You can run a wide range of small to medium size appliances with a 600 watt inverter.
That’s why they’re growing in popularity, especially in a world which powers everything with electricity.
The correct inverter is crucial to any off-grid power setup whether it’s a vehicle, cabin, or solar panel system.
Without this piece of equipment, you simply won’t be able to convert DC into AC which is essential to run most electronics.
600 watt inverters give you a decent amount of power without becoming overly bulky or expensive.
But what exactly can you run with 600 watts, plus how much energy will it use, and what are the best 600W inverters available today.
I’ve written this article from my own previous experience with inverters to give a real-life insight into all of this and much more.
What Can a 600 Watt Power Inverter Run?
You can run any appliance or electronics that require less than 600 watts of power. In reality, this means that most essentials should run on a 600 watt inverter. You might even be able to power multiple things if the total required wattage is less than 600.
You’ll be able to run small to medium appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, fans, lighting, portable tools, laptops, computers, and sound systems.
Adding to this, you can happily recharge most battery-powered items including smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, tools, speakers, and power banks.
Here is a handy size chart for you to quickly find the average wattage of appliances you might want to run:
| Appliance | Average Wattage |
| Smartphone | 5 |
| Tablet | 10 |
| Digital Camera | 10 – 15 |
| Laptop | 30 – 60 |
| LED lights | 10 – 20 |
| Lamp | 40 – 60 |
| Computer | 100 – 200 |
| LED TV | 50 – 70 |
| Fan | 30 – 60 |
| Small drill | 200 – 400 |
| Refrigerator | 300 – 500 |
When working out if your appliance will run you should also take into account that an inverter is not 100% efficient. You should not try to draw more than 80% of the inverter’s 600 watt capacity as this can lead to overloading. So it’s best practice to only draw a maximum of 500 watts.
How to Find Out Appliance Wattage
You can easily find out the wattage of any appliance in a number of ways. The quickest option is to check your product technical specifications which you might find in the user manual or on a sticker attached to the device. You can always contact the manufacturer for this information.
I also like to use a wattmeter which you can attach to any AC appliance in order to get an instant reading of wattage. They’re super easy to use and give you an accurate reading!
If you’re running more than one appliance you simply need to add together the wattage of each item for the total required power.
What a 600 Watt Inverter Can’t Run?
Let’s quickly look at what you definitely can’t run on a 600 watt inverter. This includes microwaves, heaters, power tools, compressors, coffee makers, plus anything else that draws more than 600 watts.
How Many Amps Does a 600 Watt Inverter Draw?
To find out the maximum number of amps your 600 watt inverter will draw you simply need to use the following formula:
Watts x Volts = Amps
So if you have a 12 Volt inverter (this is most common but you might have 24V or 48V) you just do this maths:
600W ÷ 12V = 50Amps.
A 600 watt inverter uses up to 50 amps.
Protip: The amps is decided by the appliance you run, not the inverter. For example, you might only draw 100 watts from a 600 watt inverter which would result in 8.3 amps.
How Long Will a 600 Watt Inverter Run?
The length of time that an inverter will run is dependent on the size of the battery and the amount of energy your appliance uses.
It can be confusing to try and work out. That’s why I’ve created this simple formula to give you the answer:
(10 x battery capacity in Ah) divided by appliance load in watts.
So let’s say we want to draw the maximum 600 watts from a 100Ah battery. Using the formula above we calculate (10 x 100Ah) ÷ 600W = 1.6 hours.
But if your appliance only draws 300 watts it would be (10 x 100Ah) ÷ 300W = 3.3 hours.
Battery Type
One thing to note is the type of battery you use with your inverter. The traditional lead-acid batteries can only be discharged up to 50% as depleting them causes damage. This means your runtime will be cut in half.
The better option is to use modern lithium batteries which you can use 100% of the stored energy without any problems.
Can a 600 Watt Inverter Run a Refrigerator?
Yes, a 600 watt inverter might be able to run your refrigerator. It depends on the power requirements of your fridge. Most home refrigerators use between 60 – 300 watts. Along with power requirements, you will also need a pure sine wave type inverter for refrigeration devices.
This means you would be able to run small to medium sized fridges but you won’t be able to run large ones.
What Size Fuse for a 600 Watt Inverter?
A12V 600 watt inverter needs a fuse of at least 62 Amps. This is because an inverter drawing 600W uses 50A. Plus you need to add a little extra capacity to your fuse so it doesn’t trip during a period of high load so a fuse of between 70 – 80A should work.
Most modern inverters should come with an in-built fuse and some spares to get your going. You might also consider adding an in-line fuse for permanent installations.
What Size Wire for 600 Watt Inverter?
Your inverter should arrive with the correct cables to use in most scenarios. You should check in your product information for this size.
Generally, it is best to use a 6 AWG wire for a 600 watt inverter but you might use a 4 AWG wire if it is over 4ft in length.
You should always try to use the thickest possible wire over the shortest distance from your battery. This helps to maintain the correct voltage which is the force at which your electricity flows (a little like water pressure).
Final Words on What a 600W Inverter Will Power
By now you should understand that you can run most appliances rated less than 600 watts from this sized inverter.
In fact, you shouldn’t try to draw much more than 500 watts as inverters are not 100% efficient.
You will still be able to run a wide range of small to medium home appliances and charge most portable gadgets.
Plus we also now know that a 600 watt inverter uses up to 50 Amps which helps you to predict runtime, fuses, and cable requirements.
