Newbee and have lots of questions

[Hyperonenh]

Good Evening, I bought a 1985 Toyota dolphin and I am terrified of propane and get extreme anxiety being around it. I do not want to run it at all. I bought a suburban 6 gal h20 heater and seen a hybrid get that I bought as well so when it arrives and gets installed I can run it through using electricity. my question is can I run it off the battery only? I am also shopping around for a generator so when I'm parked outside a campground I can power it as well as my tv and laptop, microwave. My fridge also can run on battery and, I do not plan on using the stove at all  

I have a two burner hot plate for cooking. what wattage is necessary to run these items? The converter box that came with it is small really old and small .what is the best current one to use for a tv, dvd, phone charge?.

 

 

[jjrbus]

Welcome to the madness.  I am not a big fan of LP either, but have learned to live with it.  Does not mean you have to.  Can you run a water heater, roof air etc off battery, yes and no.  Large current draw appliances require large battery banks.  While possible, large battery banks are not practical in a Toy. In my opinion your best direction is to educate yourself a bit on living on 12 volts.  The only book I know of to learn about it is   http://www.amazon.com/Living-12-Volts-Ample-Power/dp/0945415052   I am sure there are others or even better books or you can piece it together on the internet.

Not sure which converter you have, the old ones are inefficient and hard on batteries.  I have a Progressive Dynamics with Charge Wizzard, they come in different sizes and designs, so requires a bit more research. Others will chip in I am sure.

Most electrical items will have their wattage draw on them, There are variances between types and brands, so Google is your friend for looking them up.  HTH  Jim

 

[Derek up North]

3 hours ago, jjrbus said:

Can you run a water heater, roof air etc off battery, yes and no.

But MUCH, MUCH more no than yes in practice.

[jjrbus]

42 minutes ago, Derek up North said:

But MUCH, MUCH more no than yes in practice.

But if you say no, you can't. There is always the one that shows up and claims. OH yes you can I do it all the time!  Jim

[Derek up North]

But it only works with 2 Honda batteries.

[jjrbus]

Just now, Derek up North said:

But it only works with 2 Honda batteries.

[payaso del mar]

the secret to those Honda batteries is the tiny unicorn running inside a hamster wheel to continually recharge them......   that's why they cost 5x as much as Trojans......

hyper, generally the answer is going to be "no".  anything electrical i'm aware of that makes heat does it through running a whole bunch of juice through a high resistance conductor...even Peltier devices use a bunch of juice. 

there are solutions you can do to make propane safer.  top quality hydrocarbon leak detector is a start.  have a trusted propane gas place go through the system and check all fittings etc.  Turn off all valves the moment you shut off any appliance.  set up a portable stove on a shelf on outside of unit and do your cooking there.

there are also ceramic cooktops that run on diesel....pricey and Euro but they use em on Earthroamers and such for exactly this reason.  https://www.reimo.com/de/70715-kochfeld_ceran_diesel_46x31_cm/

 

[DanAatTheCape]

propane produces the most energy for weight.  the battery concept may sound good, but you need a lot of batteries and a way to charge them.

 

If you have 110AC available then you do can live without  propane.   There are refrigerators that can run on 12v dc while the engine is running. 

I suggest you get your propane system checked out for leaks AND get a new propane detector. While you are at it, a CO2 and smoke alarms are also a good idea.

I use the propane for my frig a lot. Water heater occasionally. Use the stovetop a lot too.  The furnace rarely.

 

Do you have a generator?

 

 

 

[snail powered]

Run a stove top and a water heater and a fridge off of batteries?  Not likely as that large of a battery bank and the solar panels to drive it will weigh a considerable amount and Toy Homes are close to being overweight as they came out of the factory.. The water heater and stove will drain a battery so quickly that you won't get a much of a meal or hot shower out of it and then since you cook dinner and the sun does not shine enough to recharge a big battery bank until late the next afternoon you will be lucky to cook once a day. What you are proposing is simply not going to happen. You will be stuck camping in places with hookups if you want to go all electric.

I took out the propane tank and was able to do so because I have an alternative stove/heater system that runs off of diesel fuel from a small tank under the stove top. But that stove heater was not even close to being budget friendly and it is not as trouble free as an electric range. I am not worried about hot water heaters as I can heat a pan of it on the stove for washing up me and the dishes too. I don't have a large enough holding tank for taking hot showers anyway. I also have a small butane canister stove top for making a quick cup of coffee and meals.

There are also stove tops that can use alcohol as the fuel source. You can buy them at marine supply stores. Of course you will be dealing with a flammable liquid.

But you know what? You will get a very long ways towards getting over your fear of propane if you purchase a little propane camp stove and propane bar-b-que and just go ahead and cook with them for the next few weeks. Don't overwhelm yourself but just go ahead and DO IT stop at the store and get a little camp stove and propane cylinder to power it. Get one with an auto lighting function that does not require you to light a match and hold it to the gas. There are a lot of newer RV appliances with piezo electric igniters that are not nearly as scary as putting a match to the gas.

[payaso del mar]

good advice.......and I hadn't even thought of alky stoves.  liveaboard cruisers love those cuz they are in fact lots safer than propane.

Dan, she may have more of a need for the furnace in NH or Blighty than you do in FL..........