Thoughts on an inverter of battery box thingy?

[Skyliner33]

I would like to power an induction hob and possible a coffee machine.

So I need to think about getting an inverter or one of the various makes of battery box.

If you have gone through this and decided one way or the other I would appreciate sharing your thoughts and advantages/ disadvantages that you have found.

TIA

 

[Shaun Witts]

I discovered that a Pure Sine Wave inverter was necessary to run my coffee machines. These are quite expensive, and when the EcoFlow Delta 2 is available for £399 at the moment one has to consider the potential versatility of that option. I have both, and still use either depending on the circumstances.

 

[TrevorK]

For the simple option see

Thread 'Portable Power'

8 Jun 2025

Hi

Any recommendations for portable power packs

To be able to run a portable compressor fridge for three nights

Which brand, is there cheaper alternatives

Any suggestions outdoor be great

• Andyf
• Replies: 69
• Forum: Camping & Campsites

For DIY

Thread '12v Lithium Leisure Battery Box 138Ah 1766Wh -- How I Done It --'

4 May 2020

12v Lithium Leisure Battery Box 138Ah 1766Wh -- How I Done It --
It's about time that I got this long-overdue project sorted out.
The missing parts are on order and completion is in sight . . . . . . . . ready for the Post Pandemic 2020 Camping Trips (Hopefully)

This is where it started.
p1


a rough sketch on a bit of paper & an idea. . . . . . That was born out of frustration from last years camping trip.
Last year at Rutland T6F summer camp i run out of power . . . . =[
I had a 12v 100Ah AGM Extreme leisure battery to run all the Camping gear, and 100W of solar.
But due...

• Dellmassive
• dellmassive how to guide lithium battery power-bank
• Replies: 55
• Forum: Electrics, Lighting, ICE, Security

• 

Batteries have improved somewhat over recent years and Lifepod are getting cheaper. It’s just about buying the largest capacity you can afford that fits the space you have…

 

[JoshB_]

Have you already got an induction hob? They’re obviously quite power hungry so you’ll need a decent setup. I’ve never looked into the power cube thingys properly to be honest but would assume they’d struggle with a domestic induction hob (usually 2kW). You can travel induction hobs at both 800W and 1500W from the ones I’ve seen.

@T6ChrisO has got some electric bits for sale still I think?

 

[Howzat]

A beefy battery and 3k inverter with charging via DCC and solar would be my preferred option for that scenario.

You're doing the right thing though by looking at the power requiremts 1st then deciding on the best solution.
Nothing worse than splashing out for kit then having to upgrade it later.

 

[Rioja John]

I’m new to induction hob so can’t say one way or the other, but I’ve recently installed a 3000 watt remote pure sine wave inverter from China, plus extra 100 ah lithium battery taking total to 300 watts of lithium, plus double induction hob.
Going on our travels to Spain on Thursday so will know better how it all works out then.

 

[T6ChrisO]

Have you already got an induction hob? They’re obviously quite power hungry so you’ll need a decent setup. I’ve never looked into the power cube thingys properly to be honest but would assume they’d struggle with a domestic induction hob (usually 2kW). You can travel induction hobs at both 800W and 1500W from the ones I’ve seen.

@T6ChrisO has got some electric bits for sale still I think?

Cables, induction hob etc was returned BUT I do have my 300ah battery and 2000w inverter for sale

 

[roadtripper]

A beefy battery and 3k inverter with charging via DCC and solar would be my preferred option for that scenario.

You're doing the right thing though by looking at the power requiremts 1st then deciding on the best solution.
Nothing worse than splashing out for kit then having to upgrade it later.

To add to this solid advice the thing I always like to remind folks when using battery for heating is to look at your recharge time - it's all fine knowing you can run the coffee machine but if each cup takes you 5 hours charging to replace the energy it may not be your best option compared to a cheap portable gas stove.

If you're thinking about it for occasional use while you're on the road or there are no EHU left then you can probably cope with much longer recharge times, anyway you'll be back on EHU and mains charging fairly soon - if you aim to be offgrid for a whole week maybe not.

I've justed this over on the Black Friday thread along a similar line so to save writting it again here's a link!

Post in thread 'Black Friday: Deals & What Have You Bought or Buying?'

1 Dec 2025

That BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 1024Wh 1800W is very tempting. £359 from Bluetti ebay + possible 15% cashback via Quidco.

I could run it down stream & charged from my lithium leisure battery & replace my gas completely?

The challenge will be recharge time with most power pack approaches - most folks who go whole hog gas replacement tend to use large fixed LiFePo for this reason.

Assuming you run it to 80% stated capacity (you never want to run them to cutoff and this also accounts for some inverter losses) you're likely to see just under half an hour runtime at full 1800w.

To...

• roadtripper

• 

 

[Skyliner33]

Have you already got an induction hob? They’re obviously quite power hungry so you’ll need a decent setup. I’ve never looked into the power cube thingys properly to be honest but would assume they’d struggle with a domestic induction hob (usually 2kW). You can travel induction hobs at both 800W and 1500W from the ones I’ve seen.

@T6ChrisO has got some electric bits for sale still I think?

No, I haven’t. I have, relevant to this, a 230Ah ROAMER seat base. So will be looking at an inverter plus the induction hob max 1800W. Then similar for coffee machine.

 

[Skyliner33]

I’m new to induction hob so can’t say one way or the other, but I’ve recently installed a 3000 watt remote pure sine wave inverter from China, plus extra 100 ah lithium battery taking total to 300 watts of lithium, plus double induction hob.
Going on our travels to Spain on Thursday so will know better how it all works out then.

I didn’t think you are supposed to mix battery sizes.

 

[DXX]

I wouldn’t rely on EHU for charging large lithium packs, I’ve seen some angry people wondering why the powers tripping when they’re on a 4A EHU supply.
All the gear and no idea!

 

[roadtripper]

No, I haven’t. I have, relevant to this, a 230Ah ROAMER seat base. So will be looking at an inverter plus the induction hob max 1800W. Then similar for coffee machine.

If you look around you can get variable power ones that you can set to a few 100 watts when on battery but full power on EHU for example:

Leisurewize Induction Hob With 9 Power Settings from 300W-2000W LW613

Leisurewize Low Wattage Induction Hob. An energy and cost saving induction hob featuring a timer and 9 power settings from 300W-2000W. Ideal for low wattage cooking in caravans and motor homes.

www.rainbow-conversions.co.uk

Setting a lower "cooking" level doesn't work as induction hobs tend to pulse the power on and off rather than smoothly vary it.

 

[Skyliner33]

If you look around you can get variable power ones that you can set to a few 100 watts when on battery but full power on EHU for example:

Leisurewize Induction Hob With 9 Power Settings from 300W-2000W LW613

Leisurewize Low Wattage Induction Hob. An energy and cost saving induction hob featuring a timer and 9 power settings from 300W-2000W. Ideal for low wattage cooking in caravans and motor homes.

www.rainbow-conversions.co.uk

Setting a lower "cooking" level doesn't work as induction hobs tend to pulse the power on and off rather than smoothly vary it.

Thanks, I am aware of the pulsing. Not all work like that however. More so the domestic ones, rather than those designed for ccamping. Will have a look at the ones you linked.

 

[doncarlyon]

I wouldn’t rely on EHU for charging large lithium packs, I’ve seen some angry people wondering why the powers tripping when they’re on a 4A EHU supply.
All the gear and no idea!

4A?

Must have been lucky, I've never seen a site with EHU that low.

 

[Skyliner33]

If you look around you can get variable power ones that you can set to a few 100 watts when on battery but full power on EHU for example:

Leisurewize Induction Hob With 9 Power Settings from 300W-2000W LW613

Leisurewize Low Wattage Induction Hob. An energy and cost saving induction hob featuring a timer and 9 power settings from 300W-2000W. Ideal for low wattage cooking in caravans and motor homes.

www.rainbow-conversions.co.uk

Setting a lower "cooking" level doesn't work as induction hobs tend to pulse the power on and off rather than smoothly vary it.

cant see anywhere in the info about that hob that says it doesn't change the power level by pulsing.

 

[roadtripper]

cant see anywhere in the info about that hob that says it doesn't change the power level by pulsing.

There is a better manual on the manufacturers site here:

Induction Hob With Adjustable Wattage Setting (Outer Ctn Qty: 6)

Induction Hob With Adjustable Wattage Setting (Outer Ctn Qty: 6)

www.streetwizeaccessories.com

Which has this clearer snippet about the power settings


I suspect it may still use PWM to some extent, but it will limit the power of each on cycle to the setting given (which a general domestic unit might not) - especially given it's from a camping supplier.

Caveat: I don't own one, it's just research I've done in case I go that way myself. What I like is it's not much more than a domestic counter top unit so it's not bad to try out, possibly on our narrowboat.

 

[Rioja John]

I didn’t think you are supposed to mix battery sizes.

Not mixing battery sizes 3 100 ah total 300 ah.

 

[Velosaurus]

I have the Sterling 1500w Induction hob. Cant remember exactly but at setting 5 it pulses upto 1500w, setting 4 pulses at 1200w. At settings 1-3 doesnt exceed 800w. Good piece of kit.
The domestic standalone I had before pulsed upto 2 kw which ever the setting.

 

[JumpShip]

Already here (spain) John , aint that warm at the mo so bring a wooly hat ....and a hot water bottle

 

[JumpShip]

I'm actually a couple of hours north of beni and it's mid teens during the day and borderline single figures overnight at the mo .