# Inverter choice



## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

The wife has just bought a Tassimo coffee machine for the van and it looks like it is time to fit an inverter before the summer comes along so just wanting to have the advice of those on here. Having read the advice on previous threads I can appreciate there is no need for overkill but I guess I am looking for something which will last and I do not want to buy twice.

We have 2 x105 leisure batteries and 2 x100w solar panels.

The coffee machine is a small Tassimo which requires 1300w; we have 1 electric bike (although that may grow to 2) @ 600; and our electric toothbrushes.

I guess the toothbrushes would mean a pure sine wave which would quadruple the price so would probably discount that idea.

I would like to have the inverter in the garage for the bike batteries and be able to feed to the existing in-van 3 pin plug which presumably will have a run of circa 4m for the coffee machine. I will probably pay for this to be done properly and to keep me alive 

I am assuming a 1500w inverter would suffice. If so how do I differentiate from the good functional Chinese inverter at £30 with the rest? Any suggestions?


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

I'm no expert on electricity, but would it be advisable to wire up your current sockets to the inverter? I would have thought that a separate socket wired specifically from the inverter would be best, if nothing else to distinguish it from the "mains" sockets. You would still have the ability to run stuff when on hook-up rather than going the convoluted route of being plugged in, charging the battery, and drawing power from the battery and upping it to 220v! My (small 300w) inverter was installed by the previous owner, and is only about a metre form the battery, presumably to avoid a long cable run with the possible loss of voltage on the way; a long cable run as you suggest may be too much?


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Is it me?

Surely the concept and expense of installing a 1500w inverter just to run a proprietary coffee making machine is just plain barmy????

I accept that all of us have different priorities and no offense intended to the O/P but it sounds the daftest idea I've heard for a long time.:surprise:

Take the coffee machine with you by all means - but save it for places where you have hook-up, using any electrical heating device from a battery is just so inefficient that it's a non-starter IMO.

If you want a really excellent coffee maker that you can use on the gas hob, try one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bialetti-...170?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item541e40214a


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## philoaks (Sep 2, 2008)

I'm not an inverter expert but I would guess that your assumption about using one with a continuous rating of 1500w would be ok as long as it could cope with whatever startup current the coffee maker would inflict on it. Hopefully someone with inverter knowledge will be able to answer that one for you.

As far as the location of the inverter is concerned, I would suggest it would need to be as close as possible to your leisure batteries. Running a 1300w device will produce a dc current well in excess of 100A so you are going to need some pretty hefty cables and will need to keep them as short as is reasonably practical.

Once your 230v has been produced then the length of cable from the inverter to the 230v sockets would not be critical as it will be on the 12v side. As Spykal says it would be better to have dedicated inverter sockets fitted so that the hookup and off hookup sources are clearly separate. If you connect the inverter to the EHU side of the van then you run the risk of your inverter trying to run the onboard charger to recharge the 12v batteries that you are running the inverter from!


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

1500W is the same as 1.5 bars on an elecric heater (i.e. A LOT) 1500 watts divided by 12 volts equals over 100 Amps !!

That sort of power drain is going to have a serious impact on your leisure battery !!! Even if onle used for a few minutes


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## TheNomad (Aug 12, 2013)

Don't do it. 
It'll cost a shedload of money to buy and have installed a (say) 1800 watt inverter, plus fuses, plus cabling, plus socket. 
And with you drawing a 1300 watt load through it, it wouldn't take long to massacre your leisure batteries.

Just boil a kettle on the gas hob if you want to make coffee when not on EHU.


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## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

Cannot find the thanks buttons for you all but this has saved me a job, as I shall just show the wife the replies. Sounds like we will be hitting EHU a lot more often or McD's whose coffee she likes  although the Bialetti option looks good.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Camdoon said:


> the Bialetti option looks good.


It is good if you like latte or cappuccino.

They make a really mean latte with a good Italian blend and because you're buying the coffee loose rather than in little bags it gives you far more choice of blend and costs much less per cuppa. The only drawback is that you have to clean it out after use (unless you just fill up immediately and put it back on the boil that is). :wink2:


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Ok I will fly in the face of most of the posts..

An inverter is a big advantage when not on hook up, we have a Ring modified sine wave inverter about 2000 watt, it runs the telly, vacuum, lap top, 800 watt microwave set to low power on start then turned up to full when running, any things that use a charger without any problems. and the best till last a slow cooker when we are traveling along to give us a meal at the end of the journey..
I have it plumbed into the existing 240 volt circuit via a 3 way switch where I have the first setting to EHU which isolates anything but that, the next is for the inverter which isolates anything but the inverter in the 240 ring circuit, then last our Honda Generator that is converted to run off gas from our large under slung gas tank, and this generator is isolated from any of the other means of electricity running at the same time .. I also have an extension cable that plugs direct into the spare 240 socket on the inverter which we can take to anywhere inside the van for portable power and this is seperate from the 240 ring circuit, I just pull the supply to the ring circuit which is a normal plug..

The only downside of the modified sine wave is, in some light directions from outside, small interference bars run down the television screen, but not enough to annoy when it happens..

As for running the batteries down of course it will if you use a lot of leccy, but that is obvious and would apply for any reason inverter or not, so that is a red herring!, if the power drops and the inverter starts buzzing a warning, just turn the engine on for a bit and the leisure batteries soon charge up enough...... Batteries, I have three @ 120 amp so have a lot to go at, mind you we wild camp 90% of the time, anything electrical you use just takes out of the batteries what it needs to run it, so having a big inverter does not mean you take out a lot from your batteries, the inverter only gives the thing you are running what it wants, that would be the same for a large or small inverter, the only thing I would say is go for a big one you never know when you might need an electric drill or power tool, and if you do I can guarantee it will be in the middle of no where..

Ok flame me, I don't care, I know it works and apart from the big under slung gas tank is the best modification on the van..

ray.


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## TheNomad (Aug 12, 2013)

My point wasn't that it wouldn't work (at least for short bursts of power draw). 
My point was that it would be very expensive and, for the sole purpose of making a cup of coffer, is a completely unnecessary big-money-spend.
Take the wife to coffee shop and buy her a yummy coffee at £2 or more. 
Then do that another 100 times.
And you'll still not have spent as much as you would buying and fitting a good 1800 watt inverter and wiring and fuses etc. To make a cup of coffee.

As it happens, I HAVE bought (second hand) and self-fitted an 1800 watt modified sine wave inverter in our motorhome. 
But we use our motorhome a helluva lot, maybe 3 or four tours each year, totalling maybe 22 to 26 weeks away each year, and almost all of that wildcamping or on Aires around mainland Europe with no EHU. 
So our inverter does get regularly used for all sorts of stuff: Drill/shaver/laptop/phone chargers/TV, etc. Biggest draw is wife's hairdryer, which she uses a couple of times a week, on it's "low" setting which is 1,000 watts.
The power the inverter sucks from our twin 120 amp leisure batteries is replenished via the three roof mounted solar panels totalling 230 watts.


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## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

Hi
Just bought Dometic Waeco PerfectPower PP2002 - 2000w 12v Modified from Marinestore. Best price on the internet by far. Around £270.
You would obviously need to buy the cables too which are quite pricey.
Regards
Alshymer


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

If you like coffee, make it a bit of an event in the van as we do, get one of these








It's just great to listen to the pot burbling away, filling the van with the aroma of freshly ground and percolated coffee, we started of with a smaller one, but now have a bigger one, get one of these for the true experience.









You can get more modern percs, but we didn't like them as much though.


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Get one of these . . Makes the absolute BEST coffee (and believe me I'm an expert


http://m.houseoffraser.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-hof-Site/default/Product-Show?$$ja=cgid:8743458235%7ctsid:44970%7ccid:176542315%7clid:82083076915%7cnw:g%7ccrid:50388642115%7crnd:13639161296278371559%7cdvc:t%7cadp:1o1%7cmt:%7cbku:1&pid=125549062 
http://m.houseoffraser.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-hof-Site/default/Product-Show?$$ja=cgid:8743458235%7ctsid:44970%7ccid:176542315%7clid:82083076915%7cnw:g%7ccrid:50388642115%7crnd:13639161296278371559%7cdvc:t%7cadp:1o1%7cmt:%7cbku:1&pid=125549062


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

*Link*

We had one Vic, and got rid of it, just couldn't get on with it, too much of a faff, we went old school


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## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

Agree completely with Vic. That is the best way to make coffee, especially with Tesco Finest Espresso at £2.99.
Don't need to much coffee as it is really strong, which is great.
Remember you can always make strong coffee weaker but what can you do with weak coffee!!
The stainless steel espresso makers are better for the wife's dementia though!!
Regards
Alshymer


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