Inverter Sizing

[Tcjmiami]

I am adding an inverter to my scamp and I want to be sure I choose a unit that can handle my loads.
I want to run separately the following loads:
600 watt microwave
Two slice toaster.
Small hot plate.

The other intermittent load will be a 3 cubic foot refrigerator.

I am currently looking at a Renogy 1000wzty full sine wave inverter.

Can someone give me first hand experience with type of installation?

[Raspy]

What size and how many batteries do you have, and how do you plan to charge them?

The batteries will have to deliver about eleven times the amps in DC, that you are using on AC. And the batteries should not be pulled down below 50% of capacity. Further, heavy loads mean less overall is available from a typical lead acid battery. So, a 100 amp/hour lead acid battery, should only be expected to deliver 50 amp/hours of power. A 600 watt/120 volt load, including the inefficiency of the inverter, will need about 55 amps from the battery. The battery would me maxed out in about 30 to 45 minutes. Then it will have to be fully recharged to do the same thing again.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Tcjmiami

I am adding an inverter to my scamp and I want to be sure I choose a unit that can handle my loads.
I want to run separately the following loads:
600 watt microwave
Two slice toaster.
Small hot plate.
The other intermittent load will be a 3 cubic foot refrigerator.
I am currently looking at a Renogy 1000wzty full sine wave inverter.
Can someone give me first hand experience with type of installation?

A 1000 watt inverter may not even run the microwave alone and most hot plates take more power than a microwave.
My 700 watt microwave needs 1200 watts . Do not forget that you also need power to run the inverter. Just a guess but 1200 - 1500 watt pure sign may be needed for everything and then more batteries than a Scamp can haul.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Tcjmiami

I am adding an inverter to my scamp and I want to be sure I choose a unit that can handle my loads.
I want to run separately the following loads:
600 watt microwave
Two slice toaster.
Small hot plate.

The other intermittent load will be a 3 cubic foot refrigerator.

I am currently looking at a Renogy 1000wzty full sine wave inverter.

Can someone give me first hand experience with type of installation?

From what you are asking, I surmise you do a lot of boondocking, and are not typically connected to shore power. My first comment is that inverters can run down a battery(ies) very quickly and you need a way to recharge them or they will have a very short life. A good solar system may be able to do this if camping in a remote area, WITH GOOD SOLAR GAIN. Second, any inverter should not be run at 100% capacity. If you have a 1,000 watt load, you probably want a 1,200 or 1,500 watt inverter. The items you propose using, if you are in fact boondocking, would be better powered with a 2,000 watt inverter generator such as the Honda EU2000i or the EU2200i (newer model). It will also keep your battery(ies) charged.
I personally installed a 2,000 watt inverter in my trailer because my coffee maker pulls 1,500 watts and my microwave pulls 700 watts. Even though I have a 160 watt solar panel and a Zamp port for supplemental solar input, I installed the inverter for occasional use, not intermittent use. By that I mean I use it mostly if we stop for lunch in a rest area and we want to warm something up for lunch. I also have dual 6-volt batteries with more amp capacity than a single 12-volt battery. And I typically stay in locations with shore power. As much as I do not like generators, in some cases they definitely trump inverters.

[Jon Vermilye]

I had a 1000 watt GoPower sine wave inverter in my Escape 17. I had to look hard to find a 600 watt microwave that would run on it (the original 700 wouldn't). I did use it with a 600 watt 4 cup coffee maker & a 900 watt toaster. Coffee used around 6 amp hours, toast around 5. The microwave used one & one half amp hours per minute. All appliances worked on the 1K inverter, although I did wish I had a bit larger one (I currently have a 1500 watt inverter, a pair of 100 amp hour lithium batteries & 480 watts of solar) in my Escape 21.

The biggest problem was recharging the batteries. I had a pair of GC2 golf cart 6V batteries (232 amp hours) & a single 90 watt solar panel with a GoPower controller. After adding the inverter I added a portable 160 watt solar panel & it took both panels to keep the batteries up after using all three appliances.

[Tcjmiami]

Originally Posted by Tcjmiami

I am adding an inverter to my scamp and I want to be sure I choose a unit that can handle my loads.
I want to run separately the following loads:
600 watt microwave
Two slice toaster.
Small hot plate.

The other intermittent load will be a 3 cubic foot refrigerator.

I am currently looking at a Renogy 1000wzty full sine wave inverter.

Can someone give me first hand experience with type of installation?

Let me clarify.
I am not planning to boondock.
I merely want my my refrigerator to work when towing etc.
I would also like to have the option to run the appliances for short times.
I have two 100amphr deep cycle batteries that will be charged by the truck when towing and the 45 amp charger when hooked to power.
Just wanted the option to use the conveniences between stops.
I realize the load is at the limit for a 1000w device but I was hoping to avoid the 1.7amp draw of the 2000watt unit as this is equal to average draw of the refrigerator.

[Darwin Maring]

Will the size of the wireing on your tow vehicle handle the required Amps?

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Tcjmiami

Let me clarify.
I am not planning to boondock.
I merely want my my refrigerator to work when towing etc.
I would also like to have the option to run the appliances for short times.
I have two 100amphr deep cycle batteries that will be charged by the truck when towing and the 45 amp charger when hooked to power.
Just wanted the option to use the conveniences between stops.
I realize the load is at the limit for a 1000w device but I was hoping to avoid the 1.7amp draw of the 2000watt unit as this is equal to average draw of the refrigerator.

Your tow vehicle will only maintain your RV batteries while driving. It doesn't do a very good job of actually charging them. Your refrigerator will use around 400 watts of power whether it is AC or DC. That is 33 amps at 12V DC so your TV wiring will not handle that.

So if you want to run your refrigerator while driving you will need to install a battery to battery charging system.

[steve dunham]

IMHO It seems like a lot of expense and work for very little gain
As Tom pointed out your tow vehicle charge circuit is not designed to charge your trailer batteries and run your refrigerator
( We tried doing that when we first got our FG trailer and ended up with a depleted battery when we arrived at our destination )
We run our refrigerator on propane when traveling , heat our lunch & coffee on our propane cooktop and even though we have the factory 1500 watt inverter coupled with 380 watts of solar and dual batteries,we never use it .
Good luck with whatever you decide but adding an inverter is more complicated / expensive than it first appears .

[Raspy]

The fridge should be run on Propane unless plugged to shore power. And then run on AC

The seven pin will never supply enough power to run a 12 volt resistance heater in an absorption fridge.

If you want some real power from the tow, install an Anderson plug on the rear bumper and feed up to 50 amps directly to the trailer batteries. This is a simple system and it really works.

[nefldiver]

Be a lot cheaper to buy a yeti cooler and freeze some blocks of ice at your house

[jeffminnesota]

Loads of good information here, the more I learn the more I realize how little I know about the systems here, their limitations, what is possible and practical. Thanks guys. There should be a book, but personal experience from dozens or hundreds of campers is probably more directly applicable.
feeling very newbie