Quick Answer
You would require 250 to 300 watts of sine wave inverters to run the TV.
Use the short-distance wires to connect the inverter to the TV. The thin wire reduces the traction, which results in less energy loss. The more voltage would make the inverter supply energy efficiently.
Can you run a TV off an inverter?
Yes. It is possible to run the TV off an inverter. Check the inverter’s output capacity as most of the inverters have limited output wattage. If the inverter can serve the required watt, then it will support the TV. You will be able to run the TV without any trouble.
For example, if the TV runs on 250 watts of power, it has inverters with a 300-watt capacity.
Consider the extra 20% watt for the power loss during the transmission of the energy.
The 300 watts of continuous output will keep the energy stable, and there will be no power loss and disconnection while watching the TV.
Will a 300-watt inverter run a TV?
Most inverters can be connected to household electronic devices. Inverters under 300 watts would be capable of powering the various types of electronics. Connect it to the vehicle battery through the DC and plug them into the dashboard of the vehicle.
You can also find the device that looks like jumper cables for connecting it directly to the battery.
Almost all modern inverters come with one or more standard switches to power regular household electronics such as laptops, TV, video game, or DVD player.
You can also run the kitchen appliances on the inverter comfortably.
Connect the toaster, blender, etc., to the inverter and use it regularly without needing the regular power outlet.
Before you connect the TV to the inverter, check the watt requires to run the device. Always consider the 20% to 30% extra watts to power the device.
It will be useful to keep the extra watt on the power supply to compensate for the fluctuation in the energy.
If you are going to connect multiple devices to the single inverters, check the watt of each piece of equipment and calculate the total watt, it would require to power the device.
Do not use multiple devices if the inverter’s capacity is utilized above 80 to 90 percentage of the total capacity of the inverter.
There has to be sufficient energy output to power the multiple devices, or else it will make it difficult for the inverter to run smoothly.
What inverter do I need to run a TV?
Every electronic comes with a watt indicator showing how much electricity the inverter draws when connected to the power grid per hour. Generally, the energy used is mentioned in the watt of the equipment.
Check the specification of the device to know the exact watt the device would require to run.
Note the watt on the paper. The next step is the find how many watts your inverter draws from the output cable. Note that as well on the piece of paper.
Once you have to both calculations, calculate the watts required to run the equipment. The inverters must have 30% extra power than the total amount of equipment from the inverter.
The additional wattage ensures that the devices connected to the inverter would get sufficient power without any fluctuation in the output.
Remember that there will be a voltage drop when you connect the electronic device. The 12v system would drop the 0.5v. So the inverter can only power the device that requires 11.5V power.
The equipment should be powered with a minimum voltage of 12V. Else, it will not run. So check your TV voltage requirement.
Always have 20% extra voltage if you want to run the device on the inverter.
A 32-inch LCD tv consumes around 125 watts of energy. It would require an inverter that provides around 250 to 300 watts of energy to power the device.
The large the TV size, the more energy it will consume. You have to be very precise about the voltage your TV requires.
How to know the exact voltage the TV draws?
Check the manufacturer manual to know the exact voltage the TV draws. Based on the voltage capacity, connect the right inverter to the TV.
You can reduce the power loss by connecting the inverter near the TV.
Use the thing cable that wills drow sufficient power to the TV. When the energy is transported through the wires, the energy is lost in terms of heat.
Thin wires will reduce energy loss as there will be less friction and more supply of energy.
How do I calculate what size inverter I need?
When it comes to buying the inverters, there is always confusion in selecting the right inverter to power the device. The size of the inverter that you need is decided based on the output you want to generate to power your device.
The regular inverters are measured based on the wattage it draws.
The inverters are used to convert the power from the DC to the AC power before it is stored in the battery. In the conversion process, there will be energy loss.
Also, some voltage is consumed by the inverter to run the core process. The less power inverter consumes, the more efficient the system will become.
Based on the power consumption, the inverter is checked for efficiency rating.
Check the following points to identify the right inverter that powers your equipment.
The first thing you have to calculate is how efficient your inverter is and how much energy it produces in terms of a watt.
For example, when you connect the microwave to the inverter, that draws 800 watts of energy to run. You can use the formula to calculate the DC amperage to operate using the 12 V batteries.
Formula’;
W ÷ V = A
800 ÷ 12 = A
= 67 A
Are inverters working 100% efficiently?
The inverters are not 100% efficient. They require power to convert the DC voltage to the AC. When the energy reaches the battery for storage, some part of the energy is already depleted.
Therefore, when you connect the equipment with the specific watt required to operate, you must consider the power loss in the formula.
The general thumb rule is to have a 20% extra power supply to compensate for the power loss during the energy transportation and inverters power consumption.
Assume that your inverter runs at 80% of its efficiency. It means the inverter with the capacity of 1000 watts would only draw the power of 800 watts.
The reduced battery power will be used to load the inverter.
You can calculate the power supply using the below formula.
800 W = W ∙ 80%
800 W ÷ 80% = W
= 1000 W
So this shows that the electronics, which require 800 watts, would need 1000 watts of the inverter.
The 20% energy loss is considered in this formula also the efficiency loss is also calculated to ensure that the equipment gets a sufficient amount of energy.
Conclusion:
You have clearly understood the measurement procedure of the energy supply from the inverter and the depletion rate. Some inverters are very efficient in drawing energy. You do not have to consider loss.
However, it is good practice to keep the buffered energy left to deal with the fluctuation in the energy supply.
Check the need for the energy of the TV, and based on that, calculate the output requirement.
Eng. Matthew Joseph Nandirio is the Founder of walkingsolar.
After graduating from the University of Houston in 2002, matt started working as a Solar Electrical Engineer for several multi-national solar energy companies.
He has a wide range of experiences including solar system requirement analysis, planning, maintaining, debugging and even solar device development through research.
He now shares his 20 years of expertise through his articles on the walkingsolar website.
Further, he is also the author of two books on Solar Technology, “Solar Power for Villages” and “DIY Solar System for Dummies”.
