Killer Amps

valhalla360 wrote:

TomG2 wrote:

I will tell my many friends who are really into solar that they are being silly. They think it is cool to make coffee with free energy. You sure like to label people, don't you? I tried something. It did not work. I am not a silly or foolish person.

Go add up the costs and tell us how "free" that energy is. Nothing wrong with messing about with a hobby that ignores cost but don't fool yourself for a second that it's "free" energy.

Where it becomes foolish is if you think you are saving money with all this "free" energy.

My home solar will pay for itself in five years (next month). Power will seem rather free after that.

Scale down to an RV and it may not pay for itself directly. However it may improve the RV experience enough that it is well worth the cost.

I heat myself electrically with a 12v heating pad/ car seat heater.

45 to 55 watts can be felt through clothes in under a minute and soon after my core is warm and so then are my extremeties. Heating the surrounding air just seems too wasteful.

But I have used my 200 watt lasko heater under my blankets in winter powered by my inverter, for 15 to 20 minutes or so. The unit will shut itself off if it gets too hot, but 99.9 percent of the time I shut it off as it is no longer required.

I once routed the rocker switch of my interter to near my bed so i did not have to waste 0.6Ah each hour after i fell asleep having the inverter on powering nothing.

The 45 watt heating pad also gets uncomfortably hot before the bimetal switch opens the heating circuit, sometimes.

TomG2, try one of the car seat heaters.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=seat+heater

TomG2 wrote:

I will tell my many friends who are really into solar that they are being silly. They think it is cool to make coffee with free energy. You sure like to label people, don't you? I tried something. It did not work. I am not a silly or foolish person.

Go add up the costs and tell us how "free" that energy is. Nothing wrong with messing about with a hobby that ignores cost but don't fool yourself for a second that it's "free" energy.

Where it becomes foolish is if you think you are saving money with all this "free" energy.

time2roll wrote:
Still thinking that the furnace is burning propane while that morning coffee brews on electric. So get 2 to 4 large batteries to run the space heater properly and then figure out a way to charge and maintain those batteries. Then let us know if it is worth it.

For camping in a camper shell I kinda equate that to tent camping. When the sun rises you just get up and start your day. No reason to cozy around in a heated tent.

Sorry if I am a bit off with my perception.

Nothing wrong with your perception. I was NOT hoping to heat a camper from thirty degrees to seventy degrees. I thought a little hand warmer might be nice and the battery is along for the ride anyway. My solar friends don't run their furnaces while brewing coffee with electricity. They travel to where the weather is great and the coffee is good.

Still thinking that the furnace is burning propane while that morning coffee brews on electric. So get 2 to 4 large batteries to run the space heater properly and then figure out a way to charge and maintain those batteries. Then let us know if it is worth it.

For camping in a camper shell I kinda equate that to tent camping. When the sun rises you just get up and start your day. No reason to cozy around in a heated tent.

Sorry if I am a bit off with my perception.

valhalla360 wrote:

Actually, it is a silly and expensive way to make coffee. Yes, it can be done but then again we were talking about heating a living space not a quick 10minute run of the coffee maker.

I will tell my many friends who are really into solar that they are being silly. They think it is cool to make coffee with free energy. You sure like to label people, don't you? I tried something. It did not work. I am not a silly or foolish person.

TomG2 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
...snip...... it is a poor way to generate heat.

No argument there. Who said that it was a good way? Occasionally, for convenience sake, small quantities of heat CAN be produced from battery power. Not in my case, which I readily admit. Something that is very rare on these forums.

By the way, there are lots of people making coffee this morning using their battery banks and electric coffee pots. Foolish? Your call.

Actually, it is a silly and expensive way to make coffee. Yes, it can be done but then again we were talking about heating a living space not a quick 10minute run of the coffee maker.

I can't put on more clothes which will make coffee. Before I installed that propane heater I used to heat a 2" industrial nut with a rosebud torch and set it atop a hibachi pot on the passenger side floor. Crude, expensive, need lots of tools, but 10 minutes of soaking inside the cab the temp gained eighty degrees F.

With regards to ANY electric water heating coil system. With hard water the coil crusts up. The manufacturer tells you to clean it with vinegar. Pure ignorance of chemistry and reality.

Clean with vinegar

THEN

Follow with a baking soda solution flush

The dissolved minerals come out with the baking soda flush. NOT with vinegar alone.

Same with flushing a car radiator or rigs hot water heater. They are a hassle to flush plumbing wise but ONE GALLON of white vinegar then a fill with water, an overnight at the highest dial setting will get the tank ready for a baking soda flush. Four boxes dissolved. Another night at max temp then lookout -- here comes the mud.

valhalla360 wrote:
...snip...... it is a poor way to generate heat.

No argument there. Who said that it was a good way? Occasionally, for convenience sake, small quantities of heat CAN be produced from battery power. Not in my case, which I readily admit. Something that is very rare on these forums.

By the way, there are lots of people making coffee this morning using their battery banks and electric coffee pots. Foolish? Your call.

TomG2 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
Truckers aren't using resistance heat from lead-acid batteries.

What kind of batteries do they have? I am not in the business of referring to people as fools for trying something different. Are people fools when they switch their 12/120 volt refrigerators over to battery for a short time when parked? Inefficient? Yes. Foolish?

The battery type is irrelevant.

The resistance heating devices are on when the motor is running and the alternator is supplying the electricity.

When parked for long periods with the motor off, they have small diesel heaters.

I never called truckers fools. Someone else pointed out it's foolish to try to use batteries to generate heat and with very rare exceptions, it is a poor way to generate heat.