How Do Electrical Appliances Draw Electricity from Power Inverters?

Power inverters provide mobile power solutions for people who need to use electrical appliances and power tools on the go. These devices are perfect camping or boating companions because they are lightweight, easy to store, and do not produce smoke or loud noises.

                                       

Take note, however, that inverters do not create or generate their own power, like conventional power generators do. They simply convert DC power from a power source into usable AC electricity. As such, to use an inverter properly, the first thing you need to do is connect it to a stable DC power source, like your car’s battery or a solar PV system, and then plug in the appliance that you want to use.

3 ways appliances draw power from an inverter

Now, let’s get to the other side of the inverter connection. Appliances draw power from inverters differently. They can be split into three groups depending on the way they draw current from a power source. These groups are: resistive, inductive, and capacitive loads.

1. Resistive loads. When you use a vehicle inverter, you will notice that appliances with resistive loads always draw a constant power in watts from your power supply. For example, a 60-watt lighting globe will always draw 60 watts from your car’s battery at all times. Because of this, resistive loads are the easiest appliances for an inverter to run.

2. Inductive loads. Inductive loads are mostly appliances or tools with an electric motor. A good example of them are refrigerators, air conditioners, water pumps, and air compressors. Unlike resistive loads, inductive loads require more power to start them up. But once they are running, they usually draw a lower and more constant power for the rest of their operation.

If you’re going to use an inverter to operate a household appliance with inductive load, make sure that its surge or peak power rating is suitable for the latter. For example, let’s say you have a 500-watt water pump. Make sure that you get a 2000w inverter with a peak power rating of 4000 watts so you can start the device.

Here’s an example computation that can help you in choosing what inverters will workyou’re your appliance.

Appliance: water pump

Voltage: 500w

Starting Power: 3-7 times

a. 500w (appliance voltage) x 3 (starting power) = 1500w Peak Power of appropriate inverters

          This shows that 1500w Inverters will work for your appliance because this inverter has a peak power of 3000w.

b. 500w (appliance voltage) x 7 (starting power) = 3500w Peak Power of appropriate inverters

          This shows 2000w Inverters will work for your appliance because this inverter has a peak power of 4000w.

3. Capacitive loads. Like inductive loads, capacitive loads require a huge amount of power when starting up. However, the difference between the two is that capacitive loads need large surge current to start only when they haven’t been used for quite some time.

So how can you tell if an electrical appliance has capacitive load? If an appliance has a large capacitor in their power supply that must be charged immediately when it is switched on, then that appliance has capacitive load. Examples include televisions, computer monitors, and power amplifiers.

Do you need a 12v inverter for your upcoming trip? Then visit us at Elinz Electronics. We offer a wide range of quality inverters with different sizes and wattages.