Costco has a new Coleman 400 watt inverter for $24.95
Question:
Costco has a new Coleman 400 watt inverter for $24.95….. It is a Modified Sine wave and has a surge capability of 800 watts….. It comes in a neat carrying case with both a cigar plug in, and a pair of large alligator battery clips…. It pulls on idle about .1 amps (or 100 milliamps) so the idle drain is very low… I will get one next week… Here is Houston it is cold (for us) with three days of heavy overcast and temperatures in the mid 30’s…. I know some of you in Canada have temperatures way below zero…. but this kind of weather is cold for us….. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and News Years…. Gig —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Costco has a new Coleman 400 watt inverter for $24.95….. It is a Modified > Sine wave and has a surge capability of 800 watts….. It comes in a neat > carrying case with both a cigar plug in, and a pair of large alligator > battery clips…. It pulls on idle about .1 amps (or 100 milliamps) so the > idle drain is very low… I will get one next week… > Here is Houston it is cold (for us) with three days of heavy overcast and > temperatures in the mid 30’s…. I know some of you in Canada have > temperatures way below zero…. but this kind of weather is cold for us….. > Hope everyone had a good Christmas and News Years…. > Gig
I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The neat thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to try and keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the idle mode is also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during the power outages associated with hurricane Isabel.
Response:
>I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The neat >thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to try and >keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the idle mode is >also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during the power outages >associated with hurricane Isabel.
Dumb question….. but what exactly could I do with an inverter? John
Response:
> >I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The neat >thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to try and >keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the idle mode is >also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during the power outages >associated with hurricane Isabel. > Dumb question….. but what exactly could I do with an > inverter?
As the old saying goes, the only dumb question is the one not asked. Also; questions are the remedy to ignorance. (and I may be ignorant as to just what you are asking but here goes) Now to try to answer your question. You can use an inverter to run 110 volt AC (i.e. household) items using you 12 volt DC car battery. I have used the run tools; drills, angle grinders, saws, etc. when working in remote locations. Given a big enough inverter and enough battery power you can run your entire house on them. The only thing I have found that mine will not run are simple household box fans. I’m told it has something to do with the way the motors are set up. If you buy one there are two you need to know. The first is the power draw of what ever you are going to run. Easy to make a good guess by reading the tag and taking the rated amps and multiply that by 110. The second thing is that some things take a lot more power to start up than to run. I’m not sure if there is a hard and fast rule of thumb but I’ve been told an A/C takes 3X the rated running amps to start up. I have a little A/C I use in my camper that is rated at 6 amps which means it would take about 660 watts to run. According to that my 700W inverter should do fine. But since I’d need 3X that power to start the sucker I’d really need a 2000W inverter (and a lot of battery backup). Although I have found that things can get a little screwy. For example I have a 700 watt inverter that will start and run an angle grinder that is rated at 880 watts (listed as 8 amp draw) but if I am useing a wire cup and have to put a lot of pressure to remove some deep rust it will trip the inverter. Ok this was supposed to be short and sweet but I’m known to be long winded.
Response:
>Ok this was supposed to be short and sweet but I’m known to be long winded.
Not long winded at all!! Many thanks for the info!! John
Response:
>I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The neat >thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to try and >keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the idle mode is >also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during the power outages >associated with hurricane Isabel. > Dumb question….. but what exactly could I do with an > inverter?
Here is another answer…. an inverter is often used with Photovoltaic panels which produce 12 volts when exposed to sunlight… some PV panels produce higher voltages too, and these voltages are used to charge up banks of batteries so the stored power can be used at night, when there is no sunlight…. The inverter is connected to these battery banks to convert the 12 volt battery power into ordinary 110 volts house current, so that a person could operate his computer, house lights, TV and other household electrical things normally without using the local power company… The Costco (Coleman) Inverter was being sold at a good price… and this inverter could be used off of a car battery while camping… to operate a small TV, fan, or some Compact Florescent lights… Gig —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–
Response:
>>I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The >neat thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to >try and keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the >idle mode is also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during >the power outages associated with hurricane Isabel. >Dumb question….. but what exactly could I do with an >inverter? >John
Pretty handy to have durring a blackout. Nothing like having a few lights and a TV while everyone else is in the dark. You clip it to your car battery and run a drop cord into the house to run what you want. BUT NOTE: IF YOU RUN YOUR CAR TO KEEP THE BATTERY UP, PLEASE PUT AN EXTENSION ON YOUR TAIL PIPE AND RUN THE EXHAUST OUTSIDE. — Just my $0.02 worth. Hope it helps Gordon Reeder greeder at: myself.com
Response:
Just checked the 700 w vector I have, its 0.3 amp idle.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Costco has a new Coleman 400 watt inverter for $24.95….. It is a Modified > Sine wave and has a surge capability of 800 watts….. It comes in a neat > carrying case with both a cigar plug in, and a pair of large alligator > battery clips…. It pulls on idle about .1 amps (or 100 milliamps) so the > idle drain is very low… I will get one next week… > Here is Houston it is cold (for us) with three days of heavy overcast and > temperatures in the mid 30’s…. I know some of you in Canada have > temperatures way below zero…. but this kind of weather is cold for us….. > Hope everyone had a good Christmas and News Years…. > Gig > —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– > http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! > —–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–
Response:
hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and xbox for the long trips with the kids. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I bought 4 before Christmas and gave them as Christmas presents. The neat >thing about the Coleman is the carrying case. you don’t have to try and >keep up with the cables and extra fuses. The low draw in the idle mode is >also very nice. Inverters were good to have around during the power outages >associated with hurricane Isabel. > Dumb question….. but what exactly could I do with an > inverter? > John
Response:
Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER IDEA* —
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and xbox > for the long trips with the kids. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t want any more "dialog", they need distraction. an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power available. I like my coffee in the morning. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER > IDEA* > — > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and xbox > for the long trips with the kids. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
Sounds a little high for Coleman, with such a long history of generator failures…..(c; – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Costco has a new Coleman 400 watt inverter for $24.95….. It is a Modified >Sine wave and has a surge capability of 800 watts….. It comes in a neat >carrying case with both a cigar plug in, and a pair of large alligator >battery clips…. It pulls on idle about .1 amps (or 100 milliamps) so the >idle drain is very low… I will get one next week… >Here is Houston it is cold (for us) with three days of heavy overcast and >temperatures in the mid 30’s…. I know some of you in Canada have >temperatures way below zero…. but this kind of weather is cold for us….. >Hope everyone had a good Christmas and News Years…. >Gig >—–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– >http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >—–== Over 100,000 Newsgroups – 19 Different Servers! =—–
Larry W4CSC No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH! Kirk Out…..
Response:
The dialog and communication sounds great, but in reality grape flavored benadryl works great for keeping the kids mellow on a long haul. Toby 4 kids under 10
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t want > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER > IDEA* > — > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and > xbox > > for the long trips with the kids. > > — > > Steve Spence > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
Best have an extra battery to start your car after your inverter sucks the life out of the one running it and if you run the car while pulling 33 amps, @ 400 Watts, from the alternator for a long time, an extra alternator might be a good idea.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t want > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER > IDEA* > — > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and > xbox > > for the long trips with the kids. > > — > > Steve Spence > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
Where did the 33 amps come from?
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Best have an extra battery to start your car after your inverter sucks the > life out of the one running it and if you run the car while pulling 33 amps, might > be a good idea. > by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t want > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY > BETTER > > IDEA* > > — > > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and > xbox > > > for the long trips with the kids. > > > — > > > Steve Spence > > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
> Where did the 33 amps come from?
400W = 12V*33A (roughly) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Best have an extra battery to start your car after your inverter sucks the > life out of the one running it and if you run the car while pulling 33 > amps, > might > be a good idea. > > by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t > want > > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > > — > > Steve Spence > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > http://www.green-trust.org > > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > > > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY > BETTER > > > IDEA* > > > — > > > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv > and > > xbox > > > > for the long trips with the kids. > > > > — > > > > Steve Spence > > > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
> Where did the 33 amps come from? > 400W = 12V*33A (roughly)
{much snipped} Should have seen that one coming. It has been a bad day.
Response:
you don’t run camping accessories off your starting battery, they run off a deep cycle battery with an isolator. my 100 amp alternator works just fine charging both. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Best have an extra battery to start your car after your inverter sucks the > life out of the one running it and if you run the car while pulling 33 amps, might > be a good idea. > by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t want > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > — > Steve Spence > Renewable energy and sustainable living > http://www.green-trust.org > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY > BETTER > > IDEA* > > — > > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv and > xbox > > > for the long trips with the kids. > > > — > > > Steve Spence > > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
33 amps x 12 volts = 400 watts. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Where did the 33 amps come from? > Best have an extra battery to start your car after your inverter sucks the > life out of the one running it and if you run the car while pulling 33 > amps, > might > be a good idea. > > by applying 120 vac? seriously, after 8 hours with 3 kids, you don’t > want > > any more "dialog", they need distraction. > > an inverter is a nice thing to have at camp when there is no ac power > > available. I like my coffee in the morning. > > — > > Steve Spence > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > http://www.green-trust.org > > Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive > > a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to > > the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of > > biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels. > > > Dialogue and communication with the kids would be a *SUBSTANTIALLY > BETTER > > > IDEA* > > > — > > > > hook it up to your car, and have 120 vac for appliances like a tv > and > > xbox > > > > for the long trips with the kids. > > > > — > > > > Steve Spence > > > > Renewable energy and sustainable living > > > > http://www.green-trust.org
Response:
or do like most rv’s, and use a deep cycle battery with an isolator. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> X-No-Archive: yes > "Newby" wrote > "Bob Peterson" wrote > > "Newby" wrote > > > Where did the 33 amps come from? > > 400W = 12V*33A (roughly) > {much snipped} > Should have seen that one coming. It has been a > bad day. > Which is about half the output of the alternator. > Used intermittently or with the engine running it > will have only a modest effect on the batteries. > You Could run the battery down if you tried…. > Leave the full load on till it shuts off…..
Response:
>you don’t run camping accessories off your starting battery, they run off a >deep cycle battery with an isolator. my 100 amp alternator works just fine >charging both.
I use a 250A, continuous-duty solenoid switch, myself. Its coil runs right off the keyswitch that turns on my diesel engine. The "accessory terminal" of the keyswitch is disconnected during cranking and re-energizes the solenoid as soon as the key comes out of START position, paralleling all the batteries for charging from its 125A alternator. A small toggle switch lets me bypass the keyswitch so all batteries can be paralleled to crank the diesel should the starting batteries fail…like jumper cables. It is never switched unless there is an emergency starting situation. When the keyswitch is shut off, the solenoid opens and separates the starting batteries from the house load of my mobile electronics shop’s inverter and 12V flourescent lighting. The solenoid works much better than the 300A marine battery switch I used to use, but forgot to open too often on shutdown. The solenoid is available from auto parts places quite cheap. Be sure to get the "continuous duty" model. It draws about 3/4A in the coil to hold the big contacts shut. Now battery charging is automated, too. Larry W4CSC No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH! Kirk Out…..
Response:
Beam me the wench if you don’t want her 
I like your solution. — Steve Spence Renewable energy and sustainable living http://www.green-trust.org Donate $30 or more to Green Trust, and receive a copy of Joshua Tickell’s "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank", the premier documentary of biodiesel and vegetable oil powered diesels.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->you don’t run camping accessories off your starting battery, they run off a >deep cycle battery with an isolator. my 100 amp alternator works just fine >charging both. > I use a 250A, continuous-duty solenoid switch, myself. Its coil runs > right off the keyswitch that turns on my diesel engine. The > "accessory terminal" of the keyswitch is disconnected during cranking > and re-energizes the solenoid as soon as the key comes out of START > position, paralleling all the batteries for charging from its 125A > alternator. A small toggle switch lets me bypass the keyswitch so all > batteries can be paralleled to crank the diesel should the starting > batteries fail…like jumper cables. It is never switched unless > there is an emergency starting situation. > When the keyswitch is shut off, the solenoid opens and separates the > starting batteries from the house load of my mobile electronics shop’s > inverter and 12V flourescent lighting. The solenoid works much better > than the 300A marine battery switch I used to use, but forgot to open > too often on shutdown. The solenoid is available from auto parts > places quite cheap. Be sure to get the "continuous duty" model. It > draws about 3/4A in the coil to hold the big contacts shut. Now > battery charging is automated, too. > Larry W4CSC > No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH! > Kirk Out…..
Response:
>Beam me the wench if you don’t want her >I like your solution.
You can have her. Our crew is finished with her…(c; The solution works great for me. Thanks. Larry W4CSC No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH! Kirk Out…..
Response:
Larry.. The only problem here is you are not controlling the charge current to your deep cycle batteries… thereby shortening their life.. no? – jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I use a 250A, continuous-duty solenoid switch, myself. Its coil runs > right off the keyswitch that turns on my diesel engine. The > "accessory terminal" of the keyswitch is disconnected during cranking > and re-energizes the solenoid as soon as the key comes out of START > position, paralleling all the batteries for charging from its 125A > alternator.
Response:
>Larry.. The only problem here is you are not controlling the charge >current to your deep cycle batteries… thereby shortening their life.. no? > - jim
No, actually. Unlike using a "charge controller" on a series of higher-than-full-charge voltage solar cells, or the like, your car’s alternator is a float charger, providing full charge VOLTAGE, not current, to the lead-acid batteries. The current they draw is limited by their internal resistance and the differential voltage between the regulated voltage source (alternator) and the condition voltage of the batteries. Once the batteries come up to the 14-14.2V of the alternator, current stops, just like it does in your car. Deep cycle batteries are no different than your car battery in this respect. Their plates are thicker, making the cells larger, and there are less plates than a starting battery designed for high-instantaneous current. The chemistry of all lead-acid batteries is the same. Have you overcharged your car battery on a long trip? No. Its only "charge controller" is the voltage the regulator sets the alternator’s output to. 25% of 700 AH, the "max charging current" for lead-acid batteries that are down, is 175A, much more than my alternator is capable of producing. That current tapers, very rapidly, as battery voltage climbs towards alternator output voltage. Larry W4CSC No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH! Kirk Out…..
Response:
Related Posts