I am considering buying an xPower 300 Portable AC Power Station. It is a combination battery, charger, and inverter. 21 Ah AGM battery, 300W inverter, and small charger. Is this a good idea to power items such as cd player, tv/vcr, George Foreman Grill, etc. It seems like it would be convenient to bring home every weekend to recharge, then take to boat for weekend at lake. Any reviews and/or comments. Thanks
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Kinda small.
That 300W rating is pretty low for an inverter. A lot of the things you mention plugging in are higher than that. And a 21Ah battery is very small. You might have 10 to 15 useable amps. A George Foreman grill will eat that up in a hurry. Remember, a 60Watt lightbulb at 110V uses about .5 amps. But at 12v that is more than 5 amps. . . .I think I did that right.
That 300W rating is pretty low for an inverter. A lot of the things you mention plugging in are higher than that. And a 21Ah battery is very small. You might have 10 to 15 useable amps. A George Foreman grill will eat that up in a hurry. Remember, a 60Watt lightbulb at 110V uses about .5 amps. But at 12v that is more than 5 amps. . . .I think I did that right.
Inverter
I agree with Ed. It may not be the inverter you want. The basic power foumula is P(in watts) = I (amps) X E (voltage). Heating elements as in the grill are big users of power. I don't have specific numbers on the grill but I would guess it draws in the neighborhood of 10-15 amps at 120 vac. At 12 vdc it would draw 100-150 amps or 1200-1800 watts. The 300 watt inverter would not even warm the grill....and depending on you installation, could damage any or all of the affected components.
I agree with Ed. It may not be the inverter you want. The basic power foumula is P(in watts) = I (amps) X E (voltage). Heating elements as in the grill are big users of power. I don't have specific numbers on the grill but I would guess it draws in the neighborhood of 10-15 amps at 120 vac. At 12 vdc it would draw 100-150 amps or 1200-1800 watts. The 300 watt inverter would not even warm the grill....and depending on you installation, could damage any or all of the affected components.
Thanks
Thanks. Between yours and other replies on the small boats forum, I have decided to go with a magma grill for cooking in cockpit, and getting 2 deep cycle batteries to power tv, lights, and cd player with DC power. The inverter is not a good idea for my needs. Thanks forum folks for saving me the money I would have spent ordering 1 of those batt/inv/charger combo powerstations. Now, any of you live near KY and want to come by and teach a man with zero electrical knowledge how to hook up batteries, switchbox, and lights. Beer is on me...I can even probably throw in some steaks on the grill (the 1 on the deck, not the magma I have to order). Thanks again. Gary
Thanks. Between yours and other replies on the small boats forum, I have decided to go with a magma grill for cooking in cockpit, and getting 2 deep cycle batteries to power tv, lights, and cd player with DC power. The inverter is not a good idea for my needs. Thanks forum folks for saving me the money I would have spent ordering 1 of those batt/inv/charger combo powerstations. Now, any of you live near KY and want to come by and teach a man with zero electrical knowledge how to hook up batteries, switchbox, and lights. Beer is on me...I can even probably throw in some steaks on the grill (the 1 on the deck, not the magma I have to order). Thanks again. Gary
get a seperate inverter also
if your going to get new batteries,if it were me,I would go ahead and get a three hundred watt inverter just to have as ac backup for what ever reason you might need.blender for mixed drinksfor us.you can get one at a pilot truckstop that is realgood quality for around 30.00 bucks.oh take the other half olso as they have lots of 12 volt products that truckers use.hope this is useful.
if your going to get new batteries,if it were me,I would go ahead and get a three hundred watt inverter just to have as ac backup for what ever reason you might need.blender for mixed drinksfor us.you can get one at a pilot truckstop that is realgood quality for around 30.00 bucks.oh take the other half olso as they have lots of 12 volt products that truckers use.hope this is useful.
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