We buy an inverter - what to pay attention to?

Inverters are devices that allow you to convert the current from the battery (12 V or 24 V) to that flowing from a household socket (230 V). It is obvious that this type of device will work in a motorhome or caravan. But it can be useful even in an "ordinary" passenger car.

Since having an inverter makes sense, maybe it is enough to go to the store and simply buy such a device? Actually, yes, but it is worth taking into account that, for example, Waeco - the most popular brand in Poland offering equipment for tourist vehicles - has ... 16 models in its offer. So how do you make the right choice?

A brush more demanding than a toaster

It is best to make the decision dependent on what devices you intend to use on board the car. This means that before we buy an inverter, we should know in advance what equipment we will connect to it. This is important because the most important is the division into inverters providing pure sinusoidal voltage and modified sinusoidal voltage . The former is exactly like a home socket, so we can connect any device that needs 230V to it. Such inverters, however, are more expensive. An alternative are voltage-modified inverters, which are sufficient for a large number of devices, even high-power ones.

The modified sinusoidal voltage should be enough to power a flow-through coffee machine, toaster, kettle, drill or vacuum cleaner. But an electric toothbrush, laptop, microwave oven or capsule coffee machine will require “clean” voltage. So if we have doubts how our devices will perform, choosing an inverter with pure sinusoidal voltage will be safer .

A lot of power is not always needed

The second important parameter concerns power. In the most powerful inverters, the permissible maximum (peak) power of the connected devices can be up to 6000 W (constant power is 3500 W). The weakest ones will be able to "handle" the power of 200-300 W (constant power - 100-150 W). However, even this amount is enough to charge a mobile phone, connect a TV or DVD player.

Also important is the network priority switching function . A special circuit allows an automatic change from the inverter alternating voltage to the external network as soon as it appears. This means that when external power is available, the inverter will switch off immediately without unnecessary load on the battery. Such functions are found in high-power Waeco Perfect Power inverters. Additionally, two Waeco 2300/3500 inverters are equipped with a CAN bus interface . As a result, up to three inverters can be connected to each other and thus handle three times more power.

An "all capable" inverter

Our attention in the Waeco offer was particularly caught by two inverters with extremely different poles. The first of them is the CombiPower model - a real "combine", which not only functions as a 2000 W inverter (and as much as 3000 W in the peak phase), but is also a charger and a UPS device (sustaining voltage when power is temporarily unavailable). Additionally, thanks to the PSF function , the device can draw power simultaneously from two sources. If the mains current is insufficient, it can be topped up with battery current. Along with the inverter, a remote control panel can be installed, which will facilitate the operation of the device.

Pocket inverter

PocketPower LC is also an extremely interesting solution, which can even be recommended for a passenger car. This small inverter is connected to the cigarette lighter on one side, and on the other side, for example, a telephone (via the USB socket). The second output, supporting up to 400 types of laptops, allows you to connect a computer. The power that this inverter is able to process is not large, because it is 90 W, but the laptop and the phone do not need much.

It is worth mentioning that there is also the PocketPower SI 102 model, which also plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, but on the other hand has a traditional 230 V socket . It supports devices with a power of up to 100 W (peak power is 200 W).

Undoubtedly, everyone should find an inverter tailored to their needs in Waeco's offer.

The entire range of WAECO inverters and chargers is available at www.my-caravanning.com/pl