Can a SAMLEX PST-600-24 INVERTER run a minifridge?

[2Big2B]

I just impulse bought a new SAMLEX PST-600-24 for a stupid cheap price that I just couldn'twalk away from. Now I am trying to justify spending that $70 I paid for it.


In the event of a sustained power blackout can I run a run my Mini Fridge, an Energy Star rated 3.2 Cu.Ft Compact 2 Door Mini Fridge, Annual Energy Consumption = ‎358 Kilowatt Hours - with a 100ah lifepo4 battery?

Will it have enough surge power (rated at 1000w surge) to be able to keep it running for a few days, or do I really need a different inverter to run it?

Note that I actually own three 24v @ 100ah lifepo4 battery packs I can raid from my power wheelchairs, so I have plenty of battery to run it.

Without looking, my minifridge is probably some brand of this one on Amazon: EUHOMY Mini Fridge

 

[Bob142]

Do a dry run and hook up the inverter to one of your batteries and see how it goes (please add an appropriate fuse).

If the Samlex can’t handle running the fridge, it presumably has overload protection and will just shut down. If the Samlex fries in the test it wasn’t worth the $70 you paid for it.

 

[2Big2B]

I just found this thread that seems to answer my questions, thanks.


"Total Noob wants to run a mini fridge"
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/total-noob-wants-to-run-a-mini-fridge.77828/

As far as the inverter, this SAMLEX PST-600-24 is the gold standard for a small inverter. That's why I couldn't resist grabbing it.

I have plenty of available reserve battery, probably about a week's worth for this, and I would even consider setting up a 300+ watt solar system for sustaining it, but I living in a 2 bedroom ground floor apartment with only a very small, east facing patio that catches the morning sun, (as does my bedroom windows). That leaves me with practically nothing to work with. No flammable materials, including barbeques, propane, candles, or even cigarettes are allowed within 25' of the building, so any other power generation is off the table too.

And maybe this is an academic exercise anyway. I have always done fine with running 12 dc for a bunch of led lamps, lots of flashlights, a small 12v fan, a 12v Bearcat trunk police/fire/rescue/fm radio, and a12v adapter for my cpap.

Something to keep the pizza hot and the beer cold, and the ability to solder things on the fly I is about all I might need an inverter for. I am thinking in terms of some seasonal Virginia coast major hurricane preparation...

I would love to hear suggestions about a 300+ watt apartment friendly solar system, but I really doubt its feesablability.

 

[v_green57]

I needed a 1KW continuous / 2500W surge inverter to start a Haier 2.7 c/f that once running, uses 55W. Nothing smaller would start it.

No problem running the the whole shebang overnight off a single fully charged 100aH LFP from LiTime. Three days might be pushing it. You need to see what the fridge "run" power is and do the numbers.

 

[2Big2B]

Do a dry run and hook up the inverter to one of your batteries and see how it goes (please add an appropriate fuse).

If the Samlex can’t handle running the fridge, it presumably has overload protection and will just shut down. If the Samlex fries in the test it wasn’t worth the $70 you paid for it.

Well, now that I’ve received it, I’ve attached a two amp Anderson connector to both it and the power pack of my wheelchair, just for giggles! I plugged it in to my angle grinder and gave it a whirl. Now I’m wondering when I’m ever going to need an angle grinder during a blackout. But atleast now I can feel satisfied in justifying spending $70!!!

In the meantime, I’ve ordered another Anderson cable to attach to my pair of power Queen 12.8 V 100 amp power batteries which I intend to run series 24 V. I figure when I have concocted that little beast maybe with a piece of plywood and rope handles. I will have a portable 2400 W power supply. That would be cool. And also upon putting these new batteries together in series like that with the Anderson cable I would be able to plug that into my power wheelchair preferably with a battery switch, and use it as a spare “ “fuel tank”if , I ever really wanna go somewhere far on my power wheelchair. So far I’ve been able to do 10 mile runs with it no problem . It’s a blast.

I wonder if there’s a better place for me to be in discussion with lithium ion batteries, and its use in motive power applications. I’ll go sniff that out and if I don’t find it out there, maybe we’ll start a new thread here.

When I put my battery pack together, I’ll be sure to post a picture.

 

[Rider]

I've run a 3.5cf freezer on a EverStart 750w inverter. Complains with a quick beep when first powering up, but then runs just fine, ran for 36 hours on a 45AH SLA battery with no recharge.

 

[mactech]

I recharge my EcoFlow Delta II Max from the solar and have accidentally left it's charge settings at 1800w and forget when I am in ' low power ' mode with the Samlex inverter running and it just popped the breakers. Done this many times. The LV2424 sucks a lot of power, even at idle and I don't need but 400 watts at most so I use the Samlex.

I've been happy with mine, the fan ramping up and down is annoying when in the same room.

You got a great deal at $70

 

[2Big2B]

I recharge my EcoFlow Delta II Max from the solar and have accidentally left it's charge settings at 1800w and forget when I am in ' low power ' mode with the Samlex inverter running and it just popped the breakers. Done this many times. The LV2424 sucks a lot of power, even at idle and I don't need but 400 watts at most so I use the Samlex.

I've been happy with mine, the fan ramping up and down is annoying when in the same room.

You got a great deal at $70

I found a used Samlex 1500w 24v inverter, mislisted as the 12v model, for $200. I just grabbed that one too.

 

[dopeassjackson]

I ran a 4.3cuft fridge just like the OPs one off a 400w autozone inverter..my 1200w xantrax was down for the count.

 

[solarhills]

I ran a 4.3cuft fridge just like the OPs one off a 400w autozone inverter..my 1200w xantrax was down for the count.

My 24v Samlex 600 has run a 20cu. LG inverter frig for four years without a hitch.

 

[2Big2B]

I ran a 4.3cuft fridge just like the OPs one off a 400w autozone inverter..my 1200w xantrax was down for the count.

That is a little hard to believe! Is it pure sine wave or, like most found in Autozone type automotive stores, crap?

I have an old crap one I have never found much use for...

 

[dopeassjackson]

That is a little hard to believe! Is it pure sine wave or, like most found in Autozone type automotive stores, crap?

I have an old crap one I have never found much use for...

It's a cheap duralast 400w inverter. My xantrax x1200 had slowly failed (AC overload fault) I needed that cheap inverter to run my fridge for 2 days and it did. I put a newer xantrax x1200 in last weekend. I ran the fridge off my killAwatt meter and highest spike I saw was 110w. Generaly it would run 65-75w and in 50-80* ambient temp would run a bit less than 50% of the time.

 

[2Big2B]

It's a cheap duralast 400w inverter. My xantrax x1200 had slowly failed (AC overload fault) I needed that cheap inverter to run my fridge for 2 days and it did. I put a newer xantrax x1200 in last weekend. I ran the fridge off my killAwatt meter and highest spike I saw was 110w. Generaly it would run 65-75w and in 50-80* ambient temp would run a bit less than 50% of the time.

It's a cheap duralast 400w inverter. My xantrax x1200 had slowly failed (AC overload fault) I needed that cheap inverter to run my fridge for 2 days and it did. I put a newer xantrax x1200 in last weekend. I ran the fridge off my killAwatt meter and highest spike I saw was 110w. Generaly it would run 65-75w and in 50-80* ambient temp would run a bit less than 50% of the time.

Wow. I looked it up. It is a modified sine wave inverter. Amazing it worked at all!

 

[OffGridIdaho]

I just found this thread that seems to answer my questions, thanks.


"Total Noob wants to run a mini fridge"
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/total-noob-wants-to-run-a-mini-fridge.77828/

As far as the inverter, this SAMLEX PST-600-24 is the gold standard for a small inverter. That's why I couldn't resist grabbing it.

I have plenty of available reserve battery, probably about a week's worth for this, and I would even consider setting up a 300+ watt solar system for sustaining it, but I living in a 2 bedroom ground floor apartment with only a very small, east facing patio that catches the morning sun, (as does my bedroom windows). That leaves me with practically nothing to work with. No flammable materials, including barbeques, propane, candles, or even cigarettes are allowed within 25' of the building, so any other power generation is off the table too.

And maybe this is an academic exercise anyway. I have always done fine with running 12 dc for a bunch of led lamps, lots of flashlights, a small 12v fan, a 12v Bearcat trunk police/fire/rescue/fm radio, and a12v adapter for my cpap.

Something to keep the pizza hot and the beer cold, and the ability to solder things on the fly I is about all I might need an inverter for. I am thinking in terms of some seasonal Virginia coast major hurricane preparation...

I would love to hear suggestions about a 300+ watt apartment friendly solar system, but I really doubt its feesablability.

Not the gold standard. More like bronze standard. The Samlex Evo 12/1200 is the gold standard. The pst is high frequency and cannot handle big inductive loads turning on. Its going to fry and the magic smoke will come out.