How long will an inverter run at its peak power for? Reason I ask is I want a decent microwave/inverter combination in my wagon and I’ve found an inverter on eBay that’s 1000w continuous and 2000w peak power. Was wondering if it would run an 800w microwave? Cheers!
No, 800w refers to the output power, not the input power. I’ve got a 240v 750w microwave oven, kettle and toaster fitted by the previous owner and they are powered by a 3kw inverter (and you can only run any one of them at any given time)
Cheers Harry. I guess a 3kw inverter will cost a small fortune. I know people using inverters to power a microwave in their cab but can’t imagine them spending a fortune on them!
Mine was already fitted but they’re about £150 so an inverter and a cheap 240v microwave is still half the price of a 24v microwave. You can get some fantastic ready-prepared meals from Waitrose and M&S in MSAs for less than a third of the price of a plate of muck from the restaurant so it should pay for itself within months. I’ve just polished off Chicken Catalan, with chicken breast, chorizo, butterbeans, peppers and smoked paprika with a side serving of rice for about £3.40 in all.
xfmatt:
How long will an inverter run at its peak power for? Reason I ask is I want a decent microwave/inverter combination in my wagon and I’ve found an inverter on eBay that’s 1000w continuous and 2000w peak power. Was wondering if it would run an 800w microwave? Cheers!
Nope, that wouldn’t be big enough. Personally when it comes to cheap eBay inverters I would take their ratings with a big pinch of salt so an 800W microwave which will need somewhere between 1200W and 1500W of mains power to make it work would ideally want an inverter of at least 2000W continuous rating.
Paul
I’d also say that you are better off buying electrical items from the “economy” range in the supermarket, a Tesco economy microwave is rated at 700w so you will need less of an inverter than you would with a 800w microwave oven.
When I bought a kettle, every one in the supermarket was rated at 3000w except for the economy range model which was 2200w, so I bought that to put less stress on the inverter. It probably takes a few seconds longer to boil but is still far quicker than boiling water on my gas stove.
Cheers for the help guys! Think I’ll look for a 2000w inverter and like you say Harry, an economy range microwave from Tesco. They are only about 35quid plus my mrs works there so I’ll get 10% discount! Where is best place for the inverter then, eBay or a more reliable source?
1500watt inverter from tlc, £124 plus vat delivered, cheap microwave 700 watt, and toaster from tescos , just make sure you have it hard wired
Daft qt Lady’s N Gents, but do you need an Inverter to Run A standard Laptop ■■. does it plug into the 24v or 12v socket…
Yes i know its a tonk question but been out the game for a while…
pete8835:
Daft qt Lady’s N Gents, but do you need an Inverter to Run A standard Laptop ■■. does it plug into the 24v or 12v socket…
Yes i know its a tonk question but been out the game for a while…
Yes, but only a piddly little inverter, 300w is more than enough and an inverter of that wattage is safe to plug into a dashboard socket.
pete8835:
Daft qt Lady’s N Gents, but do you need an Inverter to Run A standard Laptop ■■. does it plug into the 24v or 12v socket…
Yes i know its a tonk question but been out the game for a while…
You can run it using an inverter but personally I would get on eBay and buy a 12 or 24V charger for your laptop instead. I got one for mine for under a tenner and it means I can leave the mains charger at home instead of having to cart it back and forth with me.
Paul
xfmatt:
How long will an inverter run at its peak power for? Reason I ask is I want a decent microwave/inverter combination in my wagon and I’ve found an inverter on eBay that’s 1000w continuous and 2000w peak power. Was wondering if it would run an 800w microwave? Cheers!
That is the size inverter that I run my microwave on, the important part is to look on the back of the microwave for the “INPUT” power as long as it is 1000w or less then you would be ok (the output power refers to how fast it cooks your food, ie 750w/ 800w/ 1000w etc) I have used mine for the last couple of years with no problems at all (£85 off ebay) The microwave was about £35 from asda or toscos, can’t remember which. I also use mine for my laptop etc.
darren23:
1500watt inverter from tlc, £124 plus vat delivered, cheap microwave 700 watt, and toaster from tescos , just make sure you have it hard wired
For anyone that wants to wire one in.
I’d wire it to an Anderson connector you can then plug into the unit as the Anderson connector on the unit will usually have a megafuse already fitted. i would also do it that way by shortest distance and then disconnect to tilt the cab. If you do it via the cab electric feeds if it does, for whatever reason, run hot and the cables melt they can do quite expensive damage. If you can find a way to bolt the inverter to the bare metal of the cab that will also help with heat dissipation, there might be room somewhere round where the night heater is mounted.
repton:
xfmatt:
How long will an inverter run at its peak power for? Reason I ask is I want a decent microwave/inverter combination in my wagon and I’ve found an inverter on eBay that’s 1000w continuous and 2000w peak power. Was wondering if it would run an 800w microwave? Cheers!Nope, that wouldn’t be big enough. Personally when it comes to cheap eBay inverters I would take their ratings with a big pinch of salt so an 800W microwave which will need somewhere between 1200W and 1500W of mains power to make it work would ideally want an inverter of at least 2000W continuous rating.
Paul
+1