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I am woundering how hard would it be to install and small microwave on a 2301 Striper, we have two batteries and that is all, but on our overnight trips or to heat up some fast food, would it be possible with out to much cost ? anybody have any thoughts
Tara, get a 750-1000 continuous watt inverter can usualy find those for 150$-200$ or less at a store. try E-bay for the inverter prob find a great deal. and a small cheap 600 watt microwave from wal-mart usualy 20-40$. Its better to have the inverter as close to the bat's as possible (shortest wire less resistance) and use an extention cord to the micro. and also you have plenty enough power with 2 batt's, you could use just the one if you wanted.
-Andrew
Just thinking out loud,
Would it be possible to mount a big inverter in the bilg near the batteries then run an exstension cord with the female end cut off and connected to a outlet with a gfci so you could just have an outlet in the cabin (Parker 2520XL) to plug in like a microwave or camera etc.?
Just thinking out loud,
Would it be possible to mount a big inverter in the bilg near the batteries then run an exstension cord with the female end cut off and connected to a outlet with a gfci so you could just have an outlet in the cabin (Parker 2520XL) to plug in like a microwave or camera etc.?
Or simply carry a 1k or 2k Inverter generator. Then you can run a coffee pot anytime you like also. Inverters are ok but sometimes an applaince uses a lot more watts when it is first turned on. This could require you to get a much larger inverter.
A buddy has one of those Honda 1000Watt genny. It can not power any of the small microwaves I have. Yet my 1000Watt inverter has no trouble. I picked it at Costco for $60 bucks. In fact I have two and a 1700Watt one as well. These cheap inverters are hard on microwaves as they produce the wrong waveform; but they seem to work well and I have not fried a micro yet.
I wouldn't mount an inverter in the bilge area for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I doubt most inveters are ignition protected (spark proof). Also, the ones I've seen have open, ventilated enclosures and will likely corrode in the humid conditions of a bilge.
Location: Quebec, Canada and Pirates Cove, OBX, NC
Posts: 17,813
RE: Microwave
Quote:
bw12 - 12/23/2004 12:00 PM I wouldn't mount an inverter in the bilge area for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I doubt most inveters are ignition protected (spark proof). Also, the ones I've seen have open, ventilated enclosures and will likely corrode in the humid conditions of a bilge.
Two good points . . . I wonder if there are sparks created inside an inverter . . . I never asked myself that question . . .
My experience is that the inverter needs to be capable of producing twice the watts as the product you want to use because of the drawing power when you turn things on, and the 'duty cycle' of some inverters which is pretty low . . .
Marine stores used to carry a microwave that ran from 12 volts DC. You might find one at a store or website that caters to long distance truckers.
I spent an estimated $600.00 in materials to install additional batteries, fuses, cables, and an inverter to run my microwave and to be able to run the refrigerator, lights, etc. for an extended period on the hook. This was for "doing it right".
connect the inverter to one battery only. That way, you always have the other to start the engine - it won't get run down by the inverter.
Don't put it in the bilge, it is not safe and it won't last.
__________________ "Everyone should believe in something. I believe I will go fishing" --- Henry David Thoreau
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You might want to keep it simple. I bought a Kenyan butan portable stove to us when I am on the hook and away from shore power. It works great stores and stores easily. We make instant cofee and egg sandwichs with it. Here is a link to west marine with the stove. I got one on Ebay for $20.00 http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...oductId=127184
There are microwave ovens available that operate off of 12v or 24v dc. Don’t know where to get them (sometimes found in big rig trucks) and I presume they cost more than a typical home microwave of the same size would.
If you need to install anything more than a simple ac/dc inverter with the 3-prong-plug sockets built into the unit, you will be getting into a whole mired of rules for marine ac electrical; NEA (required), USCG (required), and ABYC (not required, but good to follow). It isn’t hard, just a lot of details. Obviously, safety is a concern but insurance is also an issue. You will need a breaker, panel or a divider for your existing dc panel, wiring, conduit, ground fault interrupt, etc.
This is how I would calculate the battery amps I needed for a mid-sized, 1000watt microwave:
That will give you an idea of what it takes to run a 1000w microwave for 1 hour. If you only run it for 15 minutes you will use 23 amps from your house bank. A little 500watt microwave will be half that.
Be sure to calculate your battery reserve compared to your anticipated microwave’s use. Obviously those ovens want a lot of amps and inverters are not really efficient (10% loss is normal) so you will lose more dc power there, too. Figuring a mid-sized microwave will cost you about 23 amps of 12vdc to run for 15-minutes, that’s about 44% of what is possible from a group 27 deep cycle battery, if you don’t want to yank it below 50% discharged.
You might get sneaky and try to plug a coffee maker in there too. There goes another 23 amps for 15-minutes of use. Total is now 46 amps out of a possible 48-52amps available from a group 27 battery. Unfortunately, a deep cycle battery isn’t going to want to deliver that much power in a short 15-minute demand. You’re going to need more battery. For rate of discharge to an inverter, use the ‘5:1 rule of thumb’. To operate a 1000w ac microwave you should have a minimum of about 210ahr’s of deep-cycle battery available, or 2 quality group 27’s in parallel. Remember, it’s ‘rate’ or discharge, not ‘depth’. Btw, with a couple group 27’s you should be good for that coffee maker, too.
Perhaps the biggest issue with dc/ac inverters is the propensity to choose a unit that is too small for the ac demand. If in doubt, get the next size bigger. You also want to consider the type of ac output. There is true sine wave (similar to what in your home) and for significantly less money you can get an inverter with a modified sine wave output. Most electrical stuff doesn’t know the difference. Sensitive electronics does. If you opt for the less expensive modified sine wave you may not be able to operate video games, laptop computer, some transformers (cell phone chargers, etc), some microwave ovens, etc. You should check that your microwave (and coffee maker) would work with a modified sine wave.
Wouldn’t hurt to also consider the charging potential of the inverter. Many of them will take ac input and you give you dc output as a quality multi-stage battery charger. If you want the battery charging capability, you may need to wire your boat for ac input, too, and that has its own considerations.
So … the USCG (and probably your insurance company) requires you to do all the ac wiring to code…and there is a lot of marine ac code. You need to select the proper size inverter and proper output wave-type. You need to consider the inverter’s demands on the discharge rate of your battery bank, as well as the total amps that will be pulled from the bank. And consider if you want the advantage of a multi-stage battery charger. You can avoid a lot of this by getting a small inverter that produces a true sine wave, and has the receptacles for the appliance plugs built into it. If you have a small 500w - 850w microwave, you can get by with something like the Xantrex Prosine, 1000w true sine wave inverter for about $800 (retail).
There have been several discussion about inverters on THT on the past year or 2( use the search function), but Eyeball summed it up pretty well, but I want to go over his last item in detail.
Inverters fall in one of 2 classes; True Sine Wave (Very Expensive) and Quasi Sine Wave, sometimes called Square Wave Inveters (much less expensive). Many 110v items will not run well on the Quasi inverters (electric motors over heat and don't have as much power; TV's have lots of interference). I personnally would not risk running a mircowave off of a Quasi inverter. But it's your money, so let us know if it works.
The portable stove mentioned is obviously the cheapest way to heat up soup or make instant coffee. The portable Honda gereator, lashed to the swim platform is also an excellent idea, except when there is any kind of seas to contend with
I have a small microwave in my Albin 32. I also have a 1kw continuous/ 2kw surge inverter. Powering the microwave is asking an awfull lot of the inverter. It can handle an 800w powertool. Drawing from just one battery will pull the voltage down quickly. Most of the time I use 3 gel cell group 31s in parallel . The inverter is voltage sensitive & will shut down before the battery is dead beyond use. In a small boat application it would be best to run the engine, at a bit above idle, while using the inverter. Do not put the inverter in the bilge. Do not put it in a warm area such as an engine compartment..
Another thing Eyeball and Doug did not mention is wiring. Don't skimp here or you will be looking at a fire
Based on 25A draw at 12v, if the inverter is just 10' away from the battery you will need 8 guage wire. At 12' it goes up to 6 guage wire, and at 20' you are looking at 4 guage wire. Don't forget the fusing, as close as possible to the battery.
None of this is impossible, it just requires carefull thought and $$$
Microwave 
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