1000w inverter: can this accommodate a 1000w hairdryer or not ?

sweet caroline

sweet caroline

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Hi and a Merry Christmas.
Having decided to go off Grid for 2 weeks starting onteh 27th Decmber, for the very first time, since buying Renee, in August.
I've asked about the water tank, where to fill it, etc. for showers, and emptying all your wastes, etc., so now I know about this.

What I didn't ask was, as a woman, I need my hairdryer and hot brush each morning. Would the 1000-volt invertor that has been installed take on the task of doing my hair or not?


I don't want to try, and then find I have completely FUSED or worse FRAZZLED the fuse board, Can any of you merry men or women out there, answer this question please?.

Then I am good to go on my first Off-grid expectation around the Penines, and the Lake Windermere! Hopefully with more confidence as the days are being ticked off. Frightened, but if we don't face our FEARS, then we will never be able to enjoy our OAP Retirement
Thank you so much
 
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headlight said:
Once you've got more experience in using your van off grid you will learn what you want to be able to run and whether you can run that stuff as your van is.
If you decide you want a more powerful electric set up then a chat with Vanbitz or Off Grid Power Solutions, both members on here, would be beneficial.
Both companies are very experienced, professional and approachable and will not fit stuff just for the sake of it to take your money.
Click to expand...
owww that is very informative thank you, I will see what happens in the next coupleof weeks after xmas
 
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poppycamper said:
Mrs Poppycamper ( as a woman) used to be like that.. then we started to caravan, and then motorhome.. and one day she came out the shower with her hair all disheveled and dare I say natural.. ( i won't mention the impact it had on me),
What you done i said... she said.. I am on holiday and I ain't going to spend time blowing/curling/straightening my hair..you will just have to put up with it.... oh I will said I. And she hasn't in 30 yrs of motorhoming..
As an aside can one of you fair maidens explain why females with naturally curly hair use straighteners and those with straight hair use curlers...?? That's what you were given.. except it.🤣
Click to expand...
Love is in the eye of the beholder ! As I am single, I do not want to SCARE the men away do I? hahah, No curls, just very thin flyaway hair, that needs a bit of a boost, to make me look more human, than ET ! But I do hope your wife appreciates your kind words about her natural appearance, She is a very lucky lady hahah
 
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Riverbankannie said:
Rediscover the joys of modern velcro curlers. They are great!
Click to expand...

Riverbankannie said:
Rediscover the joys of modern velcro curlers. They are great!
Click to expand...
looks like i have no choice !but doesnt exactly dry the hair, so i put them in when hair is wet, and get up to still damp hair, and an uncomfortable sleep with them in hahah.
 
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you could do with a power bank and dc/dc 12v 400w/500w charger ...dont rely on solar this time of year for charge if you are ripping the life out of your battery
 
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My partner used to use one of these, any good?
IMG_3760.webp

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Better to have a complete re-think as you will want to be economical with water if you're off-grid. Don't wash your hair every day, instead find a good styling spray (I also have fine hair and like Fudge Texture Spray, you can get it from Amazon). I use it with a Babyliss gas hot brush as above, my sister uses the Velcro rollers - no need to sleep in them!. It's also worth finding a good dry shampoo to have to hand "just in case". I try to limit hair washing to when we're on sites with decent showers and EHU so you're using their hot water and electricity.
 
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sweet caroline said:
Hi and a Merry Christmas.
Having decided to go off Grid for 2 weeks starting onteh 27th Decmber, for the very first time, since buying Renee, in August.
I've asked about the water tank, where to fill it, etc. for showers, and emptying all your wastes, etc., so now I know about this.

What I didn't ask was, as a woman, I need my hairdryer and hot brush each morning. Would the 1000-volt invertor that has been installed take on the task of doing my hair or not?


I don't want to try, and then find I have completely FUSED or worse FRAZZLED the fuse board, Can any of you merry men or women out there, answer this question please?.

Then I am good to go on my first Off-grid expectation around the Penines, and the Lake Windermere! Hopefully with more confidence as the days are being ticked off. Frightened, but if we don't face our FEARS, then we will never be able to enjoy our OAP Retirement
Thank you so much
Click to expand...
Wear a hat would be my solution .. last van I had , was fitted with an inverter and we stripped it out. Waste of space really. We had a 230v/12v telly , and only needed to charge phones etc which you can do with a few usb sockets on the 12v side. Saved us a lot of precious space.
 
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sweet caroline said:
looks like i have no choice !but doesnt exactly dry the hair, so i put them in when hair is wet, and get up to still damp hair, and an uncomfortable sleep with them in hahah.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Start up power surge is what frys inverters in the long term.

That's the power that rushes into the appliance for microseconds, and sometimes longer, when you first switch on the appliance.

I try to keep all electrical appliances between 800W and 1,000W for a 1,500W inverter do as not to stress the inverter and shorten it's life due to the start up surge current, or, in-rush current as it's sometimes called.

As an example, my Induction hot plate is rated at 1,200W and connected to a 1,500W inverter, but the induction hot plate won't start because the start-up surge current is more than 2,000W.

If you push an inverter to its upper limits regularly, it won't be long for this world.

Normally, an inverter will have a sticker, (or Users Handbook), that reads something like,

Peak Power 4,000W
Continuous Power 2,000W

Or something similar.

The Peak Power rating caters for the start up surge current when you first switch on the hair dryer, etc.

The Continuous Power is what the inverter can run on happily without getting stressed and shortening it's life.

As many have mentioned, batteries are important also.

Ordinary lead-avid batteries should not be drained lower than 20%, on a regular basis, or they will also not be long for this world also, dying right about the time the guarantee runs out.

LiPo batteries are the way to go, but as they are marginally taller, they can sometimes not fit inside the battery box compartment, like my Knaus, where ordinary AGM batteries have to be shoe-horned into the compartment.

Most good quality LiPo batteries are fitted internally with a BMS (battery management system) making a lot of the discussions about needing special charges for LiPo batteries irrelevante.

The best rule is always oversize inverters and batteries, it's less expensive in the long term.

I've attached a couple of images of a typical inverter specifications, not mine, but might shed some light on the mysteries of inverters.

Good luck 🤞
IMG_20241217_120444_734.webp


IMG_20241217_120527_002.webp
IMG_20241217_121155_148~2.webp
 
Upvote 0
sweet caroline said:
Hi and a Merry Christmas.
Having decided to go off Grid for 2 weeks starting onteh 27th Decmber, for the very first time, since buying Renee, in August.
I've asked about the water tank, where to fill it, etc. for showers, and emptying all your wastes, etc., so now I know about this.

What I didn't ask was, as a woman, I need my hairdryer and hot brush each morning. Would the 1000-volt invertor that has been installed take on the task of doing my hair or not?


I don't want to try, and then find I have completely FUSED or worse FRAZZLED the fuse board, Can any of you merry men or women out there, answer this question please?.

Then I am good to go on my first Off-grid expectation around the Penines, and the Lake Windermere! Hopefully with more confidence as the days are being ticked off. Frightened, but if we don't face our FEARS, then we will never be able to enjoy our OAP Retirement
Thank you so much
Click to expand...
What about one of those gas twirly things ? Can’t remember what they are called( might be clairol )but are available in most big retailers
 
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First Id like to say your positive attitude is great.

2nd, if you are serious about any major power use, hairdryer, microwave etc, you will want
Lithium
B2b
Solar
Unless you spend most time plugged in on sites,
if you let us know when you get to the van what you have in there already we can give more precise advice
 
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pappajohn said:
Until you gain more knowledge and experience I think two weeks off grid is going to be a major failure
Click to expand...
A challenge, certainly.

sweet caroline - I also admire your positive attitude but remember it'll be chilly.:cold:

Make sure you know where you can replenish your gas (heating and hot water can use it surprisingly quickly at this time of the year).

Perhaps suss out a couple of open campsites (just as a backup plan should you need to 'replenish' your enthusiasm for a day or two)?!
 
Upvote 0
Palough said:
Hi,

Start up power surge is what frys inverters in the long term.

That's the power that rushes into the appliance for microseconds, and sometimes longer, when you first switch on the appliance.

I try to keep all electrical appliances between 800W and 1,000W for a 1,500W inverter do as not to stress the inverter and shorten it's life due to the start up surge current, or, in-rush current as it's sometimes called.

As an example, my Induction hot plate is rated at 1,200W and connected to a 1,500W inverter, but the induction hot plate won't start because the start-up surge current is more than 2,000W.

If you push an inverter to its upper limits regularly, it won't be long for this world.

Normally, an inverter will have a sticker, (or Users Handbook), that reads something like,

Peak Power 4,000W
Continuous Power 2,000W

Or something similar.

The Peak Power rating caters for the start up surge current when you first switch on the hair dryer, etc.

The Continuous Power is what the inverter can run on happily without getting stressed and shortening it's life.

As many have mentioned, batteries are important also.

Ordinary lead-avid batteries should not be drained lower than 20%, on a regular basis, or they will also not be long for this world also, dying right about the time the guarantee runs out.

LiPo batteries are the way to go, but as they are marginally taller, they can sometimes not fit inside the battery box compartment, like my Knaus, where ordinary AGM batteries have to be shoe-horned into the compartment.

Most good quality LiPo batteries are fitted internally with a BMS (battery management system) making a lot of the discussions about needing special charges for LiPo batteries irrelevante.

The best rule is always oversize inverters and batteries, it's less expensive in the long term.

I've attached a couple of images of a typical inverter specifications, not mine, but might shed some light on the mysteries of inverters.

Good luck 🤞 View attachment 990244

View attachment 990245View attachment 990247
Click to expand...
Sorry but I have to disagree with several of your statements.
You say that lead acids should not be drained below 20% regularly.
They should not be drained below 50% unless you want to damage them or shorten their life.
You state that LifePo4 with a BMS means that lithium specific chargers are not relevant.
If you want to get the best out of your expensive lithium battery then a lithium specific charger is needed.
A charge source that doesn't have a lithium setting will never get the best out of a lithium battery.
Also the BMS should be the last line of defense not the only line of defense.
Finally you say that if you push an inverter to its upper limit it will not last long but then say that the 2,000 watt continuous rating is what it will happily run at continuously without getting stressed.
Some incorrect and confusing advice there I'm afraid.
 
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Lenny HB said:
With the age of the van and being a Brit van it's very unlikely the charger will be suitable also there will be no B2B and the solar controller will probably be unsuitable.
Click to expand...

But apart from that, what do you recon 🤔😂😂😂😂

sweet caroline what ever you do don’t buy a 12v drier.
I did for SWMBO, would of been better off sticking her head out of the window 😂
 
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Burge said:
Delta 2 Power Bank ????? That should help you dry your hair £500 ish💆‍♀️💆‍♀️💆‍♀️
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Problem with a power bank for the OP is how does she re-charge it if not on EHU and if she plugs into EHU to charge it she wouldn't need a power bank as she could just use the EHU to use her hair drier.
The cheapest I've seen a Delta 2 is £800.
That's a LifePo4 battery plus several hundred pounds towards a suitable charge source.
Unless you have other uses, away from the van, for a power bank I think the money would be better spent on the van's electric system.
Just my opinion.

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My wife insisted on an inverter for hairdryer and straighteners when off grid. We have a Moore power 1200 watt inverter and two 115 amp batteries. Also purchased, from China, an 800w dryer, which, I am told works as good as her one indoors at 1500 watts! Batteries cope with it OK as long as there is a it of sun around to recharge during the day. Odd thing though, she has two pairs of straighteners, but only one pair works off the inverter. Good luck.
 
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poppycamper said:
As an aside can one of you fair maidens explain why females with naturally curly hair use straighteners and those with straight hair use curlers...?? That's what you were given.. except it
Click to expand...
to use a capt mainwaring saying "you stupid boy" fancy asking what goes through the mind of a female have you learnt nothing in 30 years of marriage:xrofl:
 
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Hi Caroline im in Keswick over the festive period and im happy to have a look at you van and share my limited knowledge with you if thats any help just pm me
 
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Used to dry my hair naturally, then used the babyllis gas powered brush as has been mentioned above. Worked very well. We now have an ecoflow lithium power bank, so I use a low wattage hair dryer, unless you wash your hair everyday, a powerbank should last you without top up. The beauty of the powerbank is you don't have to worry as to how it's affecting your leisure battery as its completely separate. They are however quite expensive but coming down in price all the time.
 
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Lenny HB said:
With the age of the van and being a Brit van it's very unlikely the charger will be suitable also there will be no B2B and the solar controller will probably be unsuitable.
Click to expand...
Im thinking of going lithium but with limited funds, if I fit a 300 ah battery and a 50 amp b2b along with a 2400 watt inverter would I still need a sperate lithium battery charger, and leave the built in one in place, we tend to move about every other day or so.
 
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sweet caroline said:
Love is in the eye of the beholder ! As I am single, I do not want to SCARE the men away do I? hahah, No curls, just very thin flyaway hair, that needs a bit of a boost, to make me look more human, than ET ! But I do hope your wife appreciates your kind words about her natural appearance, She is a very lucky lady hahah
Click to expand...
I venture to suggest that a HAT, or even couple of hats to give you options will keep your head warm, avoid the issues of needing hair dryer or straighteners, and be FAR cheaper than trying to update your on board power. Particularly during winter travelling off grid. And hats can look properly cool, too...
 
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