.

 

[loverofpeace]

Yes, fundamentally.
Look up your socket and we can go from there.

Gotcha. Finding a 1000W inverter with inputs was pretty tricky but I found this one: Link. Ideally I wanna power a mini fridge with it but 4.4amps per input seems pretty low for that purpose. Not really sure about the efficiency rating at 90% - is that considered decent for an inverter?

 

[Mrdanielmh]

Have you considered 12v appliances?

 

[loverofpeace]

Have you considered 12v appliances?

That probably sounds like the right way to do. Any suggestions for 12V fridges? Do 12V TVs even exist hehe?

 

[Mrdanielmh]

Compressor fridge or 3 way, the go-to is the cx50, but its not cheap! I'm sure there are 12v TVs!

 

[loverofpeace]

Compressor fridge or 3 way, the go-to is the cx50, but its not cheap! I'm sure there are 12v TVs!

Woof the nice 12v fridge prices are wild haha. Will look for used ones. The TVs don’t seem as crazy.

 

[Mrdanielmh]

I guess there is an argument about efficiency and whether its better going 240v i dunno!

 

[loverofpeace]

Yeah I’ll explore the market and see. Found some used ones so far that seem like they would work for under $300. If I get a dc fridge I should easily be able to get a normal tv to run off the inverter so problem solved thanks!

 

[John Frum]

Gotcha. Finding a 1000W inverter with inputs was pretty tricky but I found this one: Link. Ideally I wanna power a mini fridge with it but 4.4amps per input seems pretty low for that purpose. Not really sure about the efficiency rating at 90% - is that considered decent for an inverter?

That advertisement is hilarious.
"The device has all modern safety features such as: soft start (soft start), over/undervoltage protection, overload protection, temperature controlled cooling, is therefore also suitable for microwaves, air conditioners, welding appliances and much more. "
1000 watts is not going to run any of those things.

 

[loverofpeace]

That advertisement is hilarious.
"The device has all modern safety features such as: soft start (soft start), over/undervoltage protection, overload protection, temperature controlled cooling, is therefore also suitable for microwaves, air conditioners, welding appliances and much more. "
1000 watts is not going to run any of those things.

Haha missed that part :D

 

[John Frum]

Haha missed that part :D

I doubt it will run a fridge either and at 1000 watts a decent power strip is not an issue.

 

[Supervstech]

Hi guys, looking to buy an inverter for my solar van build. I read on an RV site today that it's relatively important to find one with more than one plugin socket if you want to use multiple devices at once as there is some power loss if you connect a power strip to a single one.

Do any of you have experience with this and could you potentially tell me approximately how large of a power loss this could be?

Thanks in advance.

The power loss is from the surge circuitry, if you get a shop power strip that has no surge circuitry it shouldn’t lose much power.

 

[loverofpeace]

Would buying a used inverter be a bad idea? What’s the approximate lifetime of one? (Tried searching for this but didn’t find much)