1500 watt inverter - will I damage it?

Welcome to the forum Kwastizzle,

I do not know. I have never used an Oscilloscope to measure the current profile of an induction cooker.

A good quality modern induction hot plate should have an AC input stage that prevents high current spikes--And if you can ensure that your hot plate always operates at 2/3 power (not temperature) or less, then it should be OK with your inverter.

Your inverter should be capable of near 2x rated output for a few seconds (surge current to start a motor, etc.). And even operation at full power should not "kill" the inverter--If anything, the inverter may indicate over current output and/or just shut down until load is removed/DC input power is reset.

Notice I said "power" and not temperature. Some induction cookers may have a "temperature" function--I.e., you set for simmer at boiling temperature. The cooker could use full power when a cold pot is placed on the induction coil, and dail back the power when the pot is "hot". So you may have that variable to deal with too.

Make sure you have very heavy/short DC power cables from your battery bank (positive cable with fuse/circuit breaker) to your DC input of your Inverter... You need to keep the voltage drop reasonably low and use heavy cable to avoid overheating. For example, a 1,500 Watt inverter running on a 12 volt battery bank will take:

• 1,500 Watts * 1/0.85 AC inverter eff * 1/10.5 battery cutoff voltage = 168 Amps

So, you would want fusing/breaker/wiring for the DC circuit to be rated around:

• 168 Amps DC current * 1.25 NEC derating = ~210 Amps or higher (200 Amp rating would be OK too)

-Bill