Thread: Power draw from inverter?

i think someone posted that there inverter (larger than 180w if i remember right) drew almost 3 amps with nothing connected to it. thats enough to kill your battery relatively quickly. look around though, that info is definately around here somwhere.

Originally Posted by DeadlyAP1

I was wondering if anyone knows approximatly how much if any power is consumed by a 180w inverter when nothing is running off of it. Also, how much is then drawn from the same inverter when there is a computer in standby hooked up to it.

The reason I need this info is that I am in between PCs in my car right now but I have a desktop which I am going to use to run the car stuff for the interim. With my old setup using a M1ATX, I could leave the PC in standby for days with no starting issues afterward. I am just wondering if I will have any problems because of the inverter wasting power which I have no idea if it even does to begin with. Thanks in advance.

Easy answer: It will likely discharge your battery in short order. How long? Try it. (...and I don't mean to be trite, but that's the easiest, quickest, most accurate way to find out...if you have the time to do so/can jump the car once it won't start). My guess would be less than 24 hours, and probably less than 12 hours, but not likely less than three hours.

Other answer: Measure it. Get a multimeter that can measure DC current, hook it inline with the positive power lead, and turn the inverter on. You can get a digital multimeter at AutoZone for about $14 that will allow you to do this.

...and one more answer: do neither of the above, and guesstimate from others' experiences here on the forums. But since experience and competence levels vary WIDELY around here, take what you read with a grain of salt. ;-)

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the replies. I think I will just hold on until I get a new PS, probably an M2. I am always in a rush but I think it's better to just wait this time before I get stuck somewhere.