Do Car Inverters Drain Battery?

With the widespread use of RVs, car inverters are becoming more and more popular. However, some people who bought a car inverter are afraid to use it in the car, worrying whether the car inverter will damage the car battery.

Virtually all electronic devices can cause minor damage to your vehicle. However, if the vehicle inverter is not used correctly, the impact will be greater. When the impact reaches a level that the car battery can't handle, it can drain your battery.

What effect does an inverter have on a battery?

1. When the engine is running

The alternator charges the battery and powers the electrical system whenever the engine is running. The battery is still important because the alternator needs battery voltage to function properly, but the alternator should do the heavy lifting while the engine is running.

When everything is working properly, the alternator charges the battery when it needs to be recharged, powers the electrical system and components such as the stereo and headlights, and provides surplus power for accessories such as the inverter.

If the alternator is unable to provide all the power due to damage or insufficient power, your electrical system may be discharging. At this point, you'll notice the charge meter on the dashboard. It will drop below 12 or 13 volts, indicating that the battery is discharging.

When this goes on for too long, the battery eventually discharges to the point where you don't have enough charge to run all the electronics in the car. At this point, and even before that, you typically experience drivability issues. The engine may even stall.

2. When the engine is not available

When the engine is not running, the battery is responsible for powering the electrical system. This is why leaving your headlights on overnight can drain your battery. The same happens if the inverter is used while parked.

Some car inverters have a built-in low battery shutdown feature, but this may or may not leave you with enough backup power to operate the starter motor. Running an inverter while camping can get you into trouble due to the amount of current the starter needs to start.

If you want to use a car inverter while camping, you may want to hedge the risk by purchasing an extra deep cycle battery to run the inverter. You can also start the engine regularly to charge the battery, or bring your own battery charging generator to prevent the battery from running out.

Summarize

The easiest solution to this problem is to stop using the inverter before this point is reached. However, having a separate deep-cycle battery for the inverter or a generator with a built-in battery charger is a good option.