Team-BHP - Inverter or generator?

8 hours of power cut everyday forced my wife to force me to buy an inverter.

I bought Luminous Sine Wave inverter 1.4KVA along with Amarraja (Amaron) 90 VA x 2 battery + free installation+wiring+switchboard + free maintenance every 4 months + 2 years warrantee on inverter + 3 years warrantee on batteries + a plastic stand with wheels

Square wave will create "huming" sound from the tubes and fans within few days of use. Sine wave inverter will not have this issue.

I went for 1.4KVA becasue we wanted to run Refregirator and Food Processor apart from home lighting (tubes, CFLs, Fans), TV and PC+ Broadband+wifi router.

I bought this from a dealer who has office near ISKON, Installation was done within in the same day. I ordered it at 12 noon, installation was over by 9 PM.

If anyone needs contact details please send me a PM.

now we have two happy people (at home) plus one with some more reduced bank balance ( and he is writing this post)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 2035854)

Buying a sinewave inverter is better than the square wave.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 2035854)

However the best brand apparently is APC and they currently do not have a sine wave model

Did you find this information in APC website :). Luminous, Su-kam, Microtek, APC, are all good brands, but check which brand has service access to your area, that makes the difference. Also check out the home UPS model, that way you wont need a UPS for your computer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 2035854)

Amaron battery is better than others, but even exide is great. I guess buying a tubular battery is recommended for sure?

Tubular is the king for inverters. In my opinion no one can beat exide in tubular. Check out their EL series. They have 4 and 5 years guarantee.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 2035854)

Looking at a 800 VA model, current owners/experts please help

If you have time go through this whole thread. Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipz (Post 2036023)

ya the sinewave is always better than a square wave, square wave will not have humming sound with electronic choke, but with the ballast it has some noise. Fans too have some humming sound with it, and it is said that square wave harms the electronic regulator of a fan (though i have not seen one yet).

Did you find this information in APC website :). Luminous, Su-kam, Microtek, APC, are all good brands, but check which brand has service access to your area, that makes the difference. Also check out the home UPS model, that way you wont need a UPS for your computer.

Tubular is the king for inverters. In my opinion no one can beat exide in tubular. Check out their EL series. They have 4 and 5 years guarantee.

If you have time go through this whole thread. Hope this helps.

no did not get the info from APC, just heard around that's all. One thing is established, need a sine wave inverter. Battery- even SMF are good as they are maintenance free? Amaron makes SMF which are good i guess? Will check out Exide also as that too have heard is equally good.
I think 800 VA is good for me as plan to run lights, laptop maybe and maybe a DVD player with Flat Panel screen and no computer (PC)
Anyone has dealers around CV Raman Nagar, Indiranagar who are good?

Got a few quotes,
Seems like a combination of Sine Wave 800 VA with Tubular Battery( exide) will cost around 18,500 with trolley. Not sure if this is an ok price?
Cost is lower with Amaron Battery that is semi tubular. I thought it would be easier than its turning out to!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkh (Post 2036749)

We got our Su-Kam sine wave (Falcon, was it ?) and a Su-Kam 800VA battery for ~14k. 11k after exchanging the old battery and inverter. Backup power lasts a lifetime (It has to, if you have to survive the Punjab summers and power supply).

BTW, what're the pros of a tubular/semi-tubular over the traditional design ? Googling returned surprisingly low number of relevant results on this one.

My 3 KVA UPS batteries conked off on friday. They are Prestolite 88 AH x 4 batteries. I had replaced them with Amaron 80 AH Hi-Way batteries. It cost me Rs.18,800 after deducting Rs.1000/- per old battery. I can see from the warranty card that these new batteries are actually automobile batteries.

Automotive batteries are not designed for deep discharge usage. The previous batch lasted about 4 years. What is the view of the gurus about using automotive batteries for the UPS ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipz (Post 2037000)

What is the model of the exide you are getting. the price depends on the model and the battery ampere. Semitubular always cost less than tubular. Better buy the tubular, you wont regret it.

Well the dealers here are discouraging buying Exide. They say support is bad etc, got this from 3 dealers now. I got a quote for exide battery from one of them he told me model name- 1500+ IN with 2 years warranty but not the EL series, but the 6EL is costing 17K for the battery only and gives 4 years warranty
Can you suggest some good models?
Apart from exide any other decent brands? Got a couple of quotes for Prestolite battery with inverter for about 14-15K
Looks like may have to go for a non exide battery but dunno which is the next best in tubular( prestolite, micron?) Most dealers are moving away from exide due to the bad support they are giving off late.

Today I got quotes from local inverter seller, he says follwing quotes which also includes wiring:

100 ah = INR 11500
135 ah = INR 13500
150 ah = INR 14500

The battery he provides is SF sonic, 600 va. He says there is no brand by name Exide, and all exides come in the brand SF now, is that true.

Let me know if the price he has quoted is good enough.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xingamazon (Post 2168308)

What brand is this? I paid ~ Rs 12500 for 150AH three years ago (Usha Zentra).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 2168622)

What brand is this? I paid ~ Rs 12500 for 150AH three years ago (Usha Zentra).

Thanks for the help.
I am planning to buy Microtek or Everest both are available for same price. He mentioned other few brands which I had not heard of, so I ignored them.

The price that you mentioned does that include installation/ wiring charges.?

Quote:

Originally Posted by xingamazon (Post 2169014)

I think I paid Rs 500.00 for that. I wanted some fancy footwork from the installer - I wanted specific points at specific rooms (3 bed, 1 hall,1 dining, 1 kitchen and 3 bathrooms) to be connected to inverter, while excluding others.

I also paid Rs 900.00 for a stylish Usha Zentra trolley which conceals the battery and houses the inverter on top, and we can move it about while cleaning the room. I bought the whole set-up from Ratna Fan House, Pondy bazar.

At that time home UPS were not available but they are now. Check them out. Also, please remember that irrespective of what people tell you, the average life of the battery will be ~ 2.5 years. Avoid dry type / maintenance free (Korean) batteries and opt for normal type, preferably Amaron shield. Avoid the temptation of housing the set-up on some loft, as maintenace of battery will become cumbersome. I maintain the battery myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 2169122)

Hi Gansan,
Thanks for the pieces of advise.
Are the Exide SF Sonic batteries that type that you mentioned, I mean (dry type / maintenance free). Or are you meaning what people call as Tubular battery?
Is yours also 6oo vh? what is the battery make that you have is that Exide?