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Vintage465's avatar
Vintage465
Nomad
Oct 30, 2015

So I'm getting a 1000w inverter

So I have this Milk Frother for my wife's "Morning Cappuccino Adventure" that satisfies her pretty picky needs for Soy Cappuccino's. This little guy says it draws 600w, can't find anything regarding and "amp/hour draw". It runs for about three to five minutes on 110v to make a drink for her. So, if I buy a 1000w inverter, coupled with my back to back 6v golf cart batteries, this should theoretically power up this little rascal to make her drink. Am I right so far? So if I am right, how much of a dent is this gonna make in my batteries. This will be the only thing the inverter powers. There is a possibility that the furnace may get some use if the outside temp gets below 50 degrees. I have 300w of solar on the top with a Samlex Controller.

Thanks
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    SoundGuy wrote:
    tenbear wrote:
    I didn't see any mention of what your battery bank is. To draw 100 amps you will need a substantial battery bank, the usual single 12v marine battery isn't going to make it.


    IMO, an overstatement of fact considering the OP's limited requirements. He's talking about powering a 600 watt frother with a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter for about 5 minutes ... I do the same, powering a 550 watt coffee machine or a 650 watt toaster for about 5 minutes, and all I currently have supplying power to my 1K inverter is a single G27 battery. I may upgrade to one or two G31s next year but only because this current G27 is now 7 yrs old but in the meantime it works just fine for this task. And FWIW the OP did say in his original post that he's using a couple of 6 volt "golf cart batteries". ;)


    You are right, I missed the "golf cart batteries".

    However, once you have the 1000 watt inverter, it is amazing how many other uses you find for it besides the 5 minutes in the AM.
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    tenbear wrote:
    I didn't see any mention of what your battery bank is. To draw 100 amps you will need a substantial battery bank, the usual single 12v marine battery isn't going to make it.


    IMO, an overstatement of fact considering the OP's limited requirements. He's talking about powering a 600 watt frother with a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter for about 5 minutes ... I do the same, powering a 550 watt coffee machine or a 650 watt toaster for about 5 minutes, and all I currently have supplying power to my 1K inverter is a single G27 battery. I may upgrade to one or two G31s next year but only because this current G27 is now 7 yrs old but in the meantime it works just fine for this task. And FWIW the OP did say in his original post that he's using a couple of 6 volt "golf cart batteries". ;)
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    RJCorazza wrote:
    Make sure to size the DC wiring correctly for the inverter size, and don't skip the fuse. On my last rig I installed a 1750w inverter with short (4') 2/0 wire and I believe a 200 amp fuse. 2/0 cable was overkill in my installation, but longer runs require larger wire. Welding cable seems to be the most flexible and is easy to work with. DIY with crimper, or have the cables custom made (many places do this).


    Here's some handy DC Cable Sizing Information provided by Blue Sea Systems I used when selecting 4AWG for my own 1000 watt inverter installation. Since I chose to locate the inverter in the trailer's front pass through storage area the shortest I could make the runs from the inverter to the tongue mounted battery was 6'. That's longer than I would have preferred and although the system works fine next year I think I'll go up a size to 2AWG simply to reduce voltage drop under heavy load but I haven't found any locally in that length already terminated with lug connectors. Welding cable is one idea, perhaps a battery charging cable cut to length may be another.
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    I didn't see any mention of what your battery bank is. To draw 100 amps you will need a substantial battery bank, the usual single 12v marine battery isn't going to make it.
  • RJCorazza's avatar
    RJCorazza
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    As other knowledgeable folks here have stated.... Make sure to size the DC wiring correctly for the inverter size, and don't skip the fuse.
    On my last rig I installed a 1750w inverter with short (4') 2/0 wire and I believe a 200 amp fuse.
    2/0 cable was overkill in my installation, but longer runs require larger wire.
    Welding cable seems to be the most flexible and is easy to work with. DIY with crimper, or have the cables custom made (many places do this).
  • SoundGuy's avatar
    SoundGuy
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    Vintage465 wrote:
    So I am looking at a Pure Sine Wave 1000w inverter from Northern Tools for like $250.00 plus shipping. Are there any brands to stay away from?


    hbski wrote:
    prob. stay away from this one


    This NPower XRP Pure Sine Wave inverter from Northern Tools in the US is identical to the Motomaster 1000 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter sold here in Canada by Canadian Tire. It's regularly on sale for $199 Cdn + tax, which is why I purchased one myself and installed it in our TT's front pass through storage compartment. I wired it "whole house" so that by plugging the trailer's main service cable into the inverter output the trailer's entire 120 vac system is powered by the inverter and behaves just as it would as if plugged into shore power, within the inverter's limits of course. I installed it primarily for running 120 vac fans in the camper but we also use it to power a 650 watt toaster, 550 watt coffee machine, and even my wife's hair dryer on it's low heat setting. It works just fine, IMO there's absolutely no reason at all to "stay away" from this inverter.

    Inverter Installation - 7 pics
  • MrWizard's avatar
    MrWizard
    Moderator
    Oct 30, 2015
    nightshift wrote:
    Vintage, DW and I need our capps every day while boondocking and we love using this. After heating the milk it takes about 30 seconds to get a professional froth.


    I have one of those things, with out a name on it
    a Xmas gift several years ago, i thought it was a drink mixer
    i have been using it to beat eggs, before cooking scrambled eggs or omelets

    never thought to use it on Hot chocolate or coffee
    i have some instant cappuccino mix, i will have to try that out
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Oct 30, 2015
    Short fat wire with a location as near to the battery bank as possible without being in the same compartment. 1000 watts represents a 100 amp discharge rate. Size the wire accordingly and do have a catastrophic failure fuse at the battery.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Oct 30, 2015
    Your frother and 12V should fair fine from using an inverter.

    I'd suggest to bypass Northern Tools for an inverter (and pretty much everything else that is higher bucks). A good inverter is worth the small additional money you'll pay and will return the cost in longevity. I have a Xantrex 1000W Pure Sine inverter and think it's a fairly good item. It doesn't blink running a small 120V fridge and is silent.

    Inverter connection--As close as possible to batteries, 4AWG at a minimum and 2 AWG will be better. You can pull 12 AWG Romex (or THHN stranded for bestest) back to a location that suits your needs. If you want a circuit to always have power, use a single 15 amp transfer switch.

    Good luck with the frothing!

    Edit: Here is that Xantrex Prowatt at Amazon for $234 and free shipping!

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