This inverter is one that Steven Harris of Solar1234.com recommends as being a viable option for powering a refrigerator if the power goes out. And, to be honest, that’s the sole reason why I choose to purchase it as I have no other major appliance that I feel MUST be powered during a grid-down situation. That said, I could have procured a larger inverter to power more appliances but I figured I should take Mr. Harris’ word for it and not get greedy. Likewise, he also stated that 800 watts is about the right power output you need from an inverter in order to operate most refrigerators and freezers. In other words, a much smaller 200 watt inverter isn’t going to cut while a larger one is probably wasted money.
So, about THIS inverter. It couldn’t be much simpler to operate. Just connect the two provided cables (a positive and negative) to the screw-in terminals on the inverter and then clamp the other ends to your vehicle battery (or any 12-volt source for that matter) just like you would a set of jumper cables. I did notice that the clamps did not provide as firm of a connection as I’m accustomed to with typical jumper cables but they stayed well enough to get the job done… just don’t breathe too heavy around them.
Before reading the instructions, I choose to connect everything as I suspected it should be, plug in the refrigerator, start the engine, and voila… nothing! I got red lights, lots of beeping, and no power. What’s up with that? I didn’t know what was wrong but I decided to try again, this time with the engine off and everything worked like a charm.
Only then did I choose to crack open the manual but didn’t read anything that said I did something emphatically wrong. In fact, the manual says I should start the car about every hour and run for ten minutes and that it’s ok to keep the inverter connected. Anyway, I let the inverter power my refrigerator (it was a 10 cubic foot unit) for about an hour, occasionally checking that nothing was on fire or seemed excessively hot. I started the car and ran into the same problem. So, I disconnected the inverter, charged the battery for roughly 10 minutes, turned off the engine, and then let the inverter run for a while longer like I did the first time.
I did notice that over time the inverter’s fan would kick on more and more but I really had to pay attention because it was fairly quiet. Granted, if I had the unit mounted inside the vehicle’s cab then maybe it would have been more noticeable.
I also occasionally checked my car battery’s voltage as I was concerned that relying on the inverter to tell me when it needed charged was asking for trouble since the owner’s manual stated that the inverter would shut off when the battery voltage reached 10.5 volts which is what I always considered a “dead” battery. Happily, however, my battery never reached that point even though it seemed the refrigerator that was connected to it ran continuously… but probably did not.
What else to know?
Well, the inverter has two A/C plugs and a USB slot. I’m not sure if I could power two refrigerators at one time (or maybe a refrigerator and a freezer) but I wasn’t going to press my luck this time. I did also notice that the owner’s manual stated I should NOT use extension cords longer than 50 feet, which mine assuredly was longer than that. I didn’t seem to have any problems doing so, however.
Again, I didn’t try to power anything else like a television and certainly not a hair dryer or coffee maker (they use way too much power) for this inverter. Overall, I would say I’m pleased with the unit. It does what’s expected and didn’t cause me much trouble other than my own mistake. I can, however, understand why Steven Harris prefers the Duracell 800 Watt Inverter as it includes a built-in voltage display which would make monitoring my battery’s health a lot easier. The problem is that it can be difficult to acquire.
Like I said, as for this particular Whistler 800 Watt Inverter, I can say I recommend it just fine.
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