Powering Nespresso Pixie

Jan 25, 2007
313
Cal Cal 33-2 cape cod
Can I power this machine with two 12V boat batteries? Will this duracell 3000w inverter handle the surge? I don't mind starting engine if need be, the unit needs to run 25 seconds to get my morning espresso. Thanks.
 

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Jan 11, 2014
12,170
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The answer to your question requires some math and basic facts.

How much power does your Nespresso need? Then simply get an inverter that is large enough to handle the power needs.
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,732
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
Every device you plug into wall power will have a label showing how much power it consumes. I am assume the Nespresso Pixie uses a standard 110V 15A outlet which means it has to be less than 1650 Watts. The 3000 Watt inverter you show above should easily be able to handle it. It may also be able to suck your batteries dry very quickly depending on how big a bank you have.
Another thing to mention is cheap inverters have modified sine wave outputs which approximate the full sine wave you get out of a home 110VAC outlet. Most modern lower power devices run on DC which means the power is rectified internally and they don't mind using modified sine wave. Higher power devices may have AC motors which much prefer to run on full sine wave. Your pixie may well have some components running directly off AC but things like heater elements will be fine, motors maybe not.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,768
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
The website says 1260 watts, so about 10 amp? They are mini on demand water heaters so draw quite a bit for a short time. The pre-heat phase takes a minute or so, right?
 
Jan 11, 2014
12,170
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
The website says 1260 watts, so about 10 amp? They are mini on demand water heaters so draw quite a bit for a short time. The pre-heat phase takes a minute or so, right?
Yes, it will draw about 10 amps while running. A 1500 watt inverter will do just fine.

The actual amount of energy used will be quite small, 10 amps running for 1 minute amounts to .1667 amp hours. A drop in the bucket. In practice the current usage will be higher because of the inefficiency of converting DC to AC.

Be certain to properly wire the inverter with circuit protection and turn it off when not in use. With a small battery bank, it will be easy to draw down the bank with the inverter if it is used too much.
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,732
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
current usage will be higher because of the inefficiency of converting DC to AC
Not to mention the voltage difference. 10 A at 110 V turns into 92 A at 12 V even without taking efficiency into account.
 
Jan 11, 2014
12,170
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Not to mention the voltage difference. 10 A at 110 V turns into 92 A at 12 V even without taking efficiency into account.
This is where it can get confusing. The Nespresso draws 1260 watts at 120v, so about 1 amp. 1260 watts at 12.5 volts DC is about 10 amps. he watts will be the same, the amps will be different at different voltages.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,768
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Yes, 25 sec's @ 1260 watts, that includes pre-heat phase.
Yes but is that from the stand-by or sleep state that it maintains while plugged in, or from a cold machine? I could find this out by unplugging mine,.... :)
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,732
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
This is where it can get confusing. The Nespresso draws 1260 watts at 120v, so about 1 amp. 1260 watts at 12.5 volts DC is about 10 amps. he watts will be the same, the amps will be different at different voltages.
Um, new math? :huh:
P=V * I or I = P/V
I = 1260 / 120 = 10.5 A at 120 VAC.
Or
I = 1260 / 12 = 105 A at 12 VDC.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,654
C&C 40-2 Berkeley
There are 12V expresso machines out there that are compatible with Nespresso capsules. Might be cheaper than an inverter.
 
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Jul 7, 2004
8,446
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
There are 12V expresso machines out there that are compatible with Nespresso capsules. Might be cheaper than an inverter.
I was looking at the same thing, but some people are really attached to their java machines. When I worked for Boeing Wichita, we met up with some Seattle counterparts at an airline facility in LA. One of them brought his machine with him!
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,732
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
I can relate to being a bit particular about coffee. I use a single serving french press at work because I just couldn't take the pods we had. It started as K-cups then these plastic bag things. We just got a CX Touch which uses large round tea bag looking things. At least it is all biodegradable. Not bad but I'll stick with my french press.
I ordered a CoffeeJack on Kickstarter which is a compact, manual espresso maker. I'm hopeful this will get me espresso on the boat :) I already have a hand grinder which works quite well.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,768
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I can relate to being a bit particular about coffee. I use a single serving french press at work because I just couldn't take the pods we had. It started as K-cups then these plastic bag things. We just got a CX Touch which uses large round tea bag looking things. At least it is all biodegradable. Not bad but I'll stick with my french press.
I ordered a CoffeeJack on Kickstarter which is a compact, manual espresso maker. I'm hopeful this will get me espresso on the boat :) I already have a hand grinder which works quite well.
Wow, I'd like to know how that works. Somebody gave me a Nespresso pod machine years ago. It makes a pretty good espresso. But I'd like to give it up just for the nasty little pods left over. I'm trying,...
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,732
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
I'll let you know how well it works when I get it. With Kickstarter campaigns it can take quite a while.