Subject: Inverters, 3 of 5



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(3583)   Mon 29 Jul 91 12:50                             
By: Don Kulha
To: all

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We leave it on all the time, ready for instant service. We have 
yet to use an appliance that will not accept its modified sine 
wave power. The inverter is fully protected against overloading. 
It even contains a circuit that prevents overdischarging of the 
batteries. The output power of the Trace inverter is very clean, 
far cleaner and more dependable than commercially produced 
electricity. These inverters are also available with built-in 
battery chargers. The battery charger senses when you have turned 
on the AC powerplant and recharges the batteries. It also 
automatically transfers the household to generator produced 
power, and returns the household to inverter power when the 
motorized powerplant stops.  cost of modified sine wave inverters 
is about $1.00 to $1.50 per watt. This type of inverter is 
available with output wattages between 300 and 25,000 watts. In 
most cases, the inverter is capable of surge wattages about 3 
times its rated output wattage. Many of the larger modified sine 
wave inverters have outputs of both 120 and 240 volts AC. This 
surge capability is very important when powering large motor 
driven appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and 
deep well pumps. Sine Wave Inverters The sine wave inverter 
exactly duplicates the sinusoidal waveform of commercially 
produced power. It accomplishes this at the expensive of 
efficiency. The sine wave inverter is necessary only for very 
delicate electronics. These inverters are usually sold to 
hospitals, airports, and government installations. They are the 
only ones who can afford to buy them and run them. Efficiency for 
sine wave inverters is less than 60% at optimum loading. At light 
and heavy loads the efficiency drops to less than 30%. These 
inverters are expensive, around $2.50 per watt. The sine wave 
inverter is not suitable for homestead power, it is too expensive 
and inefficient. Inverter Sizing Modern power inverters are 
available in many sizes. The process of determining the right 
size for a particular homestead can be confusing.       The process 
is 
really simple-- just make a survey of all the appliances you wish 
to run from inverter supplied power. List each appliance, its 
rated wattage, and the number of hours per day that the appliance 
will be operational. It is best to allow each person in the 
household the usage of a light-- one person,one light. We seem to 
average about five hours of lighting per day. If this estimation 
process is to be effective all appliances must be included, be 
realistic. Be sure to allow some margin for future expansion. 

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