1000 Watt inverter for coffee machine

[twinsdad]

Help!!! My wife needs her morning coffee (I don't touch the stuff), and we can't find a 1000 Watt inverter that plugs in to a lighter plug (boat is equipped with these) instead of one you have to attach directly to the batteries. Does anyone know where you can find one that works in a lighter plug?

Thanks,

Someone who doesn't want a grouchy wife!!!!

[noelex77]

A cig plug cannot handle the required current (its almost 10X too much) so its not an option. Even with direct connection you are going to need a substantial battery bank and a means of replacing the power.
There are coffee making options that work on the stove, which is going to be a much more practical option from an energy point of view. Bring her coffee in bed and I guarantee there will be no complaints.

[btrayfors]

Yep, absolutely right!

Most folks don't bother to do the math, so they don't understand how many amps are required from a 12 volt battery in order to produce X watts @ 120 volts AC.

Here's a simple way to compute the needed DC amperage: just divide the AC watts by ten. That will closely approximate the number of DC amps required from your battery, including losses in the typical inverter.

Example: You want to produce 1,000 watts @ 120 volts AC

Solution: Divide this by 10 to get 100 amps of DC input @ 12V.

In other words, if you connect an inverter to your battery, and plug in a 1,000 watt appliance, the inverter will draw approximately 100 amps current from your battery while it is operational. That's a lot!

Bill

[sailortjk1]

Boil water and use a press.

[mitiempo]

Bill is dead right.

Inverters are useful but if you have a stove other than electric it isn't necessary for coffee.

I use a plastic filter holder and pour boiling water in - every cup is as fresh as the last - and boil the water on my propane stove. Switched to this when I kayaked in Baja and didn't want to miss my coffee. Tasted so good I threw the electric coffeemaker away when I got back.

[windward54]

And a 1000 watt inverter won't run a coffee maker anyway. My coffee maker pulls roughly 85 amps to heat water, that is already over a 1000 watts. You'll need a bigger unit to do the work. You might want to think about at least a 2000 watt unit, if you want to use a coffee maker

It's amazing how much power it takes to heat water.

[hellosailor]

Twins, you might be able to find a "12v" coffeemaker at an RV store that actually makes a decent cup for a decent price. Might take a little longer, or not make as many cups, but it should do the job if she's looking for "drip" or "perc" coffee without doing it the "hard" way.

I can use a Melitta filter on a stainless thermos, has the advantage of keeping it nice and hot and there's always SOME way to boil water.

[PhilipStevens]

Originally Posted by twinsdad

Help!!! My wife needs her morning coffee (I don't touch the stuff), and we can't find a 1000 Watt inverter that plugs in to a lighter plug (boat is equipped with these) instead of one you have to attach directly to the batteries. Does anyone know where you can find one that works in a lighter plug?

Thanks,

Someone who doesn't want a grouchy wife!!!!

I'm the coffee drinker on our boat, and use an Italian Coffee Maker on the gas stove.



Makes excellent coffee and smells good in the making.

A good selection Amazon.com: italian coffee maker Stovetop Espresso Pots on Amazon,

or a set of 3 http://tinyurl.com/6yyxx5v on ebay.

[Minnewaska]

I have a 2000 watt invertor and a 400+ah house bank. I'm usually the first up in the morning and don't like firing up the genset if others are sleeping. I will occasionally use the invertor to make a pot.

I don't have the actual usage mathematics, but this is our experience. We will fully charge the house bank with the genset around dinner time the night before. For the rest of the evening, there will be a few lights on until everyone goes to sleep and the anchor light will be on all night, of course. The fridge and bilge pump also remain on and the freshwater pump with run a handfull of times. After whatever small usage that consumes through the night, one pot of coffee through the invertor in the morning and the bank is done. I don't mean stone cold, but it drops below the level that requires recharging. You can see the incredible drop in amperage draw when the heating element clicks off on the pot. Once the coffee itself wakes everyone up, the genset runs to get us back to charge. I don't think this is a very practical way to plan to make coffee every time.

[Gladrags1]

My wife and I enjoy, no need, our coffee in the morning. At home we have automatic drip coffeemakers. On the boat, we heat a kettle of water on the stove and pour it through a Melita drip filter into a stainless steel carafe. The coffee tastes great and the carafe keeps it warm.

What kind of stove do you have aboard? Propane heats up the water the quickly but alcohol works as well.

Tod