What are Inverters? 

Inverters convert battery DC Power into AC Power

Inverter converts the  battery power (12V/24/48 D/C) current  into conventional A/C power. This power can be used to run almost any AC appliance absolutely anywhere. They can run items such as mobile phone chargers, lights, electrical appliances, power tools, computers, faxes, TV sets, microwave ovens,battery chargers & motors. Rather than buy special 12-volt versions of the product to operate, you simply take it with you.  

How They Work 

A battery charger or converter takes normal household AC power and changes it into DC Power so that you can charge your batteries. It does this using a special cicuit that reduces the voltage by a factor of 20, and a rectifier that changes AC (alternating current) into DC (direct current). An inverter reverses this process by increasing the voltage by 20 times, and by creating AC current out of the battery's DC current.  

Inverter Vs Generator 

Cigarette lighter adapter or battery clips  

Smaller inverters may use cigarette lighter adapters for easier connection but the bigger units must be connected to battery terminals because the power being drawn is usually too much for the electrical wires of the vehicle or boat. The fuse would often blow  
  

Which one should you buy? 

We strongly recommend that you buy an inverter that is bigger than you think you need. This is because you can always run something else at the same time. The sizes range from 200W to 5000W models.
The size you select is governed by the maximum amount of power you need at one time.  

The most important thing to do is to assess what you are likely to power from the inverter and total the amount of watts they require. For example, you wish to power a television, 3 * 60W lights and also have a radio on for the kids while you charge your mobile phone:  

  
The absolute minimum need to do the job is 270W. I would strongly recommend buying the 600W unit as there will always be times when you wished you 'd have bought a bigger unit. To find the power needed to run a particular appliance, simply refer to the specification plate on the appliance itself. It should say e.g. 500W. That is the figure you use. If it only has the amperage for instance 2 Amps, then multiply that figure by the voltage of 240 as follows Watts = Amps x Volts = 2 x 240 = 480 Watts.(call it 500W)  

Some products have a startup or surge power required. Often they are products with motors. For example, it may need  500W to run the product but need 700W to start it initially. In that case, the 700W is the figure to count.  

A rough guide to consumption is seen on the home page  

How long can I run the inverter on my battery?   

Batteries are specified normally in amp-hours. Hypothetically, you can estimate the battery life as follows using a the above example of 270W of products.   

Number of Watts need  = 270W   

Amp-hours consumed    = Watts/20 (Rule of thumb in Conventional voltage)   
                                         = 270/20   
                                         = 13.5 amp-hours   

If you may a 200Amp-hour battery, it would operate those appliances for about 14 hours.
Now, the point to remember here is that no one really does that and also they usually have an item such as a solar panel charging the battery or may run the vehicle or boat while using some or all of the appliances.
Naturally, the solar panels are the way to go, charging the battery (hopefully the auxillary in a dual battery system) during the day for usage in the evening.   

We recommend you  have a battery big enough ( at least 200 amp-hours) so you can run what items you need without killing the battery.   

Sine Wave

Modified Sine Wave inverters are the standard. There is also Pure Sine Wave inverters which are more suited for delicate electrical or electronic items such as stereos &  computers. If you really wish to use those items often with the inverter, then choose a Pure Sine Wave inverter. If you mostly wish to run lights,TV's etc, a Modified Sine Wave inverter is fine for your needs. The difference between them is the Pure Sine wave inverter produces a slightly better and cleaner current. They are also much more expensive.