Power inverter to run a blender

[mygirl]

Was hoping for a few suggestions. My 270 AJ does not have a generator but the admiral loves frozen drinks on the boat. I' ve tried the $90 12 volt blender from a local marine store but simply put just not enough power to crush ice. Was wondering if anyone has had success with a power inverter connected to a household blender? Any suggestions on brands, inverter, etc are appreciated!!

 

[northern]

1800 watt pure sine wave inverter. It worked for me on my 28 footer. Had a real electrian put it in. Had 4 group 27 deep cycle batteries and always left one out for start battery.

 

[ttmott]

To do an inverter correctly for loads that a blender demands will be a rather expensive installation (~$1000). You might consider a gas powered blender (~$350). Regardless, an electric blender demanding 500 watts at 120 VAC requires around 5 amps including starting loads which would be 50 amps demand at the batteries plus the inverter's operation demand. Lets say you run the blender a total of 20 minutes which would require 150AH battery plus all the other demands on that battery. So if you have a single group 27 you should add another with applicable upsizing of the charging components then a 1000 watt inverter and the appropriate 12 volt wiring and fusing.

 

[rcmafgny]

When i bought my boat i had an inverter installed by the deal. It was to use various 110 items including the blender. First time i tried to use the blender, found out what ttmott stated... blender draws a ton of juice...and it didnt work. a port gen is an option ...also charges your batteries, but a PIA for a quick frozen drink.. In short, no easy solution

 

[IanBat]

I hate invertors! Only because too many people do not understand batteries, charge and current draw.

As stated already the current draw.....Blender 500W yo divide that by the your boats voltage, 12V to obtain the current draw off the battery. Thus 500 /12 = 41.666A then plus a factor for voltage drop, efficiency of the invertor etc, 10-20% 45-52A.

Now thats all well and good if you have enough battery power, if your batteries are in good condition, if your batteries are charged, etc etc etc.

An example last week from our business.
Customer wanted an invertor to run a microwave in a Truck, a big microwave, 1100W. We agreed on an 1800W Pure Sinewave Invertor, these have a peak wattage availability of 3600W. He kept asking about the next unit up (3000W) and what he could do about returning the 1800W if it didnt run it, etc etc. I maintained the 1800W would be ample and could not see the point in the extra cost.

Now a day later I get a call, the 1800W would not run the microwave and they wanted to return it and organise a 3000W. I worked out the price and left them to organise it.

About an hour later I started to do some claculations. 1100 / 12 = 91.66 + 10% (unit is 90% efficient) = 100A.

I rang him back and asked if he minded me asking some questions, before I took more money from them to find that the bigger invertor would not do it either, as the 1800W was well within specifications. He was ok with that.
Questions
How many batteries are there on the truck?
What size are those batteries?
What condition are those batteries
Is the truck engine running when using the microwave?
Is the engine running at idle?
Or sre the engine revs lifted to around 2000-2500RPM ? (The alternator will not be working to capacity at idle)
What size alternator is fitted to the truck, as it is probably only 45A, possibly 65A. which wont keep up.

He thought for a minute and said I cant really answer, I have had the guys doing it I had better check myself.

He called back the next day to tell me I was correct. They ran the truck at 2500RPM, and the microwave ran faultlessly for 5 minutes, after switching it off though it wouldnt run up the 2 nd time, (in rush current on start up) unless they allowed 15 minutes or so to charge the batteries. They then started searching for a larger alternator.


The above is a bit long winded I know, but hopefully gives you some insight, I am not saying do not fit an invertor, but be aware of the full cost and what is required.
Buy a quality invertor (dont skimp), Pure Sine Wave (Not modified) and high efficiency
Use good quality large capacity cable from the battery to the invertor and keep the run as short as possible
Fit good batteries, preferably deep cycle and preferably more than one, keep your start battery seperate
Ensure your batteries are always in good condition and fully charged before every trip
Be prepared to run your boat engine whist using the invertor to keep the charge up
Before blaming the invertor for not delivering enough power, ALWAYS check the battery supply first

Hope this helps, makes crushed ice rather expensive! Wouldn't a plastic bag and a hammer be easier!

 

[mygirl]

Thanks folks!

 

[peterkvs]

Try a hand crank I ice shaver. Makes tiny ice chips for nice smooth drinks and snow cones for the kiddies.

Pete