Coffee From Inverter Power?

[terance13]

Thanks! I just went to back to the old fashioned stove top/firepit percolator! Good as I remembered from 50 years ago!

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

I am sorry I late to the conversation. First @Doctor Old, your signature shows a Boldt KL, don't you have 12,800 watts of Lithium and a 3,600w inverter? If yes, the coffee maker should touch any maximums even if you have the AC and microwave running at the same time.

As for coffee, I am also a french press coffee drinker, what I do is pre grind beans (I know but better than cups), heat water (I have propane stove), steep the grounds, press and enjoy. Also for hot mornings I use the press to make iced coffee. I put the same amount of grounds in the press, add cold water and let steep overnight. In the morning I press the coffee and add to ice to a cup and yum!! Either way the only mess is the clean up of the grounds, but remember coffee grounds are good for plants.

[Calson]

Originally Posted by terance13

Thanks! I just went to back to the old fashioned stove top/firepit percolator! Good as I remembered from 50 years ago!

With the right coffee and the right grind the percolator makes as good a cup of coffee as nearly any other coffee maker. Having a good burr mill coffee grinder is a good investment if you like good coffee. I paid $150 for a Baratza Encore connical burr coffee grinder in 2012 and it is still working perfectly.

[Vanstertails]

What is the most energy efficient means of boiling 8 oz of water for tea or coffee in a van powered by Li batteries?
1) Put a glass cup in a microwave oven,
2) Use a kettle on an induction burner,
3) Use an electric tea kettle?

I'm trying to decide on an approach to making coffee/tea with the minimum amount of space-occupying equipment and minimal energy consumption.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Vanstertails

What is the most energy efficient means of boiling 8 oz of water for tea or coffee in a van powered by Li batteries?
1) Put a glass cup in a microwave oven,
2) Use a kettle on an induction burner,
3) Use an electric tea kettle?

I'm trying to decide on an approach to making coffee/tea with the minimum amount of space-occupying equipment and minimal energy consumption.

Number 4):

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Immer...365547624&th=1

[Vanstertails]

Originally Posted by Bud

Number 4):

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Immer...365547624&th=1

Brilliant!

[Calson]

Best to get a small stainless steel percolator. Takes less space than a kettle. We use the microwave when at an RV park or campsite with shore power but otherwise it is the propane cooktop.

The handle design is important in terms of a compact percolator for storing when not in use and there are 3, 4, 6, 8 cup versions so you can buy one matched to your needs.

[Jon in AZ]

He mentioned an induction burner, so I’m guessing no propane cooktop. That would be too easy!

[Jim Agile]

Originally Posted by Vanstertails

What is the most energy efficient means of boiling 8 oz of water for tea or coffee in a van powered by Li batteries?
1) Put a glass cup in a microwave oven,
2) Use a kettle on an induction burner,
3) Use an electric tea kettle?

I'm trying to decide on an approach to making coffee/tea with the minimum amount of space-occupying equipment and minimal energy consumption.

Check this out:
A Watched Pot: What Is The Most Energy Efficient Way To Boil Water? | Inside Energy

[Vanstertails]

Best. Information. Ever!

[tgregg]

Originally Posted by Vanstertails

What is the most energy efficient means of boiling 8 oz of water for tea or coffee in a van powered by Li batteries?
1) Put a glass cup in a microwave oven,
2) Use a kettle on an induction burner,
3) Use an electric tea kettle?

I'm trying to decide on an approach to making coffee/tea with the minimum amount of space-occupying equipment and minimal energy consumption.

Number 5

Make cold brew coffee and then just heat a cup to drinking temperature on an induction burner. No boiling required.

12 ounces of ground coffee in a Toddy filter bag soaked for 24 hours in 48 ounces of water makes a concentrate that lasts up to 5 days in the refrigerator and can be diluted to taste when making a cup of coffee. We dilute it up to 3:1 and sometimes stir in a packet of hot cocoa mix for a nice mocha treat.

We don't drink tea.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Jim Agile

Check this out:
A Watched Pot: What Is The Most Energy Efficient Way To Boil Water? | Inside Energy

I think I would really question the true accuracy of the testing, as it doesn't make sense to me.


My understanding is the electric power contains a fixed amount of energy, eg heat, so how can an immersion heater in the water itself be less efficient that an induction burner that is outside the container?


Just too many variables in this testing as they don't have even container heat absorbing capacity, internal volume, shape, etc.



I think the answer is probably in heat transfer to the atmosphere. Even though the electric tea kettle is insulated, it likely will be a lot slower than the induction burner so it has more time to lose heat to the atmosphere. and maybe to the mass of the container or heat capacity of the container.


My guess would be if you had a small, insulated, non melting, container and used an immersion heater, you would get the best results. This was mentioned by Bud earlier and would probably be a good solution if you are absolutely looking for lowest energy use per cup.


In the real world once you get up into the higher end efficiency the differences would be quite small so probably do what tastes best at that point, or go instant

[avanti]

Originally Posted by booster

My understanding is the electric power contains a fixed amount of energy, eg heat, so how can an immersion heater in the water itself be less efficient that an induction burner that is outside the container?

It can't.

An immersion heater is 100% efficient at transferring electric power to the water. (of course, the water is at the same time losing heat to the environment, but that is a different issue).

Despite the setup mentioning nuclear power etc, the actual article only considered a few of the many alternatives. I do not believe they ever mentioned immersion heaters. Nothing will ever do better.

I have long since learned never to put too much truck in any video involving speeded up views of somebody scribbling on a whiteboard.

[2019xfit]

you might try a ups

they seem to flatten things out

we used it for a glitchy device when on the generator...it seemed to help

[Rocinante]

Immersion heaters are effective, but please make sure you never plug one in without first immersing it in water, and make sure it never falls out of the water while in use. In other words, when using an immersion heater, watch that pot (or cup) like a hawk. A plugged-in immersion heater that's not immersed can be dangerous in the extreme.

[Urlauber]

Originally Posted by avanti

It can't.

An immersion heater is 100% efficient at transferring electric power to the water. (of course, the water is at the same time losing heat to the environment, but that is a different issue).

Despite the setup mentioning nuclear power etc, the actual article only considered a few of the many alternatives. I do not believe they ever mentioned immersion heaters. Nothing will ever do better.

Isn't an "electric teakettle" basically an immersion heater, just flipped around, with a fixed coil? They're usually well insulated too.

Recently did some testing with different methods to brew and found this one to be the tastiest. Also pretty simple to put on a propane stove, cleanup is easy. I am not a connoisseur but I don't enjoy Keurig coffee.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Immersion heaters are effective, but please make sure you never plug one in without first immersing it in water, and make sure it never falls out of the water while in use. In other words, when using an immersion heater, watch that pot (or cup) like a hawk. A plugged-in immersion heater that's not immersed can be dangerous in the extreme.

I am certainly not going to argue against this advice.

However, any modern UL-approved immersion heater will have a built-in thermal protection device (a thermal fuse at the very least). So, they are not as scary as they used to be.

Never, EVER use a non-UL-approved (or equivalent) appliance of any kind.

[booster]

I think the article stated that the electric teapot had the element in the water, IIRC.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by avanti

I am certainly not going to argue against this advice.

However, any modern UL-approved immersion heater will have a built-in thermal protection device (a thermal fuse at the very least). So, they are not as scary as they used to be.

Never, EVER use a non-UL-approved (or equivalent) appliance of any kind.

Great point here - I'm old enough to remember when they did not have a thermal cut-off, and if you left them out of water while plugged in, they would literally burst into actinic flames, pretty much like a welding torch.

[tgregg]

Originally Posted by Vanstertails

What is the most energy efficient means of boiling 8 oz of water for tea or coffee in a van powered by Li batteries?
1) Put a glass cup in a microwave oven,
2) Use a kettle on an induction burner,
3) Use an electric tea kettle?

I'm trying to decide on an approach to making coffee/tea with the minimum amount of space-occupying equipment and minimal energy consumption.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultrathin-Fol.../dp/B08DQR5ZBQ

This is very small and heats very fast. Holds 2 cups and uses 700 watts.