Maintenance & Restoration

TracyG · 08-24-2019, 04:16 PM

I am starting to think that between (1) a stove-top pressure cooker, (2) a thermal cooker (I already own a soft/fabric version of this that I never use and the SS version looks pretty cool), and (3) the solar cooker that I also already own, that maybe I won't miss the Instant Pot when boon-docking! Well, maybe not too much anyway! And I can pull it out when I'm plugged in somewhere. Also a good idea to cook in advance, where I have all my favorite appliances and more space. You guys are all great! Keep the ideas coming -- love it!

TracyG · 08-24-2019, 04:20 PM

Thanks for that info too, Jon. I don't know much about batteries, so every bit is helpful.

Jon in AZ · 08-24-2019, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyG

Thanks for that info too, Jon. I don't know much about batteries, so every bit is helpful.

My response was predicated on your desire to use the Insta-pot through an inverter. If you decide to back away from that plan, then you might just go with a single larger 12V and enough solar to keep it topped off. Group 24 (c. 75 Ah) is the smallest marine/RV deep cycle. They also make Group 27 (c. 100 Ah) and Group 31 (c. 115 Ah).

Once you make the jump to dual batteries, 6V is better IMO, but they are seriously heavy, over 60# each. So you don't want to go there if your power needs are limited.

We have a single 12V Group 24 on our Scamp 13 and dual 6V batteries on our hand-me-down Class B.

It's been a huge learning curve for me, too!

SnowballCamper · 08-24-2019, 07:13 PM

Looks like you’re headed in a more reasonable direction. I’m a big fan of the Dutch Oven for Boondocking. For me, Boondocking is about slowing down. The cost of a solar setup to run electrical appliances will get you a lot of charcoal. And you can even bake bread in the Dutch Oven.

John in Santa Cruz · 08-24-2019, 07:55 PM

if I wanted to pressure cook in camp, I'd probably get one of those big 'camp chef' single burner tripod stoves, and a old fashion pressure cooker, and run that off propane outside.

re: calculating power usage...
most electrical heating devices have a duty cycle that varies with the temperature setting. on the highest setting they are full power constantly, but on lower settings they switch on and off to maintain the desired heat. so really the question is, how many watt*hours does your Instapot thing use during a typical cooking cycle. best way to do this is to plug the pot into a watt*hour measuring device when you're home, and do some typical cooking cycles, and see what it uses.

lets say your 700W cooker is actually only using an *average* of 300W during the cook cycle, 20 minutes at 300W is 100 watt*hours, which at 12V is about 10 amp*hours, allowing for inverter inefficiency. thats well within the range of what you can pull from your battery a couple times a day, assuming a solid 100-200W solar system is putting it back in on a clear sunny day.

me, I'd be using propane for all my cooking, as I said.

rbryan · 08-24-2019, 10:22 PM

Tracy, for what it's worth, we love our Instant Pot, but we don't even take it with us if we're going to boondock. Just uses way too much power for our solar setup - 160W panel, dual 232Ah 6V batteries, 1500W inverter. There are plenty of other more efficient ways to cook when boondocking, and as others have said, an old fashioned stovetop pressure cooker on a propane stove works great.

TracyG · 08-25-2019, 06:30 PM

Let me thrown out a new question -- what about an induction stove top? Could that be run on solar? Yeah, I should look it up, but now I'm just being lazy. Thanks in advance for thoughts!

Glenn Baglo · 08-25-2019, 07:28 PM

You are trying to reinvent fire.

redbarron55 · 08-25-2019, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyG

Let me thrown out a new question -- what about an induction stove top? Could that be run on solar? Yeah, I should look it up, but now I'm just being lazy. Thanks in advance for thoughts!

Worse in power than the instapot.
1500 to 1800 watts

TracyG · 08-26-2019, 09:20 AM

You are right, of course! Literally trying to recreate fire. I'll stop.

I hope that we can come up with a smaller, lighter, stronger battery or something else soonish.

thrifty bill · 08-26-2019, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyG

You are right, of course! Literally trying to recreate fire. I'll stop.

I hope that we can come up with a smaller, lighter, stronger battery or something else soonish.

Lithium batteries meet that requirement. Oh yeah, they are $1000 each....... A friend of mine just put EIGHT in his motor coach.... Let's see, $1000 x 8 = OUCH.

Our friends with the 43 foot motor coach have recreated their home into their rig. You name it, they have it! Two bathrooms, king sized bed, kitchen with all the appliances. Boondocking? Not a problem as they have a large on board generator with a big inverter, along with the lithium batteries. So what is the problem? Well, first, they can't fit in campsites at many national and state parks. Secondly, its a horse to get down the road. With their tow behind vehicle, they are about 70 feet long. Massive. But comfortable? You bet!

In the world of smaller campers, there is another choice. Instead of trying to recreate all the comforts of home, and transfer the appliance you love at home to your camper, look for alternative ways to cook (and live) instead.

Example: We missed our Keurig, eventually ended up with a stove stop percolator. Now we have done the opposite, we have parked the Keurig at home and replaced it with a percolator! Picked up a used percolator at Salvation Army for $4! Eliminates all the garbage (we compost coffee grounds), plus a LOT cheaper. And so it goes. Some functions you give up and some you accomplish by alternate means. If camping becomes "how do I recreate everything I have at home?" it is destined to failure. If camping is an adventure, to live differently, in some great locations, then it can be awesome! If you want to bring your home with you, then the motor coach can make an excellent choice!!!

If you want to run all the electrical appliances, you either need a big generator, or hookups to power. Realize most campgrounds have limitations on what hours you can run a generator, some prohibit them entirely.

One of my least favorite terms apply here, you need to "think outside the box".

TracyG · 08-26-2019, 09:32 AM

I bought a small stove-top pressure cooker yesterday and will give that a shot.

Nor Cal Mike · 08-26-2019, 09:34 AM

I didn't bother reading all the way through the replies so please excuse if this is a redundant suggestion. Since you are thinking of taking sunlight, converting it to DC current, then turning that DC to AC current before once again converting it to thermal energy to cook a pot of soup, if you really want to use sun power as your sole source of power, wouldn't be easier and MUCH more efficient to just buy or build one of those solar ovens such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/All-American-...38121541&psc=1

TracyG · 08-26-2019, 09:41 AM

Mike, I do own a solar cooker and it is cool, but it is very different from the convenience of an Instant Pot -- you have to plan your day and meals around being able to leave it out in the sun. Not like a pressure cooker in terms of convenience or results. It works and I like it, but very different deal.

Raspy · 08-26-2019, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyG

Let me thrown out a new question -- what about an induction stove top? Could that be run on solar? Yeah, I should look it up, but now I'm just being lazy. Thanks in advance for thoughts!

Yes it can, through the same inverter that might run your pressure pot. But there is no magic reduction in overall energy used to cook a meal. You either cook it with solar-battery-inverter, or you cook it by burning propane. Either is doable. Which makes the most sense?

As mentioned earlier, use a kilowatt meter to see how much energy your pot actually uses when cooking a meal, and then design your solar, battery, inverter system to do that, or you use a propane stove to cook.

Again, there is no magic solution to avoid how much energy it takes to boil water. And no short cuts to getting that energy from the sun, storing it, and making 120 volt house current with an inverter and batteries. Boiling water that way, takes a much bigger system that one required to light up a few LEDs and charge a phone.

For instance, it would be nice if we really didn't have to fill the car with gas to drive a certain distance, but we do. A certain amount of energy is required to do the job. When we plug into the wall at home, it's hard to realize to how much energy we are using, compared to collecting it from the sun ourselves and then converting it to useful power.

You can go to the store and get an armload of vegetables for a few bucks. Or you can plant a garden, weed it, water it, manage it and then pick the veggies yourself later. One is much easier, but doesn't really show you what is involved in their production. Harvesting power from the sun, managing it and converting it into what you want is much more complicated than simply plugging in. And it helps demonstrate what is actually involved. When you plug in at home you are attaching yourself to a National grid system and tapping into the power of a hydroelectric dam or a nuclear plant or a natural gas facility somewhere. You just don't see that enormous part of it. All of the infrastructure was purchased and is maintained by a very large organization somewhere else.

On a personal level, it all comes down to how much energy does it take to boil water and where does that energy come from. Do you produce it yourself, or buy it? What is the most practical way to manage that energy? Buy liquid propane or build a solar plant of your own? You are certainly not the first one to work on that problem, and if there was a convenient shortcut it would be well known. Why has the RV industry chosen to install propane tanks and propane stoves in RVs, instead of installing large solar arrays, large battery banks and inverters instead? Cost, complication, physical size, and weight are a few of the reasons.

At this point in time, with current solar and battery technology, it's much more practical to cook and heat with propane in a small trailer off-grid, and use solar for lighting, and other small electrical needs.

I know you like your Instapot. But you have already decided to make a number of compromises to go boondocking. And all of those compromises will allow you to have a lot of fun with your trailer, while making life simpler. Why not include the compromise to use a stove top pressure cooker as part of it? Especially since you don't really understand what is involved to use electric appliances. Once out there, you can play with the power you have and begin to see what it's limitations are and how to work around them, or how to build a bigger system that serves you better. Dive in, and learn by doing.

John in Santa Cruz · 08-26-2019, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyG

Let me thrown out a new question -- what about an induction stove top? Could that be run on solar? Yeah, I should look it up, but now I'm just being lazy. Thanks in advance for thoughts!

I believe those are 1000s of watts, like 2000W or something. You'd completely flatten a dual golf cart battery setup in about 6 minutes.

TracyG · 08-26-2019, 11:24 AM

Yes, all excellent and thoughtful points. As I said, I have already purchased a stove-top pressure cooker and will give that a shot. And I may take the solar and/or thermal cookers with me next time -- certainly easier than the large solar/battery set up that would be required to operate my very convenient Instant Pot. I've also got a whole collection of camp stoves. I am spoiled for choice. Was just hoping for even more, but I will have to wait for technology to advance a bit more for that!

Thanks again for all the thoughts and info -- it is definitely an education on how much power I use every day and take for granted. But I am now excited to get some practice with a stove-top pressure cooker and maybe play more with the solar cooker.