Question about kitchen electronics

[GTDigger]

Finding a source of electricity in an urban setting shouldn’t be that hard. Many libraries, restaurants, bathrooms or picnic pavilions have outlets you can use to charge up smaller portable power packs. Does your storage unit have an outlet you can use? Car manufacturers don’t usually design charging systems or use starter batteries any larger than necessary as it cost them money. You are better off in the long run figuring out your own independent system. I have used break room refrigerators at my work place or free ice from drink machines or motels I worked at or visited. Having a 12 volt refrigerator is great but at a bare minimum you need to be sure you have a way to jump start you vehicle should it run down your car starter battery while parked if you use your vehicle for a power source.

The storage unit doesn’t, but I didn’t think about taking a power supply and charging it somewhere without making it obvious.
I guess a Jackery makes sense, I’m just worried about walking in somewhere with a giant battery and looking for an outlet. Hotel ice machines is a great idea, thank you

 

[maki2]

Sorry, this is all new. And I guess the guy at camping world is giving me bad info. I can easily work with a LP stove connected to a 20lb tank. Or charcoal at public parks. By bulk cooking I meant preparing a few days meals at the storage unit and going with a larger 12v fridge for storage in the vehicle. I thought all of those fridge units would just work off of the outlet. I’m going to be city living and keeping my head down, so
I don’t know if a solar panel is a great idea to stay stealthy

It is not at all easy to live in a car and keep your head down. People will notice because humans are creatures of habit and you will quickly and unintentionally slip into new regular routines out of necessity. The motel will notice you getting ice regularly as they have security cameras. So you would have to rotate between motels and show up in the evenings when other guest will be most likely to be getting ice. Plus you will not be using the small containers that the motels provide guest for getting ice. That means traveling to several motels to get enough ice to last. Small ice chest do not keep the cold as well as one of the larger expensive, super insulated ice chest. So fetching ice is something you will be doing several times a week. There is no way around it with your limited ability to generate electrical power, you will need to adapt and eat more foods that do not require refrigeration. In an urban area you are near to grocery stores but you will not have the cost savings of buying foods in quantity. If you head on over to the cooking and food section of this forum you can gets lots of past and present advice from people who live out of passenger cars. You do not have to limit where you find advice to this one thread. The advice given for all your questions has been asked and answered many times over the years including tons of tips on car camping in urban environments.

 

[bullfrog !]

Definitely make friends with motel staff to get to know their policies. A gallon freezer bag fits most machine chutes and a small drink cooler gets filled quickly and many won’t care. If you buy a fountain drink they might let you get a couple cups of ice to fill your drink cooler if you ask. Train stations, airports, truck stops and bus stations often have outlets so phones can be charged. Many motels have outlets outside especially in colder northern areas for diesel block heaters and nowadays EVs. If you join a health club they often have outlets in common cool down areas but if they don’t make friends with the desk attendants. Volunteering with civic groups a few hours a week like at a food bank, hospital or nursing home might very well give you access to all you may need not to mention filling a need.

 

[Happy Camper]

Sorry, this is all new. And I guess the guy at camping world is giving me bad info. I can easily work with a LP stove connected to a 20lb tank. Or charcoal at public parks. By bulk cooking I meant preparing a few days meals at the storage unit and going with a larger 12v fridge for storage in the vehicle. I thought all of those fridge units would just work off of the outlet. I’m going to be city living and keeping my head down, so
I don’t know if a solar panel is a great idea to stay stealthy

I'd like to consider a different thought process for your exact situation.

You have storage, and you want to cook there using electricity. You also want to store that food in your car in a 12v fridge.

Get a power station and an inverter generator.
You can cook and recharge the station at the same time while at storage.

Keep it simple.

 

[maki2]

I'd like to consider a different thought process for your exact situation.

You have storage, and you want to cook there using electricity. You also want to store that food in your car in a 12v fridge.

Get a power station and an inverter generator.
You can cook and recharge the station at the same time while at storage.

Keep it simple.

The suggestions all have pluses and minuses for what will work best including this one.

It will take a 2,000 watt generator to run 1,500 watt appliances. Of course the generator has to be outdoors when running. That is certainly not going to be stealthy at a storage facility. They will know you are inside there doing something or another. But it is better than violating storage unit fire safety regulations by having a 20lb container of propane stored inside and using an open flame for cooking. But storing gasoline in a storage unit is also likely to be a violation of the storage unit fire safety rules. If you are sleeping in a car you would not want a gas can in it or a bulky generator. So how would you make this idea of an inverter generator work without getting kicked out of a storage unit?

 

[eDJ_]

So would any qualified members care to outline how to go about calculating a budget for any and all devices operating on "house battery power" ? How would you start doing this , what would you look for on devices, appliances, or lighting etc ? Once there is a bottom line figure (total watts) how would you surmise the minutes or hours each of these things would operate each day ? I can understand it in the abstract but I'd like to see it calculated on a "Model Project" as a demo.

 

[Happy Camper]

Look up solar power calculator and you'll find quite a few. Try some out and see which one works best for you.

Most of the time you'll have the option of mixing 12v and 120v draws.

 

[LargeMarge]

...2021 Mazda CX-5...to move into. I have a storage space...a a cooking area for bulk meals.

I guess I need a pretty decent power inverter to run out of my back 12v supply. And does a rechargeable large battery make sense?

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a)
Yes!, an auxiliary ('house') battery bank makes sense for your purpose.
And most batteries are rechargeable, so that is one less thing to consider.
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I would strongly recommend *AGAINST* one of those silly all-in-one boxes generically known as a 'solar generator'.
Those goofy contraptions are designed for and marketed to the Carhartt-beanie crowd.
If any part of the box goes TU (toes up), the entire thing is worthless.
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(This forum has several threads about 'solar generator' failures, and failures of the manufacturer to warranty the darn things, then you are out major fedbux... and have to begin again from the beginning.)
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Instead, be modular and resilient:
Get a couple AGM or LiFePo4 batteries -- these are your bank.
Get a 2,000-Watt pure-sine inverter from Harbor Freight -- this operates your 120vdc appliances.
Get an isolator -- your starting battery is charged first, then your house batteries are charged second to ensure you are always able to start the vehicle.
On the farm, I built this system in each of our delivery trucks.
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If any part of my system goes TU, I can quickly and easily plug in another unit, and I am instantly up and running.
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Another benefit to my system:
The components are readily available at auto-parts stores, hardware stores, and Harbor Freight stores.
The 'solar generator' business seems to be primarily mail-order, so any adjustments require shipping the deely-bobber back to the manufacturer, and then, you get to wait.
Meanwhile, your whole shootin' match is dead in the water.
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b)
Unless you are married to your little station-wagon, I think you might be better served with a van or truck-camper.
For us, we need someplace to stand while getting dressed.
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re : 'stealth'
In most urban paradises, so many people live in vehicles, nobody much cares anymore.
Unless you go major sideways, nobody will notify LawEnforcementOfficials.
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An aside:
In Boise v., the 9th Circuit judge ruled the bureaucrats cannot 'churn' street-campers unless adequate off-street housing is available.
[This's my understanding and my opinion.]
That ruling applies to all the western states, and may be quoted in other regions.
.
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San Diego, California, Dave is a full-time live-aboard in his van.
He hangs his photovoltaic panels all over his rig, plus sets them on the lawn next to the sidewalk.
Like us in our rig, Dave ignores the entire concept of 'stealth'.

 

[LargeMarge]

... I guess the guy at camping world is giving me bad info. I can easily work with a LP stove connected to a 20lb tank... I’m going to be city living...
I don’t know if a solar panel is a great idea to stay stealthy

.
a)
You can stay safe -- very safe -- by presuming anybody at CampingWorld knows less than you.
Sales staff get paid to sell stuff.
A great many sales staff could sell insurance this week, used cars next week, and pharmaceuticals on weekends.
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In our ExpeditionVehicle, we have an ancient Coleman propane two-burner camp-stove.
It runs off a dedicated five-gallon twenty-pounder propane bottle with a dedicated hose.
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(We also have three induction hot-plates, but rarely use them because our equally-ancient AGM battery bank is getting on in years.)
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An aside:
We use a Wave 3 catalytic heater.
It runs off a dedicated five-gallon propane bottle and a dedicated hose.
Nearing the end of using either the stove or the heater, we close the valve on its bottle, and allow the appliance to go through the gas in the hose.
This's as safe as we can make it.
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Irregardless, we think 'scared of propane' is a good thing.
It keeps us examining fittings and shaking fixtures, verifying the hoses and appliances, triple-checking no leaks before and after each use.
.
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b)
We also started new.
We quickly realized hanging out with experienced travelers was the most cost-effective method of learning.
They saved us from buying a bunch of CampingWorld stuff to compensate for our lack of knowledge.

 

[eDJ_]

I found this 18 minute Youtube video that shows the building of a portable solar generator in a large plastic tool box. The cost are discussed along with various work arounds including using your house battery with solar for a more permanent onboard installation. (which I will probably do and carry a heavy extension cord with power strip if I need power outside while in camp and shore power isn't available) It would be nice to have LED lighting indoor & outdoor and eliminate liquid fuels and only have propane for the cook top which can be used in the Van or outdoors.

Thanks for the suggestion Camper

DIY Solar Generator Save Thousands by building your own

 

[LargeMarge]

Would you consider a cargo trailer?
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Apparently, the tow rating for your station-wagon is about a ton (2,000#).
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If you could cook inside a similar trailer, could you eliminate the expense of rent and those inquisitive eyes of the storage management?
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A trailer like this could weigh as little as a quarter-ton (500#).
My neighbor just gave away a similar trailer because nobody wanted to buy it:

 

[Carla618]

For $100 spent, you can cook all your meals for 6 months with propane.

For $1000 spent, you can cook some of your meals with *electricity.

For $3000 spent, you can cook most of your meals, most of the time, with *electricity.

Decide on a budget, and we can help you make the right decisions.

(*using portable solar panels and batteries)

Hope you don't have to spend $1000 for "some" meals, because I spent half that:

$279 VTOMAN Power Station 600 watts: https://a.co/d/4nY3ogO

$126 for 220 watts solar: https://a.co/d/if4MSIu

And the frig....

$168 for 32 quart Set Power 12 volt frig

 

[maki2]

So would any qualified members care to outline how to go about calculating a budget for any and all devices operating on "house battery power" ? How would you start doing this , what would you look for on devices, appliances, or lighting etc ? Once there is a bottom line figure (total watts) how would you surmise the minutes or hours each of these things would operate each day ? I can understand it in the abstract but I'd like to see it calculated on a "Model Project" as a demo.

I would go about it from a site that sells things such as solar panels and batteries that has an online calculator in their help section as well as list of the typical power useage from various appliances. Those online calculators exist because the great majority of customers are pretty much overwhelmed by doing electrical calculations. It has been about 6ve years since I was buying components stuff for my solar setup in my small vintage travel trailer renovation project but I think I remember seeing a calculator like that on the Renogy website and some Lithium Barrett websites as well. In other words they created a “guide book for dummies” with a built in calculator and instant input numbers to select from for various appliance types as well as ,lights and accessories.

I am on a slow connection speed today so you will have to do your own keyword searches to find those calculators. But they do exist as a free to use selling aid for potential customers.

 

[eDJ_]

So the results of my Data Crunch came from Go Power com.

In a brief online chat there I was schooled more on DC refrigerators powered by battery/solar. The rest of the appliances were not considered too challenging as they are just used intermittently. But a DC fridge is the big drain and that's to be considered if hours of sunlight are limited due to stormy weather, time of year, or hills & mountains.

For me, this is just a starting point

Solar Sizing Calculator

Here

The Solar Calculator:

Here

Inverter Calculator

Here

 

[abnorm]

An old member here ...........Frater Secessus from Central Florida...........Has a WIKI page that addresses power generation/usage of the Nomad

https://rvwiki.mousetrap.net/doku.php?id=electrical:12v:intro
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