Induction hobs. Worthwhile?

[samwise]

We are heading off in the Spring for Sweden and the next stage of our Baltic cruise and have been warned that we will have problems replenishing our Camping Gaz supplies. I do not particularly want to go the route of installing alternative gas systems i.e. propane, but one suggestion has been to use an electric induction hob cooker to save on the gas.

I have seen some fairly cheap devices ( around £30) but I understand you also need to invest in some special heavyweight cookware and I assume you will also need an inverter if you are running off a 12v supply.

I would be grateful for any info or experiences with such a system or product recommendations.

One thing I have learned already is that the power drain on standby is quite substantial. I am also a bit concerned about the overall weight because if I go for it, I will have to take it out to the boat via Mr easyJet and I seem to have a mountain of stuff to go out already!

 

[Sandyman]

Unless you've got a 240 genny then I would forget it. Think ! Ohms Law !!!

 

[fuss]

We are heading off in the Spring for Sweden and the next stage of our Baltic cruise and have been warned that we will have problems replenishing our Camping Gaz supplies. I do not particularly want to go the route of installing alternative gas systems i.e. propane, but one suggestion has been to use an electric induction hob cooker to save on the gas.

I have seen some fairly cheap devices ( around £30) but I understand you also need to invest in some special heavyweight cookware and I assume you will also need an inverter if you are running off a 12v supply.

I would be grateful for any info or experiences with such a system or product recommendations.

One thing I have learned already is that the power drain on standby is quite substantial. I am also a bit concerned about the overall weight because if I go for it, I will have to take it out to the boat via Mr easyJet and I seem to have a mountain of stuff to go out already!

I have an induction 2 hob and it works fine but as with everything it depends.
Power drain in standby on mine is virtually nil and the unit is not that heavy.

Here are my experiences and thoughts to make it work on a sailing boat without a generator....
i think you need as a minimum 3000w inverter and 600a batteries and at least 150a alternator. So maybe this means its for 45ft+ boats.

Induction will boil half liter water in 1 min consuming 50w
for comparison, a ceramic hob will boil half liter water in around 3.5 min consuming over 150w

if you make 4 cups of coffee, bacon and eggs for breakfast and 1 hour cooking for dinner then you will need about 2500 watts a day

If you do buy an inverter you can then buy an electric egg boiler, the most efficient way to boil eggs ever invented!!! around 40watts for up to 7 eggs.


My off the shelf air cooled fridge/freezer and -8 degree coolbox in the med in summer run the compressors over 90% of the day making a total for 24 hours of around 2500 watts. If you have this problem, you can get these figures down but it costs.

I made some improvements to my fridges insulation and the reality is that I need 4500watts a day for everything.
Solar panels provide about half of it

So maybe you could look at it like this ......
Induction cooking on a sailboat is like have 2 inefficient fridges. If you already have 2 then it will be like having 4.
Put an extra 400w of solar on board and you will use the same 24hr energy as before installing induction.
In colder conditions the solar might put out less, but then the fridges will work better.

 

[GSL]

Unless you've got a 240 genny then I would forget it. Think ! Ohms Law !!!

+1

 

[samwise]

Thanks for the replies. Perhaps another solution is called for. How about an electric kettle and lots of barbecues!

 

[ytd]

why not get one of those cheap single burner stoves that run off integral disposable gas cylinders as an emergency backup should you not be able to get bottled gas.

 

[ccscott49]

I have an induction 2 hob and it works fine but as with everything it depends.
Power drain in standby on mine is virtually nil and the unit is not that heavy.

Here are my experiences and thoughts to make it work on a sailing boat without a generator....
i think you need as a minimum 3000w inverter and 600a batteries and at least 150a alternator. So maybe this means its for 45ft+ boats.

Induction will boil half liter water in 1 min consuming 50w
for comparison, a ceramic hob will boil half liter water in around 3.5 min consuming over 150w

if you make 4 cups of coffee, bacon and eggs for breakfast and 1 hour cooking for dinner then you will need about 2500 watts a day

If you do buy an inverter you can then buy an electric egg boiler, the most efficient way to boil eggs ever invented!!! around 40watts for up to 7 eggs.


My off the shelf air cooled fridge/freezer and -8 degree coolbox in the med in summer run the compressors over 90% of the day making a total for 24 hours of around 2500 watts. If you have this problem, you can get these figures down but it costs.

I made some improvements to my fridges insulation and the reality is that I need 4500watts a day for everything.
Solar panels provide about half of it

So maybe you could look at it like this ......
Induction cooking on a sailboat is like have 2 inefficient fridges. If you already have 2 then it will be like having 4.
Put an extra 400w of solar on board and you will use the same 24hr energy as before installing induction.
In colder conditions the solar might put out less, but then the fridges will work better.

You would need one hell of a lot of solar panels, to produce 1250 watts. or do you mean 1250 watts of power in a day? which even with a 12 hour day, is over 100 watts an hour.
Also I have two fridges and a freezer and mine dont run the compressors 90% of the time, that would be horrendous power consumption, I am also in the meddy and mine dont run more than 60% of the time.
Eletric cooking is IMHO for boats fitted with a generator.

 

[macd]

You would need one hell of a lot of solar panels, to produce 1250 watts. or do you mean 1250 watts of power in a day? which even with a 12 hour day, is over 100 watts an hour.
Also I have two fridges and a freezer and mine dont run the compressors 90% of the time, that would be horrendous power consumption, I am also in the meddy and mine dont run more than 60% of the time.
Eletric cooking is IMHO for boats fitted with a generator.

Agree with all of that. If a fridge's compressor is running even half the time, it's under-insulated.
fuss is a bit confused with his "2500 watts a day" stuff. A watt is a measure of the rate of work done (amps x volts). It's not a measure of the 'volume' of electrickery used or generated.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Induction hobs are particularly fussy about the frequency of the supply as well so the inverter would have to be a sine wave one, equally the generator would need careful choosing as well.

 

[PlanB]

I don't understand the implications of the electrics, but how about a combi microwave (it's what we use for heating water) and the bbq.

 

[Liz_I]

Hi Sam, Harry say's don't be silly Stick with the gas. Any equipment you have which runs on butane will equally run on propane.
We have found in 16 yrs that the most efficient system is to be prepared to buy a new regulator and a new gas bottle when you change areas. There is usually somewhere which will fill other makes of gas bottles but this can be a very long way away and there are many places where you cannot carry gas on public transport, including taxis. If you can find a site to fill your gas bottles, you would probably have to hire a car to get you and the bottle there. In our experience this is never cost effective. A new regulator & the deposit on a local gas bottle is likely to cost you £ 40 - 50. Obviously things may well be different and more expensive in the Baltic States.
On the subject of electric cooking. The pans used on induction hobs are no heavier they incorporate an induction coil in the manufacture. If you can buy an induction hob for £ 30.00 this would be far cheaper than anything we have seen in our travels! It would certainly be a great addition but should only be used when plugged into shore supply.
Yes it is a far quicker method of cooking but your meal is still going to take you rather longer than boiling a pint of water. Likewise a microwave, while possibly useful in port, will consume something close to 12amps on 220v for a 900w machine. Remember your OHMS law VA=W. If you are going to try and run the same machine through an inverter powered by 12v you will be drawing 75amps from your batteries which will probably cope as long as you are running a 150Amp alternator at the same time.
This would not be a good option on a regular basis and would give you very little margin for safety if anything was to go wrong with your system. You are also likely to be creating a large amount of heat in your batteries and charging system. Also bear in mind that a microwave is a rather large piece of kit!
Love to you & Camilla keep us posted.

 

[maxi77]

We have a twin electric hob for use in marinas where the leccy is included in the fee. Makes the gas go a lot further. Would never try and used it without mains power available.

 

[Joker]

Unless you're anchoring every night, you'll have shore power.

And there's not a lot of point vidsiting foreign parts without going into the harbours. They're cheap enough in the Baltic.