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I have 95 chevy s10 ext cab automatic. Its just a work truck keep in mind. My heater is out in the truck. I wanted to put a small household heater but I wanted to know whats the safest watts to get for a power inverter. The only time I will use it is when the truck is running.
You'll need to know the wattage rating on the space heater you plan to use then get a inverter that will handle it.
1500W is pretty typical for a space heater. That's a lot for the small space inside your truck.
Might I offer an alternative to consider: All Things Jeep - Jeep/SUV Backseat Heater / Fan, 12V (or similar product - I only linked this because I knew where to find it, and the folks at this company are fantastic to deal with. I have not used it myself)
This way you don't have to get an inverter, you take up less space, and it's probably safer actually with the lower rating and all in one design.
BTW, and you probably already know being your looking at alternatives, the heater core on those S10's are a huge pain! It's not the cost of the part that kills you, but the 9 hours of labor it takes to do the job! Been there/done that on a ZR2 I used to own... not fun!
Good luck. Mods will likely move this to the automotive forum soon. You'll get more responses over there.
An inverter of that size can't be operate off your cigarette lighter plug. The big inverters come with alligator clips that go on the battery terminals. I suggest you fix the heater. Don't automatically assume it is the heater core. May be it is something simpler.
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I have a 250 Watt that attaches to the battery directly for some smaller power tools, it barely manages a circular saw.
A 1500 watt inverter will barely handle a space heater and will cost you $150-200. The money is better spend fixing the car's heater.
As other have said, you will never find an affordable inverter for the necessary draw of a space heater. You are better off getting the heat fixed. Any idea what is not working on your heat? There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and many people who can guide you how to fix it.
A friend used one of these with a smaller inverter. It worked well for him until he could accomplish the necessary repairs. Be aware most inverter ratings are peak ratings, not a continuous output. Thus, an inverter of 800 - 900 watts is really necessary for 400 watts output.
It depends on whether you plug the power inverter into your cigarette lighter or hardwire it to your battery terminals. If you hardwire it I think you can safely do around 1000W. Some will say 1250-1500W, it depends who you ask. I've seen power inverters for the car rated at 2000W, but it all depends on how many amps your alternator can generate and how much strain you want to put on your car's electrical system. It will "do" 2000W, but that doesn't mean it's good for the car.
If you are plugging it into the cigarette lighter, you can work out the math backwards. First check out the amp rating of the cigarette lighter fuse. If it's 15A then you know the max wattage it can handle is 15A times 12V = 180W before it blows the fuse. Definitely not enough for a heater.
Going through an inverter to an AC heater will cost you energy both places. It would be far more efficient to get a DC heater that runs directly off the battery. Check RV stores if your automotive store doesn't have them.
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