Microwave amps draw

[John H]

We have a Sylvania SR-11092B microwave in our trailer that says in the manual that the power consumption is 1350 watts and the output is 900watts but requires a 20 amp breaker which it does have. I see on my Progressive Industries EMS that the microwave draws 16 amps continuous when in use with everything else shut off.Is 1350 watts not around 11 amps draw or am I missing something? I was hoping to be able to run the microwave at times with my Honda 2000.

[Dkarel11]

DC watts to amps calculation formula
The current I in amps (A) is equal to the power P in watts (W), divided by the voltage V in volts (V):
I(A) = P(W) / V(V)
So amps are equal to watts divided by volts.
amp = watt / volt

[stateboy]

Originally Posted by John H

We have a Sylvania SR-11092B microwave in our trailer that says in the manual that the power consumption is 1350 watts and the output is 900watts but requires a 20 amp breaker which it does have. I see on my Progressive Industries EMS that the microwave draws 16 amps continuous when in use with everything else shut off.Is 1350 watts not around 11 amps draw or am I missing something? I was hoping to be able to run the microwave at times with my Honda 2000.

You are close when calling it 11 amps based on the wattage you state. Using Dkarel11's accurate formula says you're accurate. Not sure why it's on a 20 amp circuit unless they designed it to allow another smaller appliance to operate on the same circuit. 110 volts x 15 amp breaker = 1650 watts. If you use 120 volts then it = 1800 watts. With a 20 amp breaker, it's 2200 watts and 2400 watts, respectively.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[RVhiker]

My "High Pointe" microwave, installed by Jayco, uses 1350 watts and has a power rating of 900 watts. I run it off my Honda 2000i frequently. When i run the microwave, I'm not using any other current from the generator and run it with the "EcoThrottle" off.

[John H]

Originally Posted by RVhiker

My "High Pointe" microwave, installed by Jayco, uses 1350 watts and has a power rating of 900 watts. I run it off my Honda 2000i frequently. When i run the microwave, I'm not using any other current from the generator and run it with the "EcoThrottle" off.

Id be curious to know if you have ever measured the amp draw on it and if you have a 20 amp breaker.

[ttavasc]

I have the "High Pointe" (900watt output/1350 input) microwave as well. It's on a dedicated 20amp circuit in the breaker box. Similar to RVHiker I run this with my Champion 2000watt inverter generator without the "Econ" mode. My Progressive EMS usually shows around 12-13amps with just the microwave which is close to tapping out the generator by itself so I make sure other loads are off when running it that way.

[wags999]

you may be picking up parasitic draws...inverters, TV, radio, propane detectors etc...which could add to the draw. Typically home MW are also on a 20 circuit... If you plug your MW directly into the generator you should have no issues..if your powering up the trailer than the parasitic draws could cause an issue.


Good Luck.

[norty1]

The converter is normally on all the time and has a draw that would contribute to the total amp draw.

[cariboocreek]

I run my microwave off a Honda 2000 regularly. Never had an issue.

[RVhiker]

Originally Posted by John H

Id be curious to know if you have ever measured the amp draw on it and if you have a 20 amp breaker.

My microwave is on a 20 amp breaker. I have never measured it's amp draw with my amp meter.

[ROC-REQS]

Originally Posted by norty1

The converter is normally on all the time and has a draw that would contribute to the total amp draw.

John H,

In my Jayco Manual the APPROXIMATE ELECTRICAL LOAD RATINGS for 120 Volt system indicates:
Converter draws 8 Amps
Microwave draws 12 Amps.

So as norty1 mentioned, what your Progressive Industries EMS is showing is the total draw of the trailer.

I've also run the microwave using a Honda 2000i without any problems.

Hope this helps.

[John H]

Thank you all for your replies. I made sure that the EMS was showing no draw/o amps and it was showing 123 volts coming in. I am plugged into a 15amp outside receptacle using 1-25’ 10 gauge extension cord plus the rv cord so 50’ total, after turning on the microwave for 20 seconds I had 17 amps draw for a second and then 16amps for the duration and the voltage dropped 6 volts from 123 to 117.

[RVhiker]

My EMS is a permanently installed 30AMP from Progressive Dynamics. I had a talk with them one day and was told that the ammeter built into their device is quite accurate for resistance loads, but not so much for inductive loads. I suspect the way to get an accurate amp reading on a microwave is with a hand held ammeter, and not with an EMS.

[ttavasc]

The Kill-o-Watt meter is a handy tool for stuff like this:

Kill A Watt Meter - Electricity Usage Monitor | P3

I ran my High Point for a couple of minutes with this inline and it showed a range of between 12 and 14 amps and 1450-1650 watts over that time period. My Champion 2kw peaks at 1700 so as long as there is absolutely no other draw it squeaks it out......

[John H]

Originally Posted by RVhiker

My EMS is a permanently installed 30AMP from Progressive Dynamics. I had a talk with them one day and was told that the ammeter built into their device is quite accurate for resistance loads, but not so much for inductive loads. I suspect the way to get an accurate amp reading on a microwave is with a hand held ammeter, and not with an EMS.

I took your advice and measured the draw with an amp meter and it was just under 13 amps, so about 3 amps less than what the EMS reading was. It looks like my Honda 2000i should handle it as long as nothing else is on.
Thanks,
John