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

[rruff]

I've had a kill-a-watt for a long time, but I'd guess other brands work fine too. I used it to figure out the insulation and heat loss in my camper, using an electric heater. Also measured the laptop power consumption. It's handy tool. I like IR thermometers also!

 

[user 37446]

This is directed at those that don't already know this.

Watts gets almost all the attention. Amps (current flow) is much easier for me, and amp flow is the basis for most all other electrical measurements. Anyone using solar, battery, and inverter (120VAC), needs the capability to measure amps, and notice on a device's label how many amps are required. If amps aren't shown, use watts divided by 120v equals amps required.

However many amps your 120vac load requires, your inverter to change the 12vdc to 120vac requires more than 10 times that amount of current (amps) from the battery to power your AC device. 120v divided by 12v equals the 10x multiplier.

A 2000 watt inverter will power things that don't require heavy start-up surges about the same as a 15 amp residential wall outlet.

Multiplying that 15 amps times 10 results in 150+ dc amps from the battery to provide that 2000 watts. How long can your battery provide 150 amps? How big are the wires feeding your inverter from the battery?

Time flies. I bought my first 2000 watt inverter over twenty-five years ago, to power 120vac power tools from a vehicle's battery. It still works.

After about ten years experimenting with toaster ovens, microwaves, electric skillets, short term air conditioning, etc, I basically gave up on large ac loads, even with 400 watts of solar, deep cycle and lithium batteries. It takes effort, skills and dedication to develop and maintain your own miniature power grid. Large amounts of DC current can really tax your system and create problems.

In my case, it's also about space saving. Giving up those electrical things provided more space in my van. Using a fuel based stove for me is more efficient, allows for inside heating while cooking, and outside cooking when possible. I use two small pressure cookers as energy savers.

An induction hot plate is next on my list to try. Thanks for the above info on them.

One other thing to remember is that typically the "experts" say that a 100 amp battery can support a 1K watt inverter and you should have a 200 amp battery for a 2K inverter. I may be understating the relationship a bit however I remember Bob W saying even two 6 volt golf cart batteries really couldn't power his microwave, he had to go to four.
Voltage "sag" is an issue with inverters and can cause them to shut down. Wire thickness can be a big factor there.

 

[Markw]

For cooking I would go with an instant pot. Induction uses far too much power. Plus with an instant pot it really is set it and forget it, much like a rice cooker. I know it may sound a bit hyperbolic, but you can really cook almost anything in an instant pot...it's like an electric pressure cooker. Not only can it cook practically anything, it does it faster than traditional methods. I can have chicken and rice with veggies ready in maybe 20 minutes total (including cutting up the chicken etc). I even made an omelette in mine (though getting it out is slightly tricky).

Having used a rice cooker, an instant pot will be an easy transition for you and doesn't need all the extras that an induction stovetop would require (pots, pans etc that are induction ready...because you can't just use any old pots and pans with induction).

 

[Lance22]

So I checked my rice cooker and it's listed as 300 watts. Also the Roadpro I have is listed at 144 watts. Although I was never able to get it to work on my system, maybe defective but likely my system wasn't able to power it for some reason.

I have been leaning towards upgrading my current system to 300 watts up from 200 watts solar and keeping the 200ah batter as is. Since my charge controller can only work with 300 watts and not 400. THEN the 4th pannel be a 100 watts pannel would be connected to an independent power station likely a Westing house 300 or 600-watt hour station.

Side Note - I am curious as to if I could get value with sticking a solar flex panel in the back window or I could glue a flex panel onto the hood I guess but I wonder if it would just burn up and or melt after I need to drive for a few hours at one time?

My 300 watts would power my fridge and freezer while my 100 watts would ideally power my Roadpro or Rice cooker if not Instant pot but I'm not sure I need an Instant Pot. Most of my meals are now just heating up frozen food. I have switched to frozen cooked chicken just like I have frozen cooked beef meatballs, I also plan on keeping frozen turkey meatballs along with my frozen veggies.

So my cooking for 30min on my current rice cooker uses 150 watts which would be 50% or 25% usage of the Westing House power stations 300 and 600 sizes. Plus if I'm using it in the evenings 100/2/2 so say 25 watts coming in the evening that would help chip off a bit of that battery storage as well...

I do use power stations for my cellphones and devices and I simply would gravitate to which either power station has excess power to charge them.

I'm liking the idea of having two independent systems especially considering I'd need a new power charger if I kept it all onto one. Plus if something failed on my main system I could rather easily switch another pannel to the Westing House power station and unplug the fridge and keep the freezer going and freeze water jugs and put them into the fridge and use it as a cooler until I could fix it.

I have had butane in the past and it worked rather well, I do think I will upgrade to the green bottles of propane and have that as a backup. I have cooked in my minivan often in the past especially at the LTVA but In town I kinda feel very awkward doing that lol. But the idea of cooking at a park in the afternoon on a very cloudy cool fall day sounds absolutely awesome!

I do intend to also see about getting that Roadpro 20oz water boiler/warmer. I love rawmen noodles with extra water broth. Though I typically switched to ice coffee during my van life days, weird cause now I drink it hot always now that I'm in an apartment for now.

So to summarize my plan to fitting a healthy diet into a minivan life..

Breakfast: Cold brew coffee with ice from the freezer / OR / coffee brewed via Roadpro water boiler / OR / propane stove

Lunch: Salad, leafy greens, cucumbers, carrots, fresh onions, cheeses, olives, dressings etc etc stored via the fridge

Dinner: Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, maybe rice, peppers, carrots, corn, chicken, beef, turkey, from the freezer with sour cream and cheese from the fridge cooked in a Road Pro / OR / Rice cooker / OR / butane stove during periods of extended clouds

Snacks: apples, rawmen noodles, frozen totino's pizza, bannans, chips or crackers, oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc etc.

While the dual solar power systems will be as followed:

Main - 300 Watts going to 200AH batter that powers an Alpicool G22 freezer 23 Q and an Alpicool T50 fridge 53 Q

Secondary - 100 Watts going to a 49.33 AH ( OR 24.67 ) Westing house power station. Which will power my RoadPro / OR / Rice cooker which ever one I decided to use more and will likely part ways with the other to save space. Additionally it would power my RoadPro water boiler,

Both systems would be used to power up my power banks and laptop based on which system has more power to spare.

Plus a propane stove using the green bottles mostly as a less used cooking method / backup to decrease over heating the minivan cause it's gonna be a sonna in there!!

Plus I will be putting in two roof vents for better airflow, and likely glueing on another set of rain guards in hopes these don't fly off like the last set did, although to be fair a dirt devil tornado in New Mexico took one of them.

Microwave and induction are just to watt expensive for my setup , and an instant pot may not be needed given I'm mostly just heating up frozen foods. Plus I will have my propane green bottle stove to do some cooking raw meat occasionally IF I want to actually cook some meat myself and as a backup method when I'm watt poor.

Only thing I skipped calculating in my process is the cost of buying raw/cooked at Walmart frozen raw chicken is around 3-4bucks a lb but cooked frozen is around 5-7 a lb. How much of that 1lb raw frozen is lost in the cooking process? ie is that 1lb only 3/4ths a lb cooked? Plus how much butaine cost in the green bottles is used up cooking said chicken? so there for how added cost IS that cooked frozen chicken vs raw frozen chicken???

Plus time to cook and time to clean up is also a factor but overall I just want to have access to convenient simple healthy meals, and I think I have FINALLY figured it all out for the most part.

Much appreciated to everyone who gave some good input. I will keep an instant pot in mind if and when I want to move beyond mostly frozen cooked meats, but for now I'm gonna try to keep it simple and see how solid the planned set up is before I keep spending more watts I may not have..

 

[rruff]

So I checked my rice cooker and it's listed as 300 watts. Also the Roadpro I have is listed at 144 watts. Although I was never able to get it to work on my system, maybe defective but likely my system wasn't able to power it for some reason.

I have been leaning towards upgrading my current system to 300 watts up from 200 watts solar and keeping the 200ah batter as is. Since my charge controller can only work with 300 watts and not 400. THEN the 4th pannel be a 100 watts pannel would be connected to an independent power station likely a Westing house 300 or 600-watt hour station.

Side Note - I am curious as to if I could get value with sticking a solar flex panel in the back window or I could glue a flex panel onto the hood I guess but I wonder if it would just burn up and or melt after I need to drive for a few hours at one time?

My 300 watts would power my fridge and freezer while my 100 watts would ideally power my Roadpro or Rice cooker if not Instant pot but I'm not sure I need an Instant Pot. Most of my meals are now just heating up frozen food. I have switched to frozen cooked chicken just like I have frozen cooked beef meatballs, I also plan on keeping frozen turkey meatballs along with my frozen veggies.

So my cooking for 30min on my current rice cooker uses 150 watts which would be 50% or 25% usage of the Westing House power stations 300 and 600 sizes. Plus if I'm using it in the evenings 100/2/2 so say 25 watts coming in the evening that would help chip off a bit of that battery storage as well...

I do use power stations for my cellphones and devices and I simply would gravitate to which either power station has excess power to charge them.

I'm liking the idea of having two independent systems especially considering I'd need a new power charger if I kept it all onto one. Plus if something failed on my main system I could rather easily switch another pannel to the Westing House power station and unplug the fridge and keep the freezer going and freeze water jugs and put them into the fridge and use it as a cooler until I could fix it.

I have had butane in the past and it worked rather well, I do think I will upgrade to the green bottles of propane and have that as a backup. I have cooked in my minivan often in the past especially at the LTVA but In town I kinda feel very awkward doing that lol. But the idea of cooking at a park in the afternoon on a very cloudy cool fall day sounds absolutely awesome!

I do intend to also see about getting that Roadpro 20oz water boiler/warmer. I love rawmen noodles with extra water broth. Though I typically switched to ice coffee during my van life days, weird cause now I drink it hot always now that I'm in an apartment for now.

So to summarize my plan to fitting a healthy diet into a minivan life..

Breakfast: Cold brew coffee with ice from the freezer / OR / coffee brewed via Roadpro water boiler / OR / propane stove

Lunch: Salad, leafy greens, cucumbers, carrots, fresh onions, cheeses, olives, dressings etc etc stored via the fridge

Dinner: Frozen broccoli, cauliflower, maybe rice, peppers, carrots, corn, chicken, beef, turkey, from the freezer with sour cream and cheese from the fridge cooked in a Road Pro / OR / Rice cooker / OR / butane stove during periods of extended clouds

Snacks: apples, rawmen noodles, frozen totino's pizza, bannans, chips or crackers, oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc etc.

While the dual solar power systems will be as followed:

Main - 300 Watts going to 200AH batter that powers an Alpicool G22 freezer 23 Q and an Alpicool T50 fridge 53 Q

Secondary - 100 Watts going to a 49.33 AH ( OR 24.67 ) Westing house power station. Which will power my RoadPro / OR / Rice cooker which ever one I decided to use more and will likely part ways with the other to save space. Additionally it would power my RoadPro water boiler,

Both systems would be used to power up my power banks and laptop based on which system has more power to spare.

Plus a propane stove using the green bottles mostly as a less used cooking method / backup to decrease over heating the minivan cause it's gonna be a sonna in there!!

Plus I will be putting in two roof vents for better airflow, and likely glueing on another set of rain guards in hopes these don't fly off like the last set did, although to be fair a dirt devil tornado in New Mexico took one of them.

Microwave and induction are just to watt expensive for my setup , and an instant pot may not be needed given I'm mostly just heating up frozen foods. Plus I will have my propane green bottle stove to do some cooking raw meat occasionally IF I want to actually cook some meat myself and as a backup method when I'm watt poor.

Only thing I skipped calculating in my process is the cost of buying raw/cooked at Walmart frozen raw chicken is around 3-4bucks a lb but cooked frozen is around 5-7 a lb. How much of that 1lb raw frozen is lost in the cooking process? ie is that 1lb only 3/4ths a lb cooked? Plus how much butaine cost in the green bottles is used up cooking said chicken? so there for how added cost IS that cooked frozen chicken vs raw frozen chicken???

Plus time to cook and time to clean up is also a factor but overall I just want to have access to convenient simple healthy meals, and I think I have FINALLY figured it all out for the most part.

Much appreciated to everyone who gave some good input. I will keep an instant pot in mind if and when I want to move beyond mostly frozen cooked meats, but for now I'm gonna try to keep it simple and see how solid the planned set up is before I keep spending more watts I may not have..

^^^ A few comments....

If your rice cooker is rated to 300W, that's only its max draw. You need to measure to know what it consumes.

I think the hood is a fine place for a solar panel. Engine heat isn't likely an issue, but can be fixed if it is. Unless flex panels have improved a lot, the rigid ones are much longer lasting. I know there is more weight, but in the grand scheme they are pretty light. One thing I saw recently that might be useful to some, is panels attached to the side of a van. They hinged at the top and tilted up to nearly horizontal in use. You could realistically double your area and energy production... plus they provide some shade, and can also cover the windows when stowed. If you don't have any remote panels, that would improve your situation when there are trees around. Get an additional MPPT and wire them for 24v to reduce wiring size/losses.

The green propane bottles have gotten expensive, but they are still a great backup. If you want heat too, bulk propane is worth the hassle, being ~1/5 the cost.

I still haven't gotten a fridge... just eat things that don't need it. The extra solar, batteries, space, noise, contraption that breaks down, etc... are still not worth it to me.

 

[Lance22]

^^^ A few comments....

If your rice cooker is rated to 300W, that's only its max draw. You need to measure to know what it consumes.

I think the hood is a fine place for a solar panel. Engine heat isn't likely an issue, but can be fixed if it is. Unless flex panels have improved a lot, the rigid ones are much longer lasting. I know there is more weight, but in the grand scheme they are pretty light. One thing I saw recently that might be useful to some, is panels attached to the side of a van. They hinged at the top and tilted up to nearly horizontal in use. You could realistically double your area and energy production... plus they provide some shade, and can also cover the windows when stowed. If you don't have any remote panels, that would improve your situation when there are trees around. Get an additional MPPT and wire them for 24v to reduce wiring size/losses.

The green propane bottles have gotten expensive, but they are still a great backup. If you want heat too, bulk propane is worth the hassle, being ~1/5 the cost.

I still haven't gotten a fridge... just eat things that don't need it. The extra solar, batteries, space, noise, contraption that breaks down, etc... are still not worth it to me.

I think that's part of the benefit of using a power station vs a battery system. The power station has a battery % plus you can remove all other draws so you can better test how much it actually uses.

I always kinda liked the idea of having an overhang panel so I might see how that would look on my minivan lol. I don't like the idea of hinges or stuff like that given I'm in the city I want more stealth and I think Hinges is the minivan version of RV with slides lol.

I'd only consider a propane tank if I had an external storage method for it. Plus I don't cook with flame that often, when I did it was typically short cooking times like eggs, noodles or warming up food. Usually once it was up to temp the lid kept the heat in so I could turn off the flame anyways.

I don't know how you can live without a fridge at least. When was the last time you had cooked frozen carrots and melted cheddar cheese on top? Or do you eat cooked broccoli with meatballs and cheese? What about a salad? Spring greens with fresh onions and feta cheese and dressing?

It was hard setting up the system I have now JUST for my fridge but it was well worth it. I couldn't imagine not having it. Your food options are much more limited but if you can manage without comfortably you truly did something I was never able to do.

 

[user 37446]

I’ve not heard much good about the longevity of flex panels, plus they are 2-3x the price of fixed panels. The heat that cannot be easily dissipated from the bottom of the panel can cook them way too quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Solar...mzn1.fos.ac2169a1-b668-44b9-8bd0-5ec63b24bcb5
https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-200-W...mzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840
https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-M...mzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840
The more successful users either make them “semi flex” due to a substrate underneath or they make sure they are not taped directly to a metal surface.

I have seen some campers (on YT) “drape” them down the side of their van while parked. Seems like a decent idea, no idea of the % of output that a near vertical panel would produce.

 

[user 37446]

Maybe a folding 200 watt suitcase style would be an idea for you.

https://www.amazon.com/DOKIO-Portab...sprefix=200+watt+folding+solar,aps,100&sr=8-4
https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Po...sprefix=200+watt+folding+solar,aps,100&sr=8-5

 

[user 37446]

In a minivan, an extra non-mounted rigid panel would take up alot of room, the folding rigid would be say 50% smaller and much more robust than a flex panel. One YT vandweller kept their flex panel under their bed until needed.

 

[Happy Camper]

You can get thin film panels and roll them up. They cost more per watt, but are very versatile.

 

[Zoomyn]

"ETFE" film is a recent upgrade to flex panels - has a 15 year life span versus 15 or 30 months...

Search it out, for top tier man'f panels there can be warranty out 10 years or more.

Though... that makes the PV wire a new weak spot, gentle routing and anchoring near panel & even a caulk glaze cover to cable exit gland / cover plastic...

 

[BelgianPup]

Does anyone know of any books on solar power for RVs, simple to understand, for dummies? I have a rather nasty case of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) ... like 80% positive. Think on the level of Dumb Bunny Extraordinaire.

 

[user 37446]

Look up Will Prowse on YT, he has a book.

 

[user 37446]

Yuma 200W CIGS Thin-film Flexible Solar Panel with Pre-Punched Holes​

(12)
$529.99 Regular price$569.99

Soendy...

Not that Bob Wells knows it all however he isn't a fan of flex, no matter what kind. Just FYI

 

[Happy Camper]

These are nice. And small. I have one. Read the reviews.

ALLPOWERS Portable Solar Panel 100W (Dual 5v USB with 18v DC Output) Monocrystalline Solar Charger Foldable Solar Panel for Laptop, Portable Generator, 12v Car, Boat, RV Battery https://a.co/d/85BBYfW

 

[user 37446]

This wont help you with your questions but theres not many other places to mention it (well other than under Electricals, duh).
Saw this on Amazon today, and considering the 300 is the upgraded 240, its a good price for anyne looking for a smaller battery in a box…
https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Port...32-a4d5-de5bb3a58e65&pd_rd_i=B082TMBYR6&psc=1
The used like new ( a return) price is $261.

Used - Like New​

$261.35

---

Condition - open box
Ships from
GoodBye Retail
Sold by: GoodBye Retail
(4722 ratings)
90% positive over last 12 months

 

[Happy Camper]

They are still calling them generators. Makes me want to slap the crap out of a few random marketing people.

At least people are starting to understand what they are in spite of the misleading name.

 

[user 37446]

Does anyone know of any books on solar power for RVs, simple to understand, for dummies? I have a rather nasty case of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) ... like 80% positive. Think on the level of Dumb Bunny Extraordinaire.

OFF GRID SOLAR POWER FOR BEGINNERS: A DIY GUIDE TO SOLAR ENERGY, DESIGNING, AND INSTALLING OFF GRID SOLAR SYSTEMS FOR RVS, CAMPER VANS, BOATS, CABINS, AND TINY HOMES Paperback – June 8, 2022​

by DIY SOURCE (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 130 ratings

Solar & 12 Volt Power for beginners: off grid power for everyone Paperback – August 14, 2017​

by George Eccleston (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,375 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
$20.00 paperback
97 ratings

Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!: Mobile 12 volt off grid solar system design and installation. RV's, Vans, Cars and boats! Do-it-yourself step by step instructions. Paperback – May 15, 2017​

by William Errol Prowse IV (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4,341 ratings
4.4 on Goodreads
242 ratings

Off Grid Solar Power Simplified: For Rvs, Vans, Cabins, Boats and Tiny Homes Paperback – January 23, 2020​

by Nick Seghers (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,963 ratings
4.4 on Goodreads
60 ratings

Just google search for it…

 

[BelgianPup]

OFF GRID SOLAR POWER FOR BEGINNERS: A DIY GUIDE TO SOLAR ENERGY, DESIGNING, AND INSTALLING OFF GRID SOLAR SYSTEMS FOR RVS, CAMPER VANS, BOATS, CABINS, AND TINY HOMES Paperback – June 8, 2022​

by DIY SOURCE (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 130 ratings

Solar & 12 Volt Power for beginners: off grid power for everyone Paperback – August 14, 2017​

by George Eccleston (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,375 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
$20.00 paperback
97 ratings

Mobile Solar Power Made Easy!: Mobile 12 volt off grid solar system design and installation. RV's, Vans, Cars and boats! Do-it-yourself step by step instructions. Paperback – May 15, 2017​

by William Errol Prowse IV (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4,341 ratings
4.4 on Goodreads
242 ratings

Off Grid Solar Power Simplified: For Rvs, Vans, Cabins, Boats and Tiny Homes Paperback – January 23, 2020​

by Nick Seghers (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,963 ratings
4.4 on Goodreads
60 ratings

Just google search for it…

TWOH2.0, Thank you very much!

 

[user 37446]

Sure thing. At my pt job I just look at a camera monitor (mostly) and can fiddle around... If it helps you or others then that's good.