Iris Technology Operator's Manual
QuietPower 1800 (QP-1800) Doc 287.F701 / 100412
Appendix A
VEHICLE CONSIDERATIONS
A.1 Vehicle Alternator
This appendix explains important vehicle and battery systems information necessary to optimize
the performance of the QP-1800 inverter system.
The QuietPower 1800 is a 24 VDC (nominal) device. It will not operate from personal vehicles
which have a 12 VDC (nominal) electrical system.
A 200 Amp alternator system is recommended to deliver full power output (100 Amp minimum).
Under conditions of high power draw, an undersized alternator will be damaged.
A.2 Military Batteries
An automotive starting battery is designed to deliver a large amount of current for a short period
of time (so it can start your engine). Only a small portion of the battery‟s capacity is used when
starting the engine and it is quickly recharged by the running engine. It is not designed for
repeated charge-discharge cycles where the battery is almost completely discharged and then
recharged. Starting batteries used in this kind of deep discharge service will wear out rapidly.
Just as important as the type of battery selected for use with your QuietPower Inverter is the
subject of battery size or capacity. Unfortunately, there are a number of different standards for
rating battery energy storage capacity. Automotive starting batteries are normally rated by
cranking amps. This is not a relevant rating for continuous use. Deep cycle batteries are rated
either by reserve capacity in minutes or by amp-hours. Battery reserve capacity is a measure of
how long a battery can deliver a certain amount of current - usually 25 amps. For example, a
battery with a reserve capacity of 180 minutes can deliver 25 amps for 180 minutes before it is
completely discharged. Amp-hour capacity is a measure of how many amps a battery can
deliver for a specified length of time - usually 20 hours. For example, a typical marine or RV
battery rated for 100 amp-hours can deliver 5 amps for 20 hours. (5 amps * 20 hours = 100
amp-hours).
The batteries are a very important part of your system, so we recommend you have as much
battery capacity as possible. A large battery will extend running time and ensure your
QuietPower Inverter delivers full rated surge.
You can expect performance from the inverter to suffer with the use of a small, low amp-hour
rated battery (e.g. 50 Ah). Even if your battery is in excellent shape and fully charged you will
likely experience poor surge power performance and unsatisfactory operating time with anything
but a small AC load. Iris Technology recommends a minimum battery size of 100 Ah for
moderate loads (< 1000 W) and 200 Ah or greater for heavy loads.
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