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Old 06-25-2018, 09:42 PM   #1
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Is it possible? Crockpot on inverter on dealer battery.

I’m getting ready to do some of our first long distance trips. And of course, not wanting to drive all day and then cook dinner after is on my mind. So, I started looking around to see what I could do about that. Here’s what I found:

1) I have this Crock-Pot:


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2) I have this inverter laying around:

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3) The dealer supplied this battery:

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My back of the napkin, doing calculations in my head, says I shouldn’t try this. That I’d only get 1 to 1.5 hours before I pull the battery down to 50%.

However, the unknown factor is that while we’re driving, we’d be plugged into the F250’s 7-Pin. The F250 has an onboard 400W (in park)/300W (in drive) inverter, so in theory the alternator should be capable of supplying the necessary power, but whether that means anything to the 7-Pin is anybody’s guess.

Alternatively, I guess I could just plug it into the one in the truck, but I’d rather isolate it from the dogs/kids by having it in the trailer if I can.

So what say the experts? Assuming I have Zero interest in spending any money on this endeavor, anyway to make this work, or should I just give up?
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Old 06-25-2018, 09:54 PM   #2
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The voltage drop across the wiring to the 7 pin then through the connector to the RV system will be high enough that you will just be able to keep a fully charged battery charged with parasitic loads on it. You will not be able to run the crock pot on the inverter in the RV counting on anything from the TV.
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:02 PM   #3
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:07 PM   #4
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I have done exactly what you have in mind.
My setup uses a 140Watt crockpot.
Also a 750 watt inverter.
And 3 group 31 batteries.
We put the roast in At Mammoth cave Kentucky and stopped for the night In Arkansas. No problem. You are looking at almost twice the Watts used. To make matters worse the one small battery won’t provide much cushion if the truck can’t charge it enough driving down the road. The amount of battery charge available from tow vehicles varies wildly. Do you have a clamp on DC ammeter to check? Or a kill-A-Watt meter to check how much the crockpot uses on a lower setting? Let us know please. Jay
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Old 06-25-2018, 10:14 PM   #5
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If you don't try you'll never know. My guess is you'll be fine.
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Old 06-25-2018, 11:55 PM   #6
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Thermal cooker

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaadk View Post
I’m getting ready to do some of our first long distance trips. And of course, not wanting to drive all day and then cook dinner after is on my mind. So, I started looking around to see what I could do about that. Here’s what I found:

1) I have this Crock-Pot:

2) I have this inverter laying around:

3) The dealer supplied this battery:

My back of the napkin, doing calculations in my head, says I shouldn’t try this. That I’d only get 1 to 1.5 hours before I pull the battery down to 50%.

However, the unknown factor is that while we’re driving, we’d be plugged into the F250’s 7-Pin. The F250 has an onboard 400W (in park)/300W (in drive) inverter, so in theory the alternator should be capable of supplying the necessary power, but whether that means anything to the 7-Pin is anybody’s guess.

Alternatively, I guess I could just plug it into the one in the truck, but I’d rather isolate it from the dogs/kids by having it in the trailer if I can.

So what say the experts? Assuming I have Zero interest in spending any money on this endeavor, anyway to make this work, or should I just give up?
We bought a thermal cooker to use on the road.
Tayama TXM-E60CF Thermal Cooker and Food Warmer in One, 6 Qt I liked the 30W 12VDC built in warmer. We can use it like a cordless crock pot.
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We found a cookbook but it is for a 7 Qt thermal cooker. Does anyone else use a Thermal Cooker? How has it worked out for you? We have used it at home and we were amazed at the flavor. But we could not smell it until we opened it 6 hours after placing it in the Thermal cooker. I am installing an extra 12v outlet just for the Thermal Cooker.

Sample Thermal Cooker recipe:
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Old 06-26-2018, 08:35 AM   #7
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Why not use a Instant Pot? That way you would not have to do the wiring. If you do the wiring, you will need to upgrade you battery.

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Old 06-26-2018, 08:38 AM   #8
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Ok, thanks. That's what I was expecting. So it looks like it's either put the slow cooker in the truck, or, just not bother with a slow cooker (the more likely scenario). Maybe in a few years once this battery's dead and needs replacing, I can put in one with a decent capacity and do this then, but for now, it is what it is.
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Old 06-26-2018, 11:38 AM   #9
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I'd try it. You have nothing to lose. You can watch the battery voltage every once in a while and that would tell you if your battery is being depleted faster than it's being charged.

Also remember, even though the crock pot heating element is rated for 270 watts, once it reaches temperature it's going to cycle on and off, so that'll allow the battery to recover some.
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Old 06-26-2018, 01:25 PM   #10
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Dumb question:
If you have the crockpot in the trailer while traveling, where do you put it so it doesn't spill?

Larry
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Old 06-26-2018, 01:33 PM   #11
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Can you cook it the night before, put it in the fridge while driving, and heat it in the microwave when you get plugged into shore power?
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Old 06-26-2018, 01:35 PM   #12
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Dumb question:
If you have the crockpot in the trailer while traveling, where do you put it so it doesn't spill?

Larry
I hadn't actually figured that out yet. The one we have is wide and shallow, so it's not good for soups and stews, but should be able to say, do some meatballs or chicken breasts as long as I don't get too saucy. I figured it'd probably just sit on the floor in front of the fridge. And I'd have to latch the lid down. It says not to cook with it latched, but it's still vented, not like a pressure cooker, so should be able to get away with it once or twice.
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Old 06-26-2018, 07:14 PM   #13
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We just put it on the floor with towels to keep it from moving. We had a clampdown lid. I agree with everyone else that you should try it. If it’s a long trip use a lower setting. Jay
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Old 06-26-2018, 09:42 PM   #14
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Crock Pot

In response to Larry's question...It isn't a matter of not spilling as much as it is of not doing any damage if it does spill. Try setting it in the shower base. At only 270 watts, an extension cord would be fine, even the household 18 GA type. You are only talking about less than 3 amps.
As you have a late F250, as do I you're really all set as far as what the truck will supply via the 7 way connector. On idle, I have loaded it using an old fashioned carbon pile generator tester, and found 40 amps available. now, how much you have available in the trailer depends on what size the charge wire is, but generally it is a #10, which should be good. If you draw too much via this connection, the fuse protecting it will simply blow or the breaker trip. As far as I know, Ford is the only maker that has a really useful 12 volt charging circuit for the trailer. If yours is a diesel , your main alternator is at least 225 amps, and you have two rather serious 12 volt batteries in the truck. If it is a gasser, you have only one battery, but the standard alternator is somewhere close to 190-200 amps. Alternative safe no-trouble setup: Run an extension cord from the 120 volt outlet in the back seat of the truck to the trailer, using zip ties and/or duct tape. Problem solved. The truck's inverter works really well!
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Old 06-26-2018, 10:16 PM   #15
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Not one but two...

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Alternative safe no-trouble setup: Run an extension cord from the 120 volt outlet in the back seat of the truck to the trailer, using zip ties and/or duct tape. Problem solved. The truck's inverter works really well!
Maybe use two extension cords instead of one, with a plug-socket connection somewhere between the truck and trailer. That would give you a safe breakaway in the event that the trailer got loose.

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Old 06-27-2018, 07:53 AM   #16
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In response to Larry's question...It isn't a matter of not spilling as much as it is of not doing any damage if it does spill. Try setting it in the shower base. At only 270 watts, an extension cord would be fine, even the household 18 GA type. You are only talking about less than 3 amps.
As you have a late F250, as do I you're really all set as far as what the truck will supply via the 7 way connector. On idle, I have loaded it using an old fashioned carbon pile generator tester, and found 40 amps available. now, how much you have available in the trailer depends on what size the charge wire is, but generally it is a #10, which should be good. If you draw too much via this connection, the fuse protecting it will simply blow or the breaker trip. As far as I know, Ford is the only maker that has a really useful 12 volt charging circuit for the trailer. If yours is a diesel , your main alternator is at least 225 amps, and you have two rather serious 12 volt batteries in the truck. If it is a gasser, you have only one battery, but the standard alternator is somewhere close to 190-200 amps. Alternative safe no-trouble setup: Run an extension cord from the 120 volt outlet in the back seat of the truck to the trailer, using zip ties and/or duct tape. Problem solved. The truck's inverter works really well!
Ok, good to know, thanks. When I had my Ram 1500, it could only provide enough power to run the tongue jack without the battery hooked up, but not the slide. But my Ram was 2010, and technology has come a long way since then. My F250 is a gasser (couldn't go diesel, some of the family was having bad reactions during the test drives) and by the sticker it says it's got the "Extra Heavy Duty Alternator". Going to have to look that up to see what amp rating it is.

I can't really see routing extension cords and cables all the way to the trailer just for a crock-pot. Sure it'd work, but seems to be too much trouble for what it's worth. Much less work to just drop the trailer at the campground and go back out to find an Applebees or something.

I may try it out one day, just to see how it does, but I don't think I'd be trying it out on this next trip. We'll see, maybe, maybe not. I still have the hurtle of convincing DW that this is the better approach than eating out...
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Old 06-27-2018, 08:17 AM   #17
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A 270 watt crockpot will pull 2.25 amps at 120VAC. That means the inverter will have to pull at least 22.5 amps from your battery/TV at 12VDC. If you upgraded the battery charging wiring from your TV's fuse box to the 7-pin, you MIGHT be able to supply that amount of current. But with the usual wiring, you'll be doing most of the work from your battery.
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Old 06-27-2018, 10:26 AM   #18
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Your crock pot draws 270W. With minimal inverter losses this can be rounded up to 300W. For an 8-hour drive, this is 2400W. If the crock pot heater actually runs for 50% of the time, that's 1200W. Your battery has a reserve capacity of 125 minutes. That's 125 minutes with a 25A load or just over 50A at 12V. That amount of power is only 600W, the full capacity of the battery, not the 50% rule you should use for long battery life.

The crock pot won't work.

The thermal cooker will require you to heat your food on the stove for 10-15 minutes. From its description, you then just leave it and the retained heat does the cooking over many hours. If you were to leave it plugged in to a DC outlet while it was "cooking", it only draws 3.5A/hour. For eight hours, this would be 28 amps, right around 50% of the battery capacity. Add in some recharge capability from the tow vehicle's charge line and you should be fine. If the heater in this device is on a thermostat, then it'll draw even less power over the driving time.

Phil
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Old 06-27-2018, 11:42 AM   #19
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If you don't try you'll never know. My guess is you'll be fine.
My guess is the opposite. One battery is barely enough to keep basic coach functions running.

Two batteries would probably be safe if you will have hookups at destination. One battery will probably be DOA but hey. One battery ? worst case you kill it and it is never the same again.

Low voltage cut off in most inverters around 10.5 v so try it, it will be survivable. Worst case very well discharged battery and half cooked food.
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Old 06-27-2018, 06:31 PM   #20
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We have done the crock pot cooking while traveling, successfully. However, I have 2 -6 volt batteries and a great solar setup. That said, I arrive at the site with 100% battery if it is still daylight. Least, has been 99%.

Yours may work, if you add a panel or 2. Remember, the crock pot is not drawing power the whole time. From what I have seen, it is on about 20-30% of the time once it is heated up.

Try it with the pot connected, with the truck disconnected, and do a battery voltage check. Current check will be better, if you can. Voltage will at least give you an idea what is going on. Connect truck, running. Do another voltage check right at the battery terminals. If you are above 13 volts, you are not discharging your battery that much. Unplug the pot, and your voltage should go above 13.4 to 14 volts. Remember, that once the pot heats, the battery may being discharged, but should recover during the off cycle. This is all dependant on how good your truck and trailer charging system play together.
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