12V Inverter Info

My 12v Inverter Died Today

My 12v inverter finally broke.  I woke up today to find our home without power.  This is quite strange for us since we’re not hooked up to the power grid.  The only time the power goes out around here is when the generator runs out of gas or the house batteries die.

At first I just thought the house batteries died.  No big deal.  I just started the little Honda generator and charge them up.  After charging the batteries, I turned off the generator and switched to the 12v inverter.  I was less than thrilled to discover that the inverter was not working.

It has a little light on it that says “fault”.  Like that does me a lot of good.  I already know that it’s not working.  What could that light possible tell me that I didn’t already know.

The 12v inverter that we have been using is made by a company by the name of Go Socket.  It is their GS-1500 model.  I have to say that I’ve been very happy with the unit.  I’ve owned the cheesy Black and Decker, Vector, and Husky brands and they didn’t last long at all.  I had a used Xantrex i 12vinverter that only lasted a year.  The Go Socket has performed flawlessly for over two years now.

The part that I’m not happy with is that I can’t find any contact information for the company that makes this 12v inverter.  After some good Google time, I was able to find out that the company that makes them is out of Tiagard, Oregon.  The bad news is that the phone number I found for them is disconnected.  I’m fearing that like many companies struggling with the economy, they’ve gone belly up.

I think our local Novaks auto parts store will probably have one in stock should I choose to replace it but I’m leery to buy from a company that  may not be in a position to honor their warranties.

Here’s a great example of why it’s important to buy from an established company with a good customer service reputation.  I may have to buy a replacement 12v inverter tomorrow and hope that it lasts another two years or more. That’s really my only option.  The big box retailers sell junk inverters and if I buy online, it will take a while to get here.

We use our 12v inverter daily and unfortunately can’t afford a really expensive unit.  I don’t know that the expensive models would last any longer since they have the same warranty as their less expensive little brothers.

The lesson that I learned today was to have a backup inverter on hand.  As of now, we have to run the generator 24 hours a day.  Not only is that hard on the pocket book but it adds more wear and tear on the generator.

As always thanks for visiting my 12v inverter blog!

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