Sam's Club Update

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 12:52

...25 pack of Hometex MF's ~$12
12 pack of 12 oz. ketchup style squeeze bottles ~$4 (comes in ketchup,mustard and clear)

Also saw a 500 watt power inverter for ~ $20---Anyone know if this would be enough to run a PC off of a car battery for a couple of hours ?
With a seperate battery and a portable charger, I'm thinkin' this might be a feasable option
to a generator for occasional remote location mobile details.
Opinions? Comments?

ceiol · 01-02-06, 02:30

if you go this route -- with a separate battery that is not connected to your car's electrical system -- make sure you get a deep cycle battery that can withstand the repeated charging and draining.

Me? I'd just buy a damn long extension cord and look for an AC outlet.

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 03:00

Among the remote locations I'm speaking of would be a city parking garage. (Not sure there are outlets handy).
My wife's a nurse for several prominent doctors in Pittsburgh.
Since they're very busy and usually at work , I'd like to accomodate them as much as possible (read $$$$).

Just looking for options...thanks for the reply; very useful.

ceiol · 01-02-06, 03:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusbubba

Among the remote locations I'm speaking of would be a city parking garage. (Not sure there are outlets handy).
My wife's a nurse for several prominent doctors in Pittsburgh.
Since they're very busy and usually at work , I'd like to accomodate them as much as possible (read $$$$).

Just looking for options...thanks for the reply; very useful.

I'm a surgeon. And you're right, 95% of MDs would rather pay someone to detail their car. But I suspect that most of your work will take place in the parking lots of medical office buildings, and finding a power outlet (using your 100ft extension cord) shouldn't be too hard.

You may also want to look into getting a Honda portable generator. I'm in a large medical office building, and some of the docs get their car detailed by a guy who has a large water reservoir in the back of his pick-up truck and also has a honda gas powered generator back there.

I'd hire him too, but I'm too addicted to doing it myself.

Neothin · 01-02-06, 04:05

I second the portable generator idea. You can pick up a 3500 watt generator and that would run anything that you would throw at it. On the plus side, if you are affected by natural disasters like I am on a yearly basis (read, hurricanes frances and jeanne in 2004, and wilma in 2005), you'll have a generator to keep the fridge cold until the power comes back on.

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 04:09

Thanks for the feedback , guys.

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 04:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceiol

I'm a surgeon.

By the way, what's your specialty?
My wife works in the Thoracic Division.
Some of the stories I've heard are enough to make me cringe.
My hat's off to you , it's not something I could do.

Louie · 01-02-06, 05:22

I'll put my engineer's hat on and answer your original question, electrically anyway. My PC is rated at 3.7 amps. Taking current X 120VAC = 444 watts. If the unit was rated at 500 watts continuous it would in theory provide enough power. Most inverters' packaging advertises their peak power in large print (500W) and then in fine print they mention continuous draw (250W). If that is indeed the case, then the unit will not have enough power.

The other problem is the connection to your battery. I have seen inverters in this range with both a cigarettte lighter and alligator clamps. Most cigarette lighters are fused at 20 amps or 20A x 12VDC = 240 watts. 444 watts off a nominal 12 VDC system would draw 37 amps - you'd pop the fuse the first time the motor was loaded down.

The inverters are not 100% efficient (they generate a fair bit of heat as wasted energy), further complicating the selection of an inverter.

If you are set on using an inverter for the occasional job, I would get one that is closer to 750 watts continuous (1250 to 1500 watts peak) and hard wire it to your car battery. Most at this level have built in fuses for circuit protection, reverse polarity protection, and low voltage shutdown (the inverter would shut down before it ran your car battery to low to crank). Of course, this eliminates the $20 inverter that sparked your interest.

The 3.7A / 120 VAC rating on the PC nameplate is probably with the unit loaded down to near stall condition where it would draw the most current. If you are using it for light polishing or applying glazes, sealants, or waxes then you would not likely draw that much current. I think the bottom line is that if the unit is rated for 500W continuous, it was hard-wired to the battery and you weren't heavily loading the PC motor it would work. For maximum flexibility I would step up to a 750 W unit.

My brother is a trim carpenter and has a 1500W continous inverter hard wired to his pickup for the rare situations where he cannot get to 120 VAC on a job site and has yet to have any electrical problems.

ceiol · 01-02-06, 05:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by gusbubba

By the way, what's your specialty?
My wife works in the Thoracic Division.
Some of the stories I've heard are enough to make me cringe.
My hat's off to you , it's not something I could do.

I'm an ophthalmologist -- surgery of the eyes and eyelids.

Mighty HD · 01-02-06, 06:00

The MF towels sams club is what I solely use for QD, wax removal, etc. They're cheap, dont scratch, and are of good quality. I have about 5 bags stocked up that are unopened, 2 in the truck in ziplock baggies to keep them clean, and one bag in the wife's car.

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 06:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louie

I'll put my engineer's hat on and answer your original question, electrically anyway. My PC is rated at 3.7 amps. Taking current X 120VAC = 444 watts. If the unit was rated at 500 watts continuous it would in theory provide enough power. Most inverters' packaging advertises their peak power in large print (500W) and then in fine print they mention continuous draw (250W). If that is indeed the case, then the unit will not have enough power.

The other problem is the connection to your battery. I have seen inverters in this range with both a cigarettte lighter and alligator clamps. Most cigarette lighters are fused at 20 amps or 20A x 12VDC = 240 watts. 444 watts off a nominal 12 VDC system would draw 37 amps - you'd pop the fuse the first time the motor was loaded down.

The inverters are not 100% efficient (they generate a fair bit of heat as wasted energy), further complicating the selection of an inverter.

If you are set on using an inverter for the occasional job, I would get one that is closer to 750 watts continuous (1250 to 1500 watts peak) and hard wire it to your car battery. Most at this level have built in fuses for circuit protection, reverse polarity protection, and low voltage shutdown (the inverter would shut down before it ran your car battery to low to crank). Of course, this eliminates the $20 inverter that sparked your interest.

The 3.7A / 120 VAC rating on the PC nameplate is probably with the unit loaded down to near stall condition where it would draw the most current. If you are using it for light polishing or applying glazes, sealants, or waxes then you would not likely draw that much current. I think the bottom line is that if the unit is rated for 500W continuous, it was hard-wired to the battery and you weren't heavily loading the PC motor it would work. For maximum flexibility I would step up to a 750 W unit.

My brother is a trim carpenter and has a 1500W continous inverter hard wired to his pickup for the rare situations where he cannot get to 120 VAC on a job site and has yet to have any electrical problems.

Now THAT is some detailed information (no pun intended).
Thank you so much...

gusbubba · 01-02-06, 06:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceiol

I'm an ophthalmologist -- surgery of the eyes and eyelids.

Every now and then , my wife watches these open surgeries on the educational channels.
She revels in watching me flinch while some poor schmuck is having a teratoma the size of a bowling ball or some other such disgusting growth removed from his throat or stomach.
But , by far , watching eye surgery makes me squirm the most. Don't know why, just does.
(no offense intended to you and your chosen specialty).

Again, I'm glad there are those with the nerves to do these things because I sure as hell don't.
My respect to you.