Running a dehydrator?

[Guest]

I want to take my dehydrator with me on the road, but I'm not quite sure how to run it<br><br>As far as I can tell, I have a 1000 watt model.&nbsp; I could get a new one with lower wattage, if necessary, but I'd really rather not<br><br>I just don't want to kill the battery while using the dehydrator, &amp; I'm still completely new at all this stuff.<br>can anyone give me any advice/information that might help me understand what I'm doing?

 

[mockturtle]

Do you already have an inverter?

 

[Guest]

I don't know.&nbsp; I have 2 batteries, &amp; regular plug-ins in the back of the van (that run off the regular batteries)<br><br>We still haven't gotten all the bells &amp; whistles figured out in our van

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Whew, 1000 watts....how long does it run?&nbsp; I know some people use a microwave, but they only run for a very short time period.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

Have you considered, or ever tried a non-electric dehydrator?<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kk5MCfyXL.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Dehydrat...8-1&amp;keywords=non+electric+food+dehydrator" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Food-Dehydrat...8-1&amp;keywords=non+electric+food+dehydrator</a>

 

[Guest]

It runs for hours (although 1000 is the highest, if I use a lower temperature, it runs lower wattage)<br><br><br>I've thought about a solar dehydrator, but I don't think the weather would be warm enough long enough to keep the food from spoiling.

 

[TxGypsy]

A fan will draw a lot less power than your dehydrator.&nbsp; You might try experimenting with using a fan for dehydrating.&nbsp; I didn't bring my dehydrator and I am really missing it.

 

[VanFan]

I would love to know what you dry and how you enjoy it later.&nbsp; Right now, I'm drying blueberries with an electric unit outside, 'cause it's noisy.<br><br>Vickie

 

[TxGypsy]

I like to make my own ingredients for dry soup mixes.&nbsp; I soak nuts before eating them and use a low temperature dehydrator setting to get them dry again.&nbsp; I make an amazing raw high protein energy bar that is my favorite thing out of the dehydrator. <br><br>First I soak almonds overnight and then re-dehydrate them.&nbsp; Soak sunflower seeds for a couple of hours and re-dehydrate them.&nbsp; Make goo out of dates in the food processor and add almonds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds(very high protein), a bit of honey if needed to make everything stick together, sea salt to taste.&nbsp; Some times I use figs if I have them available.&nbsp; You can add lots of stuff to this....flax seed meal, any type of dehydrated fruit, etc.&nbsp; I always make a batch before starting on a long motorcycle trip.

 

[Guest]

So far I've made mostly jerky &amp; fruit leathers.&nbsp; Although I've been slowly dehydrating all the fruit I have in the freezer since my husband &amp; I have decided that we're going to move into the van at the end of the month.<br><br>I'm starting to think that I might have to leave my dehydrator behind, unless I can get some solar panels hooked up to keep it running&nbsp;

 

[Guest]

<p>I just double checked the wattage for my dehydrator, &amp; found out I was wrong<br><br>it's actually 550 watts, not 1000 (I was running it at the time, so used a webpage with general information rather than actually looking at my dehydrator)</p><p><br>could I run this for 6+ hours in my van?</p>

 

[TxGypsy]

You will probably get better answers if you post this in the electrical/solar section of the forum.&nbsp; I would do some experimenting to see before I went out on the road if I was you.&nbsp; I have a solar panel that I can hook up when I'm sitting still long enough that I need to charge the battery.&nbsp; I have a volt and amp readout inside of my van, so I can tell at a glance what is going on with my system.&nbsp; I highly recommend getting one.&nbsp; It takes all of the guess work out of knowing what power you have available.&nbsp; <br><br>I've been slowly experimenting to learn what I can do with my system capabilities.&nbsp; I have a very small inverter that plugs into a cigarette outlet(200 watt continuous/400 watt peak).&nbsp; I have been plugging in different things that I use when I have the solar panel hooked up and the sun is shining.&nbsp; I've also been plugging them in when there was no active charging going on to see how quickly it pulls down the battery.&nbsp; I have been amazed at how well the solar panel keeps the battery at full charge with my 12 volt refrigerator going, 12 volt roof ventilation fan and an additional load on the small inverter.&nbsp; As long as the sun is shining, the charge in the battery doesn't waver.&nbsp; I think once I swap over to 2 batteries that are designed for solar as opposed to the 1 marine deep cycle that I have now, I would feel confident that I could run my dehydrator in the middle of the day with the sun shining.&nbsp; Generally speaking, it is discouraged to use anything that makes heat on a solar system since it takes so much power....which your dehydrator would qualify since it does have a heating element.

 

[Guest]

yeah, leaving at the end of the month was kinda sudden (my husband decided after our honeymoon 'Hey, we can do this', &amp; our lease runs out at the end of this month anyway).&nbsp; I had been planning on getting to know the van better, &amp; doing more experimenting, but it doesn't look like I'll have much time for either&nbsp; <br><br>Wouldn't a dehydrator be okay because of how low the amount of power it uses though? (I really don't know, I'm a complete noob at all of this&nbsp; D

 

[TxGypsy]

It depends on the type and number of batteries you have and the method you use to keep them charged.

 

[user 423]

<span id="post_message_1278951815">

I have 2 batteries, &amp; regular plug-ins in the back of the van (that run off the regular batteries)

<br><br>If you have a factory-built Class B and you have 'regular plug-ins' (AC outlets) then you probably have a AC/DC converter. This is a power distribution panel that converts AC (shore power) to DC to charge the battery and to power interior lights,water pumps,etc. It also feeds AC power to the outlets or to an air conditioner.<br><br>If this is a DIY camper van, then someone may have installed an inverter to power the outlets. Is there an external power cord somewhere? Usually it's in a small compartment at the left rear of the van.<br><br>(See the electrical forum)<br></span>

 

[Guest]

Yeah, my van's a factory built class B.&nbsp; I didn't know that about the converter though, I guess I better read the manual *sheepish grin*

 

[user 423]

LOL...not the first to ignore one. If you have a fridge, look under it for a panel.

 

[Guest]

There's a panel, but we haven't figured out how it works yet.&nbsp; We've got all the original documentation (pretty impressive for a 1983 IMO), but we've been so busy with other things that I haven't had time to focus on it&nbsp;

 

[VanFan]

TXGypsy:&nbsp; That recipe sounds awesome!<br>Vickie