micro wave

petertearai
petertearai Solar Expert Posts: 471 ✭✭✭✭
Hi  got a cheep 800 watt microwave  . no clock .  seems to a lot slower than our 900 watt one in the city . Are there different efficiencys with microwaves . Looks like we dont have energy star ratings for microwaves .
2225 wattts pv . Outback 2kw  fxr pure sine inverter . fm80 charge controller . Mate 3. victron battery monitor . 24 volts  in 2 volt Shoto lead carbon extreme batterys. off grid  holiday home 

Comments

  • WaterWheel
    WaterWheel Registered Users Posts: 375 ✭✭✭
    Perhaps it's just a cheap microwave that doesn't cook at the stated 800 watts.

    Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor

    21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount

    48v Rolls 6CS 27P

  • Mountain Don
    Mountain Don Solar Expert Posts: 494 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2016 #3
    Have you tried a timed temperature rise test or just going by seat of the pants?   It should be approximately 11% longer than the 900 watter. Running it on a pure sine wave inverter as advertised in your signature?
    Northern NM, 624 watts PV, The Kid CC, GC-2 batteries @ 24 VDC, Outback VFX3524M
  • petertearai
    petertearai Solar Expert Posts: 471 ✭✭✭✭
    No haven't done a timed temp rise test. Thats a good idea . yes seat of pants estimate .
    Mate reports around 1100 watts while running on high , this equates to the microwave name plate . 
    Yes running on new outback pure sine inverter .
    Yes it is a very cheep microwave , got it because  cheep and no clock . ( heard somewhere that a clock on a microwave uses more power in standby during its life than it uses in heating )

    2225 wattts pv . Outback 2kw  fxr pure sine inverter . fm80 charge controller . Mate 3. victron battery monitor . 24 volts  in 2 volt Shoto lead carbon extreme batterys. off grid  holiday home 
  • Mountain Don
    Mountain Don Solar Expert Posts: 494 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2016 #5
    The 1100 watts compares well to what our cheapy 800 watt m-wave uses. And yes, it does seem to take "much" longer to complete a task than the 1100 watt unit at home. However, a timed test proved that the two are more or less equally efficient. Same results when I tested the m-wave in our trailer. 

    Re the microwave clock.... When I designed our place I incorporated a large number of switched outlets. One for the m-wave, the TV, the stereo and others.  The switch is one with a pilot that lights when power is ON. They have been a big help in being able to totally kill an outlet.  I just mention it to maybe give somebody planning an idea they might use. Switched outlets seem "cooler" to me than using power strips. 

    Our microwave clock did turn out to use so little power that it was not enough to make the VFX3524M come out of sleep. I had to add a small LED night light to the outlet to make the wakeup work.  The TV on the other hand uses sufficient to wake up the inverter within a beat. 
    Northern NM, 624 watts PV, The Kid CC, GC-2 batteries @ 24 VDC, Outback VFX3524M
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    edited January 2016 #6
    Another possibility is that the Inverter is not outputting a clean sine wave... Ranges from inverter design to poor DC wiring/battery bank surge capacity (causing clipping of sine wave peaks).

    As I remember, MSW inverters do cause microwave ovens to have reduced cooking power. (I know that his signature has Outback TSW inverter--Just in case is it something else running this microwave/or anyone else using MSW).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Mountain Don
    Mountain Don Solar Expert Posts: 494 ✭✭✭
    His signature indicates an Outback inverter; I took that to be the inverter in use.  

    My personal experiments with modified sine wave and microwaves is Don't Do It!   I have tried 3 different modified sine wave inverters and three different microwaves. Not all combinations; mostly just single paired trials. One oven was operated with two different modified sine wave inverters.

      All three microwaves ran fine on grid power and pure sine wave power from our Outback and from our Xantrex ProWatt. All three microwaves were much noisier on modified sine wave and were very deficient in heating power. I don't have the data from back then anymore but it took at least twice as long to heat the same quantity of water the same number of degrees. 
    Northern NM, 624 watts PV, The Kid CC, GC-2 batteries @ 24 VDC, Outback VFX3524M
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    I have been sending my clients to the Panasonic inverter series microwaves. Very little surge and different functions ramp power draw slowly. One of the models I had ran at half power very nicely. Don is right and I still have trouble believing that anyone offgrid is still using a modified Square/Sine wave inverter.

    So, when will a 22 cubic foot refrigerator/freeze that is inverter based be for sale on this continent?
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • Mountain Don
    Mountain Don Solar Expert Posts: 494 ✭✭✭
    edited January 2016 #9

    So, when will a 22 cubic foot refrigerator/freeze that is inverter based be for sale on this continent?
    How about now?  

    And because Iwas having trouble discerning if that one really was an inverter compressor fridge I asked LG USA customer service and received the following email response....

    "Welcome and thank you for using your LG Home Appliance E-mail services today.

    I understand your concern, and would like to inform you that your LFC22770SB refrigerator has an inverter linear compressor. An inverter linear compressor is compressor operated with an inverter. In the hermetic type, it can either be a scroll or reciprocating compressor.

    LG’s inverter linear compressor technology enables its refrigerators to be the industry leaders in energy savings, longer food freshness, reduce noise levels, and bigger capacity.

    I hope I was able to help you with this information. It has been a pleasure talking with you today. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us again via LG Email, Live Chat or by calling 800-243-0000.
    Thank you very much for your kindness and patience. I hope that I was able to put a smile on your face today! Have a great day ahead and a lovely week."


    Previously posted in another thread, easy enough to miss and/or forget. 

    LG has been making inverter fridges since 2001 apparently
    Northern NM, 624 watts PV, The Kid CC, GC-2 batteries @ 24 VDC, Outback VFX3524M
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    And in Canadian $ from Samsung, just so you Yanks don't flip at the price...
     http://www.samsung.com/ca/consumer/home-appliances/refrigerators/french-door/RF220NCTASR/AA

     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2016 #11
    That is great Don!  I have not looked this year. That LG will be perfect for a home I am working on!
    587 KWH is in the energy budget and there may be lower usage models. Imagine the surge on this unit?
    An amp ramping up to the max of the compressor, Sweet!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • Wheelman55
    Wheelman55 Registered Users Posts: 233 ✭✭✭
    Off-Grid in Terlingua, TX
    5,000 watt array - 14 CS 370 watt modules. HZLA horizontal tracker. Schneider: XW6048NA+, Mini PDP, MPPT 80-600, SCP. 390ah LiFeP04 battery bank - 3 Discover AES 42-48-6650 48 volt 130ah LiFePO4 batteries
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The reviews are not inspiring.

    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2016 #14
    I do not need to be inspired. I get that looking out my dining room :)
     I just need a good product that will never make a dimmed LED flicker every reefer cycle for my clients.
    4.4 out of 5 on 150 reviews at Home Depot is a problem?  Why?  
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    you need to read the home despot reviews, a few dud units were never repaired.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    I tend to not trust alot of the things that happen at Home Depot and 4.4 out of 5 in 150 is not bad.  I really hope that this technology filters down and would much rather buy a Whirlpool, GE or something manufactured on this continent. For now these are very useful to me.
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net