Power draw of Nespresso type coffee machine.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I going on my 4th Nespresso machine on my boat and am starting to get discouraged. I originally bought the entry level Inissio and that worked for a couple weeks and died and was replaced under warranty. Same thing happened to its replacement. Then they gave me a credit so I added a little more money and upgraded to the Pixie. I plugged it in this morning using my inverter for power and after the 35” blinking lights it started blinking 3 times and pause, repeat over and over. I smelled a slight whiff of burning plastic immediately unplugged it. Called Nespresso and once again explained what happened and that I was on a boat using an inverter ( Xantrex 2500 watt) and everything else such as vacuum cleaner, wife’s hair dryer, microwave, toaster, various chargers, work without any problems. Now they are sending me a Citiz because Pixie wasn’t available. Has anyone else had similar problems using the smaller Nespresso machines like mine off an inverter? Will the Citiz hold up any better than the previous 3 did? I didn’t even get a single shot of espresso from the Pixie. I don’t want to run the genset every time I want to make coffee. Why am I going through Nespresso machines so quickly when my inverter powers everything else with no problems? I’ve gotta take my hat off to Nespresso customer service because they keep sending me new machines without any complaint. But this is getting old. Any ideas about what’s going on?

The first thing that occurs to me is that your Xantrex 2500 watt inverter does not produce a pure sine wave, it is a "modified sine wave" inverter. Many appliances work fine on that type pf power, but some do not.

Next, possibly the power demand to heat the water, if not met by the Xantrex, causes electronic issues in the Nespresso

And finally, I'm not sure where you plan to cruise, but finding pods for those machines can sometimes be difficult or impossible. It has been hard enough for us to find whole coffee beans (which we grind) in many places.

We prefer to keep our boat absolutely simple and we don't carry kitchen gadgets. For coffee we heat water on our propane stove, grind fresh roasted beans (in a grinder powered by the inverter) and put them into a paper filter and pour the water through it. Perfect and simple. It takes about 5 minutes start to finish and gives six cups. It's my job and I do it every day.

[mvweebles]

A quick Google search shows the Pixie runs at 1260W whereas the Citiz is rated at 1750W !!!!

I've run a small Nespresso on my boat for several years, but do not make a lot of coffee. I have 600AH of golf cart batteries and a Xantrex 2000W MSW inverter and fairly short run of 2/0 cables. No problem, but maybe you make a lot of coffee and I just haven't bumped into a problem yet.

Given you are on your third coffee maker, you may want to check the rest of your system - there are a lot of places this could cause issues (undersized cables, old/undersized battery bank, etc.). A pure heating element should do fine on a MSW inverter, and Xantrex inverters are pretty decent (though are a bit old at this point in time).

Good luck - what's your favorite Nespresso? I'm a Lungo/Fortissimo guy myself...

Peter

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I going on my 4th Nespresso machine on my boat and am starting to get discouraged. I originally bought the entry level Inissio and that worked for a couple weeks and died and was replaced under warranty. Same thing happened to its replacement. Then they gave me a credit so I added a little more money and upgraded to the Pixie. I plugged it in this morning using my inverter for power and after the 35” blinking lights it started blinking 3 times and pause, repeat over and over. I smelled a slight whiff of burning plastic immediately unplugged it. Called Nespresso and once again explained what happened and that I was on a boat using an inverter ( Xantrex 2500 watt) and everything else such as vacuum cleaner, wife’s hair dryer, microwave, toaster, various chargers, work without any problems. Now they are sending me a Citiz because Pixie wasn’t available. Has anyone else had similar problems using the smaller Nespresso machines like mine off an inverter? Will the Citiz hold up any better than the previous 3 did? I didn’t even get a single shot of espresso from the Pixie. I don’t want to run the genset every time I want to make coffee. Why am I going through Nespresso machines so quickly when my inverter powers everything else with no problems? I’ve gotta take my hat off to Nespresso customer service because they keep sending me new machines without any complaint. But this is getting old. Any ideas about what’s going on?

My thoughts are same as several others you likely need a pure sine-wave inverter.

[Dooglas]

Or the alternative is to use an AeroPress. Makes an excellent espresso style coffee and all you need is boiling water.

[botanybay]

Yup, early xantrex inverters (very similar to heart freedom series) were modified sine wave which should really be called 2 step square wave. There were some devices that would smoke years ago, HP laser printers were notorious.

Sounds like the nespresso design needs to see a real sine wave and no tv a stepped approximation

[markskaplan]

As the previous two posters indicated, the problem is almost surely the inverter. I had similar issues with my Nespresso with my old Xantrex (1998 vintage modified sign wave). I replaced it with a new Xantrex XC pure sign wave and now have no more issues.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

A quick Google search shows the Pixie runs at 1260W whereas the Citiz is rated at 1750W !!!!

I've run a small Nespresso on my boat for several years, but do not make a lot of coffee. I have 600AH of golf cart batteries and a Xantrex 2000W MSW inverter and fairly short run of 2/0 cables. No problem, but maybe you make a lot of coffee and I just haven't bumped into a problem yet.

Given you are on your third coffee maker, you may want to check the rest of your system - there are a lot of places this could cause issues (undersized cables, old/undersized battery bank, etc.). A pure heating element should do fine on a MSW inverter, and Xantrex inverters are pretty decent (though are a bit old at this point in time).

Good luck - what's your favorite Nespresso? I'm a Lungo/Fortissimo guy myself...

Peter

Interesting that yours works on MSW power. What model Nespresso machine are you using?

I checked and my inverter is indeed a MSW type. I don’t think it’s the heater part that gets destroyed but rather the electronics that controls it. Battery bank is 1000Ah and cable sizes are adequate.

I like to do 2 pretty intense lungo’s to make a small cup of coffee but with all the breakdowns haven’t had enough consistent use to choose a favorite. But once Citiz arrives will try lungo fortissimo.

I have a large espresso machine at home to make espresso and latte and hoped a Nespresso machine would fill the bill when on the boat but a replacement PSW inverter charger is a bit over $1500 and since my existing one powers everything else just fine, I’m afraid I’ll have to settle for the aero press or French press or drip filters.

[s/v Jedi]

For those who prefer very good coffee as opposed to “easiest” coffee:

We have been experimenting for many years and have found this to work best for a boat: bring coffee beans and freshly grind them. We take a 6 month supply and have settled on the Costco Kirkland Colombian beans. At home we use a fancy burr grinder but on the boat we use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just got one for a spare and see it’s sold out again. It is very popular because the cords spools back inside the unit for storage, works great.

Next is brewing it. We have two options: the original Bialetti Moka for the real deal, but for everyday use a Zojirushi coffee maker which is a perfect fit for a boat with electric galley: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[timb7734]

Coffee makers are notorious for poor performance on inverted power. Nepressos are notorious for poor performance on their own. Together this is a plan to fail. Get a hot pot and a French press.

[goboatingnow]

I buy Costa ground for filter 1kg bags here in geese and a cafetière , power consumption = minor elbow grease. I also have a little expresso unit for the gas cooker , €10 euros I think

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Interesting that yours works on MSW power. What model Nespresso machine are you using?

I checked and my inverter is indeed a MSW type. I don’t think it’s the heater part that gets destroyed but rather the electronics that controls it. Battery bank is 1000Ah and cable sizes are adequate.

I like to do 2 pretty intense lungo’s to make a small cup of coffee but with all the breakdowns haven’t had enough consistent use to choose a favorite. But once Citiz arrives will try lungo fortissimo.

I have a large espresso machine at home to make espresso and latte and hoped a Nespresso machine would fill the bill when on the boat but a replacement PSW inverter charger is a bit over $1500 and since my existing one powers everything else just fine, I’m afraid I’ll have to settle for the aero press or French press or drip filters.

A few years ago, I bought one of these nespresso machines for my boat and my cabin. The machine pictured has done some tough duty at an off grid cabin where I built a temporary solar system for construction. 2x325w solar panels, a par of cheap Costco 6v GC batteries, and a Xantrex 2000w Freedom inverter charger I had laying around (actually, same one I pulled out of my boat that I used to power an identical Nespresso maker) . Between 4 of us, we probably made 10 cups of coffee per day for a week at a time. Nice treat.

After I posted that a heating element should work fine, I realized that Nespresso machines also have a pump to something like 15 bar, which is their magic and why they get a decent crema. Wonder if it's the pump that sizzles on MSW?

Because of the difficulty of sourcing and the expense of Nespresso pods, I've gone to Aeropress. I use a small electric tea kettle that draws 700w to heat water quickly and without extraneous heat. For long trips, I stock up on 10oz vacuum bagged Cuban coffee (Bustelo ot Pilon) which stays fresh for a long, long time. It is more or less espresso grind.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00851LRR6...5NNN1QJ02TAG72

Sometimes, electrical gremlins are difficult to explain. Could be a mild frequency issue with your house setup - certainly sounds like you're adequately powered. I just finished a camper van build and had nothing but trouble with a Renogy inverter and went through two. I went to a Wagan and it works perfectly. I'd like to blame the Renogy inverter (they are an awful company to deal with), but with two of two defective inverters, I have to wonder if there's something in my system that doesn't play nice with their equipment

Good luck

Peter
Attachment 242214Attachment 242215

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

...For long trips, I stock up on 10oz vacuum bagged Cuban coffee (Bustelo ot Pilon) which stays fresh for a long, long time. It is more or less espresso grind...

I am not really a coffee expert, but i have learned that coffee beans lose their freshness much quicker after grinding, which is why we grind each pot's worth of beans just before brewing.

My understanding is that "Expresso" is a roast, not a grind?

We have had challenges in finding whole beans in some parts of the world. It's resulted in some fun adventures.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I am not really a coffee expert, but i have learned that coffee beans lose their freshness much quicker after grinding, which is why we grind each pot's worth of beans just before brewing.



My understanding is that "Expresso" is a roast, not a grind?



We have had challenges in finding whole beans in some parts of the world. It's resulted in some fun adventures.

Espresso is indeed a roast, but to make espresso, the grind is fine. So there is a dual meaning, at least that's how I interpret.

The difference in the ground bricks of Cuban coffee is they are vacuum packed, just as the K-cups are. Shelf life of the unopened brick is very long- a year or more. For the Aeropress, a 10-oz brick makes about 19-20 cups of French Press style coffee (not really espresso style, but pretty close). So it lasts about 7-10 days with two of us.

The bricks pack very tightly and are water tight so it's easy to carry a dozen bricks or more.

But you must like strong coffee. My wife likes a splash of hit water. The electric tea kettle is very handy - ask any Brit

Peter

[Stu Jackson]

I used to say: "Oh, no, not yet another coffee thread?!?"


Then I got smart and read every singled one I see, because there is always something new, or something I'd seen before but forgotten, you know - the old mists of time?


Bricks? One I'd forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by timb7734

Coffee makers are notorious for poor performance on inverted power. Nepressos are notorious for poor performance on their own. Together this is a plan to fail. Get a hot pot and a French press.

LOL, I have a French press, an aeropress, and both an individual sized as well as a larger cone with an insulated carafe aboard but I know lots of boaters who successfully use Nespresso aboard their boats and i really like espresso. But I’m afraid that my MSW inverter isn’t a good match for these machines and am too cheap to spend $1500-$2000 to replace it when it powers everything else just fine.