running a radiator off a inverter?

[squarelips]

hi everyone-

 

i am having an electgric conundrum. we have a radiator onboard but we dont use 240 volts. i bought an inverter last week (300watt) to charge my phone and lap top. Now i was wondering if i could plug in the radiator every so often to keep the freezing cold out. but all the electric details on the radiator have faded away so ive no idea how much current it wants to draw?

does anyone know what a common sort of wattage for a radiator is? or could it be anything? if i ran it off the invertor and it didn't have enough power would it just be not as warm? or am i going to run my battery flat in minutes?

 

anyone have any ideas?

(ps- this is a short term fix! we will run it off a generator after x-mas!) thanks for all your helps! x

[mrsmelly]

hi everyone-

 

i am having an electgric conundrum. we have a radiator onboard but we dont use 240 volts. i bought an inverter last week (300watt) to charge my phone and lap top. Now i was wondering if i could plug in the radiator every so often to keep the freezing cold out. but all the electric details on the radiator have faded away so ive no idea how much current it wants to draw?

does anyone know what a common sort of wattage for a radiator is? or could it be anything? if i ran it off the invertor and it didn't have enough power would it just be not as warm? or am i going to run my battery flat in minutes?

 

anyone have any ideas?

(ps- this is a short term fix! we will run it off a generator after x-mas!) thanks for all your helps! x

 

Hi

 

If ou mean an oil fired radiator? a 300 watt inverter will not power it unless you have a tiny one that would give no heat, it will just cut out the inverter. A 300 watt inverter is realy only of use for charging fone laptop etc batts and maybe running ya telly.

 

Tim

[squarelips]

thanks very much tim-

i thought it would probably not work but its been so cold today and yesterday i was just dreaming that it might work.

x

[frangar]

There is very little chance that any radiator will draw as little as 300w.....probably at least 700w and upto 3000w is more likely depending on the radiator.....

 

It WILL drain your battery very fast indeed

 

I would forget running it off the genny too.....fit a solid fuel stove if you dont have a shoreline or an Alde gas central heating boiler...they are a bit heavy on gas but low on electric.

 

Im sure others will be along to offer advice too!!

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Chris Pink]

hi everyone-

 

i am having an electgric conundrum. we have a radiator onboard but we dont use 240 volts. i bought an inverter last week (300watt) to charge my phone and lap top. Now i was wondering if i could plug in the radiator every so often to keep the freezing cold out. but all the electric details on the radiator have faded away so ive no idea how much current it wants to draw?

does anyone know what a common sort of wattage for a radiator is? or could it be anything? if i ran it off the invertor and it didn't have enough power would it just be not as warm? or am i going to run my battery flat in minutes?

 

anyone have any ideas?

(ps- this is a short term fix! we will run it off a generator after x-mas!) thanks for all your helps! x

 

Do you not have a stove? There is so much wrong with your assumptions, especially your ps

[blackrose]

Squarelips, even if your inverter was bigger and capable it wouldn't be a good idea.

 

When you ask yourself if you can power an AC appliance from your inverter, you should actually be asking whether you want to power the device from your batteries (after all that's where the power comes from). Chemical energy to thermal energy is a very inefficient conversion when it comes to battery life.

 

Any appliance which gives off heat will kill your batteries unless they are being charged at the same time. Without charging, you can power a toaster because it's only on for a couple of minutes, but don't try it with a heater, immersion heater, cold-fill washing machine, etc.

Edited November 18, 2012 by blackrose

[Chris Pink]

Running a radiator from a gennie is no better. As I recall it gets cold at night.

[Guest]

Running a radiator from a gennie is no better. As I recall it gets cold at night.

I can vouch for that! Our first NB had no stove, and we ran a heater off a gennie for a quick fix. As you say, it soon goes cold when you stop the gennie. I don't think you can go far wrong with a properly installed solid fuel stove. That's why the majority of boats have them.

[Ally]

You might *just* run it if It's a very low power one, but you are going to be charging a ridiculous amount ti keep up with the draw if so. Solid fuel is the way to go!

[bizzard]

Its surprising how much heat comes off a 100w light bulb. If you strategically place one in front of you and huddle over it it will warm yer up a bit. Clear instead of frosted seem warmer.

I once put one in a Crawfords biscuit tin with the lid on for a bed warmer and it nearly set the bed alight. Some paint and scorch marks were left on the sheets.

I wasn't in it at the time though;--the bed not the tin.

[sueb]

try and forget 240v electricity if you haven't enough batteries and a much larger invertor. you can charge your phone and laptop on 12v

[jelunga]

Our small oil filled eadiator is 450w. We also have a 2kw convector heater. Only use them when connected to shorepower since there is no way my batteries would appreciate that load through the inverter.

Others have said solid fuel stove. I will also add diesel powered Bubble Stove as an option. Quiet clean efficent.