07-30-2018, 01:12 PM
"Second question: She would like to have a fridge with an ice-maker but doesn't have a UV purifier. She would like potable ice cubes. Is there a way to feed an ice-maker through a reverse osmosis filter, or another way to rig the ice-maker without using a UV purifier. She's concerned about cost and power consumption."
There was a post on here previously about somebody who found a cheap pump that feeds the ice-maker from a standard $8.00 5 gallon walmart jug filled with free county water. Sorry I don't recall specifics, maybe it was a cheap RV style shureflow variety that only kicks on when the fridge is thirsty.
ETA: "She was told that she couldn't use a standard water pump from Home Depot. Instead she's running an RV pump off a 12V battery charged by a maintainer plugged into the inverter. (???) Does any of that make sense?:
I have a 4,000 watt (8,000 peak) MSW inverter that can't start our Grundfos pump. a 3,000 watt Generac generator can BARELY start it, and only if it's running in peak condition, warmed up, etc. Our 7,000 watt generator starts it without the pump complaining, but the generator sounds like a horse kicked it when the pump cycles.
So I'm not surprised by her setup.
ETA 2.0: My Samlex PSW inverter owner's manual recommends running an incandescent light off the inverter before starting a large inductive (like a water pump) load or else it will trigger protective circuits inside the inverter. Her Outback may not have this limitation, I only read about this strategy myself a few days ago. Reading about inductive versus resistant loads and how it affects inverters only made my head hurt, but combining the two in some cases can overcome the technological limitations of some inverters. Maybe this helps (running the light helps prevent the inverter from sensing a fake problem with lagging voltage):
"Inductive loads: Resist changes in current and as such, when you measure the current, it lags (is behind) the voltage. Electromagnetic fields are the key to inductive loads, and as such all motors (fans, pumps, etc), solenoids, and relays are inductive in nature. Inductance is measured in Henrys."
There was a post on here previously about somebody who found a cheap pump that feeds the ice-maker from a standard $8.00 5 gallon walmart jug filled with free county water. Sorry I don't recall specifics, maybe it was a cheap RV style shureflow variety that only kicks on when the fridge is thirsty.
ETA: "She was told that she couldn't use a standard water pump from Home Depot. Instead she's running an RV pump off a 12V battery charged by a maintainer plugged into the inverter. (???) Does any of that make sense?:
I have a 4,000 watt (8,000 peak) MSW inverter that can't start our Grundfos pump. a 3,000 watt Generac generator can BARELY start it, and only if it's running in peak condition, warmed up, etc. Our 7,000 watt generator starts it without the pump complaining, but the generator sounds like a horse kicked it when the pump cycles.
So I'm not surprised by her setup.
ETA 2.0: My Samlex PSW inverter owner's manual recommends running an incandescent light off the inverter before starting a large inductive (like a water pump) load or else it will trigger protective circuits inside the inverter. Her Outback may not have this limitation, I only read about this strategy myself a few days ago. Reading about inductive versus resistant loads and how it affects inverters only made my head hurt, but combining the two in some cases can overcome the technological limitations of some inverters. Maybe this helps (running the light helps prevent the inverter from sensing a fake problem with lagging voltage):
"Inductive loads: Resist changes in current and as such, when you measure the current, it lags (is behind) the voltage. Electromagnetic fields are the key to inductive loads, and as such all motors (fans, pumps, etc), solenoids, and relays are inductive in nature. Inductance is measured in Henrys."