|
|
|
Inverter?
- Thread starter nobbie48
- Start date
The beaver dam behind my place has more than a meter of head can I turn it into a hydro dam?
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
Trials
Well-known member
Does it have a decent flow rate of water through it, then yes.
... something in the realm of 100 litres per second will net you about 800watts
Last edited:
About 20 feet wide by 4 feet deep
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
I've installed all kinds of champions from 8kw to 12 to 14.4.
Not a single one of my customers regrets it.
Nobody "needs" it. But man when the time comes you will be glad to have it.
I've installed all kinds of champions from 8kw to 12 to 14.4.
Not a single one of my customers regrets it.
Nobody "needs" it. But man when the time comes it sure comes in handy.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
The 'car generator' idea isn't a bad one. You can do the same by purchasing a good 2k full sine wave inverter that runs off your car for about $400, or about 1/3rd the cost of the "Car Generator".
I think modern high output alternators are kicking out between 25-50 and 50 amps at idle, more than enough to power a the car and a fully loaded 2kw inverter. My 1.4l Chev Cruze runs a 3kw inverter at idle on .5l/hr - my Honda 1KW gennie uses about the same for 1/2 the output.
An inverter type Honda 2200 Inverter gennie could be the same as the car if it was making 500w, at 2kw it would use twice as much fuel as the car.
I think modern high output alternators are kicking out between 25-50 and 50 amps at idle, more than enough to power a the car and a fully loaded 2kw inverter. My 1.4l Chev Cruze runs a 3kw inverter at idle on .5l/hr - my Honda 1KW gennie uses about the same for 1/2 the output.
An inverter type Honda 2200 Inverter gennie could be the same as the car if it was making 500w, at 2kw it would use twice as much fuel as the car.
Your math doesn't work. Assuming that the alternator can put out 50 amps at idle, that is at most 50×14.7=735 watts. From that you subtract what the car needs and some inverter inefficiency and you end up at anything over ~500 watts of constant load is drawing from the battery and you are on borrowed time.
That website is a joke....claiming that an idling car uses less gas than a generator is likely cherry picked with an idling car with no load (not the case once you load down the alternator with an inverter drawing potentially hundreds of amps) compared to an idling inverter generator with no load.
Anyhow, I have a 2000w pure sine inverter. Kept it from our RV when we sold it, wasn't giving them something worth that much when they had zero use for it with their planned usage. I used to have it hooked up to a bank of golf cart batteries in the trailer.
I have used it several times hooked up to my Volt to power the house. The DC to DC inverter will take the power from the high voltage battery and use it to recharge/maintain the small 12v battery in the trunk, which is where I hookup the inverter to. I just rewired it with 2 battery clamps instead of the hardwire setup it was designed for. Works perfect. Will power lots of stuff. Just need to leave the Volt "On" (with the doors locked and all the lights out) to keep the DC to DC system alive to feed amps to the 12v battery to feed the inverter. IIRC it can feed the 12v battery at up to 80A which is enough to maintain a 1500w or so load on the inverter. Most of the time it's under 1000w or less. When the high voltage battery dies the car just starts the engine and tops it up again....wash, rinse, repeat - a 30L tank of gas would probably last 2-3 days running this way.
I haven't yet tried it with the Ioniq, but see no reason it wouldn't work equally as well. If we ever have a big ice storm forecasted I'll have both cars fully charged so there's basically 40kw of stored energy sitting there in the driveway before I'd even need to think about the generator.
Anyhow, all in all, it can work nice. The biggest advantage of an inverter vs generator is simplicity. No second engine that needs maintenance and no potential issues with clogged carburetors etc etc.
Anyhow, I have a 2000w pure sine inverter. Kept it from our RV when we sold it, wasn't giving them something worth that much when they had zero use for it with their planned usage. I used to have it hooked up to a bank of golf cart batteries in the trailer.
I have used it several times hooked up to my Volt to power the house. The DC to DC inverter will take the power from the high voltage battery and use it to recharge/maintain the small 12v battery in the trunk, which is where I hookup the inverter to. I just rewired it with 2 battery clamps instead of the hardwire setup it was designed for. Works perfect. Will power lots of stuff. Just need to leave the Volt "On" (with the doors locked and all the lights out) to keep the DC to DC system alive to feed amps to the 12v battery to feed the inverter. IIRC it can feed the 12v battery at up to 80A which is enough to maintain a 1500w or so load on the inverter. Most of the time it's under 1000w or less. When the high voltage battery dies the car just starts the engine and tops it up again....wash, rinse, repeat - a 30L tank of gas would probably last 2-3 days running this way.
I haven't yet tried it with the Ioniq, but see no reason it wouldn't work equally as well. If we ever have a big ice storm forecasted I'll have both cars fully charged so there's basically 40kw of stored energy sitting there in the driveway before I'd even need to think about the generator.
Anyhow, all in all, it can work nice. The biggest advantage of an inverter vs generator is simplicity. No second engine that needs maintenance and no potential issues with clogged carburetors etc etc.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Yes, true I should have been more specific. Most new cars will pump out at least 50A at idle, that would give you about 500w
The snotty little Denso alternator on my Cruze puts out 170amps at idle (and 270 at 1800rpm) so 180x14.7=2.5kw.
I've had small inverters but my first one was better that the replacements. I used it to occasionally run a 3/8" variable speed drill when battery ones hadn't come to today's standards. The later ones didn't have the same output as the original.
I suspect that as the market grew the quality suffered, MIC? Are the ones above made to more stringent standards or are they just repackaged cheap units. I would want to know if the makers of the little wonders have sourced quality units or are just repackaging the same old junk.
I'm not sure of efficiency but getting 120 volts from 12 volts with a transformer is a 10:1 ratio. Voltage goes up on the secondary as amperage goes up on the primary. 1200 watts at 120 volts is 10 amps. At 12 volts it's 100 amperes. A 1800 Goldwing has IIRC a 90 amp alternator and at 12 volt has a gross output of 1080 watts. Then deduct for the engine requirements, ignition, fans etc. and less than100% efficiency.
I don't think the alternators are meant to run those loads on the long term. A pair of fried alternators would pay for a EU1000. I think of a car alternator as an device that sits out in the open, a few bolts and switch it out. Not so necessarily. Some require tilting the engine adding several hundred dollars.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I like inverters too. I plucked the Kohler gennie from my boat, 350lbs of dead weight gone. Sold it and used the cash for 200A alternators, Quiktifire external rectifiers, and a Xantrex 4KW inverter. Cuts maintenance, lightens the boat and I don't feel the vibe of a thumping Kholer..
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Modern alternators can pump out a lot of juice. Rectifiers are the killer in high load use -- they make a lot of heat -- and since they are bolted to alternators, that heat fries the unit. Simple solution is to add an external heavy duty rectifier ($150), do that and a highly loaded alternator should outlast the engine.
Trials
Well-known member
It doesn't work that way, that water is virtually stationary, water needs to be falling to produce power.
How much water volume is flowing over the dam is what counts.
Trials
Well-known member
Great! if your truck ever needs a new engine you can replace it with a 3000w generator
wait, that won't work
Trials
Well-known member
If your site looks anything like this right now it has potential
somebody started building this one 200 years ago
lol the rocks laying across the bass wood trees is the 20 minute bridge we built to ride motorcycles over
No I have way more water flowing
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
|
|
|
|
|