How to Power a MAK at BBQ Competitions

I would like to purchase a set up in order to power my MAK 1 Star General at a competition. Usually, competitions do not provide electrical power to any team. My questions is, besides generators like the Honda eu2000i, what is the best set up? I am thinking of an all in one Powerpack or a setup like a Deep Cycle Battery and inverter. How do you all power your MAK at a comp or tailgate? I would need enough juice to run around 12 hours.

I have been down this road, and can share what I've learned, the hard way, from experience.

First, since the electronics on a MAK are very sensitive (not to mention expensive), do NOT risk using a cheaper modified Sine Wave inverter. Make sure you get a really good clean PURE sine wave inverter.

Even with a Pure Sine Wave Inverter, DO NOT GO CHEAP! There are a few brands out there that are really good, but you will pay a little more. I believe Jim (jimsbarbecue) likes the higher end Xantrex brand inverters (stay away from the cheaper Xantrex inverters - they are NOT the same - trust me).

Samlex is a really good brand, that you should consider. They offer high quality inverters in price ranges for us average guys. Samlex backs up their inverters with a 2-year warranty, and their specs, and customer satisfaction are very high. But I would avoid their SSW series, as that is their budget line intended for light duty ONLY. Stick with the PST or higher lines.

Here's a link to their Website so you can check them out: Power Inverters & Power Supply Products | Samlex America



For my needs a 600 watt Samlex (model: PST-600-12) Pure Sine Wave Inverter was perfect. It runs two grills without trouble (my MAK and my Stoven). A 600 Watt should power two MAKs without trouble, but you may want to consider a 1000 or higher as a buffer or if want more room for expansion.

Also, for my needs a single battery is all I've ever needed. I always take my older marine deep cycle battery as a spare, just in case, but have never had to use it. For Comps where you may be running longer (possibly overnight), dual batteries setup in parallel would be a good idea, but be sure you hook them up properly to balance the load (connect to positive on one battery, and negative on the other.


I can tell you mine has worked flawlessly, every single time I've used it. One of the things I liked about Samlex is they are one of the few that will work on a battery that has been over-charged above the typical 14 volt range.


Jim and/or Big Poppa can share a lot here as as they both use inverter/battery setups.


In the mean time, here's a review I did this past year on my Samlex setup: http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pellet...00-watt-power-inverter-7893/?highlight=Samlex


And here are a couple other links on the topic that may help:

http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pellet...jimbotron-photo-link-636/?highlight=jimbotron

http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pellet...ource-pellet-cookers-294/?highlight=jimbotron

Wow, thank you for that reply. Now I can begin getting one of these setups going. You've been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it!

cooked with one every night for over a week without charging the battery

My first thought after reading your post was...what's wrong with the Honda 2000? In the long run it can power more than just your MAK. We have been using ours religiously for years...
That said...the inverter setups mentioned are great too...

Honda 2000 are nice we own one. The inverter are nice for quiet hours. Next Smithfield Guinea Pig we are bringing a MAK 2 Star and a BPS Drum. As with the last 3 Guinea Pigs have no plan on starting the generator all weekend.

We use two eu3000's. One to power the cookers (3) and one to power the truck. There is power provided at most comps out here but the problem is it's not reliable with so many teams plugged in so we just don't trust it to run anything important.

Well i use e2000ui and i am happy with it in case if you sure to buy this model then at once you must check Honda EU2000i Manual to get information about different kind

We ended up taking two drums at this years Guinea Pig as we won a BPS drum at the KOS competition. As I stated above one battery will run a MAK for many nights.