Why NOT to oversize your inverter!

I really wanted to look more into why the ALFFAA inverter didn't power the new refrigerator so I decided to take four inverters upstairs for the challenge! After that, I figured "Hey, I might as well check on the standby consumption and efficiency of these inverters!"
I found it amazing the difference in efficiency when powering the same 100w light bulb. I really shows why you should take the time and find the correct size of inverter for your needs.
Check out the results!

Items used in this video:

500W Car Power Inverter, BMK Car Converter Pure Sine Wave DC 12V to 110V AC Car Plug Inverter Adapter with 1 Type C Port 2 USB Ports 2 AC Outlets
If the Inverter above is sold out, consider this clone for less than $60.

ALFFAA 1500W Solar Power Inverter 12V to 110V with Built-in 5V/2.1A USB Port

Krieger 1100 Watt 12V Power Inverter Dual 110V AC Outlets, Installation Kit Included, Automotive Back Up Power Supply For Blenders, Vacuums, Power Tools - ETL Approved Under UL STD 458

High Caliber Systems 2000w Inverter PDF:
It does say "Low frequency inverter" right on the front.. oops!

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[realToby]

When the refrigerator compressor finally kicks on, the little inverters would shut off or go in to overload protection or blow (if it doesn't have any protection)

[AdamDeLay]

I've seen it mentioned a few times but the compressor startup is one of the high draws on a fridge but the other thing to remember is the "frost free" fridge/freezers also have a built in defrost cycle that also uses a lot of power. That defrost cycle could be why your smaller inverter didn't power the fridge the first time but it seemed to work fine the second time.

My fridge normally pulls around 700w when it's actually running with the compressor, but when the defrost cycle runs, it could go near double that number. I can actually look at my inverter logs from SolarAssistant and see each night around 0200 the defrost cycle kicks in. Just a thought.

[pocketchange]

👍👌❤️🇨🇦, As a general rule,  a 2, 000W inverter can run a refrigerator smoothly. Your inverter will need to handle the continuous wattage as well as handle the surge power for a split second. Most refrigerators require a power of 300-600 watts, but the surge wattage can be about 2-3 times higher

[geraldwatkins]

I'm sure someone covered this in the comments. You should allow the refrigerator to run the compressor for a few cycles on each inverter. Also, there may be something to adjust the voltage a bit on the blue inverter.

[devonhallassociates]

Thanks for this experiment! I am currently using a 1500w pure sine inverter to power a 5-c.f. chest freezer. Based on the results of your experiment, I will power the freezer with a 500w pure sine inverter to get better efficiency. Thanks!

[penuelseun]

For the 1500w inverter that reads a lower voltage than the rest, there is a little potentiometer in the inverter that you can adjust to increase the output voltage . Great video 👍👍

[Electronzap]

Nice. Sometimes electronic devices just don't feel like working that day. I plan to use multiple inverters, each one with about twice the rating of whatever it is going to be powering.

[jamesalles]

relatively intelligent compressor control systems will have a time delay built in from power-up - about 5 minutes.
This allows refrigerant pressures to equalize if it is running when power drops out (power bump or outage event).
It saves on rotor lock-up and thermal cutout trips.

[randylenart]

Very good topic I have a 400watt I've had for years and a 4000watt I use at my cabin to run the well and power tools

[seymourpro]

If you look at the Victron series of inverter chargers they can have a "generator" input also which can be another inverter. SO while the 2k inverter is enough the main inverter supplies power, when more power is needed the additional inverter is automatically turned on and sync'd to the main inverter. Saves some of the wasted power.

[OKLAHOMAOFFGRID]

The big inverter that you have I believe is a 24-volt 2000-watt with a 6000-watt surge it is the exact replica of the aims inverter I have been using my aims inverters for 7 years now and I have not had any problems

[WCO]

this is why I like multiple inverters. One pure sign wave for large loads I keep switched off, The other lower wattage modified sinewave with much less standby consumption Does 80% of the work.. I just can't watch my batteries drain out, for nothing.

[Riddick_]

Just a tip! Always put the POSITIVE contact on first, then the negative. When taking them off, you take the NEGATIVE off first, then the POSITIVE!

[matthewknight]

Your tests help alot of people. We appreciate it

[davidleslie]

I'm not sure if you figured it out already or not but the reason why your fridge worked with such a low wattage inverter was because it wasn't actually running at that time. It was only using the lights and the sensors which is maybe five or 6 W of power But when the fridge is actually running then that's when it uses the 8 A of power or basically 900 W approximately for an average fridge so that's the reason why you couldn't believe that the fridge was still working well it's not really working it wasn't running per se it was just sitting at idle the compressor wasn't working the motor wasn't working to run the compressor. Nothing was actually doing anything, it was just the lights and a couple sensors and the LED display, which is maybe five or 10 W of power but next time if you do the test do it when it's running when the compressor kicks in or leave the fridge open for a minute it'll kick in and start running and then those low wattage inverters won't work you need at least 500 to 1000 W approximately

[C.A.MARSUPIAL]

Fantastic. Thanks so much for the excellent teaching video. Hi from Brisbane Australia. Keep very well.🙂🙂🙂

[wherami]

This is why I chose a 300w inverter for my basement freezer. Good topic

[uncontrollabledogs]

Nice real- world test.
More similar vids please.

[galen__]

Very interesting. Not many channels show these tests, so thank you for this. If you want to know how much power an appliance uses during different times of the day, get yourself a Shelly Smart Plug or TP-Link HS110 (or model with energy monitoring) and log the usage on a PC or RPi running Home Assistant.

You’ll then be able to graph it in realtime with the Grafana plugin, which lets you see the time period anywhere from the last few seconds to the last 2 years on one screen, which can then be zoomed into to only show the time period you want.

Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll link some videos of what it’s like and how to get it configured to do all this 😅

[Insightfill]

For devices with an inductor/motor, sometimes power factor makes a big difference. I was trying to run a sump pump with a 500w inverter and it kept tripping off. When I ADDED a 60w incandescent light bulb, it was able to stay on continuously.

Counterintuitive at first, but it worked out.