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Messages - kuurt

#1
QuoteThat's a lot of gear to run

Yeah it's probably more than what everybody else is running because I really don't like the idea of using gas appliances.

Quotewhy are you against gas? It will run cooking, fridge and heating (if needed) and easy to get hold of.

I have lung problems due to chemical pneumonia caused from breathing gas at my old job.  So I'm a bit paranoid about breathing gas.  I would prefer to do without it completely if at all possible.  I didn't know they even had refrigerators that run off of gas.  How is that even possible? 

QuoteYou didn't specify the wattage of these appliances or that of your solar panels or the number of batteries you have.

I don't actually have a van, solar panels, or some of the appliances yet.  I was just thinking ahead and trying to figure out if it's possible and how it can be done. 

Quoteelectric burner to cook on  - Would require additional batteries, thicker cabling, an expensive inverter and somewhere around 1kw of solar on the roof to charge on a cloudy day 

Sounds complicated, does everybody else just use propane for that? 

Quotewater heater for taking warm showers   - Same problem as the cooker, maybe try using a solar cell heater to the heat water in the sun (would mount to the roof)

How do other people usually heat their shower water in a van?  Seems like you'd need electricity to heat and pump the water, no?
#2
I don't like the idea of using propane, kerosene, or any kind of gas in a van.  So I'm wondering if it's possible to get enough electricity from solar panels on the roof to cover all my electrical needs. 

Here's the electrical appliances that I'd like to have: 

small refrigerator
laptop computer
electric burner to cook on
fan when it's hot
water heater for taking warm showers
beard trimmer 
lights

There might be more, but that's all I can think of right now.  Is it possible to get enough electricity for all of that from solar panels on the roof?