Thinking about an Off Grid Microwave? WATCH THIS FIRST!

If you are thinking about using a Microwave in an off-grid environment there some things you need to know. Just because a microwave cooks at 1100w doesn't mean it pulls 1100w of electricity.
This video also shows how to setup an extremely simple 12v off grid power source to use in case of emergencies!
List of the Items in this Video:
Lifepo4 12v 100Ah SoK Battery w/ built in heater
www.us.sokbattery.com/?ref=JE...
You can also check on Amazon. I don't believe this one has internal heaters:
amzn.to/3m9bvZy
ALFFAA 1500W Solar Power Inverter 12V to 110V with Built-in 5V/2.1A USB Port
amzn.to/3JOTNmg
2 awg Cable, Lugs and Heat Shrink
amzn.to/3jW8xne
Tegg 10w Resistors
amzn.to/3OpvKfy
VIVOSUN Electricity Usage Monitor, Plug-in Power Watt Voltage Amps Meter with Upgraded Backlight LED, Overload Protection and 7 Display Modes for Energy Saving, White
amzn.to/3ncFWPK
_________________________________________________________________________________________
What to buy me a beer?
Go to off-grid-basement.com and scroll to the bottom!
Want to learn more about me and my setup?
Link to my website: off-grid-basement.com
Diagram of my 24v Off Grid Solar Setup: off-grid-basement.com/diagram...
Diagram of a Smaller 12v Off Grid Solar Setup: off-grid-basement.com/diagram...
Solar Panels, Victron Solar charge controllers and smart shunt. Don't forget my homemade PVC solar panels stands!
off-grid-basement.com/Solar.php
Solar Generators I've reviewed!
off-grid-basement.com/SolarGe...
Off Grid Batteries and Victron Battery Balancer:
off-grid-basement.com/Batteri...
Off Grid & Grid Tie Inverters and 24v to 12v Step down reducer:
off-grid-basement.com/Parts.php
Need tools to get your Off Grid setup completed? Check out the list I use!
off-grid-basement.com/Tools.php
All Amazon links in the description are affiliate links to support the channel. I'm getting paid a small commission if you order products through these links. The doesn't make the products more expensive for you.
Thanks!
#SolarPower #12vbattery #şok

[@solarcabin]

20+ years off grid with just a 1Kw system and I use 1000 watt microwave every day at my cabin and usually twice a day. I recommend at least 800-1000 watts of solar and at least a 200Ah LIFEPO4 battery and 1500-2000 watt pure sine wave inverter. Most people only use a microwave for reheating meals or heating fast food items and run less than 15 minutes at a time. Run them when the sun is out and your batts will charge back up fast.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thanks for the info and the comment!

[@larrybell4599]

This was a good demonstration and I was happy to see you use a resistor to charge the inverter capacitors before connecting the battery.

[@OffGridBasement]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment!

[@budmartin3344]

Another great video. AS the others had said, the cooking Watt rating is not the power that the mircowave will draw from the outlet. You should be able to fined the info tag on the microwave that will show the power input of the microwave. For off grid I would suggest looking into inverter based mircowave oven, such as Panasonic Inverter technology, I.E. NN-SD372S.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thanks for the info and the comment!

[@drchomesolar]

As an appliance repair guy, I can tell you that, that Magic Chef is definitely a 700W Machine. But with that information, as a Microwave ages the Magnetron begins to fade thus creating the need for more watts to give you the 700w or 1100w of cooking power. The wattage of a Microwave is about its Cooking energy, not the total energy it uses from the grid or power source. You have electronics, fans and other power users inside the Microwave making the higher wattage also an indicator. So yes you can, but you have to know what the machine uses and setup the system for that higher wattage vs the listed "Cooking" wattage.

[@drchomesolar]

@@Paul_______ Another thing to think about is also that was at 100% power setting. You can boil water at less than that power setting just takes longer to get there. Kind of a weird trade off. But if you played with the power settings you can see the wattage drop or climb depending. Loved the test, I love tinkering like you do, just don't put it on KZbin, LOL.....

[@OffGridBasement]

Thanks for all the great info and comment!

[@OffGridBasement]

I always assumed the power setting just the cooking energy on and off. Sort of like letting the product cool for a couple seconds before nuking it again!

[@johnmal5975]

Hey Darrell I know you can't give an exact answer on this: How many watts does a single burner on a stove-top typically use? I just have a standard watt meter so I can't test it. Thank you!

[@drchomesolar]

@@johnmal5975 If you google the model number, sometimes, you can usually find the specs of the machine. But each burner will be anywhere from 7-800 on the low or smaller sized to upwards of 2500 watts on the larger burners. Depending on the model of course. Some even more. It'd be difficult to check but you'd have to open the back and gauge it all from the wiring in the back of the machine coming from the switches. I had to do that sometimes, very dangerous back there with the unit plugged in. Would not suggest that route.

[@dollylaning1613]

Thank you for an interesting demonstration of using a microwave off grid.

[@OffGridBasement]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment.

[@sherryh7485]

What everyone else said about your demonstration, thank you. I learned something valuable about microwaves with batteries, inverters and the right cables.

[@OffGridBasement]

You're welcome!

[@julianrobertson3303]

Thank you for sharing , it was an excellent experiment .

[@OffGridBasement]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment.

[@robertkosovich1232]

Interesting video. Real life useage is good to know. I have a small cabin, off grid, running all 12vdc things. Looking to expand with 110ac. This is the information which is helpfull with out me doing what you are doing. Thank you very much! Enjoy all your videos. Plenty of good information on all the things you test and show!

[@OffGridBasement]

I'm glad you got some insight out of the video. Thanks for the comment and good luck!

[@jjames5475]

Wow 😳.. That was an Excellent Presentation. You Explained Everything and Very Thorough . I was the one who asked the Question about The Microwave Oven and How Big of a Pure Sine Inverter do i need . Again . Thank You 🙏 Your an Excellent Presenter 😃

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank YOU for the question that started the whole thing! I'm glad I did it. I definitely learned something.

[@markcunningham6819]

I was wonder about my microwave wattage. I enjoy you... Keep up the good work!

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you! Will do! Thanks for the comment.

[@paulnese1090]

Hi a very good, data presentation based on your demonstation. I'm dabbling with Harbor Frieght 100 W solar panels, an Invertor, a lead acid battery and have done the calculations to power a small microwave oven. I purposely purchased the an uncommon 600W Magic Chef microwave with mechanical timer and not digital. Your experimental work has confirmed my calculations. Using your findings, I calc my 600 W microwave is likely to draw only 870 watts. I originally estimated the draw would be 950 to 1000 Watts. Thanks Again - Paul

[@OffGridBasement]

You're welcome! I'm glad the video could help shed some light. Thanks for the comment.

[@asdfasdf-fg5kx]

Excellent

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you so much for the comment!

[@Steve-Goff]

Super helpful information. I recently tested a power station that was 1000 watts continuous and 2000 watts surge. I couldn’t consistently run a 700 watt ceramic heater without the BMS shutting off the power station. I bet it was actually pulling more than 700 watts

[@OffGridBasement]

You're probably right. I'm still surprised the 1000w power station couldn't handle it. Thanks for the comment.

[@jamesalles139]

With a strictly resistive load, a lower voltage means higher amperage. That may be what tripped you up. Also consider that the inverter is not 100% efficient, so the draw on the battery may be around 770w. Even still, that tells me that that particular power station may not be up to snuff with regard to it's 'ratings'. I would need some more metering to be sure.

[@pauldockery1747]

thank you

[@OffGridBasement]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment.

[@joshuaanothereraseddad]

Good video sir. For future reference, most appliance manufacturers desigate the color of a unit with a letter/s at the end of model numbers. W being white, B being black and SS being stainless steel. Not all of course but, it's a common practice.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the information and comment!

[@PWoods-cd6tk]

Good practical video. I went to my service panel meter and checked the draw on everything before I bought anything. I did not realize my Champion 2500 inverter generator only puts out 1600 watts on propane until I had my first power outage. My microwave likes1700 watts, but will struggle through for 1 minute or I can switch it to medium but that takes at least 1 minute to figure out. I run a Bluetti AC200 Max through a transfer switch full time now and have to remember to think about my loads before I pop in some toast, turn on the Keurig, and microwave some sausage at the same time.

[@OffGridBasement]

I've heard propane doesn't run at full wattage. Didn't know it was that dramatic though. Good idea about the Bluetti. Now you have a buffer. Thanks for the comment.

[@paulnese1090]

Hi I looked up the spec's of your Dual Fuel Champion 2500 Watt Generator. 2500 Watts is the Surge Power rating and 1850 Watts is continuous Run Power out when fueled with gasoline. When fueled with Propane it's Continuous Run Power rating drops to 1665 Watts. So running Propane you experience a 10% decrease in continuous Run Power. I don't see how Champion can claim the Surge power would be the same for both fuels. - Paul

[@PWoods-cd6tk]

@@paulnese1090 the pass-through I made for the electrical cord now has mc4 cables in it. I'm planning on putting DC breakers in the plywood of my window unit air conditioner, so I can have the pass-through available to charge batteries this year during the foggy season here in central California. My bill has been below one hundred kilowatt-hours since mid-January and I'm hoping to maintain that. The washer does not like my small systems, and the dryer pulls about 5 kw, so I'll have a bill for a while.

[@paulnese1090]

@@PWoods-cd6tk Concerning your air.conditioner. If it's small 5000 BTU A/C you'll likely draw 550 W running but likely 2x to 3x that for an instant when the compressor starts up. If you have a 10,000 BTU A/C just double the 5,000 BTU power amounts. From my actual tests a full size refrigerator depending on model/make can draw 150 to 250 Watts running, but to start again figure 2x to 3x times those amounts for an instant. But as a benefit a refrigerator typically runs only 50% of the time in an hour. So less battery drain.

[@PWoods-cd6tk]

@@paulnese1090 the 5000 BTU runs off the Bluetti and it does just fine, the refrigerator runs at a little over 200 w and starts up pretty easily, I just have to watch the loads if I'm running the microwave, coffee maker, toaster, and things like that. The 2000-watt 5 kilowatt-hour system in the living room runs a modem and router(25 watts) a LED floor lamp (10 to 40 watts), and a 10,000 BTU air conditioner. I purchased a plug-in soft-start that cost more than the air conditioner so my router would not flicker and have to reset. I have ran the 5000 and 10000 at the same time from the Bluetti through a 25 foot 10 gauge extension cord running from an affected circuit with and without the soft start - it's tricky and not consistent if they both start up at the same time. I'm pretty happy with that soft-start though it was worth the $300. If I can get everything cleaned up and looking nice I'll make a video.

[@davef.2329]

Good, real-world test. The average Joe (and Jane) has a lot of misconceptions about powering regular everyday items around the house and videos such as this really help. Now, get the microwave oven (s) back upstairs before your wife comes down there, on the warpath, and clobbers you with a skillet for absconding with all the ovens...

[@OffGridBasement]

I didn't know about the extra wattage used until I actually did this test! I thought a 1100w microwave as exactly that. Not a "cooks at 1100w, but really uses 1600w" microwave. Thanks for the comment!

[@thechiefsway2618]

Microwaves are rated by the output cooking power of the tube and not its actual power consumption. I have a typical GE microwave. A label on the inside of the door has the rated input and output. The input is 1.58Kw which is our power consumption and the output is 1000w which is the cooking power.

[@OffGridBasement]

The power difference is crazy! It really makes me double think whether I need to use the microwave now! Thanks for the comment.

[@donbrloks3959]

Instead of a resister, I use a 12 volt test light. Comes on bright when first touched. Then dims and goes out. Only takes seconds. When light goes out, capacitor is fully charged.

[@OffGridBasement]

That is a great idea. Thank you!

[@Drmikekuna]

Microwaves use an incredibly inefficient power supply (half-wave rectifier), so a 700-watt output microwave will use around 1100-watt input. Why so inefficient? Because it can be used with a powerful capacitor to create a half-wave doubler circuit and produce a doubling of voltage (5000 or so volts). Pretty cool.

[@OffGridBasement]

Wow. I didn't know anything about that. Thanks for the information and comment.

[@gpracer1]

I also have an LG inverter microwave in my RV just for that reason. Normal microwaves, no matter what power setting you have are operating at 100% power and it just cycles on and off as a duty cycle for your power setting. Inverter microwaves on the other hand, throttle the power to whatever percent you demand, so if you are putting it at 20%, it will only put out 20% power all the time it’s running therefore your amp draw isn’t as high and your food cooks more evenly. Yes, it will cook slower, but you will be able to run it with a smaller amp hour battery.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the information and the comment. Do you need to set it to a preferred power level every time you cook like a traditional microwave?

[@gpracer1]

@@OffGridBasement well on high you still pull max power and heat into the food, at say 50% food cooks more evenly….you have to just trial and error for different foods but usually it comes out better.

[@sellC1964]

You could also put a 12 volt light in the circuit before making that final connection.

[@OffGridBasement]

I've heard that works well, but I've never tried it. Thanks for the information and the comment.

[@jamesalles139]

lots of draws 2 gauge cable is good for the short distances that you show here. after that, voltage drop may be an issue.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thanks for the comment.

[@plantstho6599]

running a microwave is easy. I'm sure the bigger question would be... for how long? That would depend on how many Amp hours your battery bank is, but also how fast you can recharge them. I have 400Ah in my rig and a 30A DC>DC charger as well as a couple solar panels to keep everything topped off. With that setup, I can easily cook anything I want in my microwave and meet any other power need I have.

[@OffGridBasement]

You're correct. Since there is no surge you don't need a giant inverter. It's just all about making sure you have correctly sized equipment. Thanks for the comment.

[@alyoko71]

usually, on the back they say the TOTAL wattage and COOKING wattage . re: 1600W total and 1100W cooking. Power is needed for the light, rotating motor, and the magnetron.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the info and the comment.

[@slydog7131]

I've wondered about using a resistor to charge the capacitors in the inverter. What I've been doing is putting a Blue Sea Systems circuit breaker in the system and hooking everything up with the breaker off. Then I turn the breaker on when I'm ready. Never a spark, but I'm sure there is an initial surge going to the inverter. Haven't had any problems yet. Don't know if that's really a problem or not.

[@OffGridBasement]

I believe the circuit breaker is designed to handle the spark associated with connecting a live circuit. The battery connections are not. Especially with higher voltages. The surge to the inverter should be no problem. Thanks for the comment!

[@putteslaintxtbks5166]

Inverters range in efficency. Most are around 80% or less to a bit over 90%. Something to think about when getting one. If it is only an 80% efficent inverter, every time you use it, you lose 20% of you power. Also, even when not being used, an inverter can be useing power. Some have a stand by mode, so if little power is being used, even then, some 3000-3500 watt ones are drawing 40-60 watts when not being used. they power down to monitor when they need to power up again, like when a fridge starts up. I have my lights and freezer on a 12 volt system and so can run those direct to a 12v battery and not need an inverter. If I need to run my microwave or another 120 volt ac, then you can turn on an inverter.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the information and the comment.

[@douglaswindsor120]

I was off grid for a year I used a big cat battery and 1750 watt modified sine wave inverter it powered my lights and 1200 watt microwave oven without a problem I noticed that it took longer to cook than when I was I was using on grid power I also found my Dewalt cordless power tools battery took longer to charge as well so did my automobiles battery charger both eventually quit since I found utube I've found why now I'm looking at going solar but bought my batteries and charge controller before I found utube and found that while the batteries will work the charge controller has improper charge parameters and is usless and the inverter being modified sine wave is also pretty much useless as well I watched your videos on running a fridge and freezer and I'm pretty sure a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter will run a fridge freezer and furnace

[@OffGridBasement]

I believe a 2k inverter will suit your needs just fine. I'm surprised the charge controller doesn't have the option to change the settings. Thanks for the comment.

[@donbaggarlysr]

Dc will use same wattage but much more amps. Wattage doesn't change between ac and dc

[@OffGridBasement]

I was referring to the wattage displayed on the microwave compared to the actual wattage used by the unit. Thanks for the comment.

[@bryangonzalvo]

The power commonly advertised for microwave ovens are the cooking power (the power delivered to the food) not the power actually consumed by microwave oven. The microwave ovens might consume 40% to 100% more than its advertised cooking power.

[@OffGridBasement]

I found that crazy. I figured the cooking power and the overall consumption would be roughly the same. Thanks for the comment.

[@mannyfragoza9652]

The Magic Chef is a 700-Watt Micro Wave .You cant always go by what some of these Microwaves have posted as their Wattage My 700 Watt Micro Wave draws more that 700 Watts

[@OffGridBasement]

So true. I found out that is the cooking wattage... not the running wattage. Thanks for the comment.

[@wascalywabbit]

Yeah.. my 600w microwave draws 1000 according to my kil-a-watt meter

[@MikeAndNary]

Question: If you are running a full time fridge, wifi, and various 12v accessories constantly, 2000 watt PS inverter could the battery bank (200ah lifepo4) ever get to 13.6 on a mppt charge controller and 400 watts of panels? - I don't know who else to ask. My battery bank never gets over 13.49 during the day and discharges to 13.2 overnight. Thanks!

[@OffGridBasement]

It sounds like the setting in your mppt need some adjusting. Charge voltage should be at least 14v, but not over 14.6v. Float voltage should be around 13.6 - 13.8v. I don't feel like you should have any issues getting a full charge with that setup on a nice sunny day. Hope this helps.

[@Sylvan_dB]

You need a battery monitor with a shunt to accurately measure amps in and out of the battery. You have a lot of usage that is likely higher during the day as well as a constant "all the time" base level. The inverter is a constant "parasitic" draw on the battery. It could be 20-30 watts even if nothing is using A.C. power. However, the fact that your battery does charge during the day indicates that your panels are probably producing more than you use, and if so then the settings on your charge controller likely need adjusted as previously suggested.

[@mohammedkumkumji9081]

Whats the size of the fuse used with the inverter again?

[@OffGridBasement]

I believe I used a 150 amp fuse because I was using 2 awg wire.

[@danakaiser2934]

If in a pinch and don't have or can't find a resistor. Cut the ends off a pencil. The graphite is a good low current conductor.

[@OffGridBasement]

I've also heard a small LED light will do the trick. I've never tried either one. Thanks for the info and the comment!

[@ThereISABootONYourTHROAT]

On the screen shot of the app, around the 15:09 time mark "SOC 98%" and the "VOLTAGE 13.1" ( with ZERO amps being used) but when I compare the "VOLTAGE 13.1" to other charts, those charts state that a lifep04 is "SOC 40%" when the battery is "VOLTAGE 13.1". Do you know why the discrepancy? Thanks.

[@OffGridBasement]

I believe that is immediately after running the microwave. On that sort of load you get a big voltage drop. You can see it drop down past 12.7v. after the microwave turns off it takes a minute or two for the voltage to raise back up to its resting level. I hope that helps!

[@ThereISABootONYourTHROAT]

@@OffGridBasement OK, could you video it in one of your future videos? Thanks.

[@RWE870]

Look into LG NeoChef smart inverter technology microwave....

[@OffGridBasement]

So the smart inverter raises and lowers the energy usage depending on the heat inside the unit. That pretty interesting. Thanks for the comment.

[@donbaggarlysr]

1100 watts / 12 volts = 91 amps from a 12v 100AH battery. Have to ensure cables are thick enough from battery to inverter for those amps 😂

[@OffGridBasement]

Don't want power loss due to heat! Thanks for the comment.

[@200Nora]

Mine is supposedly a 700W. It is not too old. It is actually fluctuates 1100-1300W. Be careful they are lying to us. I do not like very big appliances, but if I had lots of use for it I would get the large one.

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the info and the comment.

[@samfish6938]

Somewhere said minimum inverter should be 3000w

[@OffGridBasement]

That would definitely do it. I think a 2k inverter could pull off running a 1100w microwave, but you would be pushing it. Thanks for the comment.

[@byrne1916]

How many minutes would the microwave be able to go for then? 🤔

[@OffGridBasement]

If the microwave is running @ 1660w then the 100Ah battery could run it for about 45 minutes straight. I hope you don't have something that needs that amount of time! Thanks for the comment.

[@byrne1916]

@@OffGridBasement That's really useful, thanks! I have a night meter and I'm looking at running things off Lithium during the day and then charging them off the night rates. Missus is not too happy bout it though 😅

[@chevrofreak]

My 1200W Panasonic inverter microwave causes a 2000W draw on my batteries through my Growatt 12kW inverter.

[@OffGridBasement]

Wow. Would you say your inverter microwave is more efficient at all?

[@chevrofreak]

@@OffGridBasementI am not sure that I would say it is more efficient, but if you run it on any power level other than 100% it does not turn off and on to simulate a lower power level, the inverter actually modulates the power going to the magnetron. It is trully pulling a lower wattage on the lower power levels, though not by a huge amount.

[@morganfrmn]

You didn't sho us how much battery life it used?

[@OffGridBasement]

My concern was really about using the correct inverter, not the battery capacity usage. Thanks for the comment.

[@An_Appeal_To_Heaven]

1100 Watts of _HEAT_ Not 1100 watts of draw.

[@OffGridBasement]

I knew it would be high, but I was surprised by how much! Thanks for the comment.

[@1turf32]

Why doesn't anyone cook popcorn or food on tests. Water can be heated on candles

[@OffGridBasement]

I figured everyone has water... not everyone has popcorn. It all cooks at the same energy rate no matter what's in there. Thanks for the comment.

[@samfish6938]

Dont sit or stand close to microwave

[@OffGridBasement]

Thanks for the info and the comment.

[@phillean]

A very useful demonstration and explanation, thanks. I have been looking at small microwave ovens, 500 watt output, 230 volts here in Australia to run on a 1500 watt inverter. It is difficult to find real data on the small microwave ovens. In contrast our kitchen microwave and convection oven lists inputs and outputs, 1400 watts input and 800 watts output for the microwave function. Your video has started me thinking about comparing efficiencies of various microwave ovens, input vs output. I found some useful information on Cathy’s Camp Kitchen, in particular the different operating modes of conventional versus inverter microwaves (the internal way the oven produces the microwaves). There is a price jump for inverter microwaves but they work better in a battery plus inverter system. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHfbeaqja5Khbrcsi=I0VGdM8zryiAEav7

[@OffGridBasement]

Thank you for the good information and link. It will help others!