Inverter

argoose said:
I'll have to try it now 😔
Damn this CDO. (it's that bad I have to arrange initials alphabetically.)
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you don't need a 2kW Inverter for a Microwave unless it is a very poor inverter that is not really 2000W.

However .... you will not be able to run a 700W Microwave on a 1000W Inverter (you will be able to blow up a 1000W Inverter with a 700W Microwave though ;) )
Check the label on the back of your "700W" Microwave and it will probably say something like "Input power 1050-1150W". Cooking Power is significantly different to Input Power. I run my 800W Microwave on a 1300W Inverter and it is close to the limit but it works fine.
 
Was wondering how long I could run a 500 watt fan heater with a 200ah lithium battery ? I'm going to get a diesel heater fitted some time next year when I find a company to fit it for me
 
Its not so much how long the batteries would last (3 hours would take your batteries to around 25% with inverter inefficiencies), but how (b2b / solar/ ehu etc) you then recharge them fully again.
I would try and get the diesel heater fitted asap!
Good luck.
 
Steve and Julie said:
Was wondering how long I could run a 500 watt fan heater with a 200ah lithium battery ? I'm going to get a diesel heater fitted some time next year when I find a company to fit it for me
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It's easy: a 500 watt fan heater draws 500 watts. That means that with inverter losses, the load on the battery will be 550 watts. Divide that by 12 volts and it's a current of 45.8 amps.

So if you start with full batteries and are prepared to run them down to 10% that will give you about four hours power.

The next question is how are you going to charge the battery up again before the van gets too cold?

If you have a good b2b charger, a five or six hour drive might do it, or if you have lots of solar power, and the weather is good, you might recharge in a week or two at this time of year. But you can't depend on the weather.
 
Steve and Julie said:
Was wondering how long I could run a 500 watt fan heater with a 200ah lithium battery ? I'm going to get a diesel heater fitted some time next year when I find a company to fit it for me
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I agree with @davep10000, suggest install the diesel heater.
We're currently installing one - depending on how easy it is to get to the fuel tank (if you're not using it's own tank) it's not that big a job.
 
I agree with others, jump in and get a diesel heater installed. If you do it “quick and dirty”, with its own tank and no, or minimal, ducting it can be comfortably installed in an afternoon.
 
With a diesel heater you will definately get a warm van, with a 500w heater it will struggle if temps are anywhere near zero.
My 2kw webasto diesel heater gets my (small) van toasty warm, even at -10C.

As mentioned, fitting one is not neccesirily a big job, especially if someone with the same van as yours has done it before and you can copy.
 
wildebus said:
you don't need a 2kW Inverter for a Microwave unless it is a very poor inverter that is not really 2000W.

However .... you will not be able to run a 700W Microwave on a 1000W Inverter (you will be able to blow up a 1000W Inverter with a 700W Microwave though ;) )
Check the label on the back of your "700W" Microwave and it will probably say something like "Input power 1050-1150W". Cooking Power is significantly different to Input Power. I run my 800W Microwave on a 1300W Inverter and it is close to the limit but it works fine.
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Hence I said go to 2000w, better to have one third reserve as many sold are below the ticket nunber. ;)
 
Geek said:
Don't you have a gas heater in the van?
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No it hasn't any heater fitted we use a fan heater so stay on site's with ehu during winter we would like to try and do more wild camping so are going to fit a diesel heater was only thinking of running fan heater off the battery as a temporary solution think a hot water bottle and an extra duvet will have to do
 
Steve and Julie said:
No it hasn't any heater fitted we use a fan heater so stay on site's with ehu during winter we would like to try and do more wild camping so are going to fit a diesel heater was only thinking of running fan heater off the battery as a temporary solution think a hot water bottle and an extra duvet will have to do
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if needs must, boil the water for a hot chocolate. Gas hobs are so inefficient that doing that will get you a nice boost of heat - plus you have a hot drink ;)
 
Wildebus and others spot on. We've a potential 490w solar and 2 lithium. Inverter wired to all sockets. BUT water, fridge and heating on gas. The only time I've run the fridge off the inverter is during the day when LOTS of sunshine and then back to gas overnight.
I cook so lots of kitchen gadgets and the Alexa run off the sockets. And recently an electric blanket.
However... struggling to fully recharge batteries now the sun is weak or gone 😔. So some days, the inverter is off.

Definitely worth doing if you can harvest enough and batteries up to it for when enough sun.
 
Clunegapyears said:
Wildebus and others spot on. We've a potential 490w solar and 2 lithium. Inverter wired to all sockets. BUT water, fridge and heating on gas. The only time I've run the fridge off the inverter is during the day when LOTS of sunshine and then back to gas overnight.
I cook so lots of kitchen gadgets and the Alexa run off the sockets. And recently an electric blanket.
However... struggling to fully recharge batteries now the sun is weak or gone 😔. So some days, the inverter is off.

Definitely worth doing if you can harvest enough and batteries up to it for when enough sun.
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Hope you know elexa listens in to everything private and gather all you info, dump the spyware.
 
Everything already said. Every 1 amp required by your mains 240v device will draw 20 amps from your 12v battery and a bit more.

Check the specs of things you want to run off the inverter and you’ll see how quickly your battery or batteries will drop to their 50% capacity. Also inverter size and cabling size (large for big amps).
Because inverters are not 100% efficient (wastes 10-20% of your power, I think) it is better to avoid their use especially for heavy power consuming applications. Personally I’d recommend seeking 12v solutions wherever possible and only consider the inverter where unavoidable.

We have 12v hair straighteners which we run from the vehicle socket with engine running but still not as good as GHDs at home (other makes available!).
I have a 12v USB C charger which works well and saves carrying different laptop chargers. Most modern laptops now support charging through a USB-C socket.
Off-grid space heating and hot water really need to use diesel, lpg or gas to produce the heat. (Solid fuel may also be a less common option for some). All with different pros and cons and worthy of its own discussion.
Basically anything involving heat is not good to run off batteries (without a hefty top up) whether through an inverter or directly. Cooling isn’t a lot better either, even an efficient compressor fridge will empty a battery in 1-3 days without solar top up.

The difficulty is that 12v devices tend to attract a premium (specialist) price so 240v devices appear better value. However they are not generally designed for the (possibly very) limited power available off-grid.

Hope this helps
 
Photonic Universe have a useful table that matches typical 240AC devices to minimum inverter size. Note that they are quoting 'proper' inverters and not some mislabled bargain inverter that cannot deliver close to what is promised (remember, if something seems too cheap, it is usually because it is rubbish)

Also note this table is about power rating. The feasibility of actually running a device is down to the battery bank and NOT the inverter (something that is lost on a remarkable large number of people when they are inverter shopping)

How to choose a 240V inverter for your off-grid solar system :: 12V solar panels charging kits for caravans, motorhomes, boats, yachts, marine

12V solar panel solar charging kits for motorhome caravan boat campervan yacht marine off-grid, The article looks into some key factors which need to be taken into account when choosing AC to DC power inverter
www.photonicuniverse.com
 
Clunegapyears said:
Wildebus and others spot on. We've a potential 490w solar and 2 lithium. Inverter wired to all sockets. BUT water, fridge and heating on gas. The only time I've run the fridge off the inverter is during the day when LOTS of sunshine and then back to gas overnight.
I cook so lots of kitchen gadgets and the Alexa run off the sockets. And recently an electric blanket.
However... struggling to fully recharge batteries now the sun is weak or gone 😔. So some days, the inverter is off.

Definitely worth doing if you can harvest enough and batteries up to it for when enough sun.
Click to expand...
 
Thought I would post a little picture of a big inverter ...


IPR-2000 Inverter - Link to specs

Been waiting literally months and months for these to come back into stock and they have finally landed! Got this one shipped in to install in a friends Motorhome next week and as you can see it is physically pretty big. But when it comes to inverters, generally the better they are, the larger they are. I am a fan of the Victron kit as you know, but their inverters are so pricey, for occasional use it is very hard to justify the cost. But this 2000W PSW at under £250 is much more like it :)
 
Correct wildbus, my 600w soft start smart inverter will not power a 500w mini heater but will power a 400w unit, and it does work well with my 230v 250w fridge with no bother.
 
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