12v inverter connection, battery drain?

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Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=107114
Printed Date: May 13, 2025 at 4:04 AM

Topic: 12v inverter connection, battery drain?

Posted By: hman567
Subject: 12v inverter connection, battery drain?
Date Posted: August 30, 2008 at 11:03 AM

Hey Ladies and gents,
Newb here, to this forum, So here it goes:
I have a unit in my car that only requires less than 8 watts AC (from a 110V), all the time.
1.       Will this kill my battery if i leave it on without starting my car in 24hrs?
2.       Do i need an inverter for this low wattage?
3.       Do i need to hook up the inverter directly to the battery, or can i hook it up to another red wire in the car (and ground where necessary)?
4.       Other than the cigarette lighter, can i hook up a inverter any where else? (the lighter shuts off when ignition is off?

I don’t know if this helps, but the sensor only requires less that 8 watts (actual specs are 8W/m2 and have a 6”X12” unit) to run.
the specs on the sensor unit is:
“working voltage is 75V-100V alternating current，frequency is 50 Hz”
Any help you can provide on this topic is most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Replies:

Posted By: megaman
Date Posted: August 30, 2008 at 3:32 PM

Yes, you will need an inverter. You will have to find a European inverter as US models run at 110V AC @ 60Hz. Some appliances and electronics can deal with the 50Hz - 60Hz deviation, but since the electronics use the frequency for timing in the circuit, they can be prone to malfunction.

8 watts is very small for a 110v circuit. With a healthy battery you will be able to run it for 24hrs without recharging. However, that time frame is all dependent on how good the battery is, it's condition, and the overall current drawn from it. When you add an inverter there is extra current draw than what it needs to product 8watts. This is tied to the efficiency of the inverter. There is heat loss, extra status LED's, etc. etc. So there is no way to determine, without a doubt, that your battery won't drain.

BTW. If the working voltage is 75V-100V, then a 110V inverter may cause damage to the sensor.

Posted By: hman567
Date Posted: August 30, 2008 at 8:49 PM

hey thank you very much for the help!

I have an amp running in the back of my car, can i hook up the inverter, its a 200 watt model, and hook that up to the connectors on the amp?

Posted By: hman567
Date Posted: September 01, 2008 at 9:20 PM

Buds,

I am a newb, so forgive this simple question.

The positive and negative wiring that runs into my amp, on the terminals, can i wire my power inverter onto these terminals as well, sort of piggy back on it? I just really dont want to run more wiring all the way from my battery again!

Any help on this would be excellent indeed! thanks in advance.