Hi. I have a 5000 watt inverter in my truck. The alternator in the truck is a 150? amp alternator. I also have 3 deep cycle batteries (about 150 ah each) to run the inverter. Is this overkill for my alternator or batteries or is this an acceptable setup to use this inverter moderate to low usage (a couple hours a day)?
Electronics - Others - Inverter - Aims Pure Sine Wave Power 2000/5000w
Answers & Comments
A 5000 wat inverter is very large. Your alternator could not supply it alone without the batteries. The moderate to low usage is the key. Calculate the wattage of the load you want to connect. Depending on what else you're doing with the truck, lights, heater, air condition etc, you could probably draw somewhere between 1,0000-1500 watts on that alternator. Rember even if your alternator is rated for 150amps (large alt) it is not a 100% duty cycle. Alternators are usually around 50% duty cycle, so figure about 75amps continuous, or around 900 watts. That's considerably less than your 5,000 watt inverter. Buy a generator.