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133 Posts
Background:
Due to the dry conditions locally; there are fire bans which can prohibit, at higher ban levels; open flame and fuel using camp stoves.
(Edit; gas fueled stoves seem to be legal during stage 1 and stage 2 fire bans, in Colorado, as long as they can be turned off; flame/fires that cannot be turned off (wood/charcoal) seem to be largely forbidden under stage 2 fire bans)..
Accordingly, I am trying to use, in a very limited (small) way, some RV and trailer kitchen tech for vehicle tent camping.
I am, initially, tying to use A 100 Amp Hour (AH), with a 100 amp internal BMS (Battery management system) lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) battery (one of the safest chemistries, IMO).
To power, via a 1500 Watt inverter;
One at a time; a small (700 watt) microwave (actually draws 900 watts),
or a fair sized 1800 watt (see below) Induction hob/small small cook top.
Using induction compatible (magnetic surface) pans.
The hob normally would draw amperage exceeding the limits of the inverter, and the battery; however, this particular model of induction hob has the ability to limit the power it uses in adjustable stages, so I should be able to set the hob to draw less power than the battery, It's Battery Management System (BMS) and the inverter will supply.
The function of a BMS is to protect the battery from excessive input or outputs of electricity that could damage it. The BMS will typically shut the battery off temporarily if/when it experiences conditions outside of its allowable operating range. ( A 100 amp BMS should allow 100 amps to flow; 100 amps X 12 volts = 1200 watts)
Note; some 100 AH LiFePo4 batteries come with smaller 50 amp, internal, BMS's these will, probably not supply enough current to adequately power either the induction hob or the microwave. (50 amps X 12 volts = 600 watts).
Initial trial of the induction hob set at 7 out of 10 (70%?) 1260 watts? and trying to fry an egg for breakfast resulted in a very slowly cooking egg. I might have been exceeding the power limit of the BMS and experiencing a partial shutdown.
I reran the trial the next day using a setting of 6 and household current (1200 watts?) resulted in adequate frying heat.
and a good egg and cheese sandwich.
I will next try using the battery with a setting of 6 on the hob.
I was able to cook a hotdog in the microwave in a minute without problems.
! was also able to cook a bag of microwave popcorn in around 3 minutes The bag was too big for the microwave and kept getting hung up; I will go with small bags of microwave popcorn for this microwave (should be less fattening).
A Major concern is; How long can the battery support the inverter and hob/microwave in practice?
Since I expect to only use the hob or the microwave for short periods of time (minutes) in the field I expect that I may get several days (weekend?) of use before needing to recharge the battery.
I will be searching for minute recipes for breakfast, lunch and snacks to keep power usage down.
Toast may be an issue...
Enjoy!
Due to the dry conditions locally; there are fire bans which can prohibit, at higher ban levels; open flame and fuel using camp stoves.
(Edit; gas fueled stoves seem to be legal during stage 1 and stage 2 fire bans, in Colorado, as long as they can be turned off; flame/fires that cannot be turned off (wood/charcoal) seem to be largely forbidden under stage 2 fire bans)..
Accordingly, I am trying to use, in a very limited (small) way, some RV and trailer kitchen tech for vehicle tent camping.
I am, initially, tying to use A 100 Amp Hour (AH), with a 100 amp internal BMS (Battery management system) lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) battery (one of the safest chemistries, IMO).
To power, via a 1500 Watt inverter;
One at a time; a small (700 watt) microwave (actually draws 900 watts),
or a fair sized 1800 watt (see below) Induction hob/small small cook top.
Using induction compatible (magnetic surface) pans.
The hob normally would draw amperage exceeding the limits of the inverter, and the battery; however, this particular model of induction hob has the ability to limit the power it uses in adjustable stages, so I should be able to set the hob to draw less power than the battery, It's Battery Management System (BMS) and the inverter will supply.
The function of a BMS is to protect the battery from excessive input or outputs of electricity that could damage it. The BMS will typically shut the battery off temporarily if/when it experiences conditions outside of its allowable operating range. ( A 100 amp BMS should allow 100 amps to flow; 100 amps X 12 volts = 1200 watts)
Note; some 100 AH LiFePo4 batteries come with smaller 50 amp, internal, BMS's these will, probably not supply enough current to adequately power either the induction hob or the microwave. (50 amps X 12 volts = 600 watts).
Initial trial of the induction hob set at 7 out of 10 (70%?) 1260 watts? and trying to fry an egg for breakfast resulted in a very slowly cooking egg. I might have been exceeding the power limit of the BMS and experiencing a partial shutdown.
I reran the trial the next day using a setting of 6 and household current (1200 watts?) resulted in adequate frying heat.
and a good egg and cheese sandwich.
I will next try using the battery with a setting of 6 on the hob.
I was able to cook a hotdog in the microwave in a minute without problems.
! was also able to cook a bag of microwave popcorn in around 3 minutes The bag was too big for the microwave and kept getting hung up; I will go with small bags of microwave popcorn for this microwave (should be less fattening).
A Major concern is; How long can the battery support the inverter and hob/microwave in practice?
Since I expect to only use the hob or the microwave for short periods of time (minutes) in the field I expect that I may get several days (weekend?) of use before needing to recharge the battery.
I will be searching for minute recipes for breakfast, lunch and snacks to keep power usage down.
Toast may be an issue...
Enjoy!