Inverter question

I dont know much about this topic so asking the more experienced at IDO. I’m getting more into ice camping and I’d like to have the option to watch sports and or stream the occasional TV show for those long weekends I camp out on the ice. There are several options to consider. Could get an iPad, generator, projector…

As I pondered some of these options I looked over at my 2 trolling motor batteries that sit in my house all winter on the battery tender doing nothing.

If I got an inverter how long do you think one of these batteries would power a small LED TV? They are 27DCM batteries from napa. They do not list any amp hours on them. Would I need any particular type of converter? I see some are designed more for RVs and some more for smaller applications. I also see some talk about having things like more surge protection ect…

If I could make use of these batteries may as well instead of investing in some of the other expensive options

I do exactly that on my group 29 deep cycle. Lasts 2 nights on the ice. Runs a projector chargers and some times a pizza oven. I don’t run it in the day usually just when I’m being lazy.

Definitely an option to use your batteries. They’re probably in the 75ah range (each). You don’t want to draw it down too far, so figure on using half of that 75ah.

You could buy a 12v TV to be the most efficient, or hook up an inverter (they add a fair amount of draw).

In my personal experience you’ll easily get 5-6 hours of use on one battery (depending on TV size and accessories while using an inverter) without draining it down too far.

If you’re pulling 5 amps (more than you’ll probably be pulling) for 6 hours it would be less than half your battery capacity. Any cheapo inverter in the 400-750 watt range would work.

As for running a pizza oven?? Dang Bearcat lol

Pizza oven is not suggested. Lol, we cooked 1 and a half puzzas on one of the circular pizza makers and it killed the battery

Side note: Anyone know how to “bypass” the low battery voltage auto protect on an inverter? I get why it’s there but I think it drops out at too high a battery voltage and I want to push it lower. (Ie in the middle of a pod coffee brew it shuts me down at 10.5v and dam it I want that coffee!)
I am using a Bestek 1000W inverter.

WishIwasWiser wrote:

Side note: Anyone know how to “bypass” the low battery voltage auto protect on an inverter? I get why it’s there but I think it drops out at too high a battery voltage and I want to push it lower. (Ie in the middle of a pod coffee brew it shuts me down at 10.5v and dam it I want that coffee!)
I am using a Bestek 1000W inverter.

10.5v is considered about 100% discharged. You’re killing your battery fast running that low.

You would do better to get a 12v tv. Much more efficient. Inverters going from 12v to 120v are fairly inefficient.

we avoid running our generator if we can. run the heat off one group 27 battery and tv off a group 24. we opted for the 32″ LED 120volt tv and blueray player and a 300watt inverter running off a group 24 battery. Can easily get a weekend out of it.
I briefly looked at 12 volt tvs and if I remember right, they cost more, you can get a use 32″ tv cheap, hell even new ones now days are around $100

I have run an anazon xantrex 1000w with one costco deep cycle in my house for years. Works to run a 32″ TV, charge things, and run 12v fans and lights for long weekends just fine.

If you want to run fancy electronics you might need a “pure sine” inverter. It is the same as generators – the super cheap ones might not run what you want.

A good inverter and small 120v TV will last all weekend on a group 27.

You have plenty of battery power to run a modern LED TV for many hours even on 1 battery. 2 batteries would run it 27/7 all weekend.

For sensitive electronics like a TV, it’s best to get a Pure Sine Wave inverter. They are somewhat more expensive, but IME they are less trouble in the long run because everything runs on them. Some things won’t work at all on the cheaper Modified Sine Wave inverters, for example, some battery chargers won’t accept the clipped sine wave power of the MSW inverter.

I have 2 lead acid deep cycle batteries at my hunting camp and a 2000-watt PSW inverter allows me to run everything in my trailer for the weekend. The furnace has a blower that runs quite often during the colder part of the hunting season and I can still run a TV, radio, charge tool batteries, phones etc, and there’s still plenty of power in reserve at the end of a weekend.

BTW, I’ve found it to be better to have 2 batteries run in parallel (I just connect with a pair of jumper cables) rather than run one battery until dead and then switch to a fresh one. I’m sure somebody’s going to tell me this is wrong and theoretically it’s no different, but the difference is in the performance of the inverter and the electronics, many of which have low voltage sensors) when the battery starts getting low.

The nice thing about going the inverter route is then you have 120-volt power for the TV and basically whatever else you need. Charge phones, charge auger batteries, run lights, fan, basically anything within the capacity of your inverter as far as watts.