jayshapiro
Adventurer
Hi Gang,
OK, I need a second or third opinion on this one... As some of you may know, I am building the Eco-Roamer (that thread, here) and trying to finalize all of the components. I've got most of them sorted, but I'm going in circles on this one.
The decision is for the cooking stove WITHIN the camper. Whether to use Diesel, Propane, Electric-resitive, or Induction. Unfortunately, I have managed to eliminate almost all of them and am left trying to figure out which way to go.
Here's what I've thought so far:
DIESEL: When I first started the project, I intended to use a Diesel stove as "all-diesel" was one of our early mantras.
The most common argument against the Wallas diesel stoves is the "high-altitude" problem, but I believe this has been solved with a new "RV-Oriented" model that Wallas is manufacturing for Webasto, (called the "X100" in USA) which includes an Altitude toggle switch. You can find that new one here.
Diesel stoves also have the advantage of no humidity due to the 'fire' being kept sealed in the fire box below.
Interestingly, my chief chef (aka:Alice) objects to this one because there is basically just one cooking area and the entire glass surface heats up without independent controls. We suspect this would make it very difficult to cook with a couple of different pots requiring finite control.
Also, the "webasto" model is not compatible with the heater hood, which is one of the benefits of the other Wallas models.
USAGE: The Wallas is used by Yachts around the world, and by EarthRoamer.
PROPANE:
This is one of the easiest and cheapest options. Most RV's in America use Propane stoves, and so there are many models available in every size and price range.
The individual burners are controllable, and perform well in most environments.
BUT... This would require that we carry a second fuel (i.e. A Propane Tank - not used for anything else on the camper), which has it's own limitations, such as:
- Takes up valuable storage space.
- Cannot be carried on RoRo shipping vehicles (means finding a new one on the other side)
- Limitations on carrying tanks through a lot of tunnels
However, if we did 'have' to carry a Propane tank, then I would use it for an outside small (yacht) BBQ mounted on the front Bull bar. Like this one:
(but that's fodder for another thread...)
Propane stoves also tend to generate a fair bit of humidity in the camper.
USAGE: Charlie Aarons uses Propane in his Unicat and claims that his 30lb tank should last him a year cooking without having to find a source for filling.
INDUCTION:
This was the way we'd been leaning until I started questioning my decisions again. We like the flat surface which doesn't heat up and can be used as a preparation surface with our limited counter space.
The burners are also incredibly fast and efficient. Since they are electric there is no additional fuel requirements. And since there is no flame, there is no humidity and it's safer for the camper and the kids.
We'd selected the CookTek 2500, because it is a good size with 2 burners and has manual knob controls that can be mounted remotely:
BUT... The two burners require 2500W each to run, at 240V. This pretty much guarantees that we would have to run the generator any time you want to even make a pot of tea. We have an 8.5kw Generator, so that's possible, but certainly not ideal.
USAGE: Thomas @ Unicat recommended this for his vehicles, but I've yet to find any Overlander who actually has one in their vehicle. (anyone?!?)
ELECTRIC - RESISTIVE:
My mother had one growing up, and I suppose if it was good enough for her, then it should be good enough for me. But I find them slow and hard to control in a finite way.
Some of the new ones look quite nice, with flat glass surfaces that we could also use as additional counter space, though unlike the Induction stove, this can get very hot and a risk for the kids if they get used to put 'things' on it.
Here's an "Beaumatic" example with 2 burners and manual controls:
BUT... They still draw 1.2 - 1.8kW per burner, and given how much effort we put into collecting and storing our electricity, I'm very hesitant to burn it in a big resistor designed burn through Watts intentionally inefficient to generate heat.
USAGE: Emil (EGN) uses this on his MAN TGA truck, and seems very happy that he can run it off his huge inverters without having to run a generator.
----------------------
So have I missed anything? As you can see, I've managed to argue myself into circles on this one, and just can't decide on which direction is the best to go on this one.
Thanks for your help on this one!
Jay.
OK, I need a second or third opinion on this one... As some of you may know, I am building the Eco-Roamer (that thread, here) and trying to finalize all of the components. I've got most of them sorted, but I'm going in circles on this one.
The decision is for the cooking stove WITHIN the camper. Whether to use Diesel, Propane, Electric-resitive, or Induction. Unfortunately, I have managed to eliminate almost all of them and am left trying to figure out which way to go.
Here's what I've thought so far:
DIESEL: When I first started the project, I intended to use a Diesel stove as "all-diesel" was one of our early mantras.
The most common argument against the Wallas diesel stoves is the "high-altitude" problem, but I believe this has been solved with a new "RV-Oriented" model that Wallas is manufacturing for Webasto, (called the "X100" in USA) which includes an Altitude toggle switch. You can find that new one here.
Diesel stoves also have the advantage of no humidity due to the 'fire' being kept sealed in the fire box below.
Interestingly, my chief chef (aka:Alice) objects to this one because there is basically just one cooking area and the entire glass surface heats up without independent controls. We suspect this would make it very difficult to cook with a couple of different pots requiring finite control.
Also, the "webasto" model is not compatible with the heater hood, which is one of the benefits of the other Wallas models.
USAGE: The Wallas is used by Yachts around the world, and by EarthRoamer.
PROPANE:
This is one of the easiest and cheapest options. Most RV's in America use Propane stoves, and so there are many models available in every size and price range.
The individual burners are controllable, and perform well in most environments.
BUT... This would require that we carry a second fuel (i.e. A Propane Tank - not used for anything else on the camper), which has it's own limitations, such as:
- Takes up valuable storage space.
- Cannot be carried on RoRo shipping vehicles (means finding a new one on the other side)
- Limitations on carrying tanks through a lot of tunnels
However, if we did 'have' to carry a Propane tank, then I would use it for an outside small (yacht) BBQ mounted on the front Bull bar. Like this one:
(but that's fodder for another thread...)
Propane stoves also tend to generate a fair bit of humidity in the camper.
USAGE: Charlie Aarons uses Propane in his Unicat and claims that his 30lb tank should last him a year cooking without having to find a source for filling.
INDUCTION:
This was the way we'd been leaning until I started questioning my decisions again. We like the flat surface which doesn't heat up and can be used as a preparation surface with our limited counter space.
The burners are also incredibly fast and efficient. Since they are electric there is no additional fuel requirements. And since there is no flame, there is no humidity and it's safer for the camper and the kids.
We'd selected the CookTek 2500, because it is a good size with 2 burners and has manual knob controls that can be mounted remotely:
BUT... The two burners require 2500W each to run, at 240V. This pretty much guarantees that we would have to run the generator any time you want to even make a pot of tea. We have an 8.5kw Generator, so that's possible, but certainly not ideal.
USAGE: Thomas @ Unicat recommended this for his vehicles, but I've yet to find any Overlander who actually has one in their vehicle. (anyone?!?)
ELECTRIC - RESISTIVE:
My mother had one growing up, and I suppose if it was good enough for her, then it should be good enough for me. But I find them slow and hard to control in a finite way.
Some of the new ones look quite nice, with flat glass surfaces that we could also use as additional counter space, though unlike the Induction stove, this can get very hot and a risk for the kids if they get used to put 'things' on it.
Here's an "Beaumatic" example with 2 burners and manual controls:
BUT... They still draw 1.2 - 1.8kW per burner, and given how much effort we put into collecting and storing our electricity, I'm very hesitant to burn it in a big resistor designed burn through Watts intentionally inefficient to generate heat.
USAGE: Emil (EGN) uses this on his MAN TGA truck, and seems very happy that he can run it off his huge inverters without having to run a generator.
----------------------
So have I missed anything? As you can see, I've managed to argue myself into circles on this one, and just can't decide on which direction is the best to go on this one.
Thanks for your help on this one!
Jay.
