Coffee test & AGM

[noseoil]

I'm running a 12v group 27 AGM Trojan battery (it's rated at 95 amp hours) & a 100 watt solar panel in my trailer. Previously, I've always had shore power to make coffee in a pot rated 900 watts. We're headed out this afternoon for a weekend camp, so I finally got around to doing a test on the battery & the 1,000 watt inverter, to see how things work with just the battery for coffee in the morning.

I'm glad I don't monitor amps with my setup, but the voltage drops to about 11.5 when the pot is running with the inverter. It stays on for about 12-15 minutes for a full pot. I checked the wires which feed the inverter & I may go up a size since they were a bit warm when the test was running. They came with the inverter so I'm not sure of the actual size. The inverter ran fine & the internal fan started up part way through the cycle and ran for a few minutes after the pot was shut off. The battery was at 12.7 volts when the test started & ended up at 12.3 volts last night. I just checked it this morning & it's at 12.4 volts now, so a pot of coffee takes about 25% of the capacity in 15 minutes. OUCH!

I would not want to lean on a battery this way too often & expect it to last a long time (a generator would be a better choice for this type of current load), but it's nice to know my system works well enough to make coffee if necessary.

Here's a shot of the battery box & inverter setup, with the cooler out of the way, to see how it's hooked up. It's a short run from the battery terminals to the inverter. Thinking I should have #4 cables for this type of load, but it works.

[bobhenry]

What ? Camping and making battery powered coffee.

Mine is ready in 4 minutes in this little jewel on the propane cook top.

[noseoil]

I might decide to use a drip system & the propane stove for next trip. The gas option would be better in general as far as time & energy used....

[Shadow Catcher]

We use a French press we picked up from REI, metal.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

With a jet boil you can cut it down to 2 minutes for 2 cups

[daveesl77]

Bob and I both use the Bialetti Moka, as do millions of folks in Europe. It is small, simple, brews really fast and quite simply makes the best coffee you can think of. Depending on how you do it, you can make an amazing cup of "Cafe American" or the perfect Cappuccino. And as he said, all in about 4 minutes using almost any heat source.

http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express- ... ka+express

It is called a "6 cup" not because it makes 6 mugs of coffee in the pot, but instead makes enough of the concentrated liquid to make either 6 cups of coffee when adding boiling water to the mug or 6 esspresso cups, at the nuclear level of concentration. Buy a $3 frother from Bed, Bath and Beyond and impress the heck out of the other campers by having your perfect cappuccino with foam.

dave

[Socal Tom]

I have 2 coffee setups. A single cup Keurig for when I'm in a park with power and a Mr. Coffee french press I got at walmart. I can make 4 cups in the FP, and I carry a thermos to keep it warm ( always need one anyhow). The Mr. Cofee is glass, and I repack it in the original box for storage. Its went that way accross the mojave road ( 109 miles of dirt road), and the trailer spent some time airborne.
Tom

[capnTelescope]

Lots of coffee talk in this topic: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63966

[noseoil]

Went out this weekend & ended up with an older style perk type a friend had in his tear. He bought a kit of blue porcelain plates, cups, etc. but doesn't drink coffee, so we bought the pot from him. All's well that ends well.

Another Pacific storm moved in the first day after my test & the solar panel was not putting out enough to recharge the battery on Friday. The when we got to camp, it rained in the evening! Nice to have a back-up plan for coffee.

[ywhic]

I'm running a 12v group 27 AGM Trojan battery (it's rated at 95 amp hours) & a 100 watt solar panel in my trailer. Previously, I've always had shore power to make coffee in a pot rated 900 watts. We're headed out this afternoon for a weekend camp, so I finally got around to doing a test on the battery & the 1,000 watt inverter, to see how things work with just the battery for coffee in the morning.

900 watts is roughly 9 amps on 120VAC and 90 AMPS on 12VDC.. so yes it will wack the battery down ALOT in short time..

Yes heavy wire is highly recommended.. I would say 2AWG or 0AWG from HDepot or Lowes by the foot.. they also sell Thomas/Betts compression pure copper terminals if you poke around..



I had a 8 panel 1120 W solar setup (with Midnite Classic Controller) in my 'shack' in TX and was using a 2000W Xantrex pure sine inverter and 000 welding wire for my batteries (6 GC2 (660AH bank)) to inverter..

I plan on doing 2-4 100w panels on top of my project soon.. when I get some funds..

Your right though, better to test and know then not.. so

Here's a pic of my cabin setup with just 4 of the GC2's..

[noseoil]

Good to know it worked, but I'm not planning on replicating it again any time soon. The more I think about it, the worse it gets! Nothing like a torture test to see if things work.

I do love my coffee, but there must be limits to everything. With the stove & propane up & running, the entertainment system is about the worst thing I'll be running from now on. I guess I could always add a sub-woofer to the, naw...