In-Car Power Inverter - Safe or Not?

[Vroomtattat]

Hi Brudders of MCF,

 

I'm thinking of buying a power inverter to power up the Porter Cable car polisher.

 

Is it safe to use?

 

http://www.blackanddecker.com/productguide...927&toolview=4#

 

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[inline PI200AB_1.jpg]

[Vroomtattat]

Any one can advise?

[Imaginary]

From what I remember, these kind of devices produce a non-perfect sine-wave (AC), which might not be good for devices that need that accuracy. For most other devices, I think it should function as per normal.

 

 

Disclaimer : No warranty express or implied is made for any opinions provided to you concerning this subject. No replacements, or compensation will be offered to those killed or injured (including household pets) as a result of any undesirable consequences.

[Wbucket]

I wonder what that 2 little clip is for.

 

Anyway, I have seen many of such converter in DIY stores. I guess car engine needs to be ON when using it, else can drain the battery very fast.

[Zafira18]

has been using them many years back. swee swee no problem, but u need to check the inverter norminal power and peak power if is ok for your polisher...can check out the store at sim lim suare basement....many model/power rating to choose...

[Zeee]

check these out... different inverters for use in cars for different applications...

 

http://www.newwavevn.com/carInverter.html

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/Car-OWNER-USEFUL-Po...5QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://sg.auctions.yahoo.com/sg/i:Car%2012...20phone:5744446

 

http://sg.auctions.yahoo.com/sg/i:Portable...0sale:102692942

[Seaweed]

the inverter can supply 200W...so you see the polisher need how many Watt lor...if less then 200W then ok...if not cannot lor...

[So_nice]

better on ur car when using. if not ur battery might be drained.

[Vroomtattat]

Thank you, MCF brudders. Your replies much appreciated.

 

I ordered a Porter Cable from a reputable car accessory website 3 weeks ago but so far no shipment.

[Victor68]

Your car battery is used to start your car and also supply the gadgets within the car. If you use that battery to work on high power equipment, especially without the engine running so that the alternator recharge your battery, then be prepared to have a drained battery or worse, frequent replacement of battery if you use that equipment frequently.  

[Quain7]

It has enough power to run the PC but look for something with more power if you can. Many places locally will carry inverters (mine came from walmart) and if it`s not strong enough you probably could return it. I have a 700 watts maxx inverter which runs my PC fine. I sometimes start my truck up for a few minutes if I`m using it for over a half hour but I`ve yet to have the battery voltage drop enough to sound the alarm on the inverter. As for running the vacuum I`m pretty sure you won`t be powering a shop vac with that inverter. If you get a larger inverter then you can run many shop vacs. I have a 4gal 5hp rigid which is 9amps. My 700 watt inverter will power the vacuum in a pinch. The vacuum does run slower but once when my generator wouldn`t start it saved the day. I`ve used it a couple of times when I had it set up for the PC and needed to vacuum up something quickly. If I was going to run the vacuum off it regularly though I`d get a larger 1200 watt inverter.

I don`t know that much about inverters. I one time bought a 2000 watt inverter which I returned. I couldn`t get it to work. I wasn`t sure if my battery was insufficient or the inverter was defective. I had got it from a place 40 miles away so trying another one wasn`t something I wanted to do.

I think using an inverter for vacuum is a great idea in that it is quiet, saves gas and wear on a generator. I was talking to a customer that rides bikes and joked around that since most of my work was in an office complex within a mile of my house that I could get a little pull behind thing for my bike and get rid of my truck. A deep cell battery, invertor, vacuum, ONR and I`d be set. Heck I bet there are ways to get the bike to recharge the battery.

Edited April 7, 2020 by Quain7