Power inverter for Camry

676 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by myang, 3 d ago

myang

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago

The manual says to limit the round power outlet in the center stack to 12vdc/10 amp (120 watt max), but the outlet is on a 15 amp circuit. However, I would like to buy an Energizer 150 watt pure sine wave inverter that would need the full 15 amp capacity of the circuit…could that potentially damage the electrical system?

If someone could suggest a 100 watt pure sine wave inverter, I would buy that instead, but I haven’t been able to find one (the 150 watt pure sine wave inverter mentioned above is the smallest one I’ve seen).

Here’s a pic of the manual page:

Extra info: I’m planning to run a motorized pump while on an extended road trip in the near future. The power requirements are AC Power: 100-240V - 50/60 Hertz, 0.5A, 12V DC - 25 Watts.

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Vegashybrid

· #2 · 15 d ago

That 150w draw is the max draw. Unless you're using something that needs that much power it's not going to draw that at all times. Especially if what your planning on running is a pump like that with such a small draw.

Reactions: 1

steve108

· #3 · 15 d ago

It'll blow the fuse before it hurts anything.

Reactions: 1

myang

Discussion Starter · #4 · 15 d ago

I see. So it’s safe to get the 150W inverter but not max it out?

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steve108

· #5 · 15 d ago

Exactly. Take the number of watts output you need and divide by 0.85 for an estimate of how many watts input it will require.

So if you want to power a 50W device, the inverter will use about 50/0.85=59W, regardless of it being a 100W inverter or a 500W inverter.

myang

Discussion Starter · #6 · 14 d ago

Ok thanks!

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Leyla

· #7 · 13 d ago

Unrelated, but for hybrid models you can mount this right in the trunk to get 1200W (or more)

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Vegashybrid

· #8 · 13 d ago

Leyla said:
Unrelated, but for hybrid models you can mount this right in the trunk to get 1200W (or more)
View attachment 422822

Just be aware your not supposed to go above 20amp draw on the hybrid.

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myang

Discussion Starter · #9 · 13 d ago

Vegashybrid said:
Just be aware your not supposed to go above 20amp draw on the hybrid.

That’s what…360 watts at 12 VDC?

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Vegashybrid

· #10 · 13 d ago

It's supposed to be 300w or 20amps. This is the largest recommend draw for aftermarket stereo systems ect. Not to say there aren't people running much larger draws, just the recommended.

Leyla

· #11 · 13 d ago (Edited)

Vegashybrid said:
It's supposed to be 300w or 20amps. This is the largest recommend draw for aftermarket stereo systems ect. Not to say there aren't people running much larger draws, just the recommended.

Venturing out into the Prius forums it looks like people are pulling about 50-100 amps so a 1000 watt inverter seems to be the max. With the car in "Ready" and not driving.

Vegashybrid

· #12 · 13 d ago

Leyla said:
Venturing out into the Prius forums it looks like people are pulling about 50 amps so a 1000 watt inverter seems to be the max. With the car in "Ready" and not driving.

Again that's not recommended according to the factory of just about every hybrid car. I have seen people in the forums with 1200w-1500w stereo systems. Just because you did doesn't mean you should have. And correction it's 30amp 350wax recommended. I confused it because my sub amp is a 20amp draw.

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semisemite

· #13 · 13 d ago

Vegashybrid said:
Again that's not recommended according to the factory of just about every hybrid car. I have seen people in the forums with 1200w-1500w stereo systems. Just because you did doesn't mean you should have. And correction it's 30amp 350wax recommended. I confused it because my sub amp is a 20amp draw.

View attachment 422846

I spoke to Crutchfield about this and (one of their reps) basically said that it's really more along the line of them being extremely conservative than what's actually safe to do. They didn't say to blow those numbers out of the water, but they admitted you had a reasonable amount of wiggle room

When I was deciding what to put in I also checked with the appropriate subreddits and spoke to a few other current gen hybrid owners who were using significantly higher draws than the 30/350 standard

startrekengineer2012

· #14 · 13 d ago

Just don't go above what the circuit is rated for. Don't replace a 20Amp fuse with a higher amperage fuse. The wiring will fry and other vehicle components may become damaged. Could always install an Auxiliary Battery (2nd battery) to eliminate the concerns.

BillDurham

· #15 · 10 d ago (Edited)

It's not rocket science to find a spare fuse position constant or key-on and add a fuse tap and your own wire. Car mfg's spec a fuse and that wire is sized for that fuse. They made the guy that thought of that a VP. He saved them $5 a car. I install a specialized type of aftermarket equipment in cars ( not radios and DVD) and I can tell you that Toyota is using CAT5 sized wire all over the car. We can't even use a red tap, it's too big for the wires, we have to solder.
Having said that 150W inverter is what it puts out max. It is using 200-250W to do it's job. A 25W pump, find a 100W sine wave inverter. And just nosey and curious, are you taking your aquarium on a road trip? Ok, seriously is this for a medical device? If yes you need to have a dedicated circuit with an auto reset circuit breaker hooked up to a main 12v supply wire. A good and free website to find wire info is The12volt.com It is a free wiring guide, as in where to find constant 12V or key on 12V for remote start and stereo. ( anyone know where to find Bulldog now?) I can look this up for you also on my company's install guide which is based on real world installs, if you want to run a dedicated line. And before anyone gets pissy about company info, a third of that content is from me.

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myang

Discussion Starter · #16 · 3 d ago (Edited)

BillDurham said:
It's not rocket science to find a spare fuse position constant or key-on and add a fuse tap and your own wire. Car mfg's spec a fuse and that wire is sized for that fuse. They made the guy that thought of that a VP. He saved them $5 a car. I install a specialized type of aftermarket equipment in cars ( not radios and DVD) and I can tell you that Toyota is using CAT5 sized wire all over the car. We can't even use a red tap, it's too big for the wires, we have to solder.
Having said that 150W inverter is what it puts out max. It is using 200-250W to do it's job. A 25W pump, find a 100W sine wave inverter. And just nosey and curious, are you taking your aquarium on a road trip? Ok, seriously is this for a medical device? If yes you need to have a dedicated circuit with an auto reset circuit breaker hooked up to a main 12v supply wire. A good and free website to find wire info is The12volt.com It is a free wiring guide, as in where to find constant 12V or key on 12V for remote start and stereo. ( anyone know where to find Bulldog now?) I can look this up for you also on my company's install guide which is based on real world installs, if you want to run a dedicated line. And before anyone gets pissy about company info, a third of that content is from me.

I can’t find a 100W pure sine wave inverter; the smallest pure sine wave inverter I’ve seen is 150W. Do you know of any 100W pure sine wave inverters on the market that I can buy?

I’m going to take a long roadtrip with my wife and baby, so we need a way to run her Medela symphony breast pump every few hours at rest stops in the privacy of our car. I actually solved this problem already by buying an OEM 12V DC car adapter for the pump, but I think an inverter would be useful for any other device we might want to power as well.

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