Which Inverter

Darren

Darren

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over the weekend I have installed two 100 watt solar panels which are working fine (touch wood).my next step now is to install ann inverter, but I'm not sure which way to go pure sine wave is expensive modified not so expensive. I want to run a 600 watt microwave now and again and all the usual women's stuff hair dryer straighteners etc. Would a modified inverter do this job or do I need to take out a bank loan for a pure one?:eek: My battery bank is now 3 110 amp batterys
 
Hi @Darren I would say go for pure, close as possible to the batteries, big cables and remote start/stop. We have a Merlin 2Kw pure sine from Roadpro and happy with it.

We have this one Broken Link Removed


One advantage is that it does not have rubbish skinny cables terminated inside the case so you can put big ones on the outside without invalidating the warranty.
 
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I would say a standard modified one as you're not running anything that is particularly sensitive to the power input, just ensure that you get one that is big enough for your microwave as a 600w one can actually have a higher input requirement than 600w!
 
MinxyGirl said:
I would say a standard modified one as you're not running anything that is particularly sensitive to the power input, just ensure that you get one that is big enough for your microwave as a 600w one can actually have a higher input requirement than 600w!
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Hi Mel @MinxyGirl

Our previous modified inverter would not run the microwave, it was also a 2Kw inverter but the microwave just went through the motions made a noise but nothing got particularly warm, also nespresso coffee machine wont work on modified. My principle is do it once and do it right but if you have experience of a modified working well it might be worth mentioning the make as I am sure some are better than others.
 
Quasi sine wave is adequate for inductive loads, such as hair dryers ... but tooth brush chargers , micro wave ovens , sensitive electronics require pure sine wave,. and despite assurances I've been given, I wouldn't charge my Mac on a quasi sine wave inverter..

Some useful info here on choice..

of note..

Some appliances, such as motors and microwave ovens will only produce full output with sine wave power. A few appliances, such as bread makers, light dimmers, and some battery chargers require a sine wave to work at all. Sine wave inverters are always more expensive - from 2 to 3 times as much.

http://www.solar-electric.com/inverter-basics-selection.html

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ScotJimland said:
Quasi sine wave is adequate for inductive loads, such as hair dryers ... but tooth brush chargers , micro wave ovens , sensitive electronics require pure sine wave,. and despite assurances I've been given, I wouldn't charge my Mac on a quasi sine wave inverter..

Some useful info here on choice..

of note..

Some appliances, such as motors and microwave ovens will only produce full output with sine wave power. A few appliances, such as bread makers, light dimmers, and some battery chargers require a sine wave to work at all. Sine wave inverters are always more expensive - from 2 to 3 times as much.

http://www.solar-electric.com/inverter-basics-selection.html
Click to expand...

Thats why I say "pure" would you have sockets at home that would only run certain pieces of electrical equipment, if its a 240 volt socket it should run everything you can plug in, OK if you are running something (one specific task) straight from the inverter socket I could see the argument for modified.
 
Darren said:
over the weekend I have installed two 100 watt solar panels which are working fine (touch wood).my next step now is to install ann inverter, but I'm not sure which way to go pure sine wave is expensive modified not so expensive. I want to run a 600 watt microwave now and again and all the usual women's stuff hair dryer straighteners etc. Would a modified inverter do this job or do I need to take out a bank loan for a pure one?:eek: My battery bank is now 3 110 amp batterys
Click to expand...

Providing your intended microwave is not the digital timer type (i.e. a clockwork timer type) then a modified sine wave inverter should(!) be fine. Also for the other heating stuff. You'll need around 1200W inverter to cope with start loads etc don't rely on the quoted peak load of the inverter.

Mine is a waeco modified inverter and runs everything I use in the van (so far) although I accept there is the potential not to run something in the future.
 
Some info on here as they sell 'packages' of microwaves and inverters:

Broken Link Removed
 
I have a modified square wave inverter which runs microwave, hairdryer kettle toaster but won't run the toothbrush charger so I have a 300w pure sine wave inverter just for that.
If I was buying one now I would fit a single 3kw-6kw pure sine wave inverter. The prices have come down quite a bit and you can now get them for a reasonable price. I can't really justify the expense at present though as the original is working fine, and I have an identical one as a spare.
 
I have always been told that you need pure sine wave inverter of microwaves and electric toothbrushes. We don't use a microwave in the motorhome and our electric toothbrush runs off 2 AAA batteries, which seem to last for weeks and weeks.

I think that with electronic gear you should be using 12V adaptors and running it off the 12V system. After all most laptops, tablets and phones run on between 5V and 20V DC. It is very wasteful to convert your 12v DC to 230V AC then convert it again back to low voltage DC. My wife's iphone and ipad and my Android phone and tablet are all work and charge just fine off the 12V with the correct adaptor. And you can even get 12V adaptors for Macbooks and most other laptops.

Last year I bought a 2000W continuous (4000W peak) modified sine wave inverter for about £90 delivered from Germany and it works just fine for my wife's hair dryer and charging the electric bikes (can't get a 12V adaptor for those!). They have gone up in price a bit but are still available from Broken Link Removedor here.

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peterc10 said:
you can even get 12V adaptors for Macbooks
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Apple don't make one..

can you give me a link... the only one I could find was on Amazon and it hadBroken Link Removed. so didn't want to risk it with an expensive Mac..

So I spoke to an Apple repair center and they advised not to use a third party 12v adapter, it would void the Apple warranty .. but rather use a small pure sine wave inverter with the Apple power supply
 
ScotJimland said:
Apple don't make one..

can you give me a link... the only one I could find was on Amazon and it hadBroken Link Removed. so didn't want to risk it with an expensive Mac..

So I spoke to an Apple repair center and they advised not to use a third party 12v adapter, it would void the Apple warranty .. but rather use a small pure sine wave inverter with the Apple power supply
Click to expand...
Typical Apple I am afraid. "If we don't sell it then it's no good". If their electronics are so sensitive then they need to improve their design. All that is needed is something that produces a steady DC supply at the correct voltage and current. That is definitely not rocket science to achieve. And as for the warranty how would they possibly know.

If you look at the page you linked to there are 3 alternatives listed there that seem to have good reviews. And, by the way, my 12V converter (to 15V) for my Android tablet is by Lavolta and works just fine.
 
I should point out that I have 12v adaptors for phones, tablets, kindles and my laptop 19v.
I have not been able to get 12v adaptors for my Canon camera and my video camera so these have to be charged by inverter.
 
peterc10 said:
Typical Apple I am afraid. "If we don't sell it then it's no good". If their electronics are so sensitive then they need to improve their design. All that is needed is something that produces a steady DC supply at the correct voltage and current. That is definitely not rocket science to achieve. And as for the warranty how would they possibly know.
Click to expand...

yes, you may well be correct.. but the information came from an independent Apple repair shop in Ipswich.. not Apple.. and in any case, I won't risk trashing my Mac then trying to claim it on the warranty if there is even the smallest chance of that happening.. then Apple rejecting the claim..

I think the problem arises with Apple not licensing the Magsafe connector for manufacture by third parties.
 
ScotJimland said:
yes, you may well be correct.. but the information came from an independent Apple repair shop in Ipswich.. not Apple.. and in any case, I won't risk trashing my Mac then trying to claim it on the warranty if there is even the smallest chance of that happening.. then Apple rejecting the claim..

I think the problem arises with Apple not licensing the Magsafe connector for manufacture by third parties.
Click to expand...

I agree, I wouldn't use anything non genuine either. There have been some reports of fake MagSafe connectors catching fire as well.

Also MacBooks run on 20v so I imagine stepping up to that from 12v isn't a particularly efficient use of your batteries.

peterc10 said:
And as for the warranty how would they possibly know.
Click to expand...

They can always tell, believe me. I've seen lots of people try it on with them in Apple stores when things have gone wrong. Never seen anyone get away with it. They have some diagnostic kit that they plug your device into before they do anything which tells them pretty much all they need to know.

If you don't try and blag them however the customer service is fantastic. We went directly to them with 'er indoor's iPad which was about 2 years out of warranty and playing up not expecting much and they replaced it free of charge no questions asked.

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funflair said:
My principle is do it once and do it right
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Makes sense to me, my new van has a 1700 Watt Pure Sine wave inverter and so far it has dealt with everything I've thrown at it but so far I haven't tried the toothbrush charger.
 
What a bloody minefield:). There are some people using £700 pound inverters and some using £90 inverters. Does the modified version run a microwave or has it got to be a pure one?
 
Darren said:
What a bloody minefield:). There are some people using £700 pound inverters and some using £90 inverters. Does the modified version run a microwave or has it got to be a pure one?
Click to expand...

My modified one does, and a link in a post above shows one microwave supplier is supplying them with modified square wave inverters.
 
Just ordered a 1000W pure sine wave one, didn't want to take the risk of a modified sine one on expensive Bosch electric bike chargers. If you get a pure sine one you don't have to worry what you plug into it, worth the extra for peace of mind.
 

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