Good location for a power inverter

Gilcano · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:24 pm

I’m thinking of a power inverter, probably a Cobra 1000W but I’m not sure about where it could be installed. I was thinking about the location where the factory scissor jack is but I’m concern about overheating. Any comments?

Thanks

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MarkZ28 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:17 pm

My 09 came stock with one, its in the back of the center console. Have to plug stuff in to it from the back seat. I bet there is wiring there. Theres obviously a place for the stock one there, not sure how big it is compared to yours though.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:34 pm

The plug is there on the back of the center console, but the inverter itself lives under the back seat on the passengers side. There is a niche for it under the seat that doesn’t get squished when the seat is folded flat.

I also put a small inverter in the jack compartment, but it’s a lot smaller than 1000 Watts. I suppose if you removed the jack you might be able to fit that in there.

Here are some photos of what I did:

Quote:

Today I installed my rear power inverter. Because I got such a small one, it is entirely self contained behind the panel covering the jack storage area on the left side of the trunk, but there is enough airflow for proper cooling. Here are some photos of the installation.

What you see in the trunk:

Closeup of the outlet and switch:

The inverter is secured to the inside of the removable panel using mounts that came with an old set of window blinds. I extended the wires from the inverter to the on/off switch and the 3-prong outlet so I could mount the inverter's face plate on the outside of the plastic panel.

The inverter is powered by an auxiliary 12 volt power outlet that I installed next to the jack. It can be easily disconnected, so that the panel with the inverter is completely removable if I need to access the jack.

Gilcano · **Posted:** Thu Feb 22, 2018 12:03 am

lfhoward wrote:

The plug is there on the back of the center console, but the inverter itself lives under the back seat on the passengers side. There is a niche for it under the seat that doesn’t get squished when the seat is folded flat.

I also put a small inverter in the jack compartment, but it’s a lot smaller than 1000 Watts. I suppose if you removed the jack you might be able to fit that in there.

Here are some photos of what I did:

Quote:

Today I installed my rear power inverter. Because I got such a small one, it is entirely self contained behind the panel covering the jack storage area on the left side of the trunk, but there is enough airflow for proper cooling. Here are some photos of the installation.

What you see in the trunk:

Closeup of the outlet and switch:

The inverter is secured to the inside of the removable panel using mounts that came with an old set of window blinds. I extended the wires from the inverter to the on/off switch and the 3-prong outlet so I could mount the inverter's face plate on the outside of the plastic panel.

The inverter is powered by an auxiliary 12 volt power outlet that I installed next to the jack. It can be easily disconnected, so that the panel with the inverter is completely removable if I need to access the jack.

Nice setup, where did you bought the face plate you installed in the cover of the factory jack?

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lfhoward · **Posted:** Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:41 am

Gilcano wrote:

Nice setup, where did you bought the face plate you installed in the cover of the factory jack?

Actually it’s the face plate from the inverter itself. I removed the faceplate and soldered in some longer wires to splice in and extend its reach.

In looking for an inverter for this project I wanted one with:
An on/off switch on the face plate
Small dimensions to fit in the space
Minimal power draw to extend battery life (this one has no need of a cooling fan)
At least 150W to run my laptop (got 175W)

Gilcano · **Posted:** Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:43 pm

lfhoward wrote:

Gilcano wrote:

Nice setup, where did you bought the face plate you installed in the cover of the factory jack?

Actually it’s the face plate from the inverter itself. I removed the faceplate and soldered in some longer wires to splice in and extend its reach.

In looking for an inverter for this project I wanted one with:
An on/off switch on the face plate
Small dimensions to fit in the space
Minimal power draw to extend battery life (this one has no need of a cooling fan)
At least 150W to run my laptop (got 175W)

Krieger KR1100 1100W Power Inverter

Krieger KR1100

Price: $84.97

SPECIFICATIONS

The Krieger KR1100 is a heavy-duty, compact 1100 watt power inverter capable of powering the most demanding loads. Connect the KR1100 directly to a 12 Volt DC battery or battery bank to power televisions, home electronics, power tools and other appliances in your car, truck, boat or RV.

The Krieger KR1100 has dual AC outlets and dual USB charging ports to keep your device charged. This power inverter also features a convenient LCD display showing output wattage, input voltage, battery level and warning indicators, so you will never be left in the dark.

The KR1100 has been tested and complies with both UL 458 and CSA std C22.2 standards, making it safe and reliable. Additionally, this inverter has all the protections you will need including low voltage, high voltage, overload, temperature and short circuit.

Everything you need to get started is included with the KR1100. This inverter includes 3ft #4 AWG battery cables, a 150 Amp ANL fuse kit as well as a remote switch with a 20ft cable.

Backed by a 3-year warranty, the Krieger KR1100 power inverter will never leave you without power when you need it!

Product Features

1,100 watts continuous power
2,200 watts surge (peak power)
LCD display for volts, watts and battery level
Two 3-prong 120 Volt AC outlets
Two 2.1A USB charging ports (shared)
Ultra silent thermal cooling fans
UL 458 and CSA C22.2 No 107.1 compliant
Three year warranty
Protection Features

Overload shutdown
Short circuit protection
High voltage shutdown (15.5 VDC)
Low voltage alarm (10.6 VDC)
Low voltage shutdown (10.0 VDC)
Thermal protection
Included Accessories

36" #4 AWG battery cables
150A ANL fuse kit
Remote on/off switch with 20' cable

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lfhoward · **Posted:** Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:56 pm

With a peak voltage of 2200 watts, be sure you use large enough wire to get the current to the rear of the Jeep without a ton of loss. Also be sure to use an appropriate fuse or fusable link or breaker really close to the battery.

2200 Watts at 12 volts is a little under 200 amps. That’s a lot! Even at 1100 Watts you’re looking at about 100 amps. So 4 AWG wire at minimum, 2/0 (thicker) recommended to minimize power loss over a distance of 10 feet from the battery to the back of the Jeep.

Gilcano · **Posted:** Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:49 pm

Yeah I’ll have it professionally installed, also thinking in a good “deep cycle or gel battery”
Thanks

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GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2018 1:59 pm

With my work vans, I found it most effective to mount the inverter as close to the front as feasible, since 110 wired to the back via surge protectors suffers much less resistance loss than running 12v all the way back.

Also, I would mount an appropriate sized battery very close at the inverter site, with the largest diameter, shortest battery cable from that battery to the inverter.

The power from the alternator was supplied through a battery isolator, and 10 gauge wire from there to the inverter battery. This allowed running of even oilless pancake air compressors, since the very high current was only momentary when the motors started, then dropped off quickly. It also allowed running the inverter battery completely flat, and still start the vehicle, and resume charging as long as it was running. There were occasional times where that battery was used to jump the vans when they were used by idiots that left the lights / doors / stereos running for hours while they worked.

Of course, with this kind of application, other considerations come into play, such as space limitations, and batteries in confined spaces.

Gilcano · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:18 pm

GordnadoCRD wrote:

With my work vans, I found it most effective to mount the inverter as close to the front as feasible, since 110 wired to the back via surge protectors suffers much less resistance loss than running 12v all the way back.

Very good point, could try that

GordnadoCRD wrote:

Also, I would mount an appropriate sized battery very close at the inverter site, with the largest diameter, shortest battery cable from that battery to the inverter.

Looking to replace battery with:
Choice #1

Choice #2

GordnadoCRD wrote:

The power from the alternator was supplied through a battery isolator, and 10 gauge wire from there to the inverter battery. This allowed running of even oilless pancake air compressors, since the very high current was only momentary when the motors started, then dropped off quickly. It also allowed running the inverter battery completely flat, and still start the vehicle, and resume charging as long as it was running.

Interesting!

Thanks for your comments

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GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Sat Feb 24, 2018 1:39 am

I forgot to add one thing I eventually found necessary, was either turning off the inverter when not in use. Having a van sit for a few days to a week with the inverter on, could flatten the inverter battery when they started getting weak.

After my first few industrial Verizon Cell Tower switch-out batteries wore out, I used batteries from Autozone. They would diminish over a year to the point that I could replace them annually with partial warranty value. The cell tower batteries were awesome though. Even though they were switch-outs with years already on them, they were really deep cycle, and could hold a LOT of amps for a few seconds. They were unbelievably heavy though. Pretty well over 100lbs each.

Good location for a power inverter

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