What will a 1000 watt inverter run?

A 1,000 W inverter can run appliances in the small to medium size-light duty category (examples below) provided the total power consumption of the connected appliances does not exceed:

  • its continuous power rating of 1,000w and
  • maximum surge power of usually 2,000W (Consult your inverter manual for actual value).

Examples of appliances can be powered by a 1,000w inverter (always check the appliance’s power consumption first) are:

  • Living room type appliances: TV, DVD, stereo, laptops, computers, lighting;
  • Kitchen appliances (blenders, mixers, toasters)

Note, this inverter size is likely undersized to power many of the heating appliances such as: water heater, microwave, electric oven, electric kettle, dishwasher, coffee machine and cooling appliances like the air-conditioner and heavy duty power tools like electric saws.

To be sure, you need to check that the appliances’s continuous and surge power rating are within what is supported by the inverter as this is a guide.

How many amps does a 1000W inverter draw?

The inverter draws DC amps from the battery and connected appliance draws AC amps from the inverter.

DC amp draw of 1000W inverter
A 1,000 watt inverter connected to a 12 volt battery draws 1000 ÷ 12 = 83 A at full load and 41 A at 24 volts. The cables from the battery to the inverter need to be sized appropriately to avoid damage to the wires from overheating and voltage drops.

AC amp draw of 1000W inverter
A 1,000 watt inverter rated 115 V draws 1000 ÷ 115 = 8.69 A at full load.

Recommended DC cable size for 1000W inverter

The recommended size of battery cables for an 1000 watt inverter is 2 AWG for a cable length of up to 1.5 m (5 feet) to minimise voltage drops to less than 3% and overheating of the battery cables when at full load.

In addition to the correct wire size, DC fuse should be installed inline on the positive wire connecting to the battery.

Recommended fuse size for 1000W inverter

The maximum rating of the DC fuse size for the 1000W inverter is 150 A dc.

Related questions

Will a 1000W inverter run a refrigerator?

Yes, a 1000W inverter can run a refrigerator provided its continuous power rating does not exceed 1,000W and surge power of 2,000W.

Appliances with motors like fridges and compressors run cooler and reliably with pure sine-wave inverters instead of modified sine wave inverters. Therefore, always use pure sine-wave inverters to power fridges.

Take the Safe Plug 3.1 cu. ft. freestanding Mini Fridge with Freezer from Amazon.com with its estimated annual kwh rating of 195. Its estimated continuous power rating is 195/(365 x 24) = 22 watts, not surprising for a mini fridge. Its surge power rating can be 3-7 times its continuous power rating. Working with 7 times, its likely surge power is 154 W.

Clearly, both the continuous power and surge power are within the limit of the 1,000W inverter and will be powered easily by the inverter.

Larger capacity fridges whose continuous or surge power rating exceed that of the inverter will cause an overload on the inverter and not run.

To be sure whether an 1,000W inverter can run a particular fridge, confirm that the electrical specifications for your fridge or freezer are within those of the inverter.

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