travelndog wrote:
I just found this site cause I was curious as to the Amp output of the alternator of my 2006 Liberty CRD. I knew it was well over 100 amps but I had no idea that it was so high.....
I am in Los Angeles and just this past week we experienced freakishly severe higher than normal "Santa Ana" winds. (For those of you not familiar with So Cal, we occasionally get a condition in this region known as the "warm high pressure Santa Ana winds" (Originally Known As: "Santana Winds") that travel south west at high speeds from the north eastern desert region through the mountain passes and into the Southern California basin) For the first time in half a century or more, the winds peaked out with gust of over 100MPH in some places. Needless to say, there was much damage and numerous power outages that started at about 11pm-ish Wednesday night (11/30) to present (Sunday morning 2:07am 12/4).
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162- ... ews.com%29 http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/F ... 337301.phpLast reports were that over 72,000 were left without power for 48 hours or more. I just happened to be one of those households. So I went to the nearest Home Depot to buy a generator just to find that they had sold out on everything from flashlights to generators. Infact, all the Home depots within a 10 mile radius was pretty much sold out including Lowes and OSH. Well I decided to go a different route by going to Fry's Electronics and buying a 5,ooo watt inverter, hooking it up to my 2006 CRD and connecting the inverter to the power panel of my house (ofcourse after switching off the main breakers to disconnect from the main Grid). I think I was the only house within several blocks to have emergency power for my Fridge, tankless water heater (requires electricty to function), and my precious 170 gallon Koi aquarium. I have always known that Diesels can be amazing power plants and the fact that I can sit here typing on my computer with full internet access while all my surrounding neighbors are reliving the stone ages, proves it. One funny thing is that one of my neighbors called me on my cell phone to tell me that I had left my Jeep running in my driveway for the past day and a half. He's know thinking about buying a Diesel pickup.... I'm just amazed as to how long one can idle a full 20.5 gallon tank of fuel. I love my CRD!!!!
I use my CRD as a power source on film sets, and for reference: It will idle at about 1 quart per hour, with the A/C running. I am a film master electrician, and I am concerned about your inverter however. You say you bought a 5kw inverter, that equals a 416 amp draw IF you are pulling full power from it. Is that a steady rating or a surge rating? How much power are you ACTUALLY pulling from it?
The reason I ask is because you might be getting most of the power you need from the alternator, but the battery will be supplying the rest. At some point, your CRD is not going to get the power it needs to continue running, and your engine will stop. Then you are in the dark ages too. I wouldn't run any heater off the inverter, they use an ENORMOUS amount of power. Most people are unaware that even something as small as a coffee maker will usually pull around 1200 watts, more than many large film lights!
You can determine your total watt draw from adding each device up. They should all have a sticker with one of these ratings on it, near the power cable: Watts or Amps. You already know the voltage (120v) for the device, so here is the equation to convert: Watts = Volts Times Amps. W=VA
Watts never change, but amperage changes inversely to voltage. So at 120v, that 5000 watt inverter is capable of driving 41 amps. Yea... Doubtful!
Your standard electrical outlet on the front of that unit and the standard extension cord would MELT under that much amperage. Trust me, I've seen people on films do it with as little as 2000 watts through a cord.
Be careful, be safe. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have in setting this up for the future. FYI: For our 136 amp alternator, (putting out 12v) your limit is 1632 watts... And that will be the SAME wattage at 120volts too. Anything more, and you are scavenging from your battery and on borrowed time.