You've Just Seen Your Last Blackout
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The Tripp Lite 500 watt inverter is available at most marine or truck parts suppliers at a reasonable price and has a long track record. However, there are many good inverter brands now available to choose from including smaller and lighter ones as well as units with a low b; It battery alarm. Inverters are available in all sizes, but the 500 watt capacity is large enough to power, for a reason able amount of time, most of the appliance and lights needed in an emergency.
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The Granger 10 amp capacity, 12 volt battery charger features an automatic shut off when the battery is fully charged. Do not use a trickle charger, as it will cause major battery out-gassing and high water loss when left connected for long period, of standby time. The charger selected mint be designed to automatically start the charge cycle when needed and completely shut off when the battery is recharged. This type of charger is available from most automobile parts suppliers at a slightly higher cost than a trickle charger.
Since the inverter and marine battery use wing-nut type bolted terminals, be sure to purchase pre-assembled 18" to 24" long, heavy duty #2 gauge copper battery cables with a lug-type terminal at each end. If the positive and negative cables are not color coded, wrap the positive cable with red electrical tape to avoid damaging the inverter by reversing the polarity. Do not fabricate your own cables from car jumper cables as most are not designed to handle the high battery currents required to operate the inverter. Remember, at 12 volts DC it takes ten times the amperage going into the inverter than the same load draws at 120 volts AC.
CONSTRUCTION
Start by buying the battery, inverter, and battery charger and verify their sizes. The inverter model we chose measures 5" high, 9 1/2" wide, and 8 1/2" long. The charger is 9" wide, 6" long, and 5" high and the battery measures 12" long, 7" wide, and 9" high. If different brands or models are used from those described, modify the cabinet size accordingly.
After checking all dimensions, start construction of the cabinet. Ours was made from a single 4ft. x 4ft. sheet of 3/4" plywood. This design is based on mitered corner construction and cut slots to support the shelving. If you do not have access to a table saw, use square corners and support the shelves with blocking. All joints should be nail and glue construction. Finish with a quality enamel paint or plastic laminate finish to match the decor of the area where the station will be kept. If you plan to make the unit portable, add metal hold-down straps and glue wood blocking around each component.
