Sabatical
Well-known member
I've read several times here that folks are able to use a microwave and other high draw items on small scale solar/battery systems. Bob has stated that with a two battery setup, he has been able to use a microwave daily for years. I don't want to use a microwave but I do want to brew coffee and the wattage of a small auto drip is similar to a microwave (mine is 600 watts), so i use it as a basis for my question.
Background...constantly searching for a better cup of coffee. We use a drip pot at home but struggle to find something good when traveling. I don't want to rehash the debate on what's a good cup of coffee in this thread but rather the possibility of using an electric pot.
We have a 12v two battery setup equaling 225ah. Solar input is 260w and charging happens with a Midnite Kid charge controller. A/C devices run through a 1000w modified sine wave inverter.
The other day I plugged the pot in to try and brew some coffee and it didn't go well. Something was tripping and resetting but i decided to let it run it's course. Maybe not smart but curiosity was running the show. The whole brew time was less than 10 minutes and after the first couple it stopped tripping, that is until system voltage dropped below the 11.5 threshold of the inverter. I checked amp draw and it is just over the pots rating of 600w.
So anybody have any ideas? Is it my modified sine wave inverter? Is it something to do with the resistive load of the coffee pot? Some other factor i'm not considering? I am not super knowledgeable on these things, but i am trying to educate myself. I have been trying to learn about the use of capacitors and whether incorporating them into the system will help handle the surge of draw of something like a coffee pot.
All input is appreciated,
Scott
Background...constantly searching for a better cup of coffee. We use a drip pot at home but struggle to find something good when traveling. I don't want to rehash the debate on what's a good cup of coffee in this thread but rather the possibility of using an electric pot.
We have a 12v two battery setup equaling 225ah. Solar input is 260w and charging happens with a Midnite Kid charge controller. A/C devices run through a 1000w modified sine wave inverter.
The other day I plugged the pot in to try and brew some coffee and it didn't go well. Something was tripping and resetting but i decided to let it run it's course. Maybe not smart but curiosity was running the show. The whole brew time was less than 10 minutes and after the first couple it stopped tripping, that is until system voltage dropped below the 11.5 threshold of the inverter. I checked amp draw and it is just over the pots rating of 600w.
So anybody have any ideas? Is it my modified sine wave inverter? Is it something to do with the resistive load of the coffee pot? Some other factor i'm not considering? I am not super knowledgeable on these things, but i am trying to educate myself. I have been trying to learn about the use of capacitors and whether incorporating them into the system will help handle the surge of draw of something like a coffee pot.
All input is appreciated,
Scott