Startup Demand

[Honer]

Have any of you tried to take your Tormek on the road?
I have blown through 3 power inverters in the last 60 days.

I started with an 800 watt inverter (peak 1200 watts).
It wouldn't even start up the Tormek which is rated at 200 watts.
Then I switched to a 1200 watt (peak 2400).
One lasted 6 weeks, this last one lasted 2.

My understanding is that it's the peak startup demand that is killing my inverters.
Does anyone know how much the Tormek draws at startup?

The guy at inverters r us says that is the key to selecting the right inverter.

Anyone???

I posted this at the yahoo tormek users site too.

Thanks in advance,


Rick D.

"Life shouldn't be dull."

[Honer]

I just checked with Sharptools tech support.
They don't know and evidently don't care to know.

Am I all wet, or is this a pretty basic question that should be addressed?

[Honer]

I guess I am all wet.

Thanks for nothing Jeff.

[Jeff Farris]

I am really sorry, but it is nothing that I have documented and I have absolutely no way to test it, as we told you on the phone.

There was a very detailed thread on running an inverter on the Yahoo group several months ago. I suggest you take a look at that.

[Spearman]

Honer, I think I can provide a rough answer to your question. I am an electrician and while I'm not an expert on motors one of the people at my office is.  He says that a capacitor start motor like the one on the Tormek will typically draw 4 - 6 times its normal power at startup.  If I get a chance I will try to measure the startup current on my Tormek and give you a better answer.
What was the make and model of the inverters you've tried?
Have you found one that works?
I'm kind of in the market for an inverter, though not specifically to run the Tormek, and it would be nice to know what works and what doesn't.
I hope this helps.
Jim,

[Honer]

I now have an inverter that seems to be up to the challenge.
I got a Vector 2000/4000 from donrowe.com for $209.00 plus $6.00 shipping.
So far so good.
It has a soft peak feature that kind of spreads out the start up demand.
(As you can tell, I am no electrician)
It will also shut itself off if things get too "hot."

Don Rowe was very helpful and informative.
I would recommend them to anyone.

If you ever do find out how much the Tormek pulls on startup, I would like to know.


"Life shouldn't be dull."

Rick