Using battery power to go off the City's power grid

To summarize what I have learned by taking my system to battery power:

1. Make sure to buy one that more than meets your system power requirements and can handle the initial power surge of your amp.

2. The inverter should produce a pure sine wave and remain stable at 120v and 60HZ even under full load.

3. Look for one with heat sinks in addition to just cooling fans - to keep the fans off under normal usage.

IF ANYONE ELSE HAS GONE TO A BATTERY POWERED SYSTEM PLEASE CHIME IN. I know Ric has and I appreciate everything he is doing to spread the word and help others if this something they are interested in. Like he has said many times I hope we are here to learn and have a cordial dialogue - not just argue. 

When calculating, it is advisable to take into consideration the device (IR) value. And "Not" because of the "Initial Rush" of power to the device. As most would think to apply this number.

For audio applications, the gears accumulative (IR) value is actually a good indicator of its overall needs in order to perform at the highest possible resolution. And also, why some other systems sound like "mud".

And why shopping for something in the middle? Yields that same result.

Thanks, sbayne.  I am confused by the turn on procedure in the Giandel 5000 user manual.  It says to turn on your electronics first, and then the inverter.  But since the electronics are plugged into the inverter, when the latter is still off, the electronics wouldn't turn on.  The Giandel has a stepped slow startup, maybe to avoid surges.  With my Shunyata Denali conditioner, I keep it on all the time.  My EQ (like a preamp) is always on, and I just turn on the CD player and Mytek Brooklyn power amp.  The amp has its own safe turn on mechanism, so there are no surges.

So I believe I could turn on the inverter first, wait a minute until it stabllizes, then turn on my CD player and power amp.  Essentially, turning on the inverter activates its AC outputs, but there is no current flow until the electronics are turned on.  There shouldn't be a need to have the inverter provide 2-3 times your power needs if I am correct.

Ricevs, am I correct?  What is the turn on procedure your friend follows with his Giandel 5000?

Ricevs,

You are absolutely medically correct about the importance of LOVE from your cardiologist.  It is important to have a technically competent cardiologist who has the needed experience in doing catheterizations, stents, but if you don't like his bedside manner that is going to impair your optimal recovery.  But a technically  inexperienced medical student with plenty of love will not offer you the best prospects.  We need both technical competence and emotional support from the doctor.  

We are only beginning to scientifically understand the mechanisms whereby emotional support produces better healing.  Stress reduction is important for cancer prognosis.  The most common stress-related condition, insomnia is mainly due to stress.  Stress impairs the immune system and many biochemical mechanisms.  A spouse who just lost her husband dies soon after, from the extreme grief which impairs her body in numerous ways.  The typical technician-only person thinks he can fix his body just by understanding the known scientific factors.  He won't understand the scientific correlates of emotions for 500 years, if ever.  So he scoffs at emotional factors and claims that love doesn't cure cancer.  He is wrong,  But most practical people know that the emotions are important even if they don't understand the technical basis for emotions.  The analogy with audio excellence is that careful and intelligent listening is employed in addition to technical analysis to get the best sound.  We don't understand all technical factors, but we have better sound than the technician who refuses to accept the evidence from his ears that something that sounds better may have worse specs.

I don’t know what he does but it makes no sense (to me...at this moment) what the manual says.....as long as the inverter can handle the surge of the component....then why would it matter which way you turn it on? I believe he leaves the inverter on all the time and turns his amps on and off via the amps.....his JC1+ amps have delayed start up using relays. I believe he leaves all his low level components on all the time....except maybe his 300B based preamp (got to conserve those expensive tubes). He leaves the charger plugged in and running except when listening......so he is always at full battery charge when he starts to listen.

I don’t know what you are talking about when you say "2 to three times your power needs". The inverter only supplies what it is asked. As long as the inverter is large enough, it will work. Now about sound....it could be a way larger than needed inverter will sound better....same with paralleling batteries......these things need to be sonically tested.

You need to have an inverter that will handle the SURGE turn on current of your gear. For instance, my 400 watt Goal Zero will NOT turn on my Purifi Class D amp that only draws 30 watts when idling......because the turn on surge of the power supply in the amp is way above the surge capability of the Goal Zero.....the Goal Zero shuts off when I try to turn on the amp......so, I have an AC switch on my amp that switches between the wall AC and the inverter AC. So, I turn on the amp with the wall AC and then I switch to the Goal Zero power. If I had a 1000 watt Inverter I am sure it could handle the turn on surge. Why would anyone buy an inverter less than 2000 watts (4000 watt surge)?.....They are sooooo cheap ($350 for a Giandel).