I found a "free" inverter in my van!

[Daleford]

Sorry to tell you this but return that Danby 150 to the store. What you purchased is not a refrigerator, it is a thermo electric cooler. In hot weather it will not operate at food safe temperatures. It can only lower temperatures to 20 degrees below the air temperature. Food safe temperature is 40 degrees. So add 20 degrees to 40 and you will realize it can not work for food safe storage when it is more than 60 degrees in your vehicle or outside.

It was bought used from a friend so I can get my money back if it doesn't work. I wonder why you call it a 150? I see no numbers like that on it. Looks like a fridge to me and it has a freezer compartment.

 

[FlipperFla]

It was bought used from a friend so I can get my money back if it doesn't work. I wonder why you call it a 150? I see no numbers like that on it. Looks like a fridge to me and it has a freezer compartment.

Check the back and see if there is a compressor that will tell you if it’s a fridge. The small Dandy that I replaced was a fridge /w compressor.

 

[Daleford]

Check the back and see if there is a compressor that will tell you if it’s a fridge. The small Dandy that I replaced was a fridge /w compressor.

Oh yes, it has a compressor. I made sure of that. THANKS

 

[abnorm]

I have 1990 small 120 volt microwave I was praying I could use. It has 7.3 amps, so it has 876 Watts.

I'm afraid you've been given some bad advice re: the microwave......You listed the AMPS....so you were reading the back/bottom label......the Actual Usage..........those are the numbers we ask people to gather for their solar audit ........876 watts fits a 1k inverter very nicely .............(You'll still need to regularly REcharge that battery)

The thread quickly changed to all-about-POWER/Cooking watts and lost your key info............................

 

[Daleford]

I'm afraid you've been given some bad advice re: the microwave......You listed the AMPS....so you were reading the back/bottom label......the Actual Usage..........those are the numbers we ask people to gather for their solar audit ........876 watts fits a 1k inverter very nicely .............(You'll still need to regularly REcharge that battery)

The thread quickly changed to all-about-POWER/Cooking watts and lost your key info............................

That is what I thought BUT ...a number of people a whole lot smarter than I said NO! Microwave power fluctuates An 800 watt rating will go up to 1200. Read what they said.

 

[abnorm]

They were talking front numbers

But you provided back numbers

 

[Daleford]

They were talking front numbers

But you provided back numbers

Well, I understand autobody repair, Sheltie dogs and photography but sorry I don't understand this.

 

[abnorm]

Light falls off inversely proportional to the square of the distance.....Burn the corners !!


You provided actual Watts/amps....did you measure them or read them ?.........
(those would be the back numbers............as found on a label on the microwave)

Maki took the Trainwreck/discussion to the "Cooking watts vs what watts are actually used" .....
(Those are the front numbers......"NUKE 1000".........used for Marketing purposes to describe the microwave)

 

[tx2sturgis]

The 'front' numbers are another way of saying the microwave has (for example) 900 watts of 'cooking power' which means it can deliver 900 watts TO THE FOOD, in order to cause the heating effect.

But in order to deliver 900 watts to the food, a microwave has to consume much more than that from the wall outlet (or other power source) in effect, the 'back' numbers, such as the label on the back of the unit that says 120v, 1300 watts or something similar.

A normal residential consumer does not have to concern himself or herself with this minutia, but someone who wants to power one of these from batteries, inverters, and solar panels certainly DOES need to make sense of these numbers.

Again, powering ANY electric heating or electric cooking appliance with batteries, solar panels, inverters, etc, requires a substantial investment in hardware to allow something close to normal residential usage patterns.

 

[Happy Camper]

Logic and sanity prevailing makes me a happy camper.

 

[FlipperFla]

It was bought used from a friend so I can get my money back if it doesn't work. I wonder why you call it a 150? I see no numbers like that on it. Looks like a fridge to me and it has a freezer compartment.

Check the back and see if there is a compressor that will tell you if it’s a fridge. The small Dandy that I replaced was a fridge /w compressor

 

[Daleford]

Check the back and see if there is a compressor that will tell you if it’s a fridge. The small Dandy that I replaced was a fridge /w compressor

It has a compressor. Thanks.

 

[user 36441]

You are right. I will give up on the microwave. I just had an older, smaller one here that I was hoping would work, but I will pass on that. I will have propane on board to power a new Camco Wave Catalytic heater so will "T" off and have a small burner stove.

I am new to this and I have a couple electrical questions. I just bought a used cargo van [2020 Transit Connect] It has a bunch of shelving in the back and hiding in a corner was a 1000 watt Vanner pure sinewave inverter. I felt like I won the lottery! Now I am trying to figiure out what it will run as far as electrical appliances. I have 1990 small 120 volt microwave I was praying I could use. It has 7.3 amps, so it has 876 Watts. Am I going to be able to use it?

Next question: I am going to look at a "dorm" size small 120 volt refrigerator tomorrow morning. I will figure the watts once I see it, but I am wondering usually what do these small fridges have for watts draw?

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this product:

https://kickassproducts.com/products/kickass-12v-130w-portable-travel-oven
Looks good, albeit expensive.

 

[user 36441]

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this product:

https://kickassproducts.com/products/kickass-12v-130w-portable-travel-oven
Looks good, albeit expensive.

Daleford, I really do empathize with your desire to use a microwave. I think the only way you're gonna do it is to get a bigger inverter.

I used to have an 800-watt hot plate hooked up to a 1250-watt inverter and it worked well. Once the hot plate's heating element heated up, which only took a few minutes (had to have the engine running), I could turn the hot plate off and it would stay hot for a long time, continuing to cook the food.

I can understand why one might want to get away from an open flame. Worst case scenario, a sudden earthquake knocks the burner somewhere not within easy reach, and knocks you out.

 

[Daleford]

Daleford, I really do empathize with your desire to use a microwave. I think the only way you're gonna do it is to get a bigger inverter.

I used to have an 800-watt hot plate hooked up to a 1250-watt inverter and it worked well. Once the hot plate's heating element heated up, which only took a few minutes (had to have the engine running), I could turn the hot plate off and it would stay hot for a long time, continuing to cook the food.

I can understand why one might want to get away from an open flame. Worst case scenario, a sudden earthquake knocks the burner somewhere not within easy reach, and knocks you out.

Thank you. I had decided to drop the microwave idea. I will have a propane tank onboard for a Wave 3 heater so will "T" off to a small stove top burner.

 

[maki2]

^^regarding the “kickass oven”. It would not be my choice to buy one. A cake bakes at 350. A lot of things you bake need temperatures in the 300 degree range.

The “kickass oven” ony goes to 180 meaning it is in the class of warming ovens where you put the dinner you just cooked in an oven drawer to keep it warm until it gets served.

 

[user 36441]

^^regarding the “kickass oven”. It would not be my choice to buy one. A cake bakes at 350. A lot of things you bake need temperatures in the 300 degree range.

The “kickass oven” ony goes to 180 meaning it is in the class of warming ovens where you put the dinner you just cooked in an oven drawer to keep it warm until it gets served.

I don't know where you got that. The website clearly says the oven goes to 356 degrees.

 

[user 36441]

^^regarding the “kickass oven”. It would not be my choice to buy one. A cake bakes at 350. A lot of things you bake need temperatures in the 300 degree range.

The “kickass oven” ony goes to 180 meaning it is in the class of warming ovens where you put the dinner you just cooked in an oven drawer to keep it warm until it gets served.

Oh, now I see where you got it. 180 degrees centigrade.

 

[NctryBen]

You in my opinion will need to drive a lot to keep your battery charged off your alternator even for your fridge. Using a lead acid battery, you can only use half the battery capacity vs the lithium where you can use almost 100% with few issues. Every time you go below that you damage your battery. I’d consider a small portable solar panel for those days your not traveling unless you can use some shore power with a battery charger. I have a newer fridge similar to what you got and with 200 amp hours of lithium, two days was stretching it if I didn’t have enough sun. Albeit I had only a 100 watt panel. But a stock alternator would in my opinion have to run a lot, at least without a dc to dc charger. You may find you’ll be replacing alternators a lot if you depend solely on it. I e gone through six in the past 400,000 miles. I was on the road hauling boats coast to coast. No fridge but during my ten hours I couldn’t drive I was running fans and charging electronics draining on the batteries. I assume it’s a decent size alternator to keep two batteries charged all the time. But if I added a house battery, it would seem that would be that much hard on my alternator. Campers have been set up like what you have forever. But that wasn’t meant for full time use. Again my opinion and thought process. I upgraded to a bigger fridge. I had to go with 400 amp hours of lithium to get through two days of heavy clouds. Back to your microwave thoughts... even if you had a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter you’d have had a difficult time recovering your one battery even without the fridge if you used it much at all. So probably best you chucked that idea. It would be tough also I would think if you didn’t have a good way of monitoring your battery to maybe turn the fridge lower when the battery needs to get through a time when charging isn’t quite making it. Of course, you may have a big old semi with a high output alternator... so there would be that. Haha. Those 12 volt compressor fridges are game changers though. That’s a great deal... but another thing. Mine will not run good under 12.5 volts. The compressor will turn on and off constantly and will eventually fry the control board.

 

[Daleford]

You in my opinion will need to drive a lot to keep your battery charged off your alternator even for your fridge. Using a lead acid battery, you can only use half the battery capacity vs the lithium where you can use almost 100% with few issues. Every time you go below that you damage your battery. I’d consider a small portable solar panel for those days your not traveling unless you can use some shore power with a battery charger. I have a newer fridge similar to what you got and with 200 amp hours of lithium, two days was stretching it if I didn’t have enough sun. Albeit I had only a 100 watt panel. But a stock alternator would in my opinion have to run a lot, at least without a dc to dc charger. You may find you’ll be replacing alternators a lot if you depend solely on it. I e gone through six in the past 400,000 miles. I was on the road hauling boats coast to coast. No fridge but during my ten hours I couldn’t drive I was running fans and charging electronics draining on the batteries. I assume it’s a decent size alternator to keep two batteries charged all the time. But if I added a house battery, it would seem that would be that much hard on my alternator. Campers have been set up like what you have forever. But that wasn’t meant for full time use. Again my opinion and thought process. I upgraded to a bigger fridge. I had to go with 400 amp hours of lithium to get through two days of heavy clouds. Back to your microwave thoughts... even if you had a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter you’d have had a difficult time recovering your one battery even without the fridge if you used it much at all. So probably best you chucked that idea. It would be tough also I would think if you didn’t have a good way of monitoring your battery to maybe turn the fridge lower when the battery needs to get through a time when charging isn’t quite making it. Of course, you may have a big old semi with a high output alternator... so there would be that. Haha. Those 12 volt compressor fridges are game changers though. That’s a great deal... but another thing. Mine will not run good under 12.5 volts. The compressor will turn on and off constantly and will eventually fry the control board.

You in my opinion will need to drive a lot to keep your battery charged off your alternator even for your fridge. Using a lead acid battery, you can only use half the battery capacity vs the lithium where you can use almost 100% with few issues. Every time you go below that you damage your battery. I’d consider a small portable solar panel for those days your not traveling unless you can use some shore power with a battery charger. I have a newer fridge similar to what you got and with 200 amp hours of lithium, two days was stretching it if I didn’t have enough sun. Albeit I had only a 100 watt panel. But a stock alternator would in my opinion have to run a lot, at least without a dc to dc charger. You may find you’ll be replacing alternators a lot if you depend solely on it. I e gone through six in the past 400,000 miles. I was on the road hauling boats coast to coast. No fridge but during my ten hours I couldn’t drive I was running fans and charging electronics draining on the batteries. I assume it’s a decent size alternator to keep two batteries charged all the time. But if I added a house battery, it would seem that would be that much hard on my alternator. Campers have been set up like what you have forever. But that wasn’t meant for full time use. Again my opinion and thought process. I upgraded to a bigger fridge. I had to go with 400 amp hours of lithium to get through two days of heavy clouds. Back to your microwave thoughts... even if you had a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter you’d have had a difficult time recovering your one battery even without the fridge if you used it much at all. So probably best you chucked that idea. It would be tough also I would think if you didn’t have a good way of monitoring your battery to maybe turn the fridge lower when the battery needs to get through a time when charging isn’t quite making it. Of course, you may have a big old semi with a high output alternator... so there would be that. Haha. Those 12 volt compressor fridges are game changers though. That’s a great deal... but another thing. Mine will not run good under 12.5 volts. The compressor will turn on and off constantly and will eventually fry the control board.

All good information. I will absorb all this and thank you for your time.

You in my opinion will need to drive a lot to keep your battery charged off your alternator even for your fridge. Using a lead acid battery, you can only use half the battery capacity vs the lithium where you can use almost 100% with few issues. Every time you go below that you damage your battery. I’d consider a small portable solar panel for those days your not traveling unless you can use some shore power with a battery charger. I have a newer fridge similar to what you got and with 200 amp hours of lithium, two days was stretching it if I didn’t have enough sun. Albeit I had only a 100 watt panel. But a stock alternator would in my opinion have to run a lot, at least without a dc to dc charger. You may find you’ll be replacing alternators a lot if you depend solely on it. I e gone through six in the past 400,000 miles. I was on the road hauling boats coast to coast. No fridge but during my ten hours I couldn’t drive I was running fans and charging electronics draining on the batteries. I assume it’s a decent size alternator to keep two batteries charged all the time. But if I added a house battery, it would seem that would be that much hard on my alternator. Campers have been set up like what you have forever. But that wasn’t meant for full time use. Again my opinion and thought process. I upgraded to a bigger fridge. I had to go with 400 amp hours of lithium to get through two days of heavy clouds. Back to your microwave thoughts... even if you had a 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter you’d have had a difficult time recovering your one battery even without the fridge if you used it much at all. So probably best you chucked that idea. It would be tough also I would think if you didn’t have a good way of monitoring your battery to maybe turn the fridge lower when the battery needs to get through a time when charging isn’t quite making it. Of course, you may have a big old semi with a high output alternator... so there would be that. Haha. Those 12 volt compressor fridges are game changers though. That’s a great deal... but another thing. Mine will not run good under 12.5 volts. The compressor will turn on and off constantly and will eventually fry the control board.