Quote:
Originally Posted by Rev.Vassago
It's called a power inverter. It converts 12v to 120v. A cheap, underpowered one can cost under $100. They can go upwards of a few thousand dollars for a really good one. The ones that are available at truckstops are usually junk.
If you are going to get one, I suggest a "pure sine wave", as it puts out cleaner power (some appliances won't run on anything but pure sine wave), and a MINIMUM of 1000 watts.
If you are a company driver, make sure your employer allows them, and they may want to do the installation themselves. An improperly installed inverter is a fire waiting to happen.
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A quality inverter will run $100-250 depending on the size. The cheapie $20-40 ones that plug into the 12V outlet are only good for phone chargers or a smaller laptop.
The "Mayan Temple" Modified sine put out by cheap inverters can destroy certain appliances like laser printers. You can also get strange behavior like clocks running fast from the frequency being off.
They can also allow the voltage to lag, increasing current and starting fires in the appliance being powered. This is more in the context of a off grid house with larger loads that a Truck/RV context. Due to this you can no longer get a UL or ETL modsine inverter.
If you install a larger inverter make sure it has a low voltage shutoff, otherwise you can run your battery bank down and be unable to start the tractor.