Induction cooktop issues

[twdale0918]

Top question today (from me anyway).
Is anyone else sadly disappointed with their induction stove top? I can only use 1 burner on high, and it still takes a long time to boil water? Doesn't make a diff what pan or anything. Over 15 min! Ugh.
I really want to convert back to gas, unless someone can point me in the right direction of a better cooktop.
I have seen some really nice trailers lately with beautiful kitchens...just don't want to fork out the money (again).

So I have seen some 4000 W cooktops, but I think this one is only 1500.
Is it wiring related? Why would they have the unit cut back when you have 1 on high and try to do the same with the other? From what I can tell, it is only drawing 6 amps on 1 burner on high.

Thanks!

[d23haynes57]

Probably your cooktop is only 120 volt which limits it to a total of ~1800 watts. Turning on the 2nd element reduces the power for both. To get more power you would either need a dedicated circuit for each burner or a 240-volt model. This just won't work on 30-amp park power. To put things in perspective 1,000 watts is just over 3,000 Btus, Typical propane or gas stoves will usually have 6,000 Btu burners and higher.

[oldenavy]

That sounds strange. Most high end motorhomes now have induction cooktops and there’s not a lot of complaints. Ours works great on a 20A, 115V service. Boils water much faster than propane. Are you absolutely sure your pan is induction rated? We had some we thought were when we got our current MH, but found out they weren’t. You can always check with a magnet. If the pan isn’t the issue, maybe something it wrong with your cooktop. Ours was broken from the factory and we got it replaced under warranty.

[ViperJD]

TWDale, Welcome to the forum. We didn't purchase a few rigs because of the electric cooktop. It took some searching, but we found a new model that actually had propane, and the only appliance it fuels the the cooktop. LOVE IT!!! Sorry you are having issues, but hope you find an answer to your problems on wattage.

[d23haynes57]

My 2008 Nimbus has the propane fridge and cooktop. 17-gallon propane tank. Heat, hot water is Diesel/electric. AC also has heat pumps.

[Sweetbriar]

Something isn't right. I replace the propane range with 120VAC 1800 watts two burners induction and can boil of water in minutes. With both burners powered I can only take both up to mid range at the same time. The limitation of 120VAC vs 220. If one is on high and I bring in the second the first will drop in power levels as I add power to the second. We don't cook a lot inside so the two burned power limit hasn't been a problem.

Try testing with a cast iron pan which is pretty much a the ultimate in ferrous metal cookware. If you still get poor performance something isn't right with the cooktop.

[OMMM4747]

Originally Posted by twdale0918

I really want to convert back to gas...

Was this an upgrade to induction on your existing rig? Did you have gas previously?

Issue #1: 1500W is pretty low for a stove. You need to confirm this is indeed your cooktop's wattage. If it is 1500W, you likely have found the reason for the poor performance, however 15 minutes to boil water is still too long for a 1500W stove

Issue #2: Test your cookware. If it's magnetic then it may be adequate, but magnetism is not a litmus test. If it's weakly magnetic it will not provide maximum performance. For best performance, induction-rated cookware will be stamped as such on the bottom of the pan since it contains the required ferrous material properties that maximize heat production

Issue #3: You just can't upgrade to 4000W. Your circuit breaker and/or wiring may not be up to the task and you could cause an electrical fire and have catastrophic outcome. If you're going to upgrade the cooktop you may also need to upgrade that circuit (higher-rated circuit breaker along with thicker wiring). In short, if your manufacturer installed a 1500W cooktop it's because they installed substandard equipment and/or the circuitry does not support a higher rated cooktop

Start by confirming your cookware is induction-rated and not just magnetic. If it is, and you're on a 1500W range top, you have some decisions to make (upgrade or "go back to gas"). As to your initial question, we love our induction cooktop. Much better performance than our gas cooktop at home and you should be experiencing the same.

Good luck

[Sunnyfalls]

We modified our 17 feet, 2480 pound, fiberglass Casita trailer to have both an induction cooktop and a propane cooktop.

For our induction cooktop, we selected the Kenyon Bridge Induction Cooktop, which is a 2-burner induction design that can be “bridged” together to enable large griddle use, uses 240VAC and provides 3,500 Watts of total induction capability…either all used by one single burner, shared by both single burners or bridged together to create a large cooking area suitable for our Lodge Reversible Griddle. And 3,500 Watts of induction capability enables boiling water unbelievably fast. This high-end marine quality induction cooktop weighs 12 pounds and has dimensions of 12 inches wide by 21 inches deep.

For our propane cooktop, we selected the Contoure Propane Cooktop, which is a 2-burner propane design, has 12VDC electronic ignition, provides 7,500 BTU and 5,800 BTU capability (which are relatively low power burners, but are appropriate for inside a small RV) and which also has desirable safety features including push-to-turn knobs and a thermocouple sensor that terminates the propane flow if no flame is detected. This propane cooktop weighs 6 pounds and has dimensions of 11-3/8 inches wide by 18-3/4 inches deep.

We have been very happy with both these cooktops. The induction cooktop is used when we have shore power to avoid needing to use any propane at all. The propane cooktop is used when we are dry camping. Details and photos on how we accomplished these Casita trailer modifications may be found by Googling our below trailer name.

It should also be noted that we mostly do dry camping as a couple and when doing so, we usually cook outdoors using our light weight and portable Camp Chef Everest 2X Stove (with our Lodge Reversible Griddle), which is a 2-burner propane design, has a piezo electric ignition and provides 20,000 BTU capability at each burner. When dry camping with family and friends, we usually use our Camp Chef Explorer 14 System which is a 2-burner propane design and provides 30,000 BTU capability at each burner. To provide convection oven cooking capability without taking up much space or using much weight, we use our innovative Swedish design Omnia Cooktop Oven which we absolutely love as it vastly expands our camping menu options. We also have a Small Microwave Oven and a Mini Toaster Oven that both operate using our Inverter power.

Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"

[Punkinhead]

I suspect if the stove came with the coach it was sized to be useable on the inverter. If you've got a 2000 watt inverter you wouldn't want to run both burners full-out on a 3500W stove. The RV manufacturer probably picked the stove to keep you from overloading the inverter.

[MSHappyCampers]

I suspect the problem is with your cookware. You need to invest in high-quality induction-rated cookware. We love our induction stovetop!

[ziaptrn]

We upgraded a traditional electric stove top in our home to an induction stovetop, and purchased a full set of "induction approved" cookware.
I have to admit extreme disappointment with the stove, as it took significantly longer to heat up when compared to the older range and we were just about ready to switch it back to the previous range when someone suggested trying cast iron cookware.
We purchased a cast iron pan that has been enamel coated and WOW. What a difference. Water boils almost instantly and we get a full range of heat from low to super-high, plus all the other benefits (stove top not hot, increased efficiency, etc)
Echoing the experience of others - please try cast iron cookware before giving up. Our experience with "induction approved" cookware was not satisfactory, but with cast iron we love the new stove top. Just my .02
John

[NXR]

Originally Posted by twdale0918

So I have seen some 4000 W cooktops, but I think this one is only 1500.

Is it wiring related? Why would they have the unit cut back when you have 1 on high and try to do the same with the other? From what I can tell, it is only drawing 6 amps on 1 burner on high.

You need to provide some details for people to help you specifically if it's not a cookware problem.

What make, model year, and exact model of RV do you have?

Is it a 30-amp trailer or a 50-amp trailer? A 30-amp pedestal can only supply 3,600 watts of electrical power before the breaker trips.

Did you install the induction cooktop?

What make and model of cooktop do you have?

It's not unusual for a 120 volt induction cooktop to be very limited because it only has so much power to work with. High-end DP's will have 240 volt induction cooktops, which work well on a 50-amp pedestal. If the owner is on a 30-amp pedestal they often will temporarily switch to their generator to cook, and that's usually a 10,000 watt or larger generator.

A 50-amp pedestal can supply up to 12,000 watts of power. It's non-intuitive but now the electrical industry labels circuits.

Ray

[CW5AVRet]

If you go back to propane stove but still want the induction option, we love this:

Nuwave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop, 10.25” Shatter-Proof Ceramic Glass, 6.5” Heating Coil, 45 Temps from 100°F to 500°F, 3 Wattage Settings 600, 900 & 1300 Watts, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YJ6ZPFJ...on+burner&th=1

We have used this exclusively for more than 3 years, as long as we have electric hookup. Wait for a good sale like Black Friday. "Gotham Steel" pans worked well for us. Home Goods is a great source for cheap individual induction-compatible cookware, especially if you can score something on clearance. Look for the "slinky-symbol" stamped on the bottom

Good luck!

[NXR]

Originally Posted by CW5AVRet

If you go back to propane stove but still want the induction option, we love this:

Nuwave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop, 10.25” Shatter-Proof Ceramic Glass, 6.5” Heating Coil, 45 Temps from 100°F to 500°F, 3 Wattage Settings 600, 900 & 1300 Watts, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YJ6ZPFJ...on+burner&th=1

That looks pretty cool. We've been looking at a Tiffin Allegro Bus with an induction cooktop and while reading up on it (a 2015) we learned that Tiffin installed a 120 VAC induction cooktop with two burners.

It has the same issue as the OP noted; it splits the heating between the two burners. If using two burners you had a total heat of "10". One could be "10" or two could be at "5" or one could be at "7" while the other was at "3" kind of thing.

Even worse, people found they could not use a low heat to do things like simmer. Even if they set the temp to "1" the food still burned.

As it turned out, the brand Tiffin was using ("Summit", if I recall correctly) did not really have a Low Heat. When set to "1" of "10" the burner heated to 100% but only for 10% of the time, whatever that on-off interval actually was in seconds.

Several people found replacement units that actually controlled the temperature similar to the portable one you linked to.

Then Tiffin began offering a 240 VAC induction cooktop in later model years. I think it originally was an option but may have become standard later; I can't really tell.

So yeah, all induction cooktops are not created equal by any measure.

Ray