# Microwave will it work



## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

Following Russells advice I am thinking of getting a combi Microwave for our new van. But I am not sure if it will work or will it blow the trip on the hook up? I am guessing I will be on site mainyl using 10a hook up


Extended facts for this BELLING BEL-CJ/SS25 

Colour STAINLESS STEEL 
Fan Assisted Oven YES 
Grill wattage 1200 watts 
Interior Stainless Steel 
Maff Rating E 
Microwave wattage 850 watts 
Oven Type CONVECTION There are several types to choose from - conventional, fan or multi function? Combined oven and grill or separate grill? 
Oven wattage 2400 watts 
Power Levels 10 

Richard...


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Hi Richard 

sorry post deleted


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Microwave*

Hello

1amp is between 220 and 240 watts, so on a UK site with 16 amps, you should be OK - based on the oven at 2400 watts.

I do not know much about combi microwaves, so I do not know which functions work simultaneously, ie, is it the microwave power and the conventional oven, or the micro and the grill?

Personally, I do not like food cooked in a microwave, partially due to the insipid colour. Other than storing butter, and warming milk, mine is very rarely used.

Maybe, taking into account the power requirements, a bog standard £20 microwave from ASDA alongwith the ever famous double skillet might work.

I think Richard you need to establish which functions work together.

Russell


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

You'll certainly trip with the oven on max. Whether you will trip with it on a lower setting depends whether the resistive element operates on a duty cycle.

Dave


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Richard

The oven will be far and away the largest item in use so lets look at it the three wattages you mention

Grill 1200W = 5.2A
Microwave 850W but because that is microwave power multiply by 1.5 to give input power = 5.5A
Conventional/Fan oven 10.4A

So you can see apart from dialling up max power you are unlikely on its own to trip the supply. 

However water pump start up or kettle on and soon you start eating into any spare capacity so it will be marginal. 

What would be nice is if it tripped your MCB and not the site supply you could look at what you are using and cut it down, reset the trip, and carry on no disruption to the rest of the campsite. Unfortuately there is something called discrimination which basically means to be sure its your cutout or mcb that trips it has to be around half the size of the one further upstream towards the supply. So if the site was using a 16A breaker then yours would have to be 8A to be absolutely sure it would always be your one that tripped. 

There is a load shedding device you can buy that automatically reduces your drain on the supply below an adjustable limit to match what is available from the supply. That is a very expensive addition just to save your blushes and normally only used in generator powered or UPS systems.

Regards Frank


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

Thanks for the replys. I have just realised that the comi micros will be to big for where I want it to go. So after a re think a Microwave and Grill might be the best alternitve. Next question is will this be more suited to 10/16a hook up?

Grill wattage 1000 watts 

Microwave wattage 800 watts 

Thanks Richard...


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Yes, but I worry whether you are asking because you haven't understood the reasoning, and therefore don't appreciate when you are in danger of tripping from having either a kettle, water heater, space heater or powerful battery charger on mains as well.

I still recall our frustration when nearby fellow campers used to trip the supply every few minutes and switch off our TV at a key point in a sporting event or drama and think it was a big hoot. We never got the joke, I'm afraid. At least now we are in igorance of such things happening any longer, unless we notice a little LED comes on, or it goes on for so long enough that a battery at 50% usable alarm sounds.

Dave


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

Dave, I do realise that other things might be in use at the same time, So I would switch of the obvious IE. electric heating, But I am still unsure how much I would have inreserve with the Microwave on for lighting etc.

Sorry to ask what might seem dumb/obvious questions but we are totally new to this and I don't want to upset anyone by tripping the post on our first night.

Thanks again Richard...


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## 98452 (Apr 2, 2006)

On my RV the convection microwave looked like it had never been used. I now know why.

When I tried to use it for 80 mins it packed up totally so went out and got one almost identical and so pleased with myself as it fitted the surround perfectly

In the enclosure it has it can vent a straight microwave OK but the moment you use the grill or convection oven it overheats so before you fit one in make sure they venting on the aperture if it's in one can cope :wink:


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Microwave*

Richard

a 10 amp site will give you roughly 2200 - 2400 watts of power.

The microwave, whilst only 800 watts, really uses 1.5 times this amount of "INBOUND" power to produce the 800 watts OUTBOUND power.

So microwave on = using 1200 watts

Grill on using 1000 watts

Total supply required = 2200 watts - so you would be close to the limit on a 10 amp site.

Now then, I am on a 10 amp site and can runn my electric heating on 1800, the kettle - 500 watts, plus the fridge and battery charger and I do not trip out.

On the odd occasion I use the micro, I either switch the heatong off for a min or knock it down to 900 watts.

Personally, I think the combination you mention, 800watts plus 1000 - and you would be OK....but I am not expert. Do not expect to boil an electric kettle at the same time.

As you have yet to get the van, is it worth asking the dealer if they can supply a gas SMEV oven and grill? (GAS).

Russell


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with questions, the difficulty is in knowing when someone has merely registered the answer to a specific question, or has understood the reasoning behind the answer to be able to answer similar ones themselves.

Mains sockets provide a fixed power limit. This is normally expressed in current, amps, but can be related to power in watts by multiplying by a mains voltage of nominally 230. So 10A is 2300W, 16A is 3680W. As long as you keep below the site limit at all times, you won't trip.

So you need to work out the maximum power CONSUMPTION of your appliances. Note, as Frank points out, sometime this is much bigger than the nominal OUTPUT power rating of an appliance.

So, to answer your question:
"But I am still unsure how much I would have in reserve with the Microwave on for lighting etc."

If the microwave power specified is an OUTPUT one, do as Frank says and multiply by 1.5, making 1200W.

Your answer is therefore 1100W on 10A, and 2480 on 16A. Park on a clifftop and you can be a lighthouse (this is a cue, if Frank wishes, to tell us the average power consumption of a lighthouse, coupled with the effective power if the directional beam you saw was isotropic).

Dave
PS When you do calculations taking you nearer the limit, don't forget the fridge either ....


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Oven*



RichardnGill said:


> Dave, I do realise that other things might be in use at the same time, So I would switch of the obvious IE. electric heating, But I am still unsure how much I would have inreserve with the Microwave on for lighting etc.
> 
> Sorry to ask what might seem dumb/obvious questions but we are totally new to this and I don't want to upset anyone by tripping the post on our first night.
> 
> Thanks again Richard...


Yes - the above post mentioned ventilation. I do not know how much heat combis generate compared to standard micros ???

Russell


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Power Consumption*

I have a little chart by the main power panel that itemises each appliance power consumption. Means Val and I can quickly do a simple addition on site to see what combinations we can utilise. 
Not really required in the UK but abroad where supply ranges from 3>16 amp and you can rarely reset the trips yourself its wise to be prepared (ex boy scout).

Which reminds me of a query I have. I think I saw some time ago a variable trip that fits into your power supply. The idea being your trip goes before the site one. Any Ideas??

Steve


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-223016.html#223016


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## pneumatician (May 1, 2005)

*Amps Regulator thingy*

Thanks Dave,

Its a bit pricey and would prove difficult for me to install.

I was hoping for an in-line widgit that you merely swap trips to one slightly lower than the site post. Bit like singe line CSU.

Steve


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## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi the item concerned is £85 by the time you had an inline consumer box into which you could swap faster acting mcbs I reckon you would have easily spent £85. This device 'works' by beating the sites mcb ie its faster and slightly lower. As I said earlier if you had the same type of mcb as the site because of discrimination you would have to have an mcb half the current trip of the site to ensure yours would always trip first. I think its a neat solution.

As to whether it 'does what it says on the tin' I have no idea but its a neat trick if it does.

Regards Frank


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

What? Nothing about lighthouses (see earlier)? That's the last time I'm your stooge 

Dave


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