The Difference Between An Inverter And A Generator

By Author: Keir Beck
Total Articles: 3
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Electrical power is needed for nearly every aspect of a person's life. These things include cooking, heating, cooling, watching television, listening to the radio, storing food, and many others. When the power goes out many families are inconvenienced and almost at a loss.

Generators were created to help provide backup power in order to run electrical appliances. These generators are often used during power outages caused by snow storms or hurricanes. However, campers today also require some form of backup power. These campers at times use a generator or inverter for backup power.
There are distinctive differences between a generator and an inverter and both have advantages and disadvantages. A generator has an engine which converts gasoline into power for electrical appliances to run. Generators produce clean sine wave-power at either a 120 or 140 volt output. Most generators use about a gallon of gas every two hours. Generators may also be purchased which run off of diesel fuel or propane.

Unlike the generator, the inverter converts its power from a battery rather than gasoline as fuel. An inverter can ...
... convert 12 volt power into 120 volts. A car battery may be used to supply the necessary 12 volt requirement or a deep-cycle battery may be used. The deep-cycle battery is used specifically for the purpose of providing power to the inverter.
The generator and inverter both have advantages and disadvantages. The generator can be very noisy unlike the inverter. Additionally, the generator requires gasoline as fuel which has a short shelf life. The shelf life of fuel is only about a month so it constantly needs to be rotated and replaced. Since the generator uses an engine to convert the fuel into electrical power, the engine must be maintained similarly to a car engine. Regular oil changes need to be performed to ensure the engine works efficiently.
An inverter is silent because it does not have an engine like the generator. Without the engine, an inverter is essentially maintenance free. However, an inverter has limitations on the amount of power it can generate. This limits the electrical appliances that may be powered. For example, an inverter can typically power a couple of light bulbs, a radio, a small TV, and a couple other smaller items. Depending on the size of the generator it may be able to power almost an entire house with the exception of an air conditioning unit.

Every camper or family will need to evaluate the reasons for why backup electrical power is needed and choose the most effective power providing device, the generator or inverter.

About Author

Keir Beck is Director of Mammoth Equipment. Mammoth Equipment is one of the leading power equipment suppliers of portable generators, inverter generators, Post Hole diggers, tree climbing rope, climbing gear, tool belts, home tools, caravan and camping accessories and much more.

Email address: sales@mammothequipment.com
Website:- http://mammothequipment.com