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Why are air conditioners so hard to start/run on power inverter/battery generators?
Is the surge current really that high? Even an inverter with a soft start feature they still struggle. unless you have like 10,000W inverters or something extremely powerful with over 1000AH of capacity.
I'm talking about smaller air conditioners like window air conditioners.
3 Answers
- ?Lv 52 months ago
Most of those power inverter generators are pulsating DC. Most electrical appliances use alternating current.
When you're using a power inverter generator you lose about half of the startup amperage. Which makes it hard for an AC motor and capacitor to kick in like it's supposed to.
- daniel gLv 72 months ago
The compressor startup current is tremendous and lacking power reserve is like putting a crowbar across a generator or inverter.
- Robert JLv 72 months ago
A typical induction motor, as used for the compressor and fans etc., can take a peak current anything from five to ten times higher than its maximum rated load current, for a very short time as it starts up.
An engine driven generator has the mass and inertia to usually overcome a very short term surge like that, but electronic systems will often trip out on an overload lasting just milliseconds.
