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HethaBeth · 05-03-2013, 01:46 PM

I hope someone can answer this question for me. Can you bake in your over while driving down the road??

PyrateSilly · 05-03-2013, 01:48 PM

I've had a crock-pot cooking while going down the road but not the microwave or convection oven.

sparkydog · 05-03-2013, 01:51 PM

If you have the generator running you certainly could, you would have to be careful about things shifting or spilling over

HethaBeth · 05-03-2013, 01:51 PM

My problem is I don't have a generator . So I can't do a crock pot or microwave yet. :-(

PyrateSilly · 05-03-2013, 01:55 PM

So, would that be an electric or propane/gas oven?
Actually, if it was me I would just wait till I got where I was going to be safe with it. Having the fridge run off of propane is a little different than having an oven with a lit flame with propane/gas going down the road. And it may be too much electric to take to run the oven and engine at the same time.

Z714X4 · 05-03-2013, 02:16 PM

I think you are asking about a propane oven, yes???

I have never run the oven while driving, I have run the furnace and the water heater with no problems. The oven is a self contained box inside your motorhome and shouldn't have any wind whistling through it...although...

Personally, IMHO, I would rather wait until I arrive due to spillage from bumps and corners, and the possibility of propane leaking due to the flame going out.
What if the dish spilled putting out the flame?
Who is going to move the hot dish while driving down the road, possibly spilling hot food on themselves or someone else?

I don't think its worth it, at least not to me and mine.

I think you would be better off buying an inverter and getting that crock pot cooking. My wife has done this several times and we really enjoy it, especially when cold outside. Makes the motorhome smell like... home.

Good luck.

HethaBeth · 05-03-2013, 02:36 PM

Yes it is propane, I will wait, thank you for your quick answers. Here another question, what type of inverter should I get?

PyrateSilly · 05-03-2013, 04:28 PM

Make it a Pure Sine Wave or True Sine Wave inverter, they are basically the same thing. Just try not to go with a Modified Wave one. Get the largest watts one you can afford. Magnum and Xantrex are the best known in the industry, some go with one or the other. Everyone has opinions on which of the is better. Probably 2000 watts would be good just to make sure about running something like a microwave.

Make sure that if you do get a microwave and/or convection oven that the inverter has the power to run it. Most micro's take 800 watts to 1600 watts so if you go with the larger microwave make sure the inverter is over the wattage to handle it.

BFlinn181 · 05-03-2013, 04:41 PM

While I don't think there would be any issues with the gas oven operating while driving, a cake or a souffle might not take to the vibrations and collapse. Same with bread. Seriously, it would be much safer to wait until stopped. You'd have to turn it off if stopping for fuel. The issue of the hot pans, slopping liquids, etc. make it not such a great idea. A crockpot riding in the sink is a better idea, but we did have to bungee the lid on.

On the inverter, check on what you plan to use it for. A pure sine wave inverter is much more expensive than a square wave. If everything you wish to power work on SWI, then why spend the much more cost? Also be aware that 2000 watts will use up batteries very quickly. When a 12 v battery is at 12 v it is 50% discharged, which is as far down as you should take it if you want the batteries to last a normal life.

Z714X4 · 05-03-2013, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HethaBeth

Yes it is propane, I will wait, thank you for your quick answers. Here another question, what type of inverter should I get?

That's really two questions... what type do I need and how do I install.

There are multitudes of inverters out there and just as many ways of installing.

You could do this yourself and tackle the self install with sub-panels, automatic transfer switches, and a pure sine wave inverter... or

You could hire someone to to some or all of that work for you ($$$)... or

IMHO, In your situation I think a simple modified sine wave inverter hooked directly to your house battery and one extension cord would work just as well for a lot less $.

Go to almost any automotive store (even wally, target, costco, etc) and pick up an inverter sized to operate your Crock Pot. In general, it looks like most CP's are under 300 watts on high. Look at yours to see how many watts it needs to operate on high. Remember to give yourself a little extra so the inverter is not maxed out.

Do NOT hook this up using lighter plug in the coach!! This needs to be wired directly to the batteries. Preferably mounted somewhere as close to the battery as possible and where you can easily turn it on and off. Then run extension cord from it to the CP.

Remember to turn it off when you park so your battery doesn't run down. While your engine is running, it should provide enough juice to keep your batteries up and run the inverter.

My wife sets our CP in the sink with towels for travelling. No worries of spillage, burning, or moving.

Start another thread about inverters if you want to know more. Much more knowledgeable people (than me) will be along to answer you.

Good luck!

Z714X4 · 05-03-2013, 05:26 PM

I'm quite sure you probably don't need a 2000 watt PSW inverter for your crock pot.

I'm just saying, if you don't want to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars and all you really want is warm food when you arrive, then a much smaller MSW inverter and extension cord will work for you. It's an easy DIY job.

Full disclosure:
I have a 1,500 watt PSW and four 6 volt batteries to draw on, along with a generator to charge them all with. So if you are like me and you WANT it, but don't necessarily NEED it, then by all means go for it!!

While in Yosemite a month ago is was a hoot to plug in the wife's hair dryer and have no generator noise! Drip coffee at 6am, no problem and no noise!! I really wanted to take the espresso machine but she wouldn't let me... she said we were roughing it! LOL

PyrateSilly · 05-03-2013, 06:26 PM

The OP did mention that they did not have a crock pot OR microwave yet so I suggested the larger Pure Sine Wave inverter based on that.

RRR · 05-05-2013, 05:22 PM

We cook in our oven while on the move quite often. Roast, casseroles, whatever the wife thinks we want when we arrive.

Risky? Some would say so but so is life. Worse that Could happen is that you will have a mess to clean up. We never have had problem even on some very windy mountain roads.

historyljc · 05-05-2013, 08:36 PM

I agree with RRR. That the same kind of stuff that you might do in a crockpot. Cakes and stuff like that, you might want to wait till you land for the day.

Whatever size inverter you decide on, go with the pure sine wave. Whatever you plug it into will work better than on a modified sine wave inverter. Coffee pots with digital timers, electric blankets and many other things bit the dust on MSW inverters.