Clothes iron and steam station on solar panels
An iron is the second most power-hungry appliance after the dryer. 1000-2400 W. How to iron with sun without blowing the inverter.
An iron pulls 1200-2400 W peak, but only 30-40% of the time. Average draw is 800 W. In 1 hour: 0.8 kWh. Iron twice a month: 19 kWh/year. Cheap for the wallet, harsh on inverter peaks.
Consumption by type
Basic iron: 1000-1500 W. Steam iron with tank: 1800-2400 W. Pro steam station: 2200-2800 W. The station uses more but irons twice as fast.
Minimum inverter
2400 W iron → 3000 W continuous inverter (because the thermostat cycles in short peaks). 2800 W station → 3500-4000 W inverter. With 2000 W inverter, use basic iron without steam.
Block-ironing trick
Iron 10 shirts in a row instead of 1 per day. The iron heats up only once. Save 50% energy and reduce inverter wear (fewer high-power starts).
Off-grid alternatives
Handheld steam iron 1500 W: only iron what's needed. Garment steamer 1800 W for light wrinkles. Or pick no-iron fabrics: polyester blends, natural-look linen, etc.
More appliances in dryer with panels.
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