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Inverter to run a washing machine


Theo

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This really is not a rerun of the Christmas topic!

 

Just in the process of deciding what invertor to buy to replace my 1800W MSW Sterling. I need to do this because we are going to use a Zanussi ZWC1301 Washing Machine instead of the hand wash/spin dryer method. We propose not to use the heater at all (I will disconnect it if necessary and advisable) but will use a mixer tap to supply water at the required temperature

 

From all the discussion on the forum I am persuaded that I need a pure sine wave inverter but cannot decide on the power rating. I am pretty sure that the motor will not use more than about 500W continuously but there will be a high start up current. So what peak current do I need to look at?

 

So far I have looked at a couple from Sterling on this page. Note that the 1500W model costs £999.90 and the 2000W model £1,199.90!

 

and this from Maplin (2000W at £600) and this (1400W at £420).

 

If the Maplin one at £420 will cope with the peak current of the washing machine then that will do for us.

 

Why would I pay an extra £560 for the Sterling 1500W model?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Nick

Edited by Theo
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Hm...

 

Just found this one 2000W with peak 4000W for £235! All the specs look good but can you trust something with such a low price tag?

 

And this 2000W for £298.

 

Has anyone any experience of cheap inverters? Do they burst into flames? The specs indicate the right sorts of protection.

 

N

Edited by Theo
To add a bit
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Most electronically controlled machines self-test before starting and would fault if you disconnect the heater. Better to get a machine with a cold wash programme built-in.

Without the use of a 90/95 programme once in a while, the door seal will soon be covered in black mold and the machine will not smell too good either.

Not a fan of the little Zanussi .... much prefer the Candy if you must buy a midget washing machine.

Edited by Kwacker
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This really is not a rerun of the Christmas topic!

 

Just in the process of deciding what invertor to buy to replace my 1800W MSW Sterling. I need to do this because we are going to use a Zanussi ZWC1301 Washing Machine instead of the hand wash/spin dryer method. We propose not to use the heater at all (I will disconnect it if necessary and advisable) but will use a mixer tap to supply water at the required temperature

 

From all the discussion on the forum I am persuaded that I need a pure sine wave inverter but cannot decide on the power rating. I am pretty sure that the motor will not use more than about 500W continuously but there will be a high start up current. So what peak current do I need to look at?

 

So far I have looked at a couple from Sterling on this page. Note that the 1500W model costs £999.90 and the 2000W model £1,199.90!

 

and this from Maplin (2000W at £600) and this (1400W at £420).

 

If the Maplin one at £420 will cope with the peak current of the washing machine then that will do for us.

 

Why would I pay an extra £560 for the Sterling 1500W model?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Nick

Sunshine Power Inverter 2000W 12V Pure Sine Wave.htm

what about this one?

 

I have the 1500 watt version,it has not done any real work yet so cant predict it's longevity

CT

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Seems very very cheap for a continuous 2000w, Pure Sine Wave and all the rest of the 'spec' - Battery charger as well.

Whats the catch ?

That is what I would love to know!

 

N

Be aware that Zanussi w/ms have a reputation of being very fussy about their electrical supply, even on good PSW inverters.

Blooming heck!

 

It arrives tomorrow. I suppose that I will just have to hope. I think it was the only 50cm wide one that we could find and that is essential.

 

Nick

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Blooming heck!

 

It arrives tomorrow. I suppose that I will just have to hope. I think it was the only 50cm wide one that we could find and that is essential.

 

Nick

Didn't mean to frighten you! I'm sure many people use Zanussis on their inverters with no problem, but I know two people who couldn't get theirs to run properly on an inverter supply and it has cropped up on here before.

 

Keep your fingers crossed!

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This really is not a rerun of the Christmas topic!

 

Just in the process of deciding what invertor to buy to replace my 1800W MSW Sterling. I need to do this because we are going to use a Zanussi ZWC1301 Washing Machine instead of the hand wash/spin dryer method. We propose not to use the heater at all (I will disconnect it if necessary and advisable) but will use a mixer tap to supply water at the required temperature

 

From all the discussion on the forum I am persuaded that I need a pure sine wave inverter but cannot decide on the power rating. I am pretty sure that the motor will not use more than about 500W continuously but there will be a high start up current. So what peak current do I need to look at?

 

So far I have looked at a couple from Sterling on this page. Note that the 1500W model costs £999.90 and the 2000W model £1,199.90!

 

and this from Maplin (2000W at £600) and this (1400W at £420).

 

If the Maplin one at £420 will cope with the peak current of the washing machine then that will do for us.

 

Why would I pay an extra £560 for the Sterling 1500W model?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Nick

 

Have just put my 1500 watt sunshine solar inverter on to run the boat's washing machine which is a household size Candy Eclypsa.

 

just finished it's cycle

 

The Candy had it's heating element disconnected before it was installed,the machine is fed with water direct from the calorifier

 

CT

Edited by cereal tiller
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Thanks for all the comments folks. There was a time when Chris W and Gibbo woule enter the lists and tell me precisely why I would be an unmitigated fool for considering one or the other. The answers would be definitive and different!

 

I will have a good look again and see if there is any other data/reviews on the really cheap ones.

 

Nick

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I wonder if

 

Most electronically controlled machines self-test before starting and would fault if you disconnect the heater. Better to get a machine with a cold wash programme built-in.

Without the use of a 90/95 programme once in a while, the door seal will soon be covered in black mold and the machine will not smell too good either.

Not a fan of the little Zanussi .... much prefer the Candy if you must buy a midget washing machine.

 

Is it possible to find a lower wattage heating element? For some reason my Boscher washer insists on using the heater even on a cold wash. I would prefer to put up with a longer wash time and a less-stressed generator.


Cheap inverters tend to be described as High Frequency, and are relatively light. Low Frequency ones use a massive toroidal transformer, cost quite a lot, and are extremely heavy. However, they are said to cope better with in-rush (start-up) currents.

 

HF is a newer technology.

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Just had a look at the web site for the £235! PSW 2000W inverter charger from China. I am beginning to think that I should take the risk. I wish that I could be certain that it was a bargain. It seems to good to be true. Perhaps it is.

 

http://meind.en.hisupplier.com/product-1171917-pure-sine-wave-inverter.html

 

Nick

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I wonder if

 

 

Is it possible to find a lower wattage heating element? For some reason my Boscher washer insists on using the heater even on a cold wash. I would prefer to put up with a longer wash time and a less-stressed generator.

Cheap inverters tend to be described as High Frequency, and are relatively light. Low Frequency ones use a massive toroidal transformer, cost quite a lot, and are extremely heavy. However, they are said to cope better with in-rush (start-up) currents.

 

HF is a newer technology.

 

Some of the newer machines use 1700w heaters, and I'm pretty sure they would interchange.

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I can't comment on the cheap inverters because I have never experienced one, but we do have the Zanussi 1300w which is the older sister of the 1301. It runs fine from our Mastervolt PSW inverter or our TravelPower. Just occasionally when on the TP it sulks and won't start, but if I turn the washer off at the socket, then on again, its fine. I think it is to do with switching between inverter and TP power whilst it is plugged in.

 

When the wash is in progress, as the drum stops and starts and reverses the TP display (which shows current) oscillates quite a bit, ie the motor startup current is quite high and repetitively used, though exactly what the peak value is, can't really be determined from the display as it doesn't update often enough. Anyway, I certainly wouldn't try running it from a 500w inverter. A 2000w one will be fine though, and since the heater is only 1.3kw, it shouldn't matter too much if the heater cuts in a bit, though obviously filling with hot water is a good idea.

 

If you go for the cheapo inverter, let us know how you get on with it!

 

Edited to correct heater power consumption.

Edited by nicknorman
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Just had a look at the web site for the £235! PSW 2000W inverter charger from China. I am beginning to think that I should take the risk. I wish that I could be certain that it was a bargain. It seems to good to be true. Perhaps it is.

 

http://meind.en.hisupplier.com/product-1171917-pure-sine-wave-inverter.html

 

Nick

 

A new PCB for your washing machine is £101 approx. I most certainly would not gamble it.

According to the service manual, the heater in your machine is 1600w

Edited by Kwacker
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A new PCB for your washing machine is £101 approx. I most certainly would not gamble it.

According to the service manual, the heater in your machine is 1600w

But I doubt a dirty or failing inverter would take out the washer's PCB.

 

Anyway, just looked back at this previous thread:

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=49749&p=926958

So it seems peak demand of the machine with heater on is around 2kw, and around 700w with it off. Who knows what the power factor at startup is though!

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But I doubt a dirty or failing inverter would take out the washer's PCB.

 

Anyway, just looked back at this previous thread:

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=49749&p=926958

So it seems peak demand of the machine with heater on is around 2kw, and around 700w with it off. Who knows what the power factor at startup is though!

Oh yes it can!

As for the wattage of the heater of a Zanussi ZWC1301, 1600w is the figure given by Zanussi in the test proceedures for the machine.

Edited by Kwacker
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I have been installing and design both AC and DC system for over 30 years

 

for this installation there two units that I would look at the is the Mastervolt 12 / 2500 / 100 or the victron 12 / 3000 / 120

The reason for selecting these two units in-rush current and quantity of output.

I had a case of two identical washing machines manufactured by Zanussi one would only work on a shore supply the other would work on a mastervolt inverter / charger the issue was proved to be the power board these can be made in three different parts of the world.

 

My suggestion Mastervolt or Victron

  • Greenie 1
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If going cheap I'd avoid the very cheapest 'barrel scrapings' ohmy.png

 

Also source from a UK company with some sort of track record, and use well within it's capabilities. So rather than the china sourced Meind I'd be inclined to pay a little more for something along these lines:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/inverter-convert-battery-output-electricity/dp/B00BY9A6ZK

http://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/115-2000W-12V-pure-sine-wave-power-inverter-to-convert-12V-DC-to-240V-AC.html

 

Bimble solar also do a 1.5kW PS inverter for about £200 which might do OK on a washer used on cold only.

 

If doing cold washes best stick to powder as it doesn't goo the machine up like liquid can, IF there are problems with smells run a wash with a little bleach, the odd time won't harm the door seals.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

 

 

.

Edited by smileypete
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Just had a look at the web site for the £235! PSW 2000W inverter charger from China. I am beginning to think that I should take the risk. I wish that I could be certain that it was a bargain. It seems to good to be true. Perhaps it is.

 

http://meind.en.hisupplier.com/product-1171917-pure-sine-wave-inverter.html

 

Nick

 

Just out of curiosity, has the distributor agreed to sell you just one of these units, instead of six?

 

Also, I don't see any kind of CE or other approval on that unit. You do understand this will probably void your insurance if the unit causes a fire, don't you? So, when you say you are beginning to think you should take the risk, you do understand that "the risk" is your entire boat, right?

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Just out of curiosity, has the distributor agreed to sell you just one of these units, instead of six?

 

Also, I don't see any kind of CE or other approval on that unit. You do understand this will probably void your insurance if the unit causes a fire, don't you? So, when you say you are beginning to think you should take the risk, you do understand that "the risk" is your entire boat, right?

I was not looking at the Meind site as a means of purchase, just to get the full spec. If I were to get it it would be from Amazon.

 

N

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I was not looking at the Meind site as a means of purchase, just to get the full spec. If I were to get it it would be from Amazon.

 

N

 

I really would check into that CE approval thing, if I were you. I wasn't trying to be a smartass with my remark, just trying to emphasize the significance of the approval. smile.png

 

Take a look at this link here:

 

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/1600532895/Hot_selling_1500w_pure_sine_wave.html

 

That's a 1,500W PSW inverter with CE approval and an 18 month warranty for US$140 or about £85 - and they'll sell you only one. I know that's not the unit you are looking for, but that manufacturer probably makes exactly what you want so you can send them your specs and ask for a price. The site also says they will sell you a "sample" unit. It would not be beneath a Chinese company to have sample units that are better constructed than production units, so, if you do deal with this company, you might want to pretend like you sell inverters and want a sample unit so you can decide if you want to stock their product. It probably won't save you any money, but it might just get you a better unit.

 

Personally, I'd stay away from cheap inverters. However, if you are determined to go that route, at least get one that is approved.

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  • 2 weeks later...

does anyone have a definitive answer on which of the two compact washing machines (zanussi 1301 or candy aquamatiuc 100f) is best in terms of power usage, performance etc??

 

we have a mastervolt mass 12/2000 2kw inverter. could this cope with either of these machines?? we are also in the market for one of these...

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does anyone have a definitive answer on which of the two compact washing machines (zanussi 1301 or candy aquamatiuc 100f) is best in terms of power usage, performance etc??

 

we have a mastervolt mass 12/2000 2kw inverter. could this cope with either of these machines?? we are also in the market for one of these...

 

Can only speak for the Zanussi but that's rated at max 1600 watt consumption. Your MasterVolt inverter should cover that assuming it gives a pure sinewave output.

 

Not sure what else you are in the market for?

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