Induction cooker

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Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker
    halfcrazy wrote: »
    I guess what I am really asking is lets assume the customer has purchased an average off grid inverter (XW6048 ) and has say 6KW of PV. Now they bought a decent generator and store bulk diesel. So instead of having Propane as well on site they "Could" use electric for cooking. When the Solar is not capable the generator can be started and run the cooktop and charge the batteries?

    A 6kW inverter & equal amount of PV is by no means average off-grid around here.

    I wonder if we could get some stats from the companies about what their top sellers are? Then of course you'd have the question of is it being used off-grid or grid-interactive as any battery-based unit could be either. For that matter the GTI's could be used AC coupled off-grid.

    As for making use of the gen's extra power "anyway" it is always a good idea, but does not necessarily coincide with when you'd need that power. So this comes down to more load management. Ironically grid users are having to do that now too as the TOU billing becomes a major factor for them.
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    It is the fact that for X Kwh of 'juice' the presently low cost of PV allows a choice to be made between a one time $$ outlay for PV with very minimal ongoing costs vs a , possibly, one time outlay for a suitable generator and ongoing fuel and maintenance costs.

    The marginal cost of more PV is likely (way) less than the alternative with less ongoing cost...

    In an Off grid situation we all salivate over the opportunity loads that can be run when we get one of those clear, cold winter days. With more PV they are far more frequent. Or other flexible loads, ie DHW heating can be incorporated.

    I have purposely not considered additional batteries as most of us have (more than) adequate storage capacity without PEAK PV capacity for all possible opportunity loads, ie an induction cooker or a hair dryer.

    As Halfcrazy said, he would power up the generator, similarly to Chris Olson, and do a bit of bulk with 'gen support' as well as run the induction cooker.

    Of course the WhizBang Jr. would also really help here. Eh Ryan?

    hope this is clear...
     
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker
    NorthGuy wrote: »
    This all depends on the situation. There are lots of choices, and it is always possible to find ways to make off-grid life better.

    I do have natural gas available, so it not only feeds my furnace, cooktop, water heater, and drier, it also runs my generator. Although I admit, if natural gas prices go up dramatically, I'll be installing more solar, buying induction cooktops, electric driers etc. You got to adopt to what you have.
    I agree with you, my natural gas company was able to shove through a minimum $15.00 a month charge right after I got PV, I just use the pilot light to heat hot water up as high as it'll go ( 103 deg ) and PV to bring it up to 125 deg. It actually worked somewhat in my favor as I need the gas for a duel fuel heatpump.
  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker
    halfcrazy wrote: »
    My logic here is the Generator is needed anyhow, The cook top is needed so maybe with today's off grid systems it "could" be feasible to use more electric than we are used to or even think is proper. I see things changing fast and wonder if my old mindset is causing me to miss more obvious scenarios.

    One more consideration. In today's new construction, houses are so tight that I think there is a real issue burning UNVENTED propane or natural gas. Try to find a direct vent propane stovetop or oven.
    There are still some ancient gas ranges around that were built for a conventional chimney vent, but chimney vents are not safe either because when you turn on the bathroom vent fan the replacement air may come down the chimney, bringing propane exhaust into the house.

    Thus, if you are building a new tight off-grid house, electric cooking is looking more attractive from the perspective of ventilation.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    i find it ironic too that olson said he won't come back because he claims i am pushing for off gridders to use fossil fuels and i have the quote if you like. i am not pushing anything of course as i stated it's circumstances and some will vie for what is easiest for them. so how often do you suppose olson is firing up his generator that burns fossil fuels to keep his induction plate going? i'm not saying it's wrong what halfcrazy said and is viable for some to do. many out there still don't have the $ to spare for a 6kw pv array with a 6kw inverter and there's plenty of older systems out there yet to be upgraded so one can't judge by what those that can afford it are doing now. even if that is the current average install that there are still to be plenty below the average install too.

    boils down to circumstances and that usually is how much $ that one has to spare, but other circumstances exist too like my place is limited in available area that's getting sun to properly mount pvs to. just because one knows of lots of installs currently one can't assume everybody has that or can have that.

    that brings it back around to what everybody keeps arguing with me about as i said this induction plate cooking is not for everybody and that not everybody can or should do it.
  • silvertop
    silvertop Solar Expert Posts: 155 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    We'll we use our microwave, but there are foods that don't cook very well in it, I certainly wouldn't cook a hamburger in a microwave. I don't think we need to strike down gas cooktops OR induction cooktops, they all play a part in the kitchen. I think that for the most part the majority of solar installs are getting larger and the majority are grid tied. Take a look at Home Power Mag. All they talk about is grid connected solar installs. There are true off grid installs out there I am one, and I think just like the C-35 controller has given way to MPPT controllers I see the Array getting larger. Six dollars a watt, now one dollar a watt, if you spent the money on more expensive panels and now it's cheaper would you buy less or more?
  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker
    niel wrote: »
    i find it ironic too that olson said he won't come back because he claims i am pushing for off gridders to use fossil fuels and i have the quote if you like.
    Disclaimer: I do NOT know why he won't come back.
    I suspect that he won't come back because he feels he was mistreated here because he was too enthusiastic about induction cookers. In my opinion, nothing he wrote in this thread deserved the ban. (I've reread this thread three times).
    Mr. Olson was suspended temporarily due to his attitude in this and other threads as well as the content of certain private messages.
    I have no idea what he wrote in PMs, but PMs are not in the public forum and, in my opinion, should not result in a ban from the public forum.

    I am not trying to be hard on the moderators... I am here BECAUSE of the moderators. There are few forums on the internet that are as well moderated. I do not achieve 100% perfection in my endeavors, I do make mistakes. I would be happy if my error rate was as low as the moderators. I think the moderators made a rare error in banning Mr. Olson. Its not a big deal... mistakes happen... move on.

    I think there is a lot of over reaction here. I would be pleased to see Niel moderate again and Mr Olson participate in the forum again.

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    Can we all please let the issue of Niel and Chris drop? What is done is done! It is time to move on!

    Tony
  • ggunn
    ggunn Solar Expert Posts: 1,973 ✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker
    icarus wrote: »
    Can we all please let the issue of Niel and Chris drop? What is done is done! It is time to move on!

    Tony

    Hear, hear! If nothing else, I don't think it's fair to burn someone down in absentia.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    silvertop,
    the microwave oven i was sarcastically throwing out there as an example of what was being done with the induction plate in this thread by chris. somebody off grid with a system such as yours can operation such a device depending on how you manage your power and yes people are upgrading. so does that mean all off gridders can and should do this with an induction plate or even a microwave? does that mean there aren't off gridders with smaller systems that haven't upgraded or can't upgrade? what i said is true that it does not apply to all no matter what you or chris have or what the average system is. btw chris was not referring to gt systems and people cannot go putting words in the mouths of others and taking what they say out of context and outright lying about what was said in order to make a claim that all off gridders can and should do this as chris did. i did acknowledge that many can and i did not say you have to use gases. i also never said don't use the induction plate. people don't read properly. btw i do hope you read my pm and understand that what i wrote after your wife was not directed at your wife because of how long i took to compose a post for others.

    general,
    i am not to be scrutinized and judged by all here or the mob rule would be moderating the forum. i made no mistake in adding 3 days to the 3 another moderator already gave. he did take things out of context, lied, and was starting to disrupt the thread silvertop started and i had to take the issue off of the forum or i too would've been guilty of off railing the thread. one pm by him was enough to show me of his belligerence and ignorance to warrant no further communications with him, but he was given warnings by me on the direction he was taking the thread to at which time i backed off of the thread to take out myself as the reason. i was made reference to by him in a false attack by him and there is a limit that any moderator should take when someone is making trouble. we were criticized for also not locking the thread which i made reference to in my pm to chris as a possibility that could result, but that would've culminated in the same result. this is not the business of the forum itself to judge as that is the reason moderators are here. i made my case to naws and naws in turn sided with chris' money to strip moderators of their power to lure his money back. there goes the integrity we moderators put into the forum and i was not going to take crap from all sides while letting certain standards now dictate on the forum. also know that some people have trouble with any in authority and scratch at any opportunity to cause chaos. now if any of you think you know better then apply for the position yourself to take bs from the membership anfd get it from management to with lots of hours inputted every day for no salary and then come talk to me. until then drop the attitudes so silvertop's thread can go on.
    one last thing, poor chris isn't here because he doesn't want to be. he threw a tantrum and acted childish. a 6 day temporary ban does not mean banned for life even though the forum has a glitch that shows banned for life on temporary bans too. makes more fuel to the fire and more trouble for mods.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    FWIW I do have and can use a Microwave oven. It pulls 1kW running, but all I use it for is warming up leftovers for lunch in the middle of the day when the sun is shining bright and I have got some power to spare. Not a terrible economical device frankly, even though I only use it for a minute or two. In that time it manages to switch my system from "fully charged" to "deficit" on account of you can not supply 1000 Watts of power from a 700 Watt array.

    But at least I don't have to run a generator to do it.
  • NorthGuy
    NorthGuy Solar Expert Posts: 1,913 ✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    Regular people on the forum do not really know what has happened and can only guess. It is therefore pointless to discuss this.

    I like Chris' post, and I like Neil's posts, even though they're dramatically different. IMHO, the differemce in approaches and opinions is good. I do not see any reason why they can't co-exist. I value this forum because moderators are not invasive and only interfere in rare occasions, and always for good reasons. I don't know what happened this time. I can only hope the wounds will heal with time.
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: Induction cooker

    Maybe it's time to lock this thread, they have been locked for a lot less, both have a point of view.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Induction cooker

    Blackcherry04 and Icarus/Tony are right... Lets leave this part of the discussion to history.

    -Bill "moderator" B.
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
This discussion has been closed.