Is the inverter active even when it is charging? I.e., can I use it just as an inverter while driving?
888368
I can't see why not either. While driving, this gadget and the car's battery are both being charged by the car's system, which has many times the necessary output to run everything all by itself. You wouldn't want to use the inverter when you were charging the battery from the wall charger, but there's no reason to try that in the first place.
1778533
Mine stays plugged in with no problems. I do not believe there is any significant power draw unless something is connected to it and is continuously drawing from the invertor. Then that depends on the rating of the vehicle battery rating or reserve capacity and the load drawn from the invertor, up to 120 watts.
452591
specs for the unit say .6A no load (standby) current draw so eventually it would pull battery dead if you did not have any charging on your battery bank, probably not a bad idea if leaving un-attended for long periods to have a battery disconnect for the inverter so you don't have some glitch that would allow inverter to possibly short and start a fire.
1269796
I don't know - as I understand it, connections are made directly to the battery to keep it at full power. If your battery supplies power to the inverter then I'd suppose you have power at the inverter. A direct connection to the inverter??? If you find that it works I'd like to know. good luck.
806710
I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned out! I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned... » Read More I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned out! « Show Less
1400038
something to consider, while I have never pushed the limits of this inverter, it is rated for peak performance of 1600 watts. If you only have the drill running for short periods of time and your battery can handle the drain there should be no problem. I would recommend leaving the vehicle running unless you have a battery that's quite large and make sure the vents on the inverter aren't blocked and it's in a relatively cool environment... If that drill is going to be running 1 minute out of every 10 I think this'll do you fine, much more than that and youll start to see heat buildup faster than it can be cooled. something to consider, while I have never pushed the limits of this inverter, it is rated for peak performance of 1600 watts. If you only have the drill running for short periods of time and your battery can handle the drain there should be no problem. I would recommend leaving the vehicle running unless you have a battery that's quite large and make sure the vents on the inverter aren't blocked and it's in a relatively cool environment... If that drill is going to be running 1 minute out of every 10 I think this'll do you fine, much more than that and youll start to see heat buildup faster... » Read More something to consider, while I have never pushed the limits of this inverter, it is rated for peak performance of 1600 watts. If you only have the drill running for short periods of time and your battery can handle the drain there should be no problem. I would recommend leaving the vehicle running unless you have a battery that's quite large and make sure the vents on the inverter aren't blocked and it's in a relatively cool environment... If that drill is going to be running 1 minute out of every 10 I think this'll do you fine, much more than that and youll start to see heat buildup faster than it can be cooled. « Show Less
2250810
I had my batteries charged while the inverter was hooked up but it was not turned on while it was charging it didn't cause any damage to my inverter
1528835
Yes, from the law of conservation of energy (physics) it's clear that you can't get energy/power for nothing so if you're using this inverter it is drawing power from somewhere (your car battery). However, the car's battery is constantly re-charged when the engine is running so your battery shouldn't run out if you're driving while using the inverter. Also, how fast the battery drains depends on what you have plugged into the inverter. If you're just charging a phone, little power is used as compared to having a hair dryer plugged into it. So, long story short -- don't charge or run high-power devices for long periods of time with this (or any) inverter while your car is turned off because that will quickly drain your battery. If you're driving, you should be fine but your gas mileage will probably go down (conservation of energy again, your car has to get energy from somewhere to be able to recharge your battery -- it gets this energy from gasoline). Hope this helps, sorry for the in-depth info -- I'm an electrical engineer and haven't had a change to 'nerd out' yet today :-)
1456103
yes it can be used while it is charging, if it is on and synced before you plug it in to charge, then you will have to turn it on and re-sync after you plug it in, As pluging it in to power will turn it off. But once it is charging and the power is on and it is synced it will work fine and charge at the same time.
503192
It must be plugged in to work. It is an inverter, not a portable power pack.
195721
The Product Description clearly states that it IS intended for automotive use! You DO NOT need an inverter; the unit runs on auto voltage; it has a power adapter which takes the 120 AC [house current] down to 9 to 14.4 DC. Just throw away the power adapter which comes with it and wire it directly to your vehicle (12-14 DC).
906460
Yes, But you will have to periodically keep re-charging that Marine battery! Hooked up and turned on means the Inverter is pulling a bit of current even when nothing is plugged into it, To not use up the battery you need to just turn it on when needed. Make sure you put fuses from the battery to the inverter also!
862056
No, i never try. I always have a load on it, and if I turn things off it goes to a standby or power save mode automatically.My inverter have been running for more then 2 years now. With no problems so for.
1673710
It shouldn't cause problems. The inverter would only see the voltage from the charger not the current.
979283
I would car charge while driving only. That way you will not waste gas. Ues the solar panel when not driving and alternate when needed. Remember the point is to have backup power. Always try to keep it charged and plugged in. Just be resourceful about it. If you have to use your car then make sure it is running. You will drain your car battery quickly if not running.
189159
This was a major question for me before I bought the inverter. The unit does not have a power switch, and the instruction booklet specifies that when no AC load is connected, battery drain is less than .4 A. I was using the inverter in a fire lookout with solar electric power. The solar regulator had a display that include source and load amperage at the .1 level, and I did several types of testing to see whether there was any apparent drain with no load. I never saw any current from the batteries indicated unless I had something charging. I used a Surface tablet PC, often for hours a day, and charge my camera batteries repeatedly. The inverter performed like a champ the whole time. I hope that answers your question. In case you're interested, the published conversion efficiency (12 VDC -&gt; 110 VAC) is 85%. That's impressive!
1676555
Yes. You can use it and charge it at the same time. I leave mine on charge in my auto continuously while I am driving. Works well that way. I never have to touch it.