I received my Bluetti EB70S earlier this week and, after charging it fully, started testing on some items at home. One of the things I was hoping to use it for was to power a small fridge in the event of a blackout. I’ve connected it to an Insignia 4.4 cubic foot fridge from Best Buy. The fridge initially operates but eventually the EB70S will overload, I assume when the compressor needs to go on. While it is operating it is using around 50-60 watts. Considering it has an advertised surge capacity of 1400 watts I am disappointed it cannot run this fridge. I’ve attached the info on the back of the fridge. Is this normal for it not to be able to power this type of fridge or is mine defective. I’ve seen youtube videos of it powering full sized fridges.
Buy or borrow a wattmeter (the Kill-a-Watt is the most famous) and measure the fridge surge current when thr compressor starts up.
I understand your issue because I have an EB55 and I wanted to power a Sharp portable (more like a rollable) air conditioner but its surge is too high. Old tech A/C units and fridges pull many amps to start the compressor. Newer units, described as inverter tech, use a DC powered compressor that starts slowly and pull lesser amps until it is up to speed.
You can either return the fridge or exchange it for an inverter type. It will cost more but the EB70S can handle it.
I am still searching for a device that can reduce the surge power for older compressors.
Your fridge start up power consumption is greater than the EB70S’s output capacity. Most fridges or freezers uses many times the runnin watts to start up. The surge capacity lasts only for a small fraction of a second and this particular fridge does not appear to be compatibly.
With that said, if you were trying to start the fridge right after you unplugged it from normal household AC power, the refrigerant compressor will still be at a high pressure making starting more difficult. It this was your scenario, let the fridge sit turned off for 15 minutes and try again. You may possibly find it will then start and run fine.
So I purchased the Baldr electricity monitor. It shows maximum watts of approximately 848 watts, so why can’t my EB70S handle a surge that low?
Because the surge ratings last for a split second and you are exceeding the AC inverter output capacity surge rating for more than a freaction of a second.
I agree. The surge is more than that amount but the digital power meter cannot record that peak so it has an average. The peak surge can be over twice the average reading.
If I can find my old analog ammeter, I will try again with my Sharp A/C unit and make a video recording to capture the true peak surge. If anyone knows about a slow start device, please post it here to help me and others.