Hello, we have an off grid camp in the marshes of Louisiana. I’m a beginner to inverter/solar systems but have done some research into building a off grid solar setup. I am looking to purchase the Victron 1200 VA 24V inverter for our (~400 A/H) system because our “load” is relatively small. I am curious if anyone has any experience running a comparable 1/2 hp electric motor off their 1200VA system. The motor is on a “Go-Devil duck plucker” and i have no doubt this inverter will run this motor after start up. The motor has a nameplate that claims it pulls 8.9 amps at 115v but according to my clamp on meter it was pulling around 3.3 amps running but unloaded. The motor will have “no load on startup” unlike a compressor or pump. I just don’t know if the inverter will be able to overcome the surge. We run this duck plucker off a Honda eu2000 with the eco throttle off and it has a hard time starting this motor but once the motor is up to speed its no problem. The run time will be less than 30 minutes and will be left in the ON position the whole time instead of starting and stopping… Please leave feedback if you believe we can run this load.
NEC says for a 1/2HP motor to expect 9.4A or approximately 1,130VA full load current. That’s right at the limit for this inverter, but if the motor is unloaded it might work since the inverter can handle surges briefly. No guarantees. However, if struggles to start the motor, you could buy a small soft-starter or variable frequency drive (VFD). That’s what I do to start our table saw and other tools we use at installation sites running from inverters. It also reduced wear and tear on the power equipment and tools.
Thank you for the reply. The motor will have brief moments of higher current draw but not at all times. I will look into a soft start kit. Do you have a brand you recommend ?
Have you had experience starting a table saw with no soft start with these smaller inverters? 1200va?
I don’t, sorry. For something this small I think you can find what you need on Amazon. Or, you could look at an industrial automation supplier like FactoryMation. Good luck!
No I haven’t. Sorry. I have two 5kVA inverters in our work trailer. However, I have a 12/1200 Victron inverter on a demo board and I will have one of my installers plug a Dewalt sliding mitre saw and see if it has any trouble starting it and cutting a 2x4 or 4x4. I’ll post back and let you know. It might not be today however.
Thank you for the help
Sorry I’m late getting back to you. I dug out of storage one of our small demo systems that we take to schools or other places when we want to educate the public on how solar & BESS works. There is a picture below. I disconnected the AC input and plugged in a Dewalt sliding compound mitre saw. The inverter starts it just fine. The slow meter inside the Multi showed 1450W at startup. I did not measure the inrush with a meter. Then I found the densest 2x4 I could find in the shop and it cut just fine. I think your Duck Plucker will work. I would still recommend a soft-starter or VFD. Feel free to send me a queen sized duck down pillow 
j/k
Awesome thank you for running that test. Hopefully that confirmation helps others that are on the ledge of going with the victron 1200va. I’ll update this thread later on down the road when I have the system built and show yall our duck plucker.