12v electric stove OR Rice Cooker in a Minivan with a 12v freezer & 12v fridge for a healthy diet power requirements?

[Lance22]

Ok, so I still have 60 days until I think when I am going to be moving out of my lease early so I have some time still to get everything done..

I think I am going to be buying a power bank likely the Walmart westinghouse. From there I will test my current two 100 watt pannels to see how they are holding up ( Im a bit suspicious they may be outputting lower power but perhaps thats just the sun difference from Arizona to Okahoma?

From there I'm still debating on if I should build two systems or one (I guess technically 2 or 3)

Either one 400 watt (4 100 watt pannels) directly into my 200ah deep cycle batter that will power the fridge , freezer , and the power bank that would mainly power my Roadpro OR rice cooker to cook my dinner once a day, and likely my breakfast eggs which would be shorter cooking time. (lunch is salad so no cooking 3rd meal, will have a cooktop stove likely propane green bottles as a backup when bad weather or very cloudly and low on power)

OR two systems 300 watts into my 200ah batter powering my fridge and freezer
and 100 watt pannel into my power bank powering my Roadpro or cooktop.

I think having two systems would be easier as in the main system would be JUST for the fridge and freezer and I could power the 3rd pannel into them in an cloudy bad weather event if need be in an emergency/urgent situation to save the food.

Then I'd just be using the 100 watts for my everyday usage to cook meals.

ALSO I had a 10-20 watt pannel that I used on the dash when I first started out before my system and I loved it. Granted it wasn't much power and it was unstable but I'd just put it on the dash and typically I face the van for the morning sun and get some extra power into a power bank.

I have 6 10,000 - 20,000 m power banks that I could be charging from a 60 watt folding portable pannel on the dash with the 20 watt one I have already and that be what... 80/2 40 watts and hour x3 solid hours of moring sun so 80-120 watts of power would be enough to keep my 5 phones running ( I have 3 phones one on each network, and two phones I use to watch TV shows on micro SD cards so they act as TV's plus two USB speakers for better sound quaility)

I know they are likely going to burn up much faster than anything but for 100 bucks for a 60 watt pannel replacing it every year or two isn't major provided they prove to be of value, still worth trying and testing it out I guess..

I don't know... I think it be better to build two different main systems so there is less stress on my current battery as it would be acting as the only battery where as the power station would be drawing from the battery which is drawing from the solar..

Does anyone have thoughts on this?

...I am in the beginning stages of thinking about replacing my battery from one 200ah deep cycle box with 3 100ah (likely lithium) batteries. That way I can take apart my system during the summer months instead of leaving them outside in the hot van all summer long although I do use them for my lunches I think I could get an lunchbox for work with an ice pack from the motel or extended stay or even set them up in the motel if they don't have a fridge and freezer.

Since I plan on staying in the south for now but during the summer heat 3 months or so I will be staying in sticks and bricks so live comfortably in the 90+ heat.

I could even get a climate-controlled storage unit for those 3 months, OR I could head north and do the leave of absence at my job as well..

YIKES! a very complex solution but I think I am FINALLY starting to figure it all out and how to make a COMFORTABLE lifestyle out of a minivan!

Apologies for being long-winded, however maybe it has value for others to see how others have or are planning to build what they define as "Comfortable and Affordable van living"

 

[Happy Camper]

I think 100w of solar and even a smaller dedicated battery would be enough to power the fridge and freezer. And if something goes wrong with that system you can always switch it over to your second system.

 

[towboater]

Don't know if this helps or is even accurate. I found it on another site.

RV Converter (charging)	1-8 Amps
Lights (per bulb)	0.5 -1.5 Amps
Water Heater (6-gallon, heating)	8-13 Amps
RV Air Conditioner (Start-up)	16-18 Amps
RV Air Conditioner (Running)	13-16 Amps
Window Air Conditioner	5-10 Amps
RV Roof Fan	3-5 Amps
Ceiling Fan (low to high setting)	0.2-6 Amps
Oscillating Fan	0.5-1 Amps
Furnace Fan	7-9 Amps
Space Heater (1600 watts)	7-13 Amps
Space Heater (800 watts)	4-10 Amps
Refrigerator	5-8 Amps
Portable Ice Maker	19.2 Amps
Blender	5-6 Amps
Microwave Oven (Standard)	7-13 Amps
Microwave Oven (Convection)	7-15 Amps
Portable Pizza Oven	12.2 Amps
Toaster	8-10 Amps
Coffee Maker	5-8 Amps
Electric Kettle	6-12 Amps
Frying Pan (Cooking - High)	7-12 Amps
Crock-Pot (Cooking - High)	3-5 Amps
Crock-Pot (Warming)	1-2 Amps
Food Processor	5-8 Amps
Hair Dryer (High)	7-13 Amps
Curling Iron	0.5-0.7 Amps
Iron (High)	8-10 Amps
Washer/Dryer	140-16 Amps
Vacuum (Hand-Held)	2-6 Amps
DVD, Disc Player, Radio	0.5-2 Amps
Television HD, Digital	1.5-4 Amps
Satellite Receiver/Game Console	0.5-0.8 Amps
Computer (Laptop)	2-3 Amps
Chargers (small electronics)	0.5 to 1.5 Amps
Drill	2-6 Amps
Golf Cart Charger	13-21 Amps

 

[Lance22]

Ok, so I got a small power station and have ran a few tests...

First I ran two tests trying the Roadpro to cook 3 eggs, egg whites, frozen veggies & frozen spinach. and frozen chicken.

The first test I checked on it ever 15min. and after 3 hours I gave up and finished it on the stove... mainly cause I was hungry!

2nd test mostly the same but I only checked on it hourly. After the 4 hour mark I gave up. It was getting closer but I think it's just way to slow to be useful. Typical power draw was around 40-50 watts. I will try another test directly on the heating element such as trying to cook a frozen totinos pizza. Though I have serious doubts that will be any better. I remember I was pretty content with just letting it thraw on the dash in the texas summer sun and eating it a few hours latter. But I'll try a few more tests before I toss the hunk of crap into the trash.

I did a 1.5 Qt. rice cooker and it cooked up just rice beatifully in about 30min then I turned if off to finish cooking as it cooled. It is rated as 300 watts so it did only take about 150 watts to cook!

I need to replace my rice cooker given the bottom is so scratched up.. so either I get a 3Qt. rice cooker that is 500 watts OR a 3 Qt. instant pot.

according to the youtube tests online an instant pot will use some 150 watts while im guessing a new rice cooker would take 250 given the bigger size. My current rice cooker is to small. Which would mean I would need a new inverter given my power station only has a 600 watt inverter built in and the instant pot needs 700 watts. ugh..

I do have my 200ah batter that I would likely be drawing power from instead of the smaller unit. Plus currently have 200 watts of solar but looking to expand that to 400 on the roof and then another 50 watts on the dash.

I did also buy a Nutri bullet to replace my bigger blender and it is awesome! frozen berries and fresh veggies to make and delicious healthy sweet treat!

I am planning on testing out the 4 cup coffee maker to see how much watts that takes to brew my coffee. It does seem kinda insane to be trying to fit THIS much crap into a minivan but I do often heat up water by just running it through the coffee pot with no coffee grounds to warm up water for rawmen noodles.

I do also want an immersion blender, however, even though it does not have much power needs, I just think the space is likely better utilized elsewhere.

Besides that and the Fridge and freezer other power draws will be some fans and maybe an upgraded electric blanket during the winter. I might even upgrade to an 300Ah batter but not so fond of scraping my current battery just yet. So might try a dual system for the short term.

This planning has been kinda overwhelming but at the same time it's kinda exciting to be planning van life that will actually work for MY lifestyle.

Only thing that I decided to put on hold is getting two roof vents installed. likely will wait a while on that... I seen people use rain guards with fans on the back side windows of a minivan and that seems to be a good idea.

Some day I would LOVE to have a hybrid Toyota Sienna with climate control. I would set it at 77 in the summer and 55 during the winter and I would be as comfortable as I would be in my apartment now when im trying to save on the utility bill.

I think this is going to take me much longer to set it all back up than I had thought it would but that's ok. I enjoy the puzzle and I feel like it finally is starting to come together.

I think this is just the way people should do the planning. list the applicanes you need and start counting their wat usage and power draw and time you use them each day and start doing the work in counting up the typical power usage you need to live comfortably. It's not easy but it can be achieved. Plus listing out your typical foods and sizes and space needed to store them and then planning acordingly to size of fridge and freezer size... I'm still kinda winging it but at least I have an educated guess by having done it for a year.

 

[rruff]

I did a 1.5 Qt. rice cooker and it cooked up just rice beatifully in about 30min then I turned if off to finish cooking as it cooled. It is rated as 300 watts so it did only take about 150 watts to cook!

If a 300W rating means the max power draw, then you used less than 150Whr. It'll run at max to get up to temperature, then use just enough to maintain temperature. You really need to measure the energy consumption.

 

[jacqueg]

A simple rice cooker is a surprisingly useful way to cook food.

Roger Ebert wrote a totally delightful book about it - https://www.amazon.com/Pot-How-Use-Mystery-Romance/dp/0740791427

A blog post which is essentially a preview of the book - https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-pot-and-how-to-use-it Also, some of the comments are pretty entertaining/useful as well.

Since I don't like deal;ing with leftovers, I use a tiny rice cooker like this one - https://www.amazon.com/TLOG-Uncooked-Portable-Personal-Multi-cooker/dp/B09W2BBW3Y/

 

[Happy Camper]

Seriously consider getting a kill a watt for checking power consumption. It's accurate, and better then looking at the wattage of an allowance and timing it. Someone mentioned that they rent them in libraries. But regardless, they aren't expensive.

And it would really help you nail down your overall power needs currently and in the future.

 

[nicklee]

A simple rice cooker is a surprisingly useful way to cook food.

Roger Ebert wrote a totally delightful book about it - https://www.amazon.com/Pot-How-Use-Mystery-Romance/dp/0740791427

A blog post which is essentially a preview of the book - https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-pot-and-how-to-use-it Also, some of the comments are pretty entertaining/useful as well.

Since I don't like deal;ing with leftovers, I use a tiny rice cooker like this one - https://www.amazon.com/TLOG-Uncooked-Portable-Personal-Multi-cooker/dp/B09W2BBW3Y/

Very useful sharing

 

[Lance22]

I did track it via my power station output in watts. Plus with the battery size and percentage, it was accurate. The power read 290 some watts the entire time, or at least everytime I checked.

The Roadpro is listed at 140 watts but that mostlly never went above 50 or so. which explains why it was so underwhelming from my perspective. I have a hot logic I will test again before tossing.

Im doing another test with my rice AND frozen veggies and 40min in it's still mostly frozen. After 1 hour it was just slightly undercooked but was hot enought to unplug and let cool and finish cooking.

Meaning my rice cooker will cook my meals with 300 watts of power (296 watt hours per hour actually) In 1 hour. SO provided I upgrade from 200 watts to 400 watts I would have enough power on my main system to cook in good sunlight. Might draw more from the battery if I cook to late in the day but that is more of an extra battery issue than a lack of power issue..

I did check my coffee maker and it takes 700 watts. I am looking to see if I can find one that would take 500 watts. It's kinda exciting to see how I can actually start fitting electric cooking into a minivan! I did cold brew my coffee in the past and was content but if I can have my two hot 160z cups of coffee (4-5 cup coffee maker) in the morning I am going to be one happy camper! haha.

It's amazing what you can do with solar if you learn how it all works.

 

[Lance22]

Seriously consider getting a kill a watt for checking power consumption. It's accurate, and better then looking at the wattage of an allowance and timing it. Someone mentioned that they rent them in libraries. But regardless, they aren't expensive.

And it would really help you nail down your overall power needs currently and in the future.

I just don't think I need it now since I got my power station that measures draw in watts. Plus once I move out of my apartment I would have just thrown it away. Instead, I will keep my power station that can help me calculate power draw in watts and still have a useful tool.

 

[NctryBen]

I think my nuwave induction plate has a 600w setting that works ok... but I have 400 ah lithium and I think with two 100ah agm’s you’d have less then half available energy. I’d at least double the solar. But you’d be juggling a lot in my opinion.
The mini rice cookers are not a big deal... it would be the stove top.

 

[wayne49]

I also stick with the 600W setting on my Nuwave.

I prefer to use my Aroma rice cooker, as it draws only 290-340W in "cook" mode.

 

[Linda_Sue]

If you're looking for 12 cookers like sauce pans, skillets, etc they make just about anything for truckers. Type in 12 volt cooker on Amazon & several items come up. I have a 12v drip coffee maker that works great for traveling. For cooking while stationary I'd go with gas myself.

Bless your heart! I have the lunch box but I didn't know those other things existed! Thank you!

 

[Linda_Sue]

I haven't done it myself but I saw a video where the woman had her fridge perpetually connected to her jackery 500, with that plugged into one of the 12 volt ports in her vehicle (so the jackery gets charged up when she's driving - and in one of the ports that shuts off when you turn off the car, so you don't drain the car battery).

It kept the jackery topped up and she said it kept the fridge running for up to 3 days without a recharge. I don't know if that's any use to you at all.

I saw another video sometime after, and the woman was describing her setup and as I recall she said she was able to do it with a 240 jackery.

 

[independent]

Hi, I haven't read the whole thread so if I say something out of place or repeat something that's been said before please forgive me.

I run a number of tests years ago here in NZ in regards to how much electricity it takes to fully run a small 12v or 24v fridge off solar. There are so many variables but one good one is the hotter it is the more sun you generally have. However, to keep items cold in the heat more energy is expended bringing down the temperature. Sort of equalises out but not really.

I had a 60l Danfoss based traditional opening fridge. A chest 40l Danfoss based fridge and a couple of Engel fridges. Danfoss and Sawafuji were the main fridge compressors back in those days.

So, the idea is you have to keep the battery at the same state of charge and be able to charge it up more if you have a day or three of bad weather. I hope this makes sense. So you can gradually run your battery down, if you have low sun or not enough solar panels but eventuallly you have make up that deficit. All the time the fridge is chugging away. A 50% duty cycle is a good alround number. So if your fridge uses 2Amps when it's running then therefore you can roughly calculate it needs 1A of 12v all the time. So, 24x 12 watts (volts times amps).. 240watt hours. The means you have to supply 240 watt hours plus losses (there's always losses) plus an amount to recharge if you don't have sun. So roughly 25Amp hours will always need to be available every day. If I get 3 hours of sun I need to charge my battery in that time. If i want to have 3 days grace for when it's raining I have to 3x 25 Amp hours in storage and I need to replace those 75 Amp hours. Because I still need to run the fridge and replace the deficit of energy..

Long story short, if using solar only to reliably run a fridge, you need a decent amount of storage and decent amount of solar. Those figures are conservative as well. I found in real life circumstances I couldnt reliably run one of my fridges with 200W of solar and 100Ah of usable capacity. If you want to do it properly probably at least double the solar and double storage capacity. (If using lead acid batteries that mean 200Ah to 400Ah).

This is what I found for full time living. It's a lot of energy requiredx and not that encouraging I know. Sorry. I'd love to own fridge but don't anymore.