What Size of Inverter to Use with an Angle grinder?

If you do remote site jobs for clients often in places where there’s the grid is not available then you might want to consider using an inverter to supply power for the angle grinder.

But what size and type of inverter should you use? How big of a battery should you connect it to?

For guidance on these questions and others, read on.

What Size of Inverter for a Grinder?

Always check the amperage or power consumption of the angle grinder you plan to use first as it varies depending on the size (horsepower) of the grinder.

You should be able to use a good quality 2,000-watt inverter to power a 7 amp, 800-watt inverter.

The larger current draw 11 amp (1200 watt) grinder will probably require a 3,500-watt inverter or larger.

Do not hesitate to check with the manufacturers of both the angle grinder and the inverter on the power requirements of the angle grinder and whether the inverter can meet them.

You may also be interested in what size and type of inverter to use for a circular saw.

How to Select an Inverter for the Angle Grinder

To select an inverter that’ll power the angle grinder reliably, look for:

1. A pure sinewave inverter. Power tools such as angle grinders and other appliances run cooler when connected to pure sinewave inverters instead of a modified sinewave inverters.

2. Make sure the inverter can handle not only the continuous power (watts) of the grinder but also its surge power (watts).

You risk damage to the inverter plus the angle grinder will not work properly if it is not connected to a suitably sized inverter.

Consult the angle grinder manual for its both the continuous and surge power ratings (watts).

What Size of Battery?

The size of battery bank you use depends on the desired runtime on the inverter.

Consider a 12V, 400Ah AGM battery bank or 200Ah LiFePO4 battery to power a 2,000-watt inverter running a 7 amp (800-watt) angle grinder.

Alternatives Power Sources for an Angle grinder

1. Use an inverter generator instead

You can also use an inverter generator to power the angle grinder and other power tools instead of an inverter-battery setup.

Compared to an inverter-battery setup, an inverter generator can be considerably cheaper, in some cases as low as 30% of the cost of the inverter generator.

An inverter generator can run the grinder and other tools for longer provided there is gas.

Keep in mind though that the inverter generator requires regular maintenance.

2. Use a Battery powered grinder

Instead of using an inverter-battery setup to power your angle grinder, consider using a cordless and rechargeable battery-powered grinder especially if you don’t use the grinder regularly.

Should you decide to get a cordless angle grinder, consider buying an extra battery pack as there is only limited runtime available with the battery and yet it can take a while to fully charge the battery.

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How Many Watts is an Angle Grinder?

The smaller angle grinders may only consume about 800 watts (7 amps at 120V) continuously. Surge power draw can be as high as 3 times the continuous power draw.

Other angle grinders may draw double that – 1,700 watts (13 amps at 120V).

Therefore consult the owner manual for your specific model of angle grinder to get accurate power consumption information.

Closing Thoughts

Check the power consumption information (watts) for the angle grinder you plan to use and accordingly select a suitably sized inverter.

You can run an 800-watt (7 amp at 120V) angle grinder off a 2,000-watt inverter.

Besides an inverter-battery power solution, consider using a battery-powered angle grinder or an inverter generator.

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