Choosing an Inverter and Battery for Home

By: mr_suresh | Jun 28, 2007 01:54 AM (Updated May 13, 2012 10:19 PM)

Knowledge must be shared. So I thought of sharing my knowledge gained during research on inverters. I hope it will be useful for others to decide the right inverter quickly.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UPS AND INVERTER Inverter is an electronic circuit for converting Direct Current to Alternating Current. They are used in a wide range of applications from small switched power supplies to large electric utility applications to transport bulk power (like Air Conditioners, Fridge, Mixie etc.) A UPS typically includes the battery and battery charger in one stand alone unit, especially used for computer backups. UPS will effectively switch from utility power to its own power source almost instantaneously.

WAVES - SQUARE WAVE, SINE WAVE AND QUASI SINE WAVE

Square Wave Inverters Simplest and least expensive in the market. Computers, televisions, induction motors, transformer loads and even light bulbs are not recommended to run on this waveform, because square wave has a high harmonic content.

Sine Wave Inverters This is the correct waveform on which all electronic equipment, televisions, and computers are designed to run. They filter the output voltage well and recommended.

Quasi-Sine Wave Inverters Indeed correct selection for running some types of motors and incandescent lighting and not fit for all types of equipments, hence it is not recommended.

CALCULATE YOUR POWER CONSUMPTION This can be done by adding up the watts on the equipment specifications normally printed below or behind the equipments. I selected 800 VA which delivers approximately 640 watts. Dont select very high inverter than the requirement as it will consume more electricity and loss of power is also higher.

CHOOSING THE INVERTER After calculating the consumption the next step is to select the Inverter VA. The formula is Watts / Power Factor = VA For me it was 542 Watts / 0.8 Power Factor = 677 VA (Power Factor: 0.8 for most of the UPS, incase of APC Inverters the power factor is 0.6, you can refer product manual or ask dealer for this info) So the available VAs in market are 500 VA, 800 VA, 1000 VA, 1400 VA and above. I selected 800 VA. CHOOSING INVERTER BRAND This was quite difficult. I selected few known brands in market like Luminous (widely advertised in 2004), Genus (OEM supplier for LG and Samsung), Su-Kam (From few years they are in the market, but most advertised), Hyundai (New, manufactured by Luminous under license from Hyundai Korea), Microtek (Addidas group) and APC (New to Home Inverter). CHOOSING BATTERY SIZE Batteries are available in various Amperes. You need to decide how much backup you require and decide on the amperes. Here is the formula to calculate the backup Load/Voltage x Backup hours = Amperes In my case it was 542 Watts / 12 V x 3 hrs = 135 Ah I selected 130 Ah Standard Furokawa battery for my home. CHOOSING BATTERY Battery is a backbone for any inverter. There are different types of battery available in the market. Maintenance battery These batteries requires maintenance every month. The distilled water needs to be filled every month. Maintenance free battery This comes with flat plate collectors and maintenance free. These batteries will have a life of 4 years. Tubular batteries Here the active material (lead oxide) is encapsulated in polyester tubes to prevent Shedding. The electrode geometry facilitates cyclic deep discharges. They are recommended for back up power for UPS and Inverters where environmental conditions are tough and high ambient temperatures are common. These are capable of long hours of backup. CHOOSING THE DEALER I was looking for a branded inverter which is in the market from a long time and providing good service. Price was the second priority, however I and my friend did a good analysis to get best deal. We validated almost 5 Inverter vendors and battery vendors. Finally we got a good price from Elektro Power Systems, S P Road, Bangalore, and purchased from them. (This shop is shifted now, dont know where) The prices were as below (as on Apr 2007) Inverters Genus / Hyundai / Sukam / Mikrotek / Luminous - 800 VA: Rs.6000.00

Genus / Hyundai / Sukam / Mikrotek / Luminous - 1400 VA: Rs.7000.00 APC 800 VA with AMCO maintenance free battery Rs.12,925.00 Batteries Standard Furokawa 130 AH Tubular Battery: Rs.9500.00 Exide EL 120 AH Tubular Battery: Rs.9500.00 USEFUL WEBSITES Luminous - http://www.myluminousindia.com/ Genus - http://genus.in/Inverter_UPS.htm Sukam - http://www.su-kam.com/ APC - http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=321 Exide Battery - http://www.exideindustries.com/ Amaron Battery - http://www.amaron.in/ Update: 5 years over, still my UPS is working as new. I check the distilled water level regularly and maintain its level which is keeping the battery in good health. Note: 1. After Installing UPS (800 VA) my monthly electricity bill increased by Rs.40/- (Around 10 units) 2. 29" Color TVs should be directly connected to power socket. Fails to switch on when you use Voltage Stabilizer.