Inverter Question

4+ amps (and 300 watts) at start-up is about right. This is because the ignitor is on and pulls close to 3 amps itself. After your oven begins to heat up and the ignitor goes off, your oven should use around 1 amp.

Bill

Ok, so I guess i'll have to return this inverter.

Does anyone have a brand/model that they are happy with, and where did you get it? I had a hell of a time finding this one. I'm in Portland, Oregon if that helps.

I would recommend a 4-5 amp and 400 watt invertor just to make sure your ignitor gets hot enough to start the pot. If you have any other questions give Tony or Bill a call at 800.423.0698 they could probably recommend something for you. I'm a little out of the loop on that stuff since I moved from customer service to sales.

quote:

Originally posted by DasPit:
Ok, so I guess i'll have to return this inverter.

Does anyone have a brand/model that they are happy with, and where did you get it? I had a hell of a time finding this one. I'm in Portland, Oregon if that helps.

Check out Sam's Club. Mine were around $30? I got a spare one from them in the clearance bin for $15... Which was a nice snag.

Thanks for the replies.

E_Powell: I'll take up that offer if I can't find something in my local stores.

Scottie J.: What is this 'Sams Club' I always hear about? We don't have them here. I am assuming they are similar to Costco?

yes, the same as Costco. Maybe check them out. My Sam's Club carries 400 W invertors all the time. I just got lucky and found one on clearance.. For my back-up...

Make sure it's a True Sine Wave, not a modified sine wave unit.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY TRUE SINE WAVE? NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS,THANX.

Here is an explanation.
Sine Wave
The controller on the FE likes a True Sine Wave, just like computers and other high end electronics.

Ok, I think I found one:

Tripp-Lite Inverter

Could you guys looks over the specs and make sure it fits the requirements?

I believe it does it has:
700 continuous watts/ 1400 watt peak
80A at 12V DC loaded, 0.95A at 12V DC no load

As far as the modified sine wave, it doesn't look like it, but here's a cut/paste of what the site says:
Maintains PWM sine wave output voltage of 115 V AC (+/- 8 V AC)

Thanks!

wonder out loud, how about unpluging the ignitor? and start the FEC with gel and some pellets, leave out the amp sucking ignitor, when using battery power?

thanks for any input to my new idea.

Michael

Yes, that would reduce the wattage needed to start, however, in my opinion it's just not worth it. The unit only pulls 250 watts for the first five minutes or so (igniter = 200, auger and fan motors = 25 each) then it drops to 50 watts max when both motors are on.
You can pick up a very nice 400 watt inverter for around $30.00 at Sam's Club, Costco or such. I've used them on audio amplifiers and if there is any noise or irregular sine wave, it will show up there.

Why modify the unit, use it as advertised.

And if you spent $3K for a smoker, don't put a cheap inverter on it.

My FE's have been working on a Tripp Lite Power Inverter/Charger for over 4 year without a hickup (it was about $325, plus about $150 for two deep cycle batteries (most amps I could buy).

The nice thing is I have batteries for when I lose power, a charger for the batteries (automatic) and this one I have cuts over automatically if power is lost.

http://www.tripplite.com/EN/pr...4617&txtModelID=2939

thanks smokinokie for the link, you are right about using a cheap invertor on your expensive machine.

I just posted that about not using the ignitor, because intill I got my new one, that is how CS said I can still use the smoker, and assumed the ignitor was a amp sucker, guess not

Would some of you with experience using an inverter, describe your battery setup? Number, type etc.

I'm using a deep cycle/marine battery available at Sam's Club. Not only does it give long life as a deep cycle but it delivers high amp output if you need to jump start someone. It has a dedicated smart trickle charger on it 24/7 and is carried in a Home Depot tool cart. Since I use this for radio and PA work also, I have the power routed through a MFJ fused power strip.

quote:

Originally posted by george weaver:
Would some of you with experience using an inverter, describe your battery setup? Number, type etc.

George.

Do a search on inverter, you see a number of threads, including my setup. When I get time, I'll look too, not sure if the photos are there

Russ

quote:

Originally posted by ZBO (Larry Jacobs):
I'm using a deep cycle/marine battery available at Sam's Club. Not only does it give long life as a deep cycle but it delivers high amp output if you need to jump start someone. It has a dedicated smart trickle charger on it 24/7 and is carried in a Home Depot tool cart. Since I use this for radio and PA work also, I have the power routed through a MFJ fused power strip.

Those are the same one's that I have Larry. I like that set-up. Good idea.