Recommendations for an AC Inverter?

I'm interested in purchasing an AC inverter that will run reliably off my Tacoma's stock alternator, so I can run my power tools for some light duty construction projects on my cabin in the woods. I think my circular saw is probably the most power hungry tool I expect to operate, and that draws about 13amps. So, an inverter that puts out the equivalent of a 15 amp circuit (1800 watts continuous) should be sufficient I would think. I plan to just operate one tool at a time. Does such a thing exist? Or will I need to upgrade the alternator for this level of power, or am I better off just buying a standalone generator?

 

upgrade alternater
upgrade battery bank
fused connection to inerverter

 

Save your cash & headaches and just buy a gasoline generator. And it sounds like you also have no power at your cabin, so you can use the generator at your cabin too!

 

I have a 1500 watts inverter in mine. I have stock alternator, but I do have a big battery. I used 4 gauge cable wires. I put a fuse between the battery and inverter, in case it overloads or something goes wrong.

I've had the same setup on my two other work trucks (F-150s) for years without any problems. I power drills, sawzalls and grinders no problem (one tool at a time). It's only light duty work, though, so if you plan some heavy duty work more than often, you'd better get a generator

You should calculate how much power you need then go with an appropriate-sized inverter and battery (and alternator if needs be). If you at least need 1800w continuous, better go with a 2000w or 2500w. It's always safer to have a bit more than what you need, just in case

 

Is this going to be once and Done??

Maybe you have a full time need for AC power in remote locations ??

Rent or buy a generator it will not be a fuel thirsty as your truck nor add hours of running to your truck engine.

 

I was going to say grab a setup off a 2nd gen in a junk yard if you just wanted the convenience of AC once in awhile, but yeah get a real generator.

 

I ran I inverters off of both my Jeep YJ and Ram 2500. For light duty short duration work they are awesome. For what you are describing light duty and short duration are not what you will be doing. I ran a 1500w unit on the Ram which did just about everything plus the truck has 2 batteries of huge capacity compared to a single much smaller battery in your Tacoma.

I now have a 1000w pure sine wave inverter for my enclosed trailer with a solar setup. I also have a 2000w generator I run when at the racetrack. The inverter is for sensitive electronics like tv etc in the trailer and is for quiet operation at night or if I am stuck inside during a rainstorm. The generator is for my tire warmers, fans and anything during the day that need more power.

Both generators and inverters have their place. Know their place and what they are best suited for and you will be very happy. I am $1500+ in my solar / battery / inverter setup. My Generac 2000w inverter was $500 used (food truck guy used it for less than 5 minutes and realized it wasn’t large enough for him). So bang for the buck generator IMO is the better choice albeit noisier than an inverter which when running a circular saw is a non issue due to noise anyway. Plus with a single Tacoma battery you will need to run the truck pretty much constantly which at idle doesn’t produce much power and then you are idling your truck for hours so there are issues in doing that as well.

I hope I covered all of the bases.

 

Any write ups on your solar system? Asking for a friend...

 

No write ups, no documentation and no desire to do so. The problems with solar setups is they are very expensive in pretty much every case and only make sense for noise concerns or for low draw sporadic applications. I chose solar to eliminate nighttime noise when camping at the racetrack. For this application it works very well. It gets zero draw during the day as I am running my generator for my tire warmers etc. I probably could even get rid of the panels and charge off of the truck power when towing and use the generator for topping off while running anyway during the day. It is a project / hobby at the moment but on a dollar by dollar basis it is expensive and not something I would recommend for most applications.

Now if you have a cabin in the woods with good access to sunlight and keep your draw low it may be a good option and keep your days quiet to enjoy nature. It would charge all the times when you are at home and be ready when you show up to the cottage. Here’s the kicker. There is a LOT of math involved in order to size your setup properly. Plus there is a ton of different technology out there with many different efficiencies. You really need to research research research. When you think you know it all it means you are just starting to understand the basics.

Polycrystalline vs monocrystaline panels.
PWM vs MPPT solar controllers.
BATTERIES and ah rating.
Inverters pure sine wave vs modified sine wave.

Those are just the start of the basis you NEED to understand. My first solar controller was $30 vs the $300 or so one I have now. Until you understand the technology how can you know if you need the cheap stuff or need to spend 10X for the better one? Not every application needs the most expensive technology. That said by investing more in one component you might be able to get away with less on other components for YOUR PARTICULAR APPLICATION. So start googling and then read. Google again and read. Then look at the bottom of your wallet and read some more. Then find a few online calculators and size your system properly. Make sure you are ACCURATE or else IF you have to expand or size up your system you may already be at capacity of certain components. This may mean you have to abandon your controller and upsize which is very expensive. On the flip side you can oversize your system and spend a ton in places where it isn’t needed.

I have already ditched my original controller. I am debating upsizing my panel capacity from 200w to 400w or doubling my battery bank size which is already at 300ah. Increasing battery bank size just costs money. Increasing panel capacity I am capped at 500w but I planned for this possibility when I first upgraded my controller.

 

Yeah, gotta do the math on your needs and how to make it work out there where there's no electricity and power tools have to be ran constantly. You can think about cordless power tools but you'll need extended batteries, spare extended batteries as well, in conjunction with a self built tesla powerwall and solar panel setup.

 

I have 2 Trojan T-105 6v batteries (225 ah ) permanently mounted in my truck bed, and 200w of solar panels mounted on my roof. The system runs a DC fridge 24/7 in my bed with room to spare and with zero intervention. I have a 600w sinewave inverter that I use for other stuff, TV, charging cordless tool batteries, air compressor... The 200w (about 10amps) charges 225ah sufficiently, but it's on the low side. I don't have any more room for more panels though, so it is what it is. If I'm parked in the driveway or a campground, I charge the batteries with an IOTA DLS-55 with a 4 stage IQ4 module. It will charge the batteries in less than 8 hours.

Unless you have a massive battery bank, a massive inverter is a waste of money. And a charging system for a huge battery bank is also expensive. I'm also of the opinion that a pure sine wave inverter is not always a great use of funds. Most stuff will run fine off of modified sine wave. TVs and most electronic devices have AC-DC converters built into them, so they don't care whether they get sine or square wave input. Motors are a different story. Square wave will heat motors up quick. If you need to run big stuff at more than 15a, it's easier and cheaper in the long run to use a generator. If you're only going to need power occasionally, harbor freight has some reasonably priced smaller units that are cheaper and less complex than solar/battery setups.

I'd also recommend converting your generator to propane (motorsnorkle, and other kits). Storing/transporting LPG is much easier and more convenient than gas cans. It's also better for your carburetor.

 

Thanks to all for spending your time typing and sharing info and experiences. I learned a lot of new stuff just reading this thread. I've been curious about real world experiences on those nicer power inverters. I've also been curious about the solar stuff and homie above did a good job 'splaining it.

 

I've built a few cabins far from civilization and have used both inverters and generators to get the job done. Your best bet is to get a real generator. When it runs out of gas unexpectedly you can hop in your truck to get more. When your vehicle runs out you're just screwed. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way on a mountaintop in eastern WA, 20 miles from a gas station.

 

General rule of thumb when you're working out in the boonies is to NOT use your main mode of transportation as your method of producing power.

As has been said, you get an electrical short, run out of gas, etc... in your *truck*, and you're walking back. No bueno.

People do on-board electric systems generally to power the stuff ON their vehicle, like lights. Any sort of system that's used to power tools, toys, etc... should really be independent of the operation of the engine - like an air system for air tools, or a dual battery setup to run extra lights etc.... If that breaks, engine still runs.

By the time you've upgraded the entire electrical system in your truck to handle the load, you've spent as much as a decent used generator.

Just get a genny.