Using inverter with air compresser

Seren

Well-known member
I have a residential refig in my Landmark, so it has a 1000W inverter and two batteries. I have a Porter Cable 150psi 120V pancake compressor that I use to ensure my tires are correctly inflated prior to leaving a campground. But if I needed to add air to a tire when not hooked up to shore power I assume that I can unplug the refig at the inverter and plug in the compresser to use it. Yes?


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Hunter11

Well-known member
Depends on how many amps the compressor pulls on start up. My guess would be that compressor will pull more amps than your fridge will. I have a compressor similar to the one you have and I think it pulls 10 amps just running.
 

swburbguy

Active Member
Muliply the amperage of the compressor times the voltage that will give you the wattage I think it would be too much for invertor
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
We installed a 2500 watt inverter specifically for running our air compressor. I didn't think we could get away with smaller.
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
You might consider the Viair 450P compressor if you are just using it for your tires. It is 12 volt, 100 percent duty cycle and easily handles the 110 PSI needed for tires like G614s. Presumably your TV would always be available when not on shore power so you always have a power source.
 

Seren

Well-known member
Thanks. I believe I have been enlightened! I should have this RV thing completely figured out by, like Dec 14, 2023. ;-)


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JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
For just tires, the 12V Viair compressors are all you need. But if you want to use compressed air as part of your winterizing/dewinterizing, or need to use a spray gun, then you will need a 120V unit with a small tank and adjustable regulator. Being a seasonal part-timer, my Viair stays in the truck bed and my 3 gallon air nailer unit stays home unless I plan a project that will need it, like applying the MouseFree at the CG, or maintenance at the storage yard (and there I need to take my Honda 2K genny along). Considerations to take into account on which is best for your needs are having the power to run the 120V unit when you need it and the space to haul it in the rig.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Let me state the obvious, its always better to get power at the source. Look into a DC compressor, a good one not a cheap one that will let you down when you need it most.

In the AC variety compressors, i do not think that you have a big enough inverter to run your porter cable, it looks like a 10 amp compressor and you barely have 8 amps. But for 99 bucks, you can get one of these; Blue Hawk .3 hp 2 gallon tank 125 PSI compressor that uses two amp, which is within your inverters capability. it will take 240 watts of your 1000 available to run it and it is a lot cheaper than a DC that will do the job.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_470440-30449-0120212A_0__

The problem I run into with my compressor is the regulator setting. You must set the lowest regulated pressure above the anticipated tire pressure, otherwise you will get into a no-mans land where your compressor is not getting a signal to operate because your tire and your compressor are in equilibrium. It creates a stalemate and your compressor will not activate. I ran into this problem and moved the regulator to 150 lbs max pressure and 125 min pressure. The max pressure for my trailer tires is 125 so I'm good.

The answer to your question is yes you can unplug the fridge and plug in your compressor, I least I would do it. But it will do no good, your inverter is good for about 8 amps if that much. The 1000 watt inverter, is that continuous or surge, if it has a peak of 1000 watts then that is bad because you have much less than 8 amps available, your porter cable is a 10 amp variety. meaning you need at least 1200 watts continuous to operate it.

The formula is volts X amp - watts

I have a residential refrig in my Landmark, so it has a 1000W inverter and two batteries. I have a Porter Cable 150 psi 120V pancake compressor that I use to ensure my tires are correctly inflated prior to leaving a campground. But if I needed to add air to a tire when not hooked up to shore power I assume that I can unplug the refig at the inverter and plug in the compressor to use it. Yes?


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