Power inverters, you may be exclaiming, are miraculous existence in the modern world. Power inverters do become an emancipator for most people who has a car and those who can’t live without electronics like smart phones, tablets, games, etc. You can’t imagine how strong the energy a power inverter has when there’s multiple charging requirements from a couple of friends and when a power failure occurs so suddenly that you just want to hit the wall because you’re going to lose a game that is likely to win. Go out with a portable power inverter can ensure you endless pleasures.

Of course we should thanks to the advanced technology of power inverters. A power inverter designed with both household AC outlets and smart USB charging stations are really functional to allow you power multiple devices and even appliances in car, so it is nothing difficult for you to go camping, pick nick, traveling, etc. While most people are indulged into the happy moments to the extent that neglect whether you’re using it correctly or incorrectly.

Recently, car power inverter markets are emerging endlessly, including new brand and famous global brand like BESTEK and Foval. Though there are wide ranges of power inverter options, it is not easy to tell whether the one you’re going to buy is certainly a high quality power inverter. Even though you’re lucky to choose a cost-effective power inverter, it is also possible to use it in a wrong way with misunderstandings about it. Here we’ll introduce several common misuse and possible issues of power inverters.

Misuse: are you trapped in?

1.    Use the power inverter to charge high power appliances.
Power inverters usually have household AC outlets. Some people may feel free to use it charge high power appliances in car when going out. While you should know that every power inverter has a rated power and a peak of current. You should charge appliances within its rated power or it may cause dangers, the occurrence of overloading, fuse blowing and electric fire. You may notice that at the bottom of the BESTEK power inverter description, noting that “please understand device wattage usage caution! Don’t use high power electric devices such as hair dryers, electric heaters, curling irons, etc.” like BESTEK 300W power inverter, you can charge appliances with less than 300W and you also need to remember that battery clips are needed when the appliances are over 150W.

2.    Use it when the car is stopped
A power inverter can be used in car, but it works well on condition that the car is running. You may be confused. But it is related to ventilation question that is easy to be neglected. When a power inverter contentious to work for a long time, you can feel a high temperature of its surface. This is a warning that you should keep it working in a ventilation environment without being exposed to the sun. So the safest way is to use it when the car is running so that the car cooling fan can guarantee enough wind to cool down the high temperature.

3.    Plug the power inverter into the cigarette lighter socket first, then plug your electronics
You may think that nothing matters to first plug the power inverter or first plug charging devices. In fact, a right using order is rather important as well. When you have devices needing to charge, you must firstly plug the electronic devices into the power inverter, and then plug the power inverter to the cigarette lighter socket. If you disrupt the sequence, it is easy to result in electronic shock inside the power inverter through the current. This danger may occur even though you have turned off the power switch.

4.    Tough the power inverter with a wet hand
Just like treating other electrical equipment, you need to avoid touching the power inverter after you wash your hand or getting wet in the rain. You can’t put it in or close to the water source. If you touch it with a wet hand, you may get an electronic shock. If your devices are fully charged, remember to cut off the connection between a power inverter and power supply source.

Common questions about power inverter: ever wondered these questions before?

1.    How does a power inverter work?

Answer: The power inverter changes the input direct current 12V in the car via MOS pipeline into the high frequency alternating current and then improve the voltage to 100-240V by transformer, after that, the fast recovery diode inside will rectify it to DC again, at last, the current will be modified into the requested voltage and frequency alternating current.

2.    Will it be a problem if the output of my power inverter’s volt is a little lower than the required voltage?

Answer: It depends on what kind of machine you are using. Typically, 10% lower/higher will be fine, and most of them support 90V to 260V input. And for some appliances 10% lower volt input will influence the performance.

3.    If I have a 12V power inverter, can I use it in 24V car?

Answer: No, if the input volt is not corresponded, the inverter cannot work properly, however, wrong volt input won’t damage appliances you attached on the inverter.

4.    I have a 300W power inverter, can I plug it into my car cigarette holder? Someone says that it will blew the fuse if the power inverter is over 200W, is that right?

Answer: Normally, we can use 200W or below directly in car plug. If you need to use 300W or above, please modify the connecting cable and the fuse in the car, or you can connect the power inverter to the car battery directly by the cable and clips. But please also notice that, it should not be more than 400W. Sure, if you connect 1000W inverter to the car, but in fact the appliance you used is only 70W, there will be no problem. It means that it depends on the watts of device you want to connect not the power inverter. Normally, the car cigarette holder outputs 12-15A current which means it can support device of 150W-200W at most.

5.    Can I use the power inverter after I turn off my car? How long can it last?

Answer: As mentioned, you’d better use it when your car is running, or it will run out your car battery so that you cannot turn on your car. Normally, car battery offers 65-70A current and the voltage of the car battery is 12V. The longest time that the battery can support a car power inverter is Time= 70A*12V/ W. For example, if you turn off your car, and then connect the 300W power inverter to the car plug or battery, T=70A*12V/ 300W, your car battery will be run out after 2.8 h and your car cannot be turned on if you don’t have a jump starter.

To sum up: what you’ve learnt?

Now you can know that although power inverters are helpful in car, there are many questions you need to take notice. If you’ve taken into the 4 or more misuses, thanks to god that there is no damages to you so far, but please start to learn more knowledge of power inverters and use your car inverter correctly.

Get joy in a safe way!