TV and inverter problem

[mtheo]

I have a stock 27" Zenith TV, it work good when hooked to shore power. I was trying to use the Zenith on a 400 watt inverter that I had used in my last trailer with a 21" Sanyo flat screen and DVD w/ no problem.
My problem is that when I connected it to the Zenith, it fried the inverter, only 2 yrs old. Zenith lititure states 125 watt useage.
At the time I did not know the problem was the TV so I purchased another inverter, 400 watt w/ 800 watt suger capacity.
The inverter works other things but when the TV in connected and turned on it over loads the inverter.
Anybody have this problem or have any ideas?

[H. John Kohl]

The wattage required to power up the TV screen is large. The tv tube is just that a big electrical tube. It his around 1000 to 1500 volts on the front portion behind the glass to show a picture. That is why the hair on your arm will rise like static electricity when you pass it close to the face of the TV. The wattage is the normal operating power. To energize that tube you need 8 to 10 times the wattage to activate the picture tube. The 125 watt is based on 120 volt AC Watts = Voltage times Current. Therefore current for 120 volts is 125/120 or about 1.05 amp. Now the inverter is powered off of 12 volts so we will say it is only 50% efficient therefore the wattage to produce 125 watts on the 120 volt side requires 250 watts on the 12 volt side.
Watts = Volts X Amps. Therefore 250/12 = 21 amps. This is just calculating the operating wattage. The flat screens are new technology and basically operate off of 12 volts to power all system.
Most important for your TV to blow the invert it points to little or no protective circuitry. I would not try to run my tube TV with less than a 1000 Watt inverter and possibly 2000.
I hope this helps.
Cheers,

[JH Sechelt]

I had the same problem with a 400w inverter. I put a 1200w inverter in and you still have to be careful how you turn everything on.
TV first, sound system 2nd, etc.... But it does work. Yet no problem running the drip coffee pot..go figure.

J & D

[mtheo]

Thanks for the help, I just I'll get a bigger inverter or and newer TV

Thanks for the help
Mark

[mtnhntr]

It may not be your inverter. I use an el-cheapo 400 watt/800watt peak Coleman inverter and it powers my 27" tube TV along with a satellite reciever just fine. You do need to be sure that you use a large wire size from your batteries to the inverter and to minimize the distance from the batteries to the inverter. I permanently mounted mine within 4' of my two golf cart batteries using #6 or #8 wire -can't remember which right now. I then ran 12-2+ ground romex cable to a duplex outlet box in the entertainment center. I always turn on the TV first, then the satellite reciever.
Ken

[Al B]

I also fried a inverter when trying to run a TV. I thought I had put the wires on the wrong termal. It was when the northest lost power trying to see what happen in a rush. Now I think it was the tv. Thanks for the info.

[bobgay]

My 1500 watt inverter will not power up my 27" TV. One solution (an expensive one) may be to go to a LCD TV. I'm debating it.
Bob