(sigh) After just making it through a hurricane and facing the possibility of another one within a week... we are seriously considering a generator or something. Especially being on well water. Everything is just miserable without running water.
I know... pretty much... how generators work. Wait, no I don't. But that's not important.
Can anyone tell me if inverters work just as well? I mean, the kind you plug into your car cigarette lighter. I have seen them rated up to 3300 watts (or whatever the measurement is.) From what I can tell, it looks like it turns your car into a generator. Where a generator has a gas tank, an engine, and an ... err... inverter? The inverter that you plug into your car uses the gas tank and the engine from your car...
Is that right?
Obviously, I'm not looking to power the whole house. Just something to run the well for a little while (to wash dishes, bathe, flush toilets,) to keep the freezer frozen and the frig cold, and probably to run a fan at night.
Would an inverter do this? I realize this may not be as fuel efficient as a generator because you are also running your cars engine. But in a disaster situation, running one for a few hours a day beats being without water.
What I think I am asking is, do they work as well as a generator. And if not, what would I be giving up by getting an inverter instead of a generator.
Aside from the price difference, I worry about getting a generator for safety and storage reasons. And like all the other big ticket items that my husband PROMISES he will take care of, after the first season, it's going to be rusting in the corner of a shed. I figure *I* can carry around a 20 lb. inverter and be sure it's taken care of.
Cassandra
I know... pretty much... how generators work. Wait, no I don't. But that's not important.
Can anyone tell me if inverters work just as well? I mean, the kind you plug into your car cigarette lighter. I have seen them rated up to 3300 watts (or whatever the measurement is.) From what I can tell, it looks like it turns your car into a generator. Where a generator has a gas tank, an engine, and an ... err... inverter? The inverter that you plug into your car uses the gas tank and the engine from your car...
Is that right?
Obviously, I'm not looking to power the whole house. Just something to run the well for a little while (to wash dishes, bathe, flush toilets,) to keep the freezer frozen and the frig cold, and probably to run a fan at night.
Would an inverter do this? I realize this may not be as fuel efficient as a generator because you are also running your cars engine. But in a disaster situation, running one for a few hours a day beats being without water.
What I think I am asking is, do they work as well as a generator. And if not, what would I be giving up by getting an inverter instead of a generator.
Aside from the price difference, I worry about getting a generator for safety and storage reasons. And like all the other big ticket items that my husband PROMISES he will take care of, after the first season, it's going to be rusting in the corner of a shed. I figure *I* can carry around a 20 lb. inverter and be sure it's taken care of.
Cassandra