That’s also presuming no other power is pulled from the battery, which is obviously not likely. In summary, a 100A leisure battery would, in reality, only be able to provide a cumulative microwave operating time of 30min. However, some leisure battery chargers can recover battery damage. Going below a 50% discharge may damage the leisure battery. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as a typical lead-acid leisure battery should not be discharged below 50%. So if we have a 100A leisure battery, it would appear we could power the inverter, pulling 91.67A for close to an hour. The 1,100W inverter to power our microwave is pulling 91.67A (amps) from the leisure battery! – Image: So when it comes to purchasing an inverter to suit, ignore the output power of the microwave and just focus on its input power requirements. The appliance may have an output power rating of say 500W, but the input power may be 850W. You need to be very careful sizing an inverter for a microwave in a caravan or motorhome. They could include a caravan kettle, microwave, toaster, or simply keeping your laptop powered up. There is a range of appliances in your caravan you may want to use. The next question becomes, what size do I need? So we now know to avoid modified sine wave AC inverters and to focus on true, also known as pure sine wave inverters. This can make it tricky when it comes to choosing the best size of inverter to buy. Now, if you noted in the previous paragraph, I stated ‘peak’ efficiency, that’s an important distinction.Īn inverter which has a peak efficiency of 90% at its maximum power output may only have an efficiency of 50% at half its maximum power output. So if the efficiency rating is not stated, on average, its going to be around 80%. That is simply not possible based on the laws of physics. If you do not see an efficiency rating in the product spec sheet, don’t presume its 100% efficient. Some may have a peak efficiency of just 50-60%, whereas others are going to be between 80-90% efficient. How much power depends on the individual inverter. Inverter Efficiencyįor an inverter to take 12V DC and turn it into 230V AC power, its going to use some power to complete that task. Purchasing one will severely limit which appliances you could run from your caravan’s leisure battery. However, today, I would recommend avoiding modified sine wave inverters. If modified sine wave inverters are so limited in their application, why are they still available? Well, quite simply, they are cheaper to produce.Īnd in the past, fewer appliances had computer chips in them, so their use was more applicable. I would recommend against purchasing a modified sine wave inverter for your caravan or motorhome – Image: .uk You may be able to use a modified sine wave inverter for simple battery chargers, but that’s about it. Therefore, as a result, some of your home appliances may not take kindly to being plugged into a modified sine wave inverter.Īn appliance which may struggle by either not working correctly or not at all includes anything typically with a microprocessor. So as you can see from the graph above, a modified sine way is a rough imitation of a true AC sine wave which your home appliances are used to. This graph shows the smooth curve of true sine wave AC power and the jagged profile of a modified sine wave AC power supply – Image: Opinion – Avoid Modified Sine Wave Inverters For Your Caravan/Motorhome However, inverters are based on different types of technology, for instance, sine wave vs modified sine wave inverters.īefore you choose an inverter for your caravan or motorhome there are lots of questions you need to ask yourself – Image: .ukĭisclaimer: Hey! By the way… any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon or Caravan Guard are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you make a purchase, with no additional cost to you □ This is possible by using a 230V inverter in combination with your 12V leisure battery. In either case, even without a mains power supply, you may want access to a 230V power supply to run various appliances. This may be at a dedicated caravan site with no mains power, or it could be a day at the beach. Another way to describe wild camping is going ‘ off-grid‘. However, when talking with our guests, we often discuss other sites they have visited, and from time to time, we discuss ‘wild camping’. Hi, I’m Chris, I run Horton Common along with my father Robert.Īt Horton Common, our guests have access to fully serviced pitches with a 16A electrical supply.
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