One important consideration is that a 5kW invertor is not designed to work at maximum capacity continuously. If your vehicle speedometer is marked for a maximum speed of 240km/hr, it does not mean that you will permanently drive it at that speed. It will certainly not last long. It is safe to say that only 50% of capacity must be considered. Hence, the size of the invertor is mainly determined by how many devices you will have “on” at the same time. In our household we follow the below rules: • The washing machine only comes on at 9am at the earliest, especially if you have one with a heating element. • Do not turn your dishwasher and microwave on at the same time. • If you use one or more water pumps, get into a rhythm of using those when your dishwasher or microwave is not working. • Remember that you will still have fridges and deep freezers switching on and off. The start-up power needs to be considered. So, if you have a high-power device on, such as a microwave, there still needs to be capacity so that peaks do not exceed the 5kW when your fridge turns on. • Get to know your baseline or average power consumption. In our case it hovers around 1.5kW on summer days and 700W on winter days. This way you will know your “spare” capacity. Everything with a heating element consumes large amounts of power. Use them separately on a schedule is need be. Make sure you read the section on “Electrical Equipment Considerations” The electrical wiring and components inside a 5kW invertor will also be limited by the minimum wire gauge specified. Manufacturers will normally use the minimum gauge to reduce costs. If you use maximum power for long periods, wiring and other components will eventually overheat and fail.
Deur: Johan Swart.