The Case against Inverter Generators
Neon John
40s and the wind is blowing. You have your little 1kw generator and plenty of
fuel. You also have a 1200 watt coffee maker and a 1500 watt heater. What to
do?
If my generator is one of the popular Honda or other brand inverter generators
and I plug my heater in, the generator will promptly trip on overload. OTOH,
if my generator is a conventional sync generator, it is possible that the
generator will handle the overload and provide some heat. Maybe not full
output but some.
This is the situation I found myself in at the Daytona Speedway Turkey Rod Run
last weekend. I had my little electric scooter and the trailer. I had
strapped my new 1kw Chicom generator to the trailer along with a battery
charger and a ceramic heater. The temperature was in the low 40s and the wind
was blowing a steady approx 20 mph. Cold as h*ll with summer clothes on. It
has been in the 80s the day before.
I had purchased a package of tarps in the flea market so I found myself a
place along a guardrail and set up an impromptu lean-to. I cranked the
generator and plugged in the heater. The generator loaded down. Way down.
Probably wasn't producing more than about 50 hz power. But it WAS producing
useable power. The heater fired off and I shortly warmed my hands and feet
enough to return some feeling.
As I was sitting there warming my appendages I realized that this is the
perfect case against inverter generators. If I had had an EU1000 on the
trailer (about the same size and weight) I'd have been SOL. The Honda would
have tripped and made NO power instead of some useable, if degraded quality
power like the little ChiCom unit did.
Again, this is where one has to consider the application when purchasing a
generator. If the load is likely to be low most of the time then the inverter
gennys excel. OTOH, if the load is likely to be near or over full load, the
inverter generator is a BAD choice.
Likewise, this perennial discussion of how to run an AC on the EU2000
illustrates another bad application. If the generator is intended primarily
to run the AC then a non-inverter genny is more appropriate. If the
application requires the generator to run the AC part of the time and other
small loads the rest of the time, it might be most appropriate to get a
generator for the AC and another, inverter generator, for the balance of the
loads. This asymmetric selection would most likely be cheaper than buying two
EUs.
Just something to think about as I'm sitting here watching it get ready to
snow.
John
---
John De Armond
johngdDO...@bellsouth.net
http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/o/johngd/
Cleveland, Occupied TN
ht
<johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>have tripped and made NO power instead of some useable, if degraded quality
>power like the little ChiCom unit did.
>
I tried to find the Chicom unit at harbor Freight after reading your
last post about it, but couldn't find it. got a link so I can see
it, and do they make higher wattage ones?
Also, how would I go about, with metering or calculation, finding the
wattage needed to run a 5400btu AC? Is there some way to use a
voltmeter or something to determine that?
.
--
Thanks..
HT
Alan Balmer
<johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>Imagine you're out in the weather and you're cold. The temperature is in the
>40s and the wind is blowing. You have your little 1kw generator and plenty of
>fuel. You also have a 1200 watt coffee maker and a 1500 watt heater. What to
>do?
>
1. Use the generator to start the furnace.
2. Burn the fuel.
Seriously, this isn't an argument against inverter generators, it's an
argument for matching your power source and your appliances. Inverter
generators have plenty of characteristics to recommend them.
--
Al Balmer
Balmer Consulting
removebalmerc...@att.net
frostalicious
> Imagine you're out in the weather and you're cold. The temperature
> is in the 40s and the wind is blowing. You have your little 1kw
> generator and plenty of fuel. You also have a 1200 watt coffee maker
> and a 1500 watt heater. What to do?
Here's what I do:
Turn on the propane, heat some water, put it in the French press,
whoops, make that "Freedom" press, add some French roast...
Darn! "Freedom" roast coffee, wait a while, press it down, drink,
get warm. =`:^> Seriously, though, I see (hear!) a lot of RV-ers
using electricity to make coffee when they could get by just fine
with the stove top. It becomes quite funny to use propane to run
the generator to make electricity to heat the water, when there's a
much more direct and efficient route.
--
frosty
Joe Bedford
I tried putting my coffeemaker on the stove but the plastic
keeps melting. Maybe my stove wasn't level enough?
--
Cheers, Joe Bedford
--------------------------------
reverse DROFDEBEOJ to reply
Neon John
wrote:
>On Thu, 04 Dec 2003 14:20:31 -0500, Neon John
><johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>
>>have tripped and made NO power instead of some useable, if degraded quality
>>power like the little ChiCom unit did.
>>
>
>I tried to find the Chicom unit at harbor Freight after reading your
>last post about it, but couldn't find it. got a link so I can see
>it, and do they make higher wattage ones?
Last time I made my swipe through the big boy toy stores in Chattanooga, both
Harbor Freight and Northern had stacks of these generators piled high.
Northern was $275 or something like that if fuzzy memory serves. I looked as
I was writing that post for URLs and didn't find any. Maybe they only offer
these in the stores.
That URL I posted for the outfit in PA will get you a number to call. They
had hundreds of 'em at the car show. Maybe haven't made it to the web site
yet.
>
>Also, how would I go about, with metering or calculation, finding the
>wattage needed to run a 5400btu AC? Is there some way to use a
>voltmeter or something to determine that?
Go to Rat Shack or a few other places and get a Kill-a-Watt. This gadget
measures V,A,W,VA,WH,VAR,PF and frequency. $29. Or go here and get a
slightly better version:
http://www.themeterguy.com/advertising/wattsup/watts_up_2002.htm
The problem with making a measurement or series of measurements is that the AC
draw rises with outside temperature. The worst case situations, 90+ outside
and 70 deg inside, also result in the least power output from the generator,
as power decreases with air density. The result is a generator/AC combo that
starts and runs fine in mild weather can't haul the freight when you need it
most.
This is why experience is the only good way to match gennys and ACs. Either
testing the two units under worst case conditions or listening to others'
experiences. Of course, if they tell you that an EU2000 will run a 15kbtu AC
just fine and you find that they live in the cool mountains, well.... :-)
Neon John
Anyway.
Point a: who cares?
Point b: match THIS with yer propane...
At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug it in.
When my bleary eyes detect the first rays of light, my groggy hand reaches up
and after several tries, bats the "START" button on the genny control panel
right over the head of my bed. The genny starts and the coffee brews. Just
in time to sustain my tenuous grasp on consciousness...
Wes Stewart
<johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
[snip]
|
|This is why experience is the only good way to match gennys and ACs. Either
|testing the two units under worst case conditions or listening to others'
|experiences. Of course, if they tell you that an EU2000 will run a 15kbtu AC
|just fine and you find that they live in the cool mountains, well.... :-)
No... worry if they live at the cool, dry sea shore <g>
Actually, the elevation is usually more of a factor than temperature.
For example the SAE J1349 reference conditions for measuring
horsepower are 77 deg F, 29.235 inches Hg, 0% RH. This gives a
density altitude of 1962 ft. ASL.
An increase of the altitude to 4950 ft will reduce the hp 10%. To get
a 10% reduction of hp due to temperature alone would require
increasing the temperature to 183 deg F. (This isn't necessarily
unreasonable in vehicles; the underhood temperature of cars here in AZ
reaches 300 degrees or more.
Tom Marik
>>
John,
Are there any easy sources for vacuum pots?
Are there any that work on a propane stove?
Tom M who's guest will complain about my instant coffee
HDinNY
snipped
> Just something to think about as I'm sitting here watching it get ready to
> snow.
You certainly make a good point John. But couldn't we do
just as well with a lower wattage heater? We've got a cheap
oil filled heater with a 900 and a 600 watt element. If I
ran my EU1000i off the eco setting, it should run the 900
and I could leave it on the eco setting and run the 600
watt. The oil filled wouldn't give me a forced air heater
but should work to heat a space. Whatcha think?
HD in NY
Neon John
Oh of course you could do that. It wouldn't be "just as well" because it
wouldn't make as much heat. But the point is, using a generator without a
defined trip point, one can get by in a pinch whereas with a generator that
trips on overload, it's all or nothing.
The other point I was making is that because I could overload the chicom
generator a bit I could get by with what I had on hand. I grabbed the heater
out of the MH that I normally use for heat when plugged into shore power.
Even if I was willing to leave the parking spot that I arrived at 6 am to get,
I would not have been able to get a heater on Thanksgiving day.
Neon John
><< At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug it in.
>>>
>
>John,
>
>Are there any easy sources for vacuum pots?
Several of the yuppie mail order outfits sell a plastic version that is said
to work OK. Kinda expensive at over $100. Hammacher Schlemmer
http://www.hammacher.com/ usually has 'em but I can't find it on their web
page. The one I'm talking about looks kinda whop-sided, with the funnel
canting at an angle.
here's some good stuff on the vacuum pot.
http://baharris.org/coffee/VacuumCoffeePots.htm
>Are there any that work on a propane stove?
yes. Here's a source for an improved version of the stovetop pot:
http://www.foodservicedirect.com/index.cfm/S/176/N/1368/Vacuum_Coffee_Makers.htm
I have several of these. They're made out of thinner metal than the original
but the funnel is taller which reduces spatter during the boil-out phase.
here are some all-glass versions:
http://www.brandsonsale.com/vacuum-coffee-maker.html
http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.vacuum.shtml
All in all, I'd still choose to look around a bit for a Sunbeam Coffeemaster.
This is the classic and IMHO still the best. They're still plentiful in
antique stores and auctions. I have several and have never paid more than $25
for one. This is a good representation of the model I prefer. There are
minor style variations but I like the round ones.
http://www.oldcoffeeroasters.com/images/VacPots/C20B.jpg
Joe Bedford
> *sigh* someone else hijacked my thread....
>
>
Oh well - I posted about balancing 5th wheels and it turned
into a thread about poachers :)
HDinNY
snipped
> I would not have been able to get a heater on Thanksgiving day.
Agreed.
HD in NY
Tom Marik
Coffeemaster. >>
The heating element burned out fifteen years ago and Mom threw it out.
Now, that I broke down and got a generator, I'll probably look fo a used
Sunbeam Coffeemaster.
Tom M
frostalicious
> *sigh* someone else hijacked my thread....
> Anyway.
>> Neon John wrote:
>>> Imagine you're out in the weather and you're cold. The temperature
>>> is in the 40s and the wind is blowing. You have your little 1kw
>>> generator and plenty of fuel. You also have a 1200 watt coffee
>>> maker and a 1500 watt heater. What to do?
> frostalicious wrote:
>> Here's what I do:
>> Turn on the propane, heat some water, put it in the French press,
>> whoops, make that "Freedom" press, add some French roast...
>> Darn! "Freedom" roast coffee, wait a while, press it down, drink,
>> get warm. =`:^> Seriously, though, I see (hear!) a lot of RV-ers
>> using electricity to make coffee when they could get by just fine
>> with the stove top. It becomes quite funny to use propane to run
>> the generator to make electricity to heat the water, when there's a
>> much more direct and efficient route.
> Point a: who cares?
Presumably, the one who asked the question:
"You also have a 1200 watt coffee maker... What to do?"
> Point b: match THIS with yer propane...
>
> At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug
> it in. When my bleary eyes detect the first rays of light, my groggy
> hand reaches up and after several tries, bats the "START" button on
> the genny control panel right over the head of my bed. The genny
> starts and the coffee brews. Just in time to sustain my tenuous
> grasp on consciousness...
>
> John
OK, you got me there; I can't do that. I can, however, brew a pot
of coffee without raising a racket at dawn, annoying my neighbors,
breaking local noise rules, etc. Is your generator noiseless?
--
fros+y
Tom Marik
>> Here's what I do:
>> Turn on the propane, heat some water, put it in the French press, whoops,
make that "Freedom" press, add some French roast... Darn! "Freedom" roast
coffee, wait a while, press it down, drink, get warm. =`:^> Seriously,
though, I see (hear!) a lot of RV-ers using electricity to make coffee when
they could get by just fine with the stove top. It becomes quite funny to use
propane to run the generator to make electricity to heat the water, when
there's a much more direct and efficient route. >>
Frosty,
I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top. Percolator coffee
is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm willing to heat in a pot and
pour into another thingy.
Any links to where I could buy a coffee maker that doesn't use electricity?
Tom M
Caffeine Junkie
> I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top. Percolator coffee
> is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm willing to heat in a pot and
> pour into another thingy.
Have you seen Coleman's new stove-top drip-type coffee maker?
http://tinyurl.com/xuqh
--
CJ
GaryO
wrote:
>
>I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top. Percolator coffee
>is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm willing to heat in a pot and
>pour into another thingy.
>
>Any links to where I could buy a coffee maker that doesn't use electricity?
>
>Tom M
I make mine by heating water on the stove top with a whistling tea
kettle. I then pour the hot water through a filter-cone into either a
glass or thermal carafe - depending upon my consumption plans.
Simple, no fuss, no mess, nothing much extra to pack or stow.
...........gary
HDinNY
snipped
> I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top. Percolator coffee
> is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm willing to heat in a pot and
> pour into another thingy.
>
> Any links to where I could buy a coffee maker that doesn't use electricity?
>
> Tom M
>
round filters in the bottom of the basket as we get for our
electric Farberware percolator. We like the taste of drip
coffee and this works well. Any hardware store should carry
them. Or look for one at a garage sale or a thrift shop.
HD in NY
Not Me
to
| >> snow.
| >
| >You certainly make a good point John. But couldn't we do
| >just as well with a lower wattage heater? We've got a cheap
| >oil filled heater with a 900 and a 600 watt element. If I
| >ran my EU1000i off the eco setting, it should run the 900
| >and I could leave it on the eco setting and run the 600
| >watt. The oil filled wouldn't give me a forced air heater
| >but should work to heat a space. Whatcha think?
| >HD in NY
|
| Oh of course you could do that. It wouldn't be "just as well" because it
| wouldn't make as much heat. But the point is, using a generator without a
| defined trip point, one can get by in a pinch whereas with a generator
that
| trips on overload, it's all or nothing.
|
| The other point I was making is that because I could overload the chicom
| generator a bit I could get by with what I had on hand. I grabbed the
heater
| out of the MH that I normally use for heat when plugged into shore power.
| Even if I was willing to leave the parking spot that I arrived at 6 am to
get,
| I would not have been able to get a heater on Thanksgiving day.
John,
Your point is well made but I expect that had the circumstance been
different (you had an inverter based gen set) you'd have found a way to keep
warm regardless. Perhaps by stringing 100 watt light bulbs until you a)
warmed up or b) reached the limit of the gen set.
Once came across two groups of kids on a 'wilderness' experience who were
caught in a sudden very cold rain. One group was huddled together under a
wet canvas cold as all get out. The other group were in the head singing
songs. They would sing until the temp went down then one would get up and
punch the electric hand dryers until they were comfortable again.
frostalicious
>>> Here's what I do:
>>> Turn on the propane, heat some water, put it in the French press,
>>> whoops,
> make that "Freedom" press, add some French roast... Darn! "Freedom"
> roast coffee, wait a while, press it down, drink, get warm. =`:^>
> Seriously, though, I see (hear!) a lot of RV-ers using electricity
> to make coffee when they could get by just fine with the stove top.
> It becomes quite funny to use propane to run the generator to make
> electricity to heat the water, when there's a much more direct and
> efficient route. >>
Tom Marik wrote:
>
> Frosty,
>
> I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top.
> Percolator coffee is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm
> willing to heat in a pot and pour into another thingy.
>
> Any links to where I could buy a coffee maker that doesn't use
> electricity?
>
> Tom M
Google up "coffee press" or check out camping section of local
sporting goods store. It's not a 'coffee maker' per se, but rather
a cylindrical carafe with a screen on the end of a rod. Put in
ground coffee, add boiling water, let sit four minutes, then press
down the screen, which pushes the grounds to the bottom.
That's it! Makes GREAT coffee and extracts more from less
grounds, IMO, than drip makers. Have a glass one at home,
and a lexan one, with rubber base, for the road. They've even
got insulated 'Thermos' type models to keep the brew warm,
if you want to spend a couple more bucks.
Just Googled "coffee press lexan" and got a bunch of hits,
including this one: http://tinyurl.com/xw8m with a neoprene
jacket for insulation, a new approach that might be better for
RV use than 'Thermos' type... although I think they're
aluminum inside, not glass.
--
frosty
Neon John
>> Point b: match THIS with yer propane...
>>
>> At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug
>> it in. When my bleary eyes detect the first rays of light, my groggy
>> hand reaches up and after several tries, bats the "START" button on
>> the genny control panel right over the head of my bed. The genny
>> starts and the coffee brews. Just in time to sustain my tenuous
>> grasp on consciousness...
>>
>> John
>
>OK, you got me there; I can't do that. I can, however, brew a pot
>of coffee without raising a racket at dawn, annoying my neighbors,
>breaking local noise rules, etc. Is your generator noiseless?
I can't recall when I was in a situation where I didn't have shore power and
noise mattered. Anyway...
If I were in that situation I'd simply guide my hand over to the adjacent
switch and flip on the inverter. The inverter voltage is a bit below 120
volts which means the pot draws less than 1200 watts, a load the inverter can
handle.
Either way I don't have to get out of bed to get my life-sustaining elixer
brewing. THAT was the point of my comment.
Bob Giddings
Whatever floats your boat. But I'm with Frosty.
I fill up the tea kettle with water the night before. Sometimes I
grind the beans then too. When I wake up I light the fire under the
kettle. By the time I've shaved and brushed my teeth it's whistling.
I put a Mellita filter in the Mellita funnel, throw in the grind, pour
hot water over it, and in 30 seconds I'm done. Takes longer to say it
than to do it.
I did have to pay 50 bucks at a yuppy hardware store for a stainless
kettle that has a mouth wide enough to set the funnel on. It was
harder to find than you'd think. I wanted steel because I dislike the
taste of aluminum, and I need to be able to heat it up on the stove.
Glass don't get it.
This avoids the need for the microwave.
The only electricity I need in the morning is 20 seconds of inverter
for the bean grinder. And a little light while I'm shaving.
I made a serious effort to avoid any need for electricity that
couldn't be performed by the batteries/inverter. I hate (there's that
word again) the noise of a generator. I admire your ingenuity in
powering everything. But I find it easier to do without electrical
gadgets altogether. Fans, lights, radio, and a coffee grinder about
do me.
Your priority seems to be convenience during a particularly vulnerable
slice of the morning. Mine is usually silence. Somehow we both get
through the day.
That said, since I'm using the heater fan so much I'm been
backsliding, getting used to hearing the Honda EU3000 some time during
the day to top off the batteries for an hour. The satellite radio can
usually drown out the rumble. I probably have been missing some
wildlife encounters that way. But there was a fox came right through
camp a couple days ago.
Winter is changing my priorities. Campfires at night aren't so
inviting when it's 20 degrees out. I'm getting soft and lazy. That's
what happens when you're staying in the thing full time.
Bob
www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings
Current email at:
bobgiddings0 at yahoo dot com
mts
>Imagine you're out in the weather and you're cold. The temperature is in the
>40s and the wind is blowing. You have your little 1kw generator and plenty of
>fuel. You also have a 1200 watt coffee maker and a 1500 watt heater. What to
>do?
>
>If my generator is one of the popular Honda or other brand inverter generators
>and I plug my heater in, the generator will promptly trip on overload. OTOH,
>if my generator is a conventional sync generator, it is possible that the
>generator will handle the overload and provide some heat. Maybe not full
>output but some.
>
>This is the situation I found myself in at the Daytona Speedway Turkey Rod Run
>last weekend. I had my little electric scooter and the trailer. I had
>strapped my new 1kw Chicom generator to the trailer along with a battery
>charger and a ceramic heater. The temperature was in the low 40s and the wind
>was blowing a steady approx 20 mph. Cold as h*ll with summer clothes on. It
>has been in the 80s the day before.
No offense meant John, but don't you rather earn a big "Duh!" for this
one? I mean, you know the wattage you intend to use, and you drag
along a generator that undercuts it by 50%? Please, I *know* you are
sharper than that! <g>
frostalicious
wrote:
>
>>> Point b: match THIS with yer propane...
>>>
>>> At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug
>>> it in. When my bleary eyes detect the first rays of light, my groggy
>>> hand reaches up and after several tries, bats the "START" button on
>>> the genny control panel right over the head of my bed. The genny
>>> starts and the coffee brews. Just in time to sustain my tenuous
>>> grasp on consciousness...
>>>
>>> John
>>
>> OK, you got me there; I can't do that. I can, however, brew a pot
>> of coffee without raising a racket at dawn, annoying my neighbors,
>> breaking local noise rules, etc. Is your generator noiseless?
>
>
> I can't recall when I was in a situation where I didn't have shore
> power and noise mattered. Anyway...
>
> If I were in that situation I'd simply guide my hand over to the
> adjacent switch and flip on the inverter. The inverter voltage is a
> bit below 120 volts which means the pot draws less than 1200 watts, a
> load the inverter can handle.
>
> Either way I don't have to get out of bed to get my life-sustaining
> elixer brewing. THAT was the point of my comment.
>
> John
>
--
fr05ty
Peter T. Arnold
>
>I make mine by heating water on the stove top with a whistling tea
>kettle. I then pour the hot water through a filter-cone into either a
>glass or thermal carafe - depending upon my consumption plans.
>Simple, no fuss, no mess, nothing much extra to pack or stow.
>
> ...........gary
Years ago I learned to love coffee made the old way. Just put the
ground in the water and boil for few minutes.
Take it off the heat, let it sit for a few minutes to settle out the
grounds. Pour off the top 80% and consume, toss out the rest.
The trick is that you have to be patient, a think that I can only
afford to do when camping.
Pete
Jon Porter
"Neon John" <johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:gbcvsv0pmdf78gnih...@4ax.com...
> Point b: match THIS with yer propane...
>
> At night I load up my old vacuum pot with coffee and water and plug it in.
> When my bleary eyes detect the first rays of light, my groggy hand reaches
up
> and after several tries, bats the "START" button on the genny control
panel
> right over the head of my bed. The genny starts and the coffee brews.
Just
> in time to sustain my tenuous grasp on consciousness...
I do about the same thing on propane. I simply roll over, light the burner
under the percolator and lay back. Really nice on the cold mornings because
it warms up the Class B as well. When the coffee is ready I pour a cup and
enjoy. All that while remaining under the covers and maintaining the quiet
hush that you get at sunrise.
Tom Marik
CJ >>
Thanks. That's the best solution for my brother.
To the others: Thanks but I'm drinking Taster's Choice because it's the
easiest and I got used to it.
Tom M
Jon Porter
"Tom Marik" <tmari...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
news:20031205075429...@mb-m15.aol.com...
>
> I'm looking for a four cups of coffee made on the stove top. Percolator
coffee
> is ruled out. Cowboy coffee is ruled out. I'm willing to heat in a pot
and
> pour into another thingy.
>
> Any links to where I could buy a coffee maker that doesn't use
electricity?
If you have a pot to boil water with, then what you might want is a Melitta
filter, which is a cone that you set on top of what you want the coffee to
go into (like a thermos bottle). Pour the boiling water into the cone.
Cheap, filters for it are everywhere, and it makes great drip coffee.
Neon John
>Whatever floats your boat. But I'm with Frosty.
>
>I fill up the tea kettle with water the night before. Sometimes I
>grind the beans then too. When I wake up I light the fire under the
>kettle. By the time I've shaved and brushed my teeth it's whistling.
You uh, trust yourself with something as dangerous as a toothbrush before
caffeine? A daring dude you are.
I'm a bit different. Once I gather the energy to open an eye a bit I start
taking inventory of what will move. Hopefully fingers and an arm will so that
I can kill the alarm if necessary. That's exhausting so I have to recover for
15 minutes or so before I test the extremities. As I get toes and fingers to
wiggle I can usually muster enough will to open both eyes. A little. After a
bit more rest I can usually will my arm up enough to hit whatever switch is
appropriate to fire off the coffeemaker. After some more rest and recovery
I'll move Bob the Cat from wherever he is under the covers and try to swing a
leg down, usually helped along with clumsy kicks from the other. That's a
major milestone, as gravity can now aid the blood down to the foot. The other
leg follows, after which I lean back for more rest and recovery.
At that point I can usually lean over to the counter containing the
CoffeeMaster. The worst part is popping off the funnel, a herculean effort.
That done I can grasp my first gorgeous cup of life itself. That enables me
to remember where I am and what I'm doing. And also to curse Mr. Arthur Itis.
Unless I'm on shore power, subsequent pots are brewed in a stove-top vacuum
brewer. I'm a gallon-and-a-half guy myself so that includes several pots :-)
I do envy people who can turn on in an instant in the AM. OTOH, bet you can't
hang in there with me on one of my all night marathons :-)
>I made a serious effort to avoid any need for electricity that
>couldn't be performed by the batteries/inverter. I hate (there's that
>word again) the noise of a generator. I admire your ingenuity in
>powering everything. But I find it easier to do without electrical
>gadgets altogether. Fans, lights, radio, and a coffee grinder about
>do me.
>
>Your priority seems to be convenience during a particularly vulnerable
>slice of the morning. Mine is usually silence. Somehow we both get
>through the day.
Yup. that's the great part. I want all the comforts of home, only unlike the
stereotype, I don't want them showing. I keep most of the gadgets hidden from
sight.
My genny is pretty quiet, quiet enough that someone has to want to be bothered
by it. If you followed my cordless battery charger project a couple of years
ago you'll know that I've used ingenuity to confine the engine running to an
hour or so every day or two.
More importantly, I adopted a live-and-let-live philosophy when I started
camping again. There really isn't much that will make me mad. Drunks
probably top my get-pissed agenda. I've never experienced your redneck
generator-from-hell nor for days at a time so I don't know how I'd react. The
worst I've had was a construction generator running across the CG road for a
few hours. I just put on my headphones and turn up the volume on the audio
book or music a bit.
Tom Marik
filter, which is a cone that you set on top of what you want the coffee to
go into (like a thermos bottle). Pour the boiling water into the cone.
Cheap, filters for it are everywhere, and it makes great drip coffee. >>
My brother is still a little angry about when I was driving a rented Tioga MH
while he was boiling water for spaghetti and I took some curves too fast.
Boiling water might bring up bad memories.
Tom M
GBinNC
<johngdDO...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>I'm a bit different. Once I gather the energy to open an eye a bit I start
>taking inventory of what will move. Hopefully fingers and an arm will so that
>I can kill the alarm if necessary. That's exhausting so I have to recover for
>15 minutes or so before I test the extremities. As I get toes and fingers to
>wiggle I can usually muster enough will to open both eyes. A little. After a
>bit more rest I can usually will my arm up enough to hit whatever switch is
>appropriate to fire off the coffeemaker. After some more rest and recovery
>I'll move Bob the Cat from wherever he is under the covers and try to swing a
>leg down, usually helped along with clumsy kicks from the other. That's a
>major milestone, as gravity can now aid the blood down to the foot. The other
>leg follows, after which I lean back for more rest and recovery.
Hmmm. Now I'm trying to picture you waking up to an emergency
situation that demands your immediate attention...
Jon Porter
"Tom Marik" <tmari...@aol.comnojunk> wrote in message
Operating a stove top while driving is a bad move. The Navy gets away with
it by welding cast iron rings around the burners to keep the pots in place.
Tom Marik
Which provides another reason to not buy an RV used as a rental.
Tom M
Bob Giddings
An heroic tale, worthy of a Norse saga. I salute you.
b b
> Operating a stove top while driving is a bad move. The Navy gets away with
> it by welding cast iron rings around the burners to keep the pots in place.
>
>
that in an RV. We got used to cooking on a sailboat under way....but the
first attempt to make coffee in the motorhome under way had the coffee
jumping vertically out of the strapped in electric drip coffee
machine pot...never again!
Cooking on the gas stove...you must be KIDDING!!!!!
YIKES!
Barrie B
Lone Haranguer
On a deer hunting trip to Wyoming we successfully cooked a pot of chili
and a pot of coffee on a gas stove while thundering down the road in an
old school bus. It took three of us. One to drive and one to hold each
pot in place.
LZ
Tom Marik
Barrie,
Everybody says to learn on rentals and that's what we did. We did nearly
everything wrong except DWI. After surviving that week, I started to read
about RVs.
Tom M