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| Faq ' s |
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Inverters at a Glance |
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Electricity is the most valued asset of modern times. The country which has the most optimized capacity to efficiently utilize this asset has the maximum growth potential. As the times are changing so is the technology which enables us to store electricity to be utilized later in case of a power cut. The most visible example of the same is the switchover from Gen-sets to inverters. In many areas where the power deficit is very high, inverters have proven to be a preferred choice of users. Take a look below to find out – WHY! |
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Inverter |
Generator |
- Eco Friendly. No Noise Pollution, No Air Pollution
- Lesser cost of ownership, hence economical.
- User Friendly, Automatic(Change over from mains to inverter & reverse)
- Low maintenance
- Very Safe as no fuel storage required
- Wider option for place of Installation.
- Good Power quality hence and very safe for your appliances
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- Causes High Noise pollution, Air Pollution.
- High Cost of ownership (Initial as well as running).
- Not always automatic hence not very user friendly
- High maintenance due to wear & tear of mechanical parts
- Risky due to fuel storage
- Restricted options for place of installation.
- Low end Gensets may not give good Power quality (frequency & voltage regulation) hence not very safe for your appliances
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| However, Gen-sets may be beneficial in case of longer power cuts of more than 10 to 15 hours per day. Inverters are ideal for usage in Power Cuts of up to 8 hours. |
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Q |
What is an inverter -- |
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A |
An inverter is an electronic power device that facilitates continuity of electricity when mains power fails. The inverter is supported by batteries as the power source. The batteries are charged by the Inverter when the electricity is available. When power fails the inverter converts the DC power from the battery to meet the AC power requirement of the User’s load.
Depending on the rating and type, an inverter can run a wide range of applications like security systems, lighting, refrigerator, television, microwave, washing machines, etc…
There are two kinds of inverters available in the market – Square wave / Modified square wave & Pure Sine Wave. Pure sine wave inverters represent the latest inverter technology. Pure sine wave inverters are highly recommended for best performance and durability of User’s appliances. |
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Q |
How to choose a right inverter ? |
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A |
A good inverter must have proven design using advanced technology. Before buying an Inverter -
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| 1 |
Check the required load in KVA / K Watts – |
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Before buying an inverter you must determine what all loads you want to run on it. Given below is an example of a house hold and the procedure to choose a right inverter for your home. |
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* Load shown here is indicative and may vary for different models. |
Item |
Load in Watts
(A) |
No. of items to be used
(B) |
Total load
(C =Ax B)
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| Tube Light |
50 |
2 |
100 |
| Fan |
80 |
2 |
160 |
| Microwave |
2500 |
1 |
2500 |
| Security System |
100 |
1 |
100 |
| TV (25”) |
100 |
1 |
100 |
| Elect. Kettle |
350 |
1 |
350 |
| Heater |
1000 |
1 |
1000 |
| Refrigerator (165 lt) |
100 |
1 |
100 |
| Others |
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| Total load in (Watts) |
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4410 |
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Inverter capacity (VA) = Watts (Total Load) / 0.8 (Power factor) |
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Inverter capacity required = 4410/.8 = 5512.5 VA or 5.5 KVA. You may add a cushion of about 10 % to this.
Thus the suitable inverter in this case would be 6 KVA capacity. You may connect more appliances/load to your Inverter and choose selective load to run during Power failure. |
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| 2 |
Backup Time on Inverter – Backup Time delivered by an Inverter depends on the Battery capacity connected to the Inverter (keeping the load same).
The AH capacity of the battery and the load connected to it (watts) will determine the back up time. For example: In the above case if you connect 135 AH battery with the inverter the back up time will be 2 and ½ Hours where as if you connect 150 AH battery then the back up time will be 3 Hours. The back up time will increase if you use lesser load.
While comparing two different Inverters, please ensure to check the following :
N = n x V x Ah
Where n = no. of batteries connected to the system V= Voltage of each battery Ah = Ampere Hour rating of each battery
As a thumb rule if N is same for two Inverters, they will deliver similar backup Time.
Check out the quality of inbuilt Charger in the Inverter
Charging - The quality and capacity of charging in an Inverter is very important to ensure that you get optimum back-up and life out of your batteries.
Capacity of Charger – Defined by the charging current / recharge time of the batteries. However, it is not always necessary that a bigger / faster charger is always good. For best battery life, charging should be between 10-15 % of battery capacity (Ah rating).
Quality of Charger - An ideal charger charges the battery in three steps to give best performance and life of the battery. It has boost charging, then CVCL charging and then float charging.
Cheaper Inverters normally come with smaller charging capacity or one/ two steps charging only which can cost much more in the longer run due to frequent battery replacements. |
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| 3 |
Protections- A good Inverter should have the following protection …
- Short circuit protection
- Phase reversal protection
- Battery deep discharge protection
- Battery reverse polarity protection
- Overload protection
- Continuous charging protection
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| 4 |
Reputed Supplier- Check out the experience / installation base of the supplier in tougher power market like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan or other African countries. As these countries have long and frequent power cuts, the products being used and manufactured here have most rugged designs to perform in tough power conditions.
Cheaper products available in the market are designed for much softer power conditions. While they may deliver the required power for a shorter duration ( 1 hour or so) but in longer usage ( like 3-6 hours) these products can fail due to overheating and also have very poor efficiency. |
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After sales service- The supplier should be able to provide swift and prompt after sales service through trained professionals. |
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Q |
How to choose a right kind of battery ? |
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A |
Battery plays a major role in the working of an inverter. It is like the Heart of an Inverter.
Normally the following 3 types of batteries are used for inverter applications. Deep Cycle Flooded Lead Acid Battery (thick flat plate) , Tubular Battery & VRLA(SMF) Battery.
Deep Cycle Flooded Lead Acid Battery- Also known as thick flat plate batteries, these are considered to be specialist batteries for the inverters. These batteries require regular top-ups (once in 2-3 months) with distilled water and a little bit of maintenance. These batteries give medium to High Life.
Tubular Batteries- These batteries consists of tubular plates and give very Long life ( upto 5- 6 years) . These also require minimum maintenance and regular top up. These batteries are most suitable for longer and frequent power cuts.
VRLA Batteries – These are widely used for UPS and solar applications. Though many people use it for inverter applications but it is not the best solution for areas experiencing longer power cuts. These batteries are sealed type and totally maintenance free. They give low to medium life.
In addition to the quality of Charger, life of a battery is determined by the no. of cycles as well as the depth of discharge during each cycle. One cycle comprises of the battery getting fully charged using mains power and then discharge in the case of power cuts.
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