Items that Worked Badly on MSW Inverter

[akrvbob]

We are debating whether or not you need a Modified Sine Wave (MSW) inverter or a Pure Sine Wave (PSW) Iinverter, and we need your help.

I've never had a problem using MSW (except a microwave which wanted PSW). But, have I just been lucky? Is it really better to have a PSW? I'm convinced that most things work fine with a MSW, but a few thing don't. This thread will help us identify which items don't work well on MSW and help others decide which to buy.

We all have an opinion but I want this thread to be about actual problems with MSW. So please, I just want reports of items that you had that did not work well on a MSW.

No Opinions, Just Real Experiences! ​

Also, if you remember, tell us which inverter you were using. Some inverters may just be so cheap or poor that a better MSW inverter would have worked.

Everyone should vote on the poll!
That will give us a LOT of information!
​

Thanks!
Bob

 

[SternWake]

My old Sony Vaio Laptop worked fine on a 800 watt Coleman MSW inverter, but the power brick ran much warmer than it did on grid power(PSW). When the laptop battery was fully charged, the laptop seemed to slow down on MSW, like it was drugged, and I would shut off the inverter to return full speed, such as it was for an XP laptop from 2003.

My newer Dell laptop had no problems on MSW for the 2 weeks I used it before obtaining a DC to DC car adapter for it.

My Uncle had given me a Sears craftsman 9.6 volt NiCad drill and one battery near the end of its useful life. I got about 6 charges out of the charger on MSW and then it failed in a very stinky manner. The battery was still operational but I had no good way of charging it. I wired the drill to accept corded 12 volt input and still have it.

I bought a 400 watt Wagan PSW inverter specifically to charge my more recently acquired Makita Li-ion drill driver batteries. I needed the room on my electrical wall for other things, and disconnected my 800 watt MSW inverter and just use the 400 watt PSW for everything now. I left the cables in place for the 800, if I need to run my angle grinder or power planer or belt sander, as these devices will draw more then 400 watts.

I had to replace the 40mm fan in my Coleman 800 watt MSW inverter early in its life. Unfortunately, I replaced it with the exact same fan that was just as loud and extremely annoying, and fostered my hatred of inverters.

My Wagan PSW's fan only becomes audible when it is delivering ~175+ watts.

 

[TucsonAZ]

This is a good thread, good idea and good info for people to have access to, thanks for starting it.

The only thing I want to add is solar power often comes down as much to conservation as anything else. My roof only allows for 1,380 watts, if I could figure out a way to shove more up there, I would. I can't however so now I'm left with getting more from those 1,380 watts, sometimes that's costly. My led lights take 8 watts to run versus my normal 1157s using 65 watts, that 57 watt savings cost me $15 (three lights). To get the extra 25% from my solar panels, well, actually over about 600 watts MPPT is cheaper so I can't really count that.

Anyway, my point is just that I would love to see some power consumption comparisons along with this info. I have too many expensive items to risk what I can or can't plug into what honestly, one blow or damaged item makes up for the difference in inverter costs.

 

[SternWake]

Derailed in post 3.

What does a solar MPPT charge controller have to do with PSW vs MSW inverters, and whether some devices might fail on MSW?

MPPT vs PWM Solar charge controllers, is a different topic entirely and deserves its own thread if anyone cares to debate it. I'll avoid it.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Derailed in post 3.

What does a solar MPPT charge controller have to do with PSW vs MSW inverters, and whether some devices might fail on MSW?

MPPT vs PWM Solar charge controllers, is a different topic entirely and deserves its own thread if anyone cares to debate it. I'll avoid it.

It's germane, this is a sections of the forum relating to solar power much of which has to do with efficiency, I was mention items worth their cost not because the alternatives don't function but because they use more power which relates to needing more solar, more batteries and so on to do the same things.

 

[george warner]

i have an Induction Cooktop it will not work on msw it will run the fan and display but not the heating element. tried it with a cobra 1500 watt and a coleman 2000watt. it work fine with my Renogy RNG-2000 psw.

and my Droid cell phone doesn't like to be charged using a msw inverter.

and i fried the charger for my battery power drill but that was my fault did not read the instructions that said not to use the charger with a inverter...

 

[LeeRevell]

It's germane, this is a sections of the forum relating to solar power much of which has to do with efficiency, I was mention items worth their cost not because the alternatives don't function but because they use more power which relates to needing more solar, more batteries and so on to do the same things.

It still doesn't relate directly to the inverter discussion. I have yet to decide on an inverter for my van conversion (I do have two small 400W MSW's I bought years ago) so I am reading this discussion with great interest - it will determine how much money I need to devote to an inverter. Solar is another thread altogether. Please keep these two different issues separate.

 

[05kas05]

i am looking for an inverter also and i agree with this statement

It still doesn't relate directly to the inverter discussion. I have yet to decide on an inverter for my van conversion (I do have two small 400W MSW's I bought years ago) so I am reading this discussion with great interest - it will determine how much money I need to devote to an inverter. Solar is another thread altogether. Please keep these two different issues separate.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am one who has had no problems and voted that way. I have run cell phone charger(several brands), dorm frig, dewalt 18v NiCad charger, laptops(dell and hp), angle grinder, skill saw, 120v fluorescent lights, cd players, radios, soldering irons, 120v 1/2 drive drill, 120v sawzall, drop lights. that's all I can think of right now. btw all the 120v tools I mentioned are quality tools not harbor freight junk and I still have them and they still all work fine in fact the only thing I don't have is some of the older cell phones and the dorm frig(power hog). I have no experience with a micro wave. highdesertranger

 

[TucsonAZ]

You do understand that MSW is less efficient and that was the point I was making. So to connect the dots I will say that for me power efficiency worked poorly with MSW and that's in important factor for me if you look at post #3 you will see the effort and cost I've put into maximizing my power and power management. If you have unlimited power this information is of no use to you, otherwise it's very relevant.

 

[akrvbob]

This is a focused thread. If is only for actual experiences with MSW not working.

It is NOT a debate about which is better or what the advantages and disadvantages are. We are already have that thread going, this one is just to gather specific information.
Bob

 

[TucsonAZ]

This is a focused thread. If is only for actual experiences with MSW not working.

It is NOT a debate about which is better or what the advantages and disadvantages are. We are already have that thread going, this one is just to gather specific information.
Bob

For the record I agree, I made one comment pointing out a relevant fact, that MSW is less efficient which is often a concern with fixed available energy situations. For me it's a factor, MSW does not work where you need to squeeze every ounce of power from your system. Are you saying that efficiency is a moot point here?

My comment pertains to this topic the others debating if it does or not I can't be held accountable for, I personally would have left it for the reader to decide than having it pointed out, defended, misunderstood, talked about some more and so on which is what I see as taking this topic down a completely different path.

 

[rvwandering]

I voted no. Our last motorhome had a 4000 watt MSW inverter. It was made by a Canadian company but neither of us remembers the name. We ran our microwave, TV, drill, soldiering iron, computers, vacuum cleaner and battery chargers with the inverter. The only thing that we didn't do was charge Tony's electric razor because of warnings in the information usage sheet. The charge lasted a long time so he usually charged it at a laundromat while washing our clothes.

We have a 400 watt Xantrex PSW inverter in our new motorhome. We ditched the microwave and got a much smaller inverter to save on power used by the inverter itself. Everything works the same as with the MSW but things stay cooler and we don't get the buzzing noise from our battery chargers that we had with the MSW.

 

[Zil]

It's like herding cats, Bob.