Mark Allen shares his experience of cooking with 240V appliances in an RV with no access to mains power. Is it a viable option in the Aussie Outback for extended periods? The answer may surprise you.
Let’s start by setting the scenario for this yarn. By camping, we’re talking about touring in a campervan (we were in a 4WD converted HiAce camper), camper trailer or purely with a 4WD and relying on an onboard 12-volt power system and inverter to change that power to 240 volts.
We’re not relying on utilising mains power from caravan parks, mates’ places or anywhere else for accessing 240-volt power. The onboard battery system can only be recharged via an alternator while driving, solar panels or a generator. No recharging from mains power.
By cooking, let’s not limit it to boiling a pot of water or toasting a piece of bread. Nope, we’re going the whole hog and knocking up proper, healthy meals, which sometimes require more than one pot or pan on the go at once.
The more power, the larger the inverter and the more recharging ability you have, the more successful your camp cooking will be.
Our setup includes 400 amps of RedArc lithium batteries and a RedArc 2000 inverter. While our system has other components, this is the crux of the availability and amount of power we have to play with.
We have a 270-watt solar panel permanently fixed to the van’s roof for recharging, plus a RedArc 240-watt solar blanket that we spread out at camp to maximise solar input. Added to that is the RedArc dual battery system that recharges via the vehicle’s alternator while driving. This is, by far, the fastest way to recharge our batteries and forms a large part of how we managed to keep cooking for our nine week, 10,000 km journey.
I’d never used 240-volt appliances on a camping trip before, as I’ve never had the right power system to utilise them. We packed a kettle, Nutri Bullet and induction cooker on this trip. Given the induction cooker has multiple power and heat settings, it was incredibly convenient for both cooking and, partially, for varying the speed of cooking and power usage.
The induction cooker being a heat source, allowed us to use frying pans and pots on it, which gave us great alternatives for cooking varied meals.
If we hadn’t been driving so much during this trip, which was most days, we would not have been able to keep cooking with our system. Not a chance. Given we drove so much, we didn’t try to conserve power, as we knew our system would quickly recharge the next day’s drive.
The times we didn’t drive, which was a maximum of four days, we conserved power by either cooking meals that didn’t require as much power input or by cooking and heating on an open fire where possible. Yes, we love cooking on the fire and use that heat source as much as possible. There is no comparison for searing a steak over the coals.
I was adamant we wouldn’t take an LPG bottle and BBQ in the van for its maiden voyage. Not only for storing the bottle but the bulk of the BBQ itself. Instead, we took a more compact butane cooker and a handful of butane canisters as a backup, just in case. The main reason for this backup was the uncertainty of the power system, given I’d never used it before.
The few times we used the butane cooker, what a pain compared to induction. It’s affected by wind, cold temperatures and needs ventilation if used inside. Plus, it doesn’t put out nearly as much heat as I’d like. In the future, I’ll reconsider taking LPG and BBQ as the backup cooking over both the electrical system as well as the fire BBQ. The convenience of the mighty gas BBQ can’t be underestimated!
Yes, our onboard power and recharging system worked a treat for general cooking, and I’d never not take all the same appliances on our future camping trips. The convenience was a 10 out of 10, as was the ease and speed of cooking.
The only failings, if you can call it that, were the inability to cook for extended periods (like a slow-cooked roast) or to be able to use more than one high power draw appliance at a time (the kettle and induction cooker would trip the safety switch).
With our 2000-watt inverter, there was no way around using two appliances simultaneously other than buying a larger inverter. Compared to, say, an LPG bottle, multiple pans, kettles, or pots could be on the go at any one time.
So, while the answer is yes, you can rely on battery power to run cooking appliances while camping and touring, it depends greatly on your setup and usage.
I’ll continue to use the same RedArc system but will still have a backup (fire) BBQ, plus I will look into a better backup LPG cooking system.
Our ATW motor home is mainly powered by 240ac
Fridge 250 litre, induction cook top, 26litre oven, 10 litre hws.
Led lights, sandwich maker/ griller, 16 inch fan. double bed electric blanket
654watt Bengq solarpanels, I Mark 60 amp Mppt, Latronics 3000w invertor,Sonnenschein 24volt 360 amp hr batteries.and 120 amp 24volt alternator on the engine, which is we hardly ever use to charge the batteries. Has been highly successfull over the last 158. thousand kilometers in every terrain and weather conditions possible.
Congratulations Mark on your honesty. We have lived on the road for 11 years in our 24ft caravan and to read such truthful content was a joy.
90% of people who hire campers, camper trailers and even caravans and motorhome, NEVER tell the truth about the capability of the systems supplied in the vans. I see new 25ft caravans at caravan shows, with NO LPG and all electric systems, reliant upon a few solar panels and two Lithium batteries, one or two induction cook tops, a 12V HWS, a 12V refrigerator, shower, toilet, washing machine – and they are supposed to support two adults and two or three kids.
It is laughable as these manufacturers HAVE NEVER taken their vans for a 3 week holiday – never mind a 9 week, 10,000 klm trip!! You saw the limitations of the weather, and used wood fired barbeques and cooking areas to save power, and also realised that LPG is a must!
An LPG HWS and cooktop, would have gotten you through the wet and overcast seasons as you travelled (which obviously you didn’t experience on your trip), and saved your battery systems for when you needed them.
People forget that solar – or 12V lithium, solar panels and big inverters are NOT the be all and end all. Had you have a wet or totally overcast 4 or 5 days – you would have been shot to pieces.
Again – thank you for your honesty!