This inverter guide answers the question what will a 1000 watt power inverter run? And the short answer is: A lot of appliances!
A 1000w power inverter is big enough to steadily power devices such as coffee makers, printers, laptop computers, Xbox consoles, toasters, vacuums, some hair dryers, home theater systems, and more.
Now to the long answer….
What will a 1000 watt power inverter run?….long answer
The exact equipment or combination of appliances that a 1000w inverter will run comes down to the question of the wattage each of your apparatus requires. That means you have to confirm the wattage that’s consumed by each of your tools first when there’s an outage or when out there camping in your RV.
Sum up the ratings to obtain total power usage. If it’s just a single application, then you only need to factor in its wattage.
I will assume that you have read the product description and noted the specific wattage requirements somewhere. Next, there are some useful formulas (as used in an inverter size calculator) that you need to know how to use to properly ascertain what a 1000 watt power inverter will run.
Now, the most essential formula to keep in mind is this:
Required Watts= Amps x Volts
You have seen that, right?
For clarity, let’s say I had a reading of 12.5 amps for my toaster oven (using a 120 volt ac).
By applying the stated formula, we can see that my inverter ought to have a minimum wattage of 1500 (12.5x 120) watts (Recall it is Amps x Volts). Now that seems a bit higher for a 1000w inverter!
In any case, it’s best to provide a safety room of 10% -20% watts when sizing up an inverter because:
- Inverters don’t run at 100% efficiency (some of the energy is ‘eaten up’ by the inversion process. Remember the work of an inverter is to convert/invert DC to AC).
- You may from time to time want to run one or two extra appliances along with the toaster from the same inverter.
For this reason, you’ll most probably have to upgrade to an inverter rated about 1500w+ 20%x1000= 1800w (assuming you choose the higher 20% safety net) in this case.
Okay, there are instances you can get away with smaller-rated inverters but you won’t be enjoying the same runtime as when using accurate inverter dimensions (wattage).
Back to the inverter power consumption calculator and this time I have a 50-inch Plasma smart TV using 3.7 amps. Question is, what size inverter do I need?
Simple: It should be3.7 x120 (Amps x Volts)= 444 watts.
I’m smiling because that’s fine with my 1000w inverter. The inverter should run it cleanly even if I add my usual 20% safety range (120% of 444=523.8 watts).
In fact, it means I can plug in my 2.75 Amps rated Xbox (2.75×120= 330 watts) and perhaps a couple of other things.
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What will a 1000 watt power inverter run?- The question of continuous and peak (starting) power inverter outputs
We are still tackling the question of what will 1000w inverter run and there’s something I need to add:
It’s important to consider both the startup load and continuous load when it comes to inverters. I don’t want to leave you behind so allow me to explain.
The thing is some gadgets, mostly those equipped with motors, need some initial power surge to start running (peak load) before stabilizing to operate at a specified balanced (reduced) load continuously.
It’s, therefore, crucial that you include this issue when calculating the wattage needs for such equipment. It’s again pretty basic math because we have already calculated the continuous load (yes, what we computed above is a close approximation of the necessary continuous running power).
So, all that remains is to get the estimated startup wattage. This shouldn’t bother you much as you simply double the continuous load (Watts x2).
As a rule of thumb, you should consider tripling, quadrupling, or even multiply the continuous mode watts by up to 7 times to arrive at the initial startup current depending on the equipment.
This is especially applicable when assessing the peak wattage for items like air conditioners, freezers, and some pumps (refer to your product’s rating label).
To illustrate, if you own a refrigeration appliance with a rated current of 1.1A (on 120 Volts), the startup wattage draw rating would be as follows:
First, decide the continuous load (running watts during normal operation) which is 1.1 x120 (Amps x Volts)= 132 watts
Lastly, figure out the initial startup (surge current). This comes to2x132=264 watts.
See?
The best 1000-watt inverter for this appliance should have a peak-surge rating above 264 watts. In short, you must check that your 1000w inverter meets the relevant peak-surge wattage for your applications before plugging them in as a precautionary measure.
In fact, inverters have two capacity values printed on the manufacturer’s label: continuous and peak for this very purpose.
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What will a 1000 watt power inverter run? FAQ
Will a 1000 watt inverter run a refrigerator?
Like I said earlier on, yes. The catch is, the refrigerator must not exceed your 1000w inverter’s startup and running draw limits to run safely (you already know how to work out these two values).
Of course, some refrigerators need more power and require a beefier inverter.
How long does 1000 watts last?
How long your device will run from a 1000 watts inverter is dependent on a variety of factors including the equipment’s energy consumption in watts. Other issues that can influence the run time are inverter efficiency levels and wiring during the installation process (improper wiring hurts the run time).
Difference between inverters and generators?
A 1000w inverter can power plenty of devices including certain brands of vacuum cleaners, grinders, heat guns, and fiber optic splicers as mentioned at the start of the article.
But the most important thing is to check the wattage requirements of what you plan to be powered from the 1000 watt power inverter. You should then apply the formula Amps x Volts to get thestandard watts required by the item.
It’s also critical that you consider the inverter’s peak-surge rating and a safety room of 10% -20% as you size up the capabilities of your inverter.
