Inverter

I just replaced my 1500 Cobra, after 3 years of heavy usage. Got the same exact one...again. $180 tax included and a 2 year warranty.

The 1500 peaks at 2000 plus and been rated to run a small 110 A/C unit for at least 45 minutes without needing to cool down.

If you look around, they are marking the older inventory down. They have a new case design for the 1500, and are trying to get the old models sold.

The older models (1550) is heavier than the new model (1575). The 1575 has a USB port on it also...for charging things with a USB The cooling fans appear to be smaller on the 1575.

I run a fridge, microwave, laptop, coffee pot, electric razor, power drill, even a TV from time to time on mine. A good coffee pot will pull as much or more than a small micro-wave I've never peaked mine...not even once.

Pay close attention to the price though. Some stores have marked the older models down as low as $150, while others are still asking $200 plus for them.

 

That's something else to think about...glad you brought that up.

Smaller/cheaper inverters will need to run their fans more often. This ways a heavy price on your batteries.

He can get a 2500 at most truck stops now, for $300. I almost bought one myself. But that would have meant I needed an additional set of cables....not gonna spend the money...nope.

 

I bought a Road-Pro 2500 (if you read the fine print it's really a continuous 2000W that will supply 2500W for short periods and an instantaneous peak of 5000w) on sale at a Pilot (IIRC I paid about $150). I run a 2.8 cu. ft. fridge from Walmart ($70 vs. $400 - $700 for a 12v one ), an 1100W microwave, coffee maker, computer, etc. The meter rarely shows over 1/3, possibly peaking at 1/2, the fans are quiet and it is always cold to the touch. I did extend the cables with welding cable and I put a welding cable quick-connect inline in order to disconnect it completely from the battery (which I forgot to do when I parked it a week ago ... D'oh ). I don't have any kind of breaker or fuse inline, but I will be putting one in soon.

 

2500 W inverter will handle what you want... 1000W would not run both.. 1500W would probably get extremely hot and would not last, 2500W would be the best choice... I like Delco Remy inverters myself.. Very hard to find but well worth it, they cost more as well..

 

I just had a Cobra 1500 installed in my truck, a 2005 Volvo, and the fridge runs fine but when I try to fire up the microwave or the coffee pot the inverter beeps and then shuts down momentarily before coming back on. They used a very heavy gauge wire to the inverter so the install looks okay. Your post caught my eye since you also used a Cobra 1500 with good results. Any advice would be appreciated, I'm kinda frustrated with this situation. I HATE cold leftovers and truck stop coffee! LOL Could the unit be defective? I kinda ruled that out since the fridge runs okay. U have this problem whether or not the truck is running. HELP!

 

You've got something wrong somewhere. It's possible you have a bad battery, not likely but still possible. I've NEVER had an issue with the load handling on the 1500. That said, I might have one if I fired the microwave and the coffee pot up at the same time. My Mr coffee hits at about a 50% load on the inverter But it doesn't hold it for over 5 minutes or so, while brewing. My microwave peaks it at about 40%.

I always run my engine while making coffee. It brews faster LOL Same thing with my microwave. Regardless of the size inverter you use, heavy loads while the engine is not running, is hard on the batteries and alternator.

If you've got a big microwave 1500 watts or more. Yup, you're going to have issues if you run it on high. Mine is 900 and works just fine.

Are you connected directly (the correct way) to the batteries? Or did they simply hook it to one of the major leads in your fuse panel area? How heavy is your wire? Mine fits the holes exactly, once the plastic has been removed. Do you have a ground shield attached? The small nut on the back

What size breakers/fuses are you using? Or are you using direct? The minimum breaker I would use would be a 70 amp. I use a 150 now, with a reset/breaker switch on it...but am leery of it. Especially since most people use 70 just fine.

If none of the above is part of your problem. I would say you have a bad inverter. It happens...especially if you bought a display model. Many times they use returns for displays.

Back to the battery. You have so many "cold cranking" amps available to you. Once you go past that, you're struggling regardless of the size inverter. A dead cell can reck havok, while still allowing your engine to start normally. And, if you are connected to that battery with a dead cell. It will cause you problems. Truck running or not.

It's a common myth that cold saps a battery. And thats all it is, a myth. Heat is what kills a battery. It just happens to need more of a load in winter...and thats when you notice it