Using an Electric Tea Kettle to Save Propane ?

[stevensuf]

also check the wattage of your kettle, if it is taking 4 mins i would guess it is not 2000w more like 1000w so it will be half that amount, here in scotland gas is expensive 20 uk pounds for 4 kilos or approx 9lbs. electricity at the marina is 20p per kwhour ie $30 for 9 lb of gas and $0.30 for 1 kwh hour electricity, using electricity is much cheaper here

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

also check the wattage of your kettle, if it is taking 4 mins i would guess it is not 2000w more like 1000w so it will be half that amount, here in scotland gas is expensive 20 uk pounds for 4 kilos or approx 9lbs. electricity at the marina is 20p per kwhour ie $30 for 9 lb of gas and $0.30 for 1 kwh hour electricity, using electricity is much cheaper here

Label on the bottom states:
220-240V 50/60Hz 1850-2200W

It takes 3 minutes 45 seconds to boil 1 ltr water. Holds 1.7 ltr but I never fill it to capacity. 1 ltr is more than sufficient for our use.

[stevensuf]

Something doesnt sound right, maybe check the voltage out of your socket, might have some resistance somewhere along the lines (ie corroded terminals/wire), or the element in the kettle has a higher resistance than it should do, or the wire to the plug is too thin and you are getting a voltage drop, put a meter on the kettle plug terminals while not plugged in and measure the resistance, should be around 30 ohms, it should not take that long to boil, maybe on 1000w 4 mins would be right , but not at 2000w

[stevensuf]

to heat 1 litre of water from say 20c to 100c takes
1000g x 4.2x80 = 336,000 joules ,2000w is 2000 joules per sec
336,000/2000= 168 seconds,ie 2 mins 48 secs
i just boiled a litre in my kettle and it took 2min 24 secs though mine is 2.5kw

[stevensuf]

God, how anal i have become! beware - this is what boats do to you!

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

You are correct! Bill just went back over the math and came up with 4.6c or 6.1 cents USD. That makes it a lot more reasonable than the 30 cents I was looking at. So, to compare costs to that 20-lb tank of propane that lasts 40 months of normal daily cooking then I could boil about 328 liters of water in the electric kettle. It looks more cost feasible now.

Judy

Yes, that all sounds better ... around 2ah at 24volts is about right for making some cups of tea.

What Stevensuf said is right.... there is something wrong there ...3.45 mins is too long for your 2100w kettle.

with 600amps of 24v batteries, and the latest cooking technologies, you could go completely gas free with incredible cooking results......(and no generator required)
I'm guessing you also have a 150a alternator.
16ah and 25 minutes is all it takes to roast the perfect chicken these days.

(well... maybe that should be another thread)

[Nicholson58]

[QUOTE=Kuan Yin;
Simplex stopped making the kettle for a while to retool their factory in England but I believe they are back in operation again. The kettles are not cheap - about $100. But I am very happy with mine. Bought in on eBay. They are supposed to have a slow whistle but mine doesn't work, but no big deal.

Dennison[/QUOTE]

I looked on E-bay. You got a great deal. It is between 300 and 400 clams. you should have bought 40 for re-sale.

[bene505]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

I use a 700 Watt kettle with a 900 Watt inverter to heat water for dishes and cooking. I added a kitchen thermometer to give me more precise control of the water temperature. It take 5 minutes to raise the temperature of a quart of water from 60F to 120F uses about 5 Ah at 12 Vdc. To bring the same 60F quart of water to boiling takes 12 minutes and uses about 12 Ah. For comparison, my 800 Watt microwave will only raise the same amount of water to 180F in 12 minutes...

Note that your microwave will only be putting out about 400 watts, unless you are using a pure sine wave inverter.

Our microwave was using 66 amps with a modified sine wave inverter (Walmart, automotive type). Then when I installed our Xantrex MS2000 true sine wave inverter, it started using 125 amps. This is an amazing difference and was accurately measured with our Victron battery monitor.

Your mileage may vary, just note that your microwave isn't necessarily puttin out full power unless you have one of the expensive type inverters. Hope that helps.

Regards,
Brad

[Viking Sailor]

Thanks Brad,

And yes my inverter is a "pure" sine wave inverter.

[capn_billl]

I would say the propane is cheaper, and more efficient than electrical heat in most circumstances.

[Lagoon4us]

Methods of heating water in redundant succession on every boat we have had with the exception of a microwave) :-

1) On stove top. 2) Microwave. 3) Small disposable gas powered single burner camp stove. 4) Briquette fired BBQ on pushpit. 5) Fire on beach.

Propane is the first choice, it's efficient cheap and available.

Cheers

[stevensuf]

If you are solar / wind powered and have excess moments, how can gas ever be cheaper......

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

If you are solar / wind powered and have excess moments, how can gas ever be cheaper......

We dedicate power generated to 2 fridges and one freezer along with lighting so it's not really smart for us to use batteries whether by invertor or direct for heating water. So if genset is running or motoring no problem but moored we would opt for gas. Cheers

[meuritt]

Caveman here, again. I'll second that Simplex Kettle. I thought about mentioning it but didn't. Glad some of you find my goals amusing.

To the person that said the electricity is free with the solar/wind. I did the estimate for my landside dwelling. For about $30,000 I could install the panels in a great location, a bank of batteries to last the household for a week of no sun, and necessary inverters to run my home business which does have 20A peak draw on machinery. In other words, off grid. By the time it would need replacing it would be paid off, and all that free electricity would cost a bunch more than buying from the power company. Then there is the need to clean it and maintain the batteries. Gee, this free energy costs more and takes time (adds chores), it almost becomes a hobby. Needless to say I am still on grid.

Thus I want nothing to do with higher electrical needs aboard. Lighting is just about it, and I do use kerosene, which is expensive, but provides heat and light, and a wonderful ambiance down below. I really wish a solid fuel stove didn't require so much space.

My sincere apologies for the thread drift.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

I would say the propane is cheaper, and more efficient than electrical heat in most circumstances.

Not by any stretch of analysis it isn't.

Dave