Can an air conditioner run on an inverter? Find out

An inverter is an extremely useful home appliance which not only helps us get power in case of power cuts but also keeps our important daily activities intact. While it is well known that things like bulbs, tube-lights, fans etc run on inverter but what about the air conditioner? An air conditioner is an important appliance and is needed during the summer months. During power cuts most people cannot utilise the benefits of ACs but one must know that this appliance too can run on an inverter. The following are some points which will explain how to run an AC on an inverter:

1. Understand the inverter basics first

• It is important to know that when an inverter converts the DC, direct current to AC, alternating current so that regular household appliances can work.
• An inverter is basically part of a 12-volt DC system.
• It usually takes 11 amps of DC power to operate a 1-amp AC powered appliance. In case you have a 5-amp window air conditioner, then in that case you will need 55 amps of DC power to operate the appliance continuously.
• But it is important to know that almost all electrical units have a starting surge which makes the motor running.
• This is 5 more times the continuous electrical load, which means  you will need 275 amps of DC power to initiate the 5-amp air conditioning appliance and then a constant 55 amps to run it continuously.

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Luminous 3.5 Kva Pure Sine Cruze Wave Inverter

with High over-load handling capacity

Advanced battery management which enhances battery life up to 70%. Supported battery types : Flat, Tubular
Intelligent battery charging mechanism. Running appliances : AC, Fans, Laptops, LED TV, Lights, Mixer Grinder, Personal Computers, Refrigerator.

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Some recommended Inverters you can find online:-

1. Microtek DSP Motors UPS JMSW 3.2KVA 36V Sinewave 
2. Sukam 3.5KVA/48V Fusion Inverter 

2. The Air conditioner

• The smallest size ACs usually have a range of 5000 BTU and they make use of a power of about 4 to 5 amps for operating.
• This means that if you have a smaller size AC installed at home, then you will need a smaller size inverter which won’t be very expensive as well.
• The inverter basically does the task of transferring a specified amount of power to run any given AC electrical unit and this includes air conditioners as well.
• Most inverters get their power from a source such as batteries or solar panels, hydropower or wind mills etc.
• But these power sources must be able to provide the required amount of surge power too in addition to the continuous energy which is required to keep the Air conditioner running.

3. Charging of inverter for air conditioners

• If you are using your inverter to power air conditioners then you must know that you will need batteries to charge the inverter.  You will need to change them on a regular basis.
• Some other alternate sources too can be used for charging and some include solar panels, windmills and others.

4. Bigger battery size

If you are someone who wants to run your air conditioner on the inverter then it is important to remember that you might need a bigger battery size or capacity than you already have. If the capacity is not enough then the inverter wont be able to handle the load.

Our Pick

Luminous Red Charge

Recyclable Tall Tubular Inverter Battery for Home, Office & Shops

Highly efficient battery which is ideal for heavy-duty application with excellent overcharge tolerance, superior performance during long frequent power cuts, and minimum maintenance

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Some recommended batteries:-

1. LUMINOUS RC 18000 150 AH Tall Tubular Battery 
2. V-Guard Vt200 200Ah Tall Tubular Inverter Battery 
3. Genus Invomax GTT225 Tall Tubular 200 AH 
4. Genus Hallabol GTT165 150 AH Tall Tubular 

Now that you know the answer of can an air conditioner run on an inverter, you can take steps accordingly to run yours whenever there are power cuts. If you need any help related to inverters such as inverter not working etc, you can contact Mr Right.