In this modern world, it is impossible to imagine our daily lives without electricity. Our homes are filled with appliances and machines that work on electricity and help make our life easier. That is why everyone hates power cuts. They come unannounced and if you don’t have a backup in place, you could end up biding the time until the power comes back. Instead of doing that, you can choose the best inverter battery available in the market and prepare your home for the frequent power cuts of summer.
What is an Inverter Battery
An inverter is a device that is used to provide backup AC power whenever there is a power cut. It works on the basic principle of converting the AC power supplied by the grid into DC current, storing it in a battery, and then converting it into AC power again when needed. An inverter battery is the life and soul of an inverter as it does the most important task – storing the converted energy.
Inverter batteries come in different storage sizes and can use different technologies as well. The amount of power backup and duration an inverter can provide depends on the battery size and its type. The different inverter battery types are:
- Tubular Plate Inverter Battery
Tubular plate batteries are connected from positive and negative plates. The positive plate is tubular and the negative plate is flat and has a tubular support system for the chemicals. This ensures that this responsive portion is always in its place.
- GEL Battery
GEL batteries have silica added inside of them. Deep cycle lead-acid GEL batteries don’t require much maintenance as they are built quite sturdy. These kinds of batteries are environmental-friendly, valve-controlled, sealed, and safe as well.
- Flat Plate Inverter Battery
A flat plate inverter battery, as the name suggests, is flat in design. It has two visible components namely structure and reactive chemicals. This kind of battery has a large surface area and is hence a suitable choice for high current applications.
How to Choose the Best Inverter Battery
In order to get an inverter capable of fulfilling your needs, there are some things that you should consider while choosing an inverter battery. Here are the three guidelines to help you make the right decision.
- Identify Your Power Requirements
This is perhaps one of the most important factors. The capacity of your inverter battery depends on how much power you need from it. If you want to power up some lights and fans only in time of a power cut, a medium-sized inverter battery will do just fine. But if you want to power up some appliances like a TV or a refrigerator, then a higher capacity battery should be the way to go.
- Check the VA Rating of the Inverter
The VA, or Volt Ampere, rating of an inverter specifies the voltage and current it can provide to the appliances. There is a simple formula to calculate how much VA rating is best for your needs. You need to divide the total power requirement with the average power factor of inverters to get an approximate value of the VA rating.
VA = Power Requirement / Power Factor
- Which Battery your Inverter Needs
The next thing to consider is how many hours you want the battery to run. This would reflect on the total battery capacity which is measured in Ampere Hours (Ah). There are batteries available in different capacities like 100 Ah, 150 Ah, 180 Ah and more. For instance, if you want a couple of fans, tube lights, one CFL and one TV to run for 3 hours, a battery of150 Ah capacity should work fine. Here is the formula to calculate the battery capacity.
Battery Capacity = Power Requirement (in watts) * Back up hours / Battery Voltage (in volts)
Conclusion
Having an inverter in your home can help you maintain an uninterrupted power supply in case of power cuts or blackouts. This is why it is important to choose the best inverter battery so that your power requirements and duration can be fulfilled properly. There are several guides online that can teach you how to charge an inverter battery, how to set it up, maintain it for the long run, and make sure that it is working properly.