Need inverter suggestion

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Sei

Galvanizer
Fed up of the frequent and irregular power cuts, we have decided to go in for an inverter. Picking up for the first time, hence don't want to be fleeced.

Appliances needing power:

*3-4 fans

*2-3 tubelights/bulbs

*2 fridges :ashamed:

computer (very very important! :D Someone told me that the inverters that are capable of running PCs are different. Don't know for sure ).

* washine machine/TV (low on the priority list)

Now the questions that need to be answered :)

- Which company to go for?

- What will be the minimum power requirements?

- Approx cost

Thanks in advance!
 
2 fridges? you'll need a huge generator for that. 1 fridge will consume more power than all the fans and tube lights you mentioned.

the more appliances you add to the list the more batteries you will need to keep to store power. The more it will cost.

What is your budget?
 
^ Actually that is the issue. I really have no idea about the pricing. My budget is around 10-20k, i.e. more than 10k if it's really worth spending that much.

Actually fridge 1 is mainly for veggies and stuff and the second one has the frozen goods. So, can manage with one fridge too if 2 make the budget go overboard. I want an idea so I can know that the inverter chap doesn't make a fool out of me.

So, any suggestions?
 
for your budget leave fridges out completely. imo, a fridge can withstand powercuts and maintain the cold for around 2-3 hrs if the door is not opened frequently.

a 800watt inverter unit would cost around 6-7k here in thane and you would need atleast a 150 - 200 mAh tubular battery which will cost around 9-12k depending on brand. (this was the pricing i got when i went to a inverter dealer few months back. prices might have gone up/down since then)

This will give sufficient power to run three tubes + 3 fans + tv for around 3 hrs.

Or you can switch off tv and use 1-2 fans + 2 tubes + comp.

(tubes = cfl lamp i think)

Also more mAh = more power storage but more cost of battery.
 
^Thanks for the info! Are the inverters that are capable of running computers any different? The inverter should act as a UPS. Sine wave or something? Sorry, don't know about this.

And I'm not going to run my comp while the power's not there. It'll be on for like 5 mins and will be shutdown after that.

I don't want to go for an UPS separately since my config would require me to spend a lot on a UPS that powers my rig for only 5 mins.
 
Sei said:
^Thanks for the info! Are the inverters that are capable of running computers any different? The inverter should act as a UPS. Sine wave or something? Sorry, don't know about this.
And I'm not going to run my comp while the power's not there. It'll be on for like 5 mins and will be shutdown after that.

I don't want to go for an UPS separately since my config would require me to spend a lot on a UPS that powers my rig for only 5 mins.
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well most invertors switching aren't fast inuff for pc,even many dedicated ups aren't fast,like HP,WIPRO etc.

well u can get a 1000va(660watts) apc in ur budget its a pure sinewave should cost about 20k with 2x130ah batteries.
how many litres is ur fridge is it a frost free or direct cool.
 
adder said:
well most invertors switching aren't fast inuff for pc,even many dedicated ups aren't fast,like HP,WIPRO etc.

well u can get a 1000va(660watts) apc in ur budget its a pure sinewave should cost about 20k with 2x130ah batteries.
how many litres is ur fridge is it a frost free or direct cool.
Click to expand...

+10. you will have to go with a dedicated ups for your rig.
ups switching to battery is much much faster than the inverter.
by the time the inverter switches to battery power your comp psu will loose power and will restart when power switches back on. more chance of hdd failure in this case.

whats your rig specs btw?
 
rajndra said:
For checking the required rating for UPS/Inverter rating, please visit this website: The Home UPS/Inverter Buying Guide — iLog
Click to expand...

Great link man! Thanks a lot! Repped :)

adder said:
well most invertors switching aren't fast inuff for pc,even many dedicated ups aren't fast,like HP,WIPRO etc.

well u can get a 1000va(660watts) apc in ur budget its a pure sinewave should cost about 20k with 2x130ah batteries.

how many litres is ur fridge is it a frost free or direct cool.
Click to expand...

The fridge is frost free. It's a Samsung biofresh around 230/250 ltrs, not sure. How much does the fridge consume approximately? And in the link above, many people are using their inverters to power the PCs. Are you sure that they don't support the PCs? I don't want to blow that amount of money on a UPS. :(
 
Sei said:
Great link man! Thanks a lot! Repped :)

The fridge is frost free. It's a Samsung biofresh around 230/250 ltrs, not sure. How much does the fridge consume approximately? And in the link above, many people are using their inverters to power the PCs. Are you sure that they don't support the PCs? I don't want to blow that amount of money on a UPS. :(
Click to expand...

well ur 2 fridges alone will require 1000va invertor.
well i have used UPS like HP and wipro there switching time isn't as fast a APC ups.while it does't affect a computer SMPS,it does effect the router/modem which will restart if the power goes,same goes to xbox 360 where its shows a error these are with dedicated UPS.
again a UPS will also do AVR or voltage regulation like a stabilzer,ups like apc takes only 2 cycles out of the 50cycles a second ,to sense and correct the voltage.after buying a inverter ,u can get buy a apc 550va ups which is inuff for ur present rig,if u plan to add a gfx u may need a higher capacity ups.
 
6pack said:
+10. you will have to go with a dedicated ups for your rig.
ups switching to battery is much much faster than the inverter.
by the time the inverter switches to battery power your comp psu will loose power and will restart when power switches back on. more chance of hdd failure in this case.

whats your rig specs btw?
Click to expand...

Here's what I've noticed :

When the power does go, my PC's ups switches to the battery backup mode for a second just before the inverter's supply kicks in and turns the UPS back to normal/mains (i.e inverter supply).
And then I turn the PC off because the inverter can't really power the PC for long.

SO, THERE ISN'T ANY POWER LOSS. :huh:
 
^ remove the ups in between. see what happens.

edit: you mentioned it yourself. your ups switches itself on for a second. for comps even that second is a lot to restart.
 
6pack said:
+10. you will have to go with a dedicated ups for your rig.

ups switching to battery is much much faster than the inverter.

by the time the inverter switches to battery power your comp psu will loose power and will restart when power switches back on. more chance of hdd failure in this case.

whats your rig specs btw?
Click to expand...

Rig specs are in the siggy.

adder said:
well ur 2 fridges alone will require 1000va invertor.

well i have used UPS like HP and wipro there switching time isn't as fast a APC ups.while it does't affect a computer SMPS,it does effect the router/modem which will restart if the power goes,same goes to xbox 360 where its shows a error these are with dedicated UPS.

again a UPS will also do AVR or voltage regulation like a stabilzer,ups like apc takes only 2 cycles out of the 50cycles a second ,to sense and correct the voltage.after buying a inverter ,u can get buy a apc 550va ups which is inuff for ur present rig,if u plan to add a gfx u may need a higher capacity ups.
Click to expand...

Now this is getting confusing.. Won't a inverter work in my case or will I have to go for a UPS too?

I think I will have to give the fridges being powered by the inverted another thought. Without the fridges the power consumption is pretty decent for an inverter.

Lastly, can an inverter switch fast enough for the computer? If no, what is the minimum I will have to spend on a UPS that can power my rig for about 5 mins or so?
 
I'm using a APC HI800 inverter and have never experienced any restarts during power outages. Technically the UPS should be able to switch faster, but a good inverter could be fast enough, so that the pc doesn't restart.
 
Sei said:
Now this is getting confusing.. Won't a inverter work in my case or will I have to go for a UPS too?

I think I will have to give the fridges being powered by the inverted another thought. Without the fridges the power consumption is pretty decent for an inverter.

Lastly, can an inverter switch fast enough for the computer? If no, what is the minimum I will have to spend on a UPS that can power my rig for about 5 mins or so?
Click to expand...

well i think u will have to buy a ups along with a invertor,since thetoxicmind ups kicked in despite having a invertor.while the computer smps may able to continue to power without any problems,ur modems/router/xbox etc may restart.
since the ups will go into backup mode just for a few seconds,u can make do with a apc 500va ups based on ur current rig,but if u do plan to put a gfx card like a 4850 u will need to get a apc 650va.
 
6pack said:
^ remove the ups in between. see what happens.
edit: you mentioned it yourself. your ups switches itself on for a second. for comps even that second is a lot to restart.
Click to expand...

Fact is, the UPS is present.
Yes, by switching to backup mode, I meant to say the PC still gets its power.So the PC isn't affected one bit nor does it restart.
My setup : APC 800VA Inverter & APC 500VA UPS.

But yeah, I have noticed some UPSs causing the PC to restart when the inverter kicks in. :(
 
^Yes I've decided to remove the fridge from the list of appliances powered by the inverter.

Secondly, no one seems to have noticed my rig in the siggy, so here it is:

C2D E8400

4 GB RAM

3 HDDs

GTX 260

VX450W

Will an inverter work here or I need a separate UPS? Approx price of the inverter if I need to run these appliances:

*3-4 fans

*2-3 tubelights/bulbs

*washing machine/TV (low on the priority list)

for around 2-3 hours

Also, how much will it cost me if I go in for a UPS+Inverter setup? Like the one thetoxicmind has?
 
Restart issue depends upon type of Inverter, SMPS, UPS & no. of peripherals connected to the given outlet (Inverter).

Get a Pure Sine wave inverter & it will take care of the first two factors. For UPS you can safely buy APC. As for last factor it totally depends upon you... Make sure the socket you draw power from (inverter fed) should not have many peripherals... Since, if you connect a lot of peripherals to one socket the voltage drop may trigger a fluctuation which your UPS might not handle... Its purely subjective though...

Idealistically the socket should only connect your UPS which will then supply to your SMPS & monitor...

So your rig can easily switch to your UPS in the event of power loss & since its also inverter fed it will come back to your mains from UPS (which is running from inverter here)... :)
 
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Sei said:
^Yes I've decided to remove the fridge from the list of appliances powered by the inverter.

Secondly, no one seems to have noticed my rig in the siggy, so here it is:

C2D E8400
4 GB RAM
3 HDDs
GTX 260
VX450W

Will an inverter work here or I need a separate UPS? Approx price of the inverter if I need to run these appliances:
*3-4 fans
*2-3 tubelights/bulbs
*washing machine/TV (low on the priority list) (Assuming only LCD TV)
for around 2-3 hours

Also, how much will it cost me if I go in for a UPS+Inverter setup? Like the one thetoxicmind has?
Click to expand...

The 800VA Inverter will probably power all the above, for 2hrs (Full Load).
That takes care of your primary requirement.

Now, get a separate UPS (1KVA perhaps) for your PC and connect it to a point that is not powered by the inverter.So no restart issues and you'll probably get around 20mins of battery backup.

Washing machine & refrigerator are on their own. :P
 
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