Whether you’re camping or enjoying life in your RV, you’ll probably need that hot cup of coffee or tea from time to time.
But can you power an electric kettle using an off-grid battery inverter? And if so, what size (watts) of inverter do you need? What battery size (Ah) should you use?
What size of cables (AWG) should you use to connect the inverter to the battery? For this and more, read on to find out.
The Most Important Consideration to Powering an Electric Kettle from an Inverter
You can usually power an electric kettle using an Inverter successfully if your inverter’s rating (in watts) matches or exceeds the kettle’s power consumption.
Inverter Types to Use: Both modified sine wave and pure sine wave inverters work.
What Size of Inverter (Watts)?
For a kettle with a rated power consumption of 1,200 watts:
- A 2,000-watt inverter or larger is recommended. If you’ll run other appliances simultaneously then you’ll need to add the power consumption of those appliances to the 2,000 watts.
- If your kettle draws 900 watts or less, a 1,200–1,500-watt inverter may suffice, provided there are no additional appliances you’d like to run at the same time whose combined power draw together with the kettle exceeds the inverter capacity.
- If the inverter is connected to a house battery in an RV or car, make sure to keep the engine running while using the kettle to avoid deeply draining the battery.
What Battery Size (Ah) Should You Use with the Inverter?
If a 1,200-watt kettle is plugged into a 12V inverter, it will draw slightly over 100 amps from a 12V battery bank during operation.
For example, a 400Ah AGM or 200Ah LiFePO4 battery bank provides about an hour with a 2,000-watt inverter (assuming max draw).
Inverter to Battery DC Cables (AWG) Sizing:
Make sure to use the right size (AWG) of DC cables and fuse to connect the battery to the inverter to avoid a fire and possible injuries or even death that can result if the cables are undersized.
Refer to your inverter manual for more information about what cable and fuse sizes to use.
The table below provides a guide to what cable sizes you may use safely for the 1,500-2,000-watt inverter for the indicated cable lengths.
| Inverter Capacity | Minimum Cable Size (3 ft) | Minimum Cable Size (6 ft) | Minimum Cable Size (8 ft) |
| 1,500 watts/12V | AWG 1/0 | AWG 2/0 | AWG 4/0 |
| 2,000 watts/12V | AWG 2/0 | AWG 2/0 | AWG 4/0 |
Should you Use an Inverter? Is it Worthwhile?
In my opinion, unless the battery-inverter setup is already available, then go ahead and use it.
Otherwise, running an electric kettle off an inverter setup requires an investment in battery cables!
Alternatives to Using a Power Inverter for an Electric Kettle
Consider using a gas cooktop if possible. It’s usually cheaper than a battery and inverter setup. It provides longer cooking times too.
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