An inverter is a device that uses energy stored in batteries or other renewable energy sources such as solar panels to power electrical appliances e.g lights, television, and freezers. Inverters change direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC), they allow people to generate their personal backup power for use when power from the grid is unavailable or unaffordable.

Modified Sine Wave inverters are an affordable and efficient way to power small household appliances like lights, TVs, and fans. You will get power that is comparable (but not identical) to the power you get from the grid.

Buying a Pure Sine Wave inverter is recommended if you plan to use large appliances such as a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or medical equipment. Pure Sine Wave inverters are ideal for appliances that have a compressor, are quiet and provide power quality equivalent to the grid; however, they can cost twice as much as an equivalent Modified Sine Wave inverter.

To choose the right inverter size for your needs, calculate the total wattage of all the electrical appliances you would like to run on the inverter. This can be achieved by checking the power rating label found on each appliance and adding up the total wattage. If you wish to keep your total cost down, it is advisable to run only your essential appliances on the inverter. The following is an example:

Equipment Common Energy Consumption in Watts

Laptop 20W
Ceiling Fan 50W
DSTV 20W
Televisions 150W
Desktop Computer 85W
4 Energy Saving Bulbs 60W
TOTAL 385W
We recommend that you buy an inverter twice the size of your total energy requirements so that you have extra capacity and do not run the risk of overloading.

The backup time depends upon the capacity of the battery and load connected. You can calculate your battery backup time in hours with the Mercury Battery Backup Time Calculator.

Note: Steps relate to Mercury 1.2kva and 2.4kva Modified Sine Wave Inverters only. Installation steps for other models of Inverters may vary.

Select a suitable location

Inverters should be Installed in a well-ventilated area, not exposed to moisture, water. hazardous or flammable materials. The installation location should be spacious and as close as possible to your distribution board.

Install PHCN and Generator only Charging Socket

A qualified electrician should create a PHCN /Generator 13 amps charging socket.   The charging socket needs to be powered by PHCN and generator only, so the inverter does not feedback on itself.

Load Separation

A qualified electrician should separate in the distribution board the items you wish to be powered by your Inverter. The life and neutral wire of each individual appliance must be separated, leaving the remaining load which will be powered by PHCN and Gen only e.g AC, fridge, Iron and kitchen sockets should remain as is.
The separated load is attached to a 13 amps plug, which will be plugged into one of the 3 output sockets at the back of the Inverter after connection to the battery bank.

Connect Inverter to an External Battery Bank

Confirm that the inverter is switched off.  Connect to an external battery bank which matches the voltage of your inverter. For example, the Mercury 2.4kva Inverter is 24v and must be connected to a 24-volt battery bank. The Mercury 1.2kva Inverter is 12v and must be connected to a 12v battery bank

Testing

1, Plug the Inverter power plug into the NEPA and Generator only charging socket (Do not switch the socket on yet.)
2.Plug the load plug into one of the AC output sockets on the back of the inverter

3. Press the red power button on the front of the Inverter unit to turn it on. Confirm that the LCD display is illuminated and the Inverter is powering the connected appliances.

4. Switch on the charging socket. After a few seconds the four battery bars on the LCD display will start flashing, indicating that the Inverter is charging the battery bank.

Even though inverters can run on any type of battery, those typically used in vehicles are not compatible with inverters because those types of batteries are built for delivering exceptionally high currents for short spans of time, for example, starting the ignitions of a car.

Dry Cell Deep Cycle batteries are convenient for inverter system use because they are built for delivering low current or a long period of time and they require absolutely no maintenance.  These types of batteries are perfect for home or-or small office applications where regular battery maintenance is not feasible. Unlike Wet Cell Deep Cycle batteries they can be left sitting around for long periods without use, with no detriment to performance.

Tubular Wet Cell Deep Cycle batteries come equipped with sophisticated designs, which ensure excellent electrical efficiency and increased lifespan.  They can often go on working for ten years or more; however, they can be costly to maintain and should not be left sitting around for long periods without use.  Like the muscles of the body, they need regular use to maintain optimal performance.

They come with caps which you will have to remove every 6 to 12 months to add distilled water and needs to be in a well-ventilated area.

There are two main ways of connecting batteries together. You can connect batteries in series to increase the voltage while keeping amperage the same. To do this you would take the positive terminal on one battery and connect it to the negative terminal on a second battery.

The other main way is to connect batteries in parallel to increase the amperage while keeping the voltage the same. To achieve this you would take the positive battery terminal on one battery to the positive terminal on the second battery. Then connect the negative terminals of each battery together.

In addition to the two main ways of connecting batteries, it is also possible to connect a battery bank in both series and parallel if you have at least four batteries. For example, if you wanted to use 6 12 volts with a 24-volt Inverter, then you would need to join the batteries in both series and parallel while keeping the voltage at 24 volts.

You should switch off your Inverter and recharge whenever the low battery alarm goes off. On most Inverters, the alarm will go off at 80% depth of discharge. You should not allow your Inverter to go off by itself. Discharging the battery bank 100% will damage your batteries and shorten their lifespan.

Yes you can use solar with your Inverter, but your Solar Panels must be connected to an adequately sized inbuilt or external Solar Charge Controller

We do not advise using a microwave with a modified Sine Wave Inverter. For use with a Pure Sine Wave Inverter, you need to ensure that your Inverter is correctly sized for use with your microwave. The power rating used with a microwave oven is the “cooking power” The actual operating power is higher than the cooking power rating. The actual power consumption is usually stated on the back of the microwave.

A microwave with a rating of 1000 watts, for example generally equates to approximately 2000 watts of power consumption. To use a microwave with a power consumption of 2000 watts we would recommend a 4KVA or above pure sine wave inverter

Yes you can use a stabilizer with you inverter. If you live in an area prone to NEPA fluctuations you can protect your inverter and sensitive electronic equipment from low and high voltages with a Mercury Automatic Voltage Regulator. Mercury AVR’s not only adjusts voltages to safe levels but also provide surge protection.

Inverters have a time delay (typically milliseconds) when switching from one power source to another, whereas an Online UPS does not have such a delay. There are no interruptions, not even for a nanosecond, when there is a power outage.

To run a fridge, you will need an inverter that can handle the running watts for long periods and a surge of 3 times the running watts for a few split seconds, typically when the compressor is starting.

We recommend Pure Sine Wave Inverters for running refrigerators. If for example, the operating power of your fridge is 600 watts, then you buy an Inverter capable handling surge of 1800 watts A 600 watts fridge will run for approximately 5 hours with a battery bank of 2x 200ah batteries and approximately 10 hours with 4x 200ah batteries.

Inverter prices in Nigeria vary considerably from one brand to the other. Generally speaking, the cost of an inverter can range anywhere from N15000 to 3 Million Naira, depending on Inverter type.
This is because inverter prices depend upon a range of factors, including the potential power output, conversion efficiency, and waveform type. For example, Pure Sine Wave inverter prices tend to be higher than Modified Sine Wave Inverters.

You can buy a cheap 12v Modified Sine Wave Inverter in Nigeria for as little as  ₦15,000. Inverters in this price range are typically low quality, sold without an inbuilt charger and come with no warranty. The price range of a high-quality 12v Modified Sine Wave Inverter is 40,000 – 50,000 naira, with an inbuilt charger and one year warranty. While the price range for a high-quality 24v Modified Sine Wave Inverter is 50,000 to 60,000, with an inbuilt charger and one year warranty.

The cost of a 12v Pure Sine Wave Inverter in Nigeria is between 70,000 to 80,000 naira. While the cost of a 24v Pure Sine Wave Inverter is between 80,000 to 170,000 naira.

Yes, you can run an air conditioner on an inverter, but you will, however, need to ensure it is correctly sized and you will also require a large battery bank, this is due to the fact that air conditioners tend to consume high amounts of power.
AC Inverters are recommended for best results because they consume less power than traditional AC units.

Laser Printer

For laser printers, we recommend a Pure Sine Wave Inverters with a surge rating 6.5 times the printer’s maximum wattage.  For example, an Inverter that can handle a surge of at least 3,250 watts is adequate for a Laser Printer rated 500 watts

Inkjet Printer

Inkjet Printers work without issue on a properly sized Modified Sine Wave Inverter

Inverters beep when their battery bank is low and requires recharging. You should turn off your Inverter whenever you hear the low battery alarm beeping, in order to stop your batteries from overcharging.