inverter review?

[bigrigfixer]

Just saw a few Schumacher inverters at Wal-Mart, also online, those reviews were 4 star or better. Anyone here ever use one? My plan (for now) is to use a 400 watt with a transfer switch to run a small bar fridge for my outside kitchen, and the tv in the bedroom. I know you guys will mostly recommend a psw, which this one is not, but I've also seen some of you say a msw is okay to run a tv, so...

[MrWizard]

6~8 at 120vac 700~960 watts
60~80 amps at 12vdc

exactly what we are discussing, perfect example

[westend]

bigrigfixer wrote:
On the back of my fridge it says
Input power: 75 watts.

It's a 1.6 cu ft Attitude AT16BF

That's what I'm basing the 400 watts on, and I'm sure the tv doesn't take more than 200 watts either but I like the Canadian Tire option. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tip SoundGuy.

I tried a 600W Samlex PS inverter on a 1.7 cu.ft. dorm fridge and it wouldn't supply the compressor draw when starting. The fridge draws 80W when operating but 6-8 Amps to start the compressor. I replaced the Samlex with a Xantrex Prowatt 1000 and it doesn't blink when operating the fridge, TV, and stereo.

[MrWizard]

bigrigfixer wrote:
On the back of my fridge it says
Input power: 75 watts.

It's a 1.6 cu ft Attitude AT16BF

That's what I'm basing the 400 watts on, and I'm sure the tv doesn't take more than 200 watts either but I like the Canadian Tire option. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tip SoundGuy.

can you see the compressor
look for the LRA number
thats Lock Rotor Amps, to restart the compressor when its cycling

that compressor probably has an LRA between 9~12 amps
that 1000 to 1400 watts
its similar to starting your A/C which might run on 10~13 amps but have an LRA of 50+ amps

your starting a refrigeration compressor, smaller size less load
BUT its the startup thats the killer, not the run load

[hedge]

The one from CT was just on sale last week, not for $199 but with the dollar the way it is you may not see that price again for a while. I think it was $240. They'll usually honor the price the week after.

[time2roll]

Go +2 sizes on the 12v wire and keep it very short for best chance of success.

[Byrogie]

X2 on the Can Tire PSW 1000 watt deal.
Ours is connected whole house, as we are on a permanent boondocking site.

[subcamper]

bigrigfixer wrote:
On the back of my fridge it says
Input power: 75 watts.

It's a 1.6 cu ft Attitude AT16BF

That's what I'm basing the 400 watts on, and I'm sure the tv doesn't take more than 200 watts either but I like the Canadian Tire option. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tip SoundGuy.

A few years ago, I had a dorm-sized fridge that was rated at 85W. I tried running it with a 400W inverter. It would only start it if it was clipped directly to the truck battery, while the truck was running. Even then, the startup of the compressor was slow and labored. It was obvious that it was not starting up normally, and gave the impression that the compressor would not last long starting up each time like that.

Steve

[JiminDenver]

There are good MSW inverter but those are not cheap. There are terrible PSW inverters, some of those are not cheap.

A PowerBright CW150 MSW inverter made my satellite receiver run hotter than usual and the TV had lines.

For a season we used a relatively inexpensive PowerJack PSW inverter that handled the TV, Sat. microwave, coffee maker great. When we put a real load, our little air conditioner on it, it became a $200 paper weight.

Now we use a Tripp-lite 1250fc industrial MSW inverter.($200) It handles everything including the A/C with ease. The TV is clean, the receiver is cool and the A/C runs so smooth that you have to check the killawatt to know if the compressor is on.

What I am saying is buy what you need due to research not the almighty dollar or by buzz words tossed around by chicken littles. Quality MSW has been around for a long time, they just are not cheap.

[SoundGuy]

bigrigfixer wrote:
Okay SoundGuy, question for you. How did you hide the wiring for your dedicated duplex outlets? I'm planning on installing my inverter in the front storage bay so it's close to my battery bank, with power to the television and the outdoor kitchen.

Interesting you should bring this discussion back as I just the other day got around to installing inverter powered duplex receptacles in our camper. So far I've mounted a duplex receptacle on each side of the bed ...



Plugged into one of the inverter's outputs is the cable I installed last year that feeds a weather tight Leviton connector outside the trailer and now plugged into the second inverter output is a cable that runs over to a junction box I installed in the pass through compartment ...



I then ran 14/2 Romex from the junction box to each of the bedside receptacles. When I get around to it I'll run another 14/2 under the trailer (sheathed) and up through the galley where I'd like to locate a third duplex receptacle. A series of 7 pics starts here.

[bigrigfixer]

Okay SoundGuy, question for you. How did you hide the wiring for your dedicated duplex outlets? I'm planning on installing my inverter in the front storage bay so it's close to my battery bank, with power to the television and the outdoor kitchen.

[SoundGuy]

bigrigfixer wrote:
... but I like the Canadian Tire option. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tip SoundGuy.

Pics of this inverter installed in my own rig are in my gallery if you're interested. We normally camp on electric sites whenever available so my main goal with this inverter was to have some limited 120 vac power available in the camper those occasional times we may lose campsite power. Since my use isn't absolutely "critical" I'd argue that the cost of a premium quality PSW inverter just isn't justified, especially when a unit like this relatively inexpensive 1000 watt PSW model is so readily available, comes with a 2 yr warranty, and has proven capable of the task I ask of it.

Last season I did wire it to run the trailer "whole house" but after losing power in the middle of the night on a really cold Oct weekend last fall and having to go outside in my PJs to disconnect the main service cable from the campsite post and plug it into the inverter I decided that this spring I'm going to instead install dedicated duplex receptacles that are fed directly from the inverter. That way I won't have to go outside at all - just turn the inverter on with the remote switch which I've mounted inside the camper and leave the main service cable plugged into the (dead) campsite power post. Since I also have a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C surge protector wired into the incoming service that means that while the power is out I'll always be aware of the fact because the EMS display will be dead but when power comes back on the EMS will first decide if it's correct and if so turn power back on (as indicated on the display), at which time I can then turn the inverter off again, all with no effort on my part at all and no more wandering around outside in the middle of the night. :B Since I also have a Kill-a-Watt meter I'll leave it plugged into one of the duplex receptacles powered by the inveter so that way I'll always know exactly what it's putting out. For those who dry camp all the time, installing a transfer switch and wiring the inverter output through it to the trailer to run it "whole house" probably is worth the cost & effort but for those of us who only use the inverter intermittently installing dedicated receptacles IMO makes a lot more sense.

[time2roll]

75 is running. Starting can still be 4 to 10 times that amount. This is where surge performance also helps so keep the 12v connection short and fat.

[bigrigfixer]

On the back of my fridge it says
Input power: 75 watts.

It's a 1.6 cu ft Attitude AT16BF

That's what I'm basing the 400 watts on, and I'm sure the tv doesn't take more than 200 watts either but I like the Canadian Tire option. I think I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tip SoundGuy.

[2oldman]

mlts22 wrote:
Yes, PSW units are twice the price... but they are cheaper than replacing chargers, computers, or other items when they give up the ghost.

or themselves when they burn up. Nothing wrong with being cheap, but this is not a product to be cheap with.