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connecting invertor to 12v battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by seanbcullen, Dec 14, 2011.

  1. seanbcullen

    seanbcullen New Member

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    I'm new to this so please forgive my naivety. I bought a 1200 watt 12V DC to 110V AC invertor. I want to connect it to my 12V battery. It looks straight-forward, but I need to remove disconnect the 12V in order to attach the cables to the invertor, then reconnect them. I will therefore lose 12V power for a minute or two while I make the invertor connections. Is this going to cause me any problems?

    My intended use is as a backup generator when the power goes out, and I just want to test it.
    Thanks in advance for any help.
    Sean
     
    #1 seanbcullen, Dec 14, 2011
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    The main consequences of a 12V disconnect are losing stereo presets, current mpg, and the driver's side power window needs to be reset -- roll down halfway, then roll up and hold for a couple seconds. You could use a maintainer of some time on the front jump point while you do this, like another 12V battery, as if you were trying to jump-start the car.
     
    #2 seilerts, Dec 14, 2011
    2 people like this.
  3. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    A minor suggestion: I got an Anderson Powerpole connector and wired one side to the battery, the other to my inverter. I cut a hole in the trunk liner for the plug to go through and now I can plug the inverter in and out without tools or fuss.
     
    #3 kenmce, Dec 16, 2011
  4. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    I wouldn't make a permanent connection to the 12V battery without first knowing (or testing) the standby drain current of the inverter.
     
    #4 uart, Dec 17, 2011
  5. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    A pluggable connection will take that right down to zero.
     
    #5 kenmce, Dec 18, 2011
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