HELP!!!TV-DVD-VHS-Inverter questions???

[tightlines]

Going out tomorrow to buy a TV etc. I bought an inverter at Sams club tonight for 29.00 It is a 400 watt 2 plug-ins with a 800 peak.What do you guys think about the size. OK? Also I do have room for a 13" TV and was wondering if that size takes a lot more power to run than a 9"? Also, should I be going AC/DC TV instead of the inverter route? DVD or VHS ? Which takes more power to run? Thanks for your input.. Keep those lines tight........

[fisherdog19]

Tightlines, you're really going all out on that fish house. Sorry I haven't called to come take a look at that beauty of a fish house but I just finished the move to Detroit Lakes and things are a little hectic. When I'm in Fargo again I'll drop you a line and come take a look at it. To answer your question, Inverters typically use up some energy in the conversion process so if you can find a DC powered tv that is to your liking, I would go with that to save power. I think you can get DC powered VCR's or DVD's, a lot of cars use them nowaday's (called VCP's in cars). I would call a shop specializing in outfitting cars with these and see if you can strike a deal. Good luck.

Fisherdog

[tightlines]

Hey fisherdog: Thanks. Give me a call when ya get to town and stop by. I was wanting to get a 13" ac/dc but all I can find around town are the 9" ac/dc sets. Know where I could get my hands on a 13"ac/dc for a reasonable price. I have seen them on the internet for around 275.00 Thats more than I was wanting to spend. Thats why I was considering the inverter. Lot less bucks.

[Guest]

tightlines,

I'd check on the back of the unit to see the amount of watts it will draw. The higher the watts the more draw on the battery/inverter. The units that are capable of running on DC will have their own built in inverters. They also cost much more than the standard AC units. If you've already got an inverter, save yourself some money and buy a AC only unit. I'm sure the 13" size will use more than a 9". In fact it will probably use nearly double being that the screen size has nearly double the area. My guess would be that a DVD uses less juice than a VCR because of fewer moving parts. A DVD just rotates a small disc around in a circle. Think about how easy it is to do that vs. a VCR that wind a tape around on a make-shift reel-to-reel setup.

My setup is going to be wired with all AC lighting and outlets. I'm wiring up the hole light circuits separate from the ceiling light circuits separate from the outlet circuits in case I decide to switch some over to DC only. I purchased a 600 watt inverter due to fact I will be using all AC accessories initially. If I find that the batteries are draining too fast I will switch some of my lights over to DC to see if it helps at all. I plan on using my house as a spare camper over the summer so the AC accessories make more sense for me as it will be plugged in to a standard outlet at that time.

Good luck.