Combi microwave oven on 45+ft boats.

[Fuss]

A panasonic combi microwave, grill and fan oven is one of the best new devices to install on a 45+ ft sailing boat.
The technology now has taken these devices to a new level where they can no longer be put in the same class as a normal microwave, the turntable free inverter technology uses the optimal power saving combination of microwave, grill and fan oven to cook in a very short timeframe. There is no indication at all that the food was cooked in a microwave and the energy savings are enormous.

Its also very easy to use.
An example...
To cook a 1.5 kilo chicken

push button for chicken, dial weight, press start.

Then 23 minutes and 22ah @24v later its done.... run it off your batteries and inverter if they are big enough. Used less power than the fridge.

Baked potatoes are cooked in a very short time in an extremely energy efficient way. Maybe 10 times faster and more efficient than any other means.

These modern energy saving devices coupled with Lifepo4 batteries will contribute to future vessels being more self sufficient with perhaps no need to exchange gas bottles in foreign ports.

[Dockhead]

I have one of these at home -- they are marvelous. I imagine it would be great on board, but have no practical experience -- do you?

I guess that the convection oven function will be a bit too power hungry for most people's battery banks, including mine. But that's no big deal if you have a genset on board, as I do. Do your genset run to coincide with your baking.

Now the only question is to find one which is a drop-in replacement for the micro I already have.

[Talbot]

I have fitted one of these to replace a previous convection oven/microwave . I do not have a gas oven.

But I cannot give you a straight answer to your question because my boat is less than 40ft.



I do have an omnia oven in case the electricity fails

Omnia Stove Top Baking Oven

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I have one of these at home -- they are marvelous. I imagine it would be great on board, but have no practical experience -- do you?

I guess that the convection oven function will be a bit too power hungry for most people's battery banks, including mine. But that's no big deal if you have a genset on board, as I do. Do your genset run to coincide with your baking.

Now the only question is to find one which is a drop-in replacement for the micro I already have.

Yes, my one is onboard, Panasonic NNCF771S I think its called. It is not as power hungary as you would think as sometimes it can use all 3 modes to cook something.
23 minutes for 1.5kilos is very efficient. It does it something like this.... First it microwaves it using something like 250watts and at the same time heats the oven, then in the last 4 minutes it goes onto grill mode and browns the outside. So the whole process is optimised and cuts the cooking time in half.
Try it for backed potatoes!
(It cuts the cooking time in half for a chicken but not everything)
Also to give you an idea of the efficiency it preheats to 200 degrees in about 4 minutes as its only 27liters.

The example in my post above was done on the inverter. 2500w and 650ah 24v batteries.

I normally only use the generator these days for backup.

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by Talbot

I have fitted one of these to replace a previous convection oven/microwave . I do not have a gas oven.

But I cannot give you a straight answer to your question because my boat is less than 40ft.



I do have an omnia oven in case the electricity fails

Omnia Stove Top Baking Oven

Yes, I said 45ft just to make the point that you maybe need big batteries and alternators to use it at anchor over a period of days, or a generator. Not really to exclude anyone.
I find that in 24hrs the electric cooking uses about the same as the fridge and freezer.
I have the outside grill and a kero single element for backup.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Fuss

I find that in 24hrs the electric cooking uses about the same as the fridge and freezer.

That's a lot of power, considering refrigeration is by far the biggest power consumer on board for most people.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Fuss

Yes, my one is onboard, Panasonic NNCF771S I think its called. It is not as power hungary as you would think as sometimes it can use all 3 modes to cook something.
23 minutes for 1.5kilos is very efficient. It does it something like this.... First it microwaves it using something like 250watts and at the same time heats the oven, then in the last 4 minutes it goes onto grill mode and browns the outside. So the whole process is optimised and cuts the cooking time in half.
Try it for backed potatoes!
(It cuts the cooking time in half for a chicken but not everything)
Also to give you an idea of the efficiency it preheats to 200 degrees in about 4 minutes as its only 27liters.

The example in my post above was done on the inverter. 2500w and 650ah 24v batteries.

I normally only use the generator these days for backup.

That's an exceptionally large battery bank, even for a big boat, equivalent to 1300ah at 12v. Mine is 420ah at 24v. I don't think I would be using pure battery power much for electric baking. The difference is that a convection oven, as efficient as it may be, still needs to heat itself and everything inside it, and hold that heat for a considerable period of time. A microwave just heats up the food, and is rarely used for more than 8 to 10 minutes at a time.

Still, it sounds fantastic. My micro/grill is a Panasonic NN-V659. I guess I could consult with Panasonic to find out what will fit in the existing mountings.

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That's a lot of power, considering refrigeration is by far the biggest power consumer on board for most people.

Its all the cups of coffee and also breakfast, lunch and dinner using the following devices.....
Bosch instant hot water dispenser... this is also a great device.
2 hob induction
Panasonic combination oven ....but not all the time as might bbq on the transom.

400w solar panels
I normally dont run the generator at all.

650ah of batteries lasts more than 4 days before being down to maybe 70-60%.... Im also not using the electric oven for cooking every day. If I was anchored for 4 days then I would probably run the engine a bit longer. when leaving.
I tried to design a system that just works without looking at the battery monitor.
I also now dont care so much about the 6 year old batteries as I figure that the next time I buy I will get Lifepo4 which should by this time be well sorted.

[JanetGroene]

The disadvantage is that dirt builds up and bakes on just as it does in a conventional oven. Not so bad if you keep ahead of it.

[svBeBe]

We have a combi microwave/convection/grill oven but it is not Panasonic brand. It is a Japanese brand purchased in Bonaire in 2007. Operates on an 1800 watt inverter just fine for all 3 functions. Love the convenience of baking something in the convection oven without heating up the galley. If baking or grilling something that will take more than 20 minutes then we usually start the generator. Love this microwave oven.

Judy

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

We have a combi microwave/convection/grill oven but it is not Panasonic brand. It is a Japanese brand purchased in Bonaire in 2007. Operates on an 1800 watt inverter just fine for all 3 functions. Love the convenience of baking something in the convection oven without heating up the galley. If baking or grilling something that will take more than 20 minutes then we usually start the generator. Love this microwave oven.

Judy

If you do run your generator for electric cooking, then the management of the battery charging at the same time is optimised if you fit a victron multiplus.

What this will do for you is use whatever portion of your total generator kilowatts that is not being used for supplying A/C to charge your batteries. This means that for the time the generator is on, as much surplace energy as possible goes into battery charging.

An important consideration for reducing generator run time while at anchor.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Fuss

If you do run your generator for electric cooking, then the management of the battery charging at the same time is optimised if you fit a victron multiplus.

What this will do for you is use whatever portion of your total generator kilowatts that is not being used for supplying A/C to charge your batteries. This means that for the time the generator is on, as much surplace energy as possible goes into battery charging.

An important consideration for reducing generator run time while at anchor.

To be precise, the Multiplus (and similar devices from Mastervolt and others ) will reduce power going into battery charging while you are cooking, baking, etc., in order not to overload the source. As soon as the heavy AC load is taken off, then battery charging is automatically increased to batteries' acceptance rate, within the limitations of the source. But the Multiplus will not increase the acceptance rate of the batteries, which is determined by the battery chemistry.

These devices have another function which is really useful for anyone using a lot of AC power (like people with electric galleys) -- Power Boost, which supplements your generator power with inverted power if necessary to make up a shortfall.

Be aware that these devices, according to some people's experience, including mine, are not very reliable. Almost all the electrical equipment on my boat is Victron. It is splendid -- when it works. However, the mean time between failures of my Victron gear is about 14 months. The Multiplus is really annoying when it fails, because all your AC power goes through it, so your boat goes dark when it stops working.

I don't know whether Mastervolt is more reliable; I believe the functionality is similar.

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

To be precise, the Multiplus (and similar devices from Mastervolt and others ) will reduce power going into battery charging while you are cooking, baking, etc., in order not to overload the source. As soon as the heavy AC load is taken off, then battery charging is automatically increased to batteries' acceptance rate, within the limitations of the source. But the Multiplus will not increase the acceptance rate of the batteries, which is determined by the battery chemistry.

These devices have another function which is really useful for anyone using a lot of AC power (like people with electric galleys) -- Power Boost, which supplements your generator power with inverted power if necessary to make up a shortfall.

Be aware that these devices, according to some people's experience, including mine, are not very reliable. Almost all the electrical equipment on my boat is Victron. It is splendid -- when it works. However, the mean time between failures of my Victron gear is about 14 months. The Multiplus is really annoying when it fails, because all your AC power goes through it, so your boat goes dark when it stops working.

I don't know whether Mastervolt is more reliable; I believe the functionality is similar.

Yes thats a better explanation. Im not sure if Victron and Mastervolt are the only ones with this great functionality... maybe Studer and also others may have it to.

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

To be precise, the Multiplus (and similar devices from Mastervolt and others ) will reduce power going into battery charging while you are cooking, baking, etc., in order not to overload the source. As soon as the heavy AC load is taken off, then battery charging is automatically increased to batteries' acceptance rate, within the limitations of the source. But the Multiplus will not increase the acceptance rate of the batteries, which is determined by the battery chemistry.

These devices have another function which is really useful for anyone using a lot of AC power (like people with electric galleys) -- Power Boost, which supplements your generator power with inverted power if necessary to make up a shortfall.

Be aware that these devices, according to some people's experience, including mine, are not very reliable. Almost all the electrical equipment on my boat is Victron. It is splendid -- when it works. However, the mean time between failures of my Victron gear is about 14 months. The Multiplus is really annoying when it fails, because all your AC power goes through it, so your boat goes dark when it stops working.

I don't know whether Mastervolt is more reliable; I believe the functionality is similar.

I'm not sure that we need this. We have a 7.5kw generator. There is more than ample power generated to run the microwave, run the air conditioners and any other electric device we might want; and still charge the batteries. This has worked well for the 7 years we have lived on the boat.


Judy

[Fuss]

Yes, you are right you don't need this.

The multiplus concept allows people to size their generator smaller and make up for the occasional shortfall using the multiplus.

So for example, if you we're building a new boat or considering replacing your generator, You could size it at 5kw and make up the shortfall using a 2500w multiplus.