Date:         Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:59:23 -0400
Reply-To:     W Monk <billmonk@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         W Monk <billmonk@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Inverters
Comments: To: Michael Sullivan <sandwichhead@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <eccfedcc0910271600m438f2e91nabc345302080a744@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

The Marine version I purchased at Boaters World has an on and off switch
installed on it. Plus it has a place to plug in a remote status indicator.
My friend an electronics wiz that instead of me purchasing the remote lead
from them made one up. Its a single LED that
is off when unit is off,green for on,red trouble with unit (to hot,battery
is below a certain level ,you can switch this alarm off with a switch on the
invertor. When you disable the alarm on the intertor you also disable it to
trigger the led to turn red,overload or what ever).
I would imagine that they would always draw power if left on. They do
consume quite a bit of power in use and I imagine a healthy draw when even
left idle. Does your invertor(s)have
a on/off switch that you could use?If not I would wire one in.

B

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 7:00 PM, Michael Sullivan <sandwichhead@gmail.com>wrote:

> I'd be interested to know the kind of inverters used. I would think cheaper
> ones would drain like a wall wart.
> Michael in San Antonio
> 91GL AT 'Gringo'
> 73 Beetle
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 5:47 PM, Arkady Mirvis <arkmirvis@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Fellow listees,
> >
> > Let me warn you about inverters. I have 2 installed in my Westy: 12 to
> 120
> > volts (400 watts) and 12 to 220 volts (200 watts). The reason I installed
> > the former one was to use the new type of efficient made by Philips bulb
> > consuming 11 watts and giving off same amount of lite as the old type 100
> > watts bulb. Four weeks ago I left the 12/120 inverter ON without any
> load.
> > Four days later my two batteries were almost totally discharged! I
> charged
> > the batteries and for 2 weeks did not drive Westy. The voltage was .7
> less
> > than after charging.  Connected the inverter again with no load on it and
> in
> > 4 four days the batteries were discharged again. Charged the batteries,
> > connected 12/220 inverter and in 5 days the batteries were discharged to
> the
> > point that the starter hardly acted.
> > Please share with me if anyone had such experience. Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Ark.
> >
>