12 Volt kettles

[Amarillo]

With excess power provided by our solar panels, we are looking at ways to use this free resource.

Waeco sell a 12 volt 200 watt kettle that, depending on initial water temperature, will take about 30 minutes to boil 750ml of water. As it would drain much battery power, it would be best used up to midday only so the panels have a sufficient chance to recharge the battery before nightfall. With careful planning for breakfast or elevenses for the long boil times it does look like a good option to use our excess solar power.

Does anyone have any experience with this or other 12v kettles? There are several cheap Chinese 12 volt vacuum flasks out there - I'm sceptical of them, perhaps I'm just prejudiced...


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[Flood51]

I once brought a 12v kettle at a boot sale, still in its box. I understood why when I tried it. As you point out they are useless. I would buy a 12v car vacumn cleaner and clean the van at midday instead. Alternatively there are some good 12v fans so you could cool the van and turn off the ac.

 

[Meoncoast]

Small amount of water very long boil time my advise take a flask or stick to gas

 

[GrannyJen]

Being very agreeable this morning I agree with the consensus. Useless.

 

[Amarillo]

Being very agreeable this morning I agree with the consensus. Useless.

Is the thing that makes them "useless" the long boil time? Or is there something else that makes them useless?

The Waeco kettle is 12v x 18A ~ 200 Watts, and that, for me, sets it apart from the 100 Watts cheap Chinese kettles.

With forward planning a 15-20 minute boil time should be manageable.


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[GrannyJen]

Long boil time. Sorry, if I was prepared to wait an age then I would resort to kindling and a stick being twirled by s piece of string.

 

[Amarillo]

Long boil time. Sorry, if I was prepared to wait an age then I would resort to kindling and a stick being twirled by s piece of string.

But, presumably, that's because you are quite used to near instant boiling water. Are you prepared to wait 12 minutes for pasta to cook, two hours for a bottle of Chablis to chill, or half a day for jelly to set?

It seems to be about forward planning: putting the kettle on before walking the dogs, not after; at the beginning of a meal, not at the end; before getting my boys out of bed, not after pouring the milk on their cornflakes.


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[GrannyJen]

But, presumably, that's because you are quite used to near instant boiling water. Are you prepared to wait 12 minutes for pasta to cook, two hours for a bottle of Chablis to chill, or half a day for jelly to set?

It seems to be about forward planning: putting the kettle on before walking the dogs, not after; at the beginning of a meal, not at the end; before getting my boys out of bed, not after pouring the milk on their cornflakes.


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Please don't analyse me or my lifestyle. If I want a quick cup of coffee or tea it is because it fits in with my lifestyle, not my lifestyle being wrong and needing to adapt.

 

[Amarillo]

Please don't analyse me or my lifestyle. If I want a quick cup of coffee or tea it is because it fits in with my lifestyle, not my lifestyle being wrong and needing to adapt.

It's my lifestyle I'm trying to analyse, to see if the long boil times might work for us. The references to "walking the dogs" and "getting my boys out of bed" were about me. Any similarity to your lifestyle is purely coincidental.


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[GrannyJen]

It's my lifestyle I'm trying to analyse, to see if the long boil times might work for us. The references to "walking the dogs" and "getting my boys out of bed" were about me. Any similarity to your lifestyle is purely coincidental.


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Then my apologies. The reference to "You" in your reply to me gave me the impression that you were referencing me, not you. My apologies if I got that wrong.

 

[bigmac77]

Tom are you wanting to use the kettle to save on Campingaz?

 

[Amarillo]

Then my apologies. The reference to "You" in your reply to me gave me the impression that you were referencing me, not you. My apologies if I got that wrong.

In this regard most other languages are more useful than English with plural and singular "yous". I could have used the term "one" but that sounds a little old fashioned.


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[Joker 1299]

In this regard most other languages are more useful than English with plural and singular "yous". I could have used the term "one" but that sounds a little old fashioned.


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Perhaps 'we' would have been better Tom? As in ...that's because WE are quite used... and ...are WE prepared to wait... 4/10. Must try harder.

 

[Amarillo]

Tom are you wanting to use the kettle to save on Campingaz?

No. About 10% of our nights were spent sleeping in "travel mode". No unpacking. On those occasions we got up, walked the dogs, then drove off without having coffee/tea.

A 12v kettle might give us the flexibility to have coffee on those occasions. We also ran out of gas for about 7 days and Campingaz refills are not available in a great many European countries - in particular Nordic counties, the Baltic States and Poland. A 12v kettle, if not totally useless, could serve as an emergency back-up. In addition, we have excess solar power, so the electric costs have been pre-paid and much is wasted.


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[Amarillo]

Perhaps 'we' would have been better Tom? As in ...that's because WE are quite used... and ...are WE prepared to wait... 4/10. Must try harder.

Reading again, in that first paragraph, I was quite clearly referring to GJ, "presuming" why she finds those kettles useless. The second paragraph was as I said: an analysis of our lifestyle to see if the kettles could work for us.

I'm sorry for the offence caused.


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[GrannyJen]

No. About 10% of our nights were spent sleeping in "travel mode". No unpacking. On those occasions we got up, walked the dogs, then drove off without having coffee/tea.

A 12v kettle might give us the flexibility to have coffee on those occasions. We also ran out of gas for about 7 days and Campingaz refills are not available in a great many European countries - in particular Nordic counties, the Baltic States and Poland. A 12v kettle, if not totally useless, could serve as an emergency back-up. In addition, we have excess solar power, so the electric costs have been pre-paid and much is wasted.


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I have a 12v Oven and a 12V slow cooker.

I have not carried them in the van for about three years. The notion that I could be heating whilst moving and eating when stopped came to an end when trying to eat a still frozen sausage roll, hunting around for the fuse that tripped out the 12V socket in the boot or finding my dinner lying on it's side after a sudden unplanned manoeuvre.

The notion of efficiently using otherwise dead time is one I often entertain, but sadly so far have not found a workable solution to.

My other thing with electrical items is that they are not easily packable and have a space penalty compared to my folding kettle or casserole dish.

 

[Joker 1299]

Reading again, in that first paragraph, I was quite clearly referring to GJ, "presuming" why she finds those kettles useless. The second paragraph was as I said: an analysis of our lifestyle to see if the kettles could work for us.

I'm sorry for the offence caused.


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I'm sure it will all be soon forgotten. Look forward to reading more of your posts.

 

[GrannyJen]

I'm sure it will all be soon forgotten. Look forward to reading more of your posts.

It has already been forgotten.

I took exception to a comment, it was graciously explained how that comment was intended to be phrased, I hope that I equally graciously accepted that and offered in turn my apologies for any misreading.

If there was a prize for using language open to misinterpretation then I would have won it decades ago. Indeed during my time at University of Virginia I came close to re-igniting both the USCW and the War of independence in just one lecture, but that is another story

 

[WelshGas]

No. About 10% of our nights were spent sleeping in "travel mode". No unpacking. On those occasions we got up, walked the dogs, then drove off without having coffee/tea.

A 12v kettle might give us the flexibility to have coffee on those occasions. We also ran out of gas for about 7 days and Campingaz refills are not available in a great many European countries - in particular Nordic counties, the Baltic States and Poland. A 12v kettle, if not totally useless, could serve as an emergency back-up. In addition, we have excess solar power, so the electric costs have been pre-paid and much is wasted.


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The reason Campingaz is not available in Northern European countries is because it is Butane rather than Propane and due to the different boiling points Butane has limited usage compared to Propane.

 

[Amarillo]

The reason Campingaz is not available in Northern European countries is because it is Butane rather than Propane and due to the different boiling points Butane has limited usage compared to Propane.

I get the differences in the boiling and freezing points of butane and propane. I had thought that Campingaz was a blend of the two with butane dominant.

I do feel misled by the Campingaz website, and in particular their cylinder page which states:

"The bigger, heavier cylinders are designed for more prolonged, intensive or regular use. They are fitted with a safety valve and are available in most European countries.

"With the Campingaz cylinder exchange system you can bring your empty cylinder to a Campingaz product dealer in France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and dozens of other countries and get a full cylinder for the price of just a refill. It's as simple as that."

From that spiel I did not expect to drive through 8 adjoining European countries and find that none of them have Campingaz refills anywhere.


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[Meoncoast]

Our 907 last about a year and it is used a lot, so with planning have never run out on a trip yet. We sometimes fill a flask - boil up the water the night before when cooking in the van which may work for you if you want to have a hot drink in the morning without setting up a stove. I can only add the 12v kettle we tried was the most ineffective bit of kit we had ever tried. (like watching paint dry).

 

[Wongo]

You can get a Gaslow Cylinder in the 907 size now & if you buy a direct fill nozzle top up with LPG for pennies .
It's mostly Propane so burns below zero no issue, you need a new regulator as well, all on the Gaslow website.

 

[Amarillo]

Our 907 last about a year and it is used a lot, so with planning have never run out on a trip yet. We sometimes fill a flask - boil up the water the night before when cooking in the van which may work for you if you want to have a hot drink in the morning without setting up a stove. I can only add the 12v kettle we tried was the most ineffective bit of kit we had ever tried. (like watching paint dry).

We had 2x907 bottles - the first ran out in Trondheim after about 30 days, the second ran out in Krakow after about 60 days. I cannot complain about the efficiency of the gas (one bottle does a family of four camp cooking almost daily, breakfast and dinner, for a month) - my gripe is that the website led me to believe that refills are widely available in Europe. My experience is that they are not.

I'm now concerned about out trip through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary.


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[sidepod]

Buy a Kelly kettle. Infinitely better and you get to play with fire.

 

[Loz]

Buy a Kelly kettle. Infinitely better and you get to play with fire.

And stink of smoke for the rest of the day