Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
Subject:Re: adding an oven to a Westy
From:Ed
Date:Sun, 8 May 2005 12:01:20 -0400

I just took a look at my toaster oven. It draws 1350 watts. At 12 volts that
would be 112.5 amps. You could conceivably try using a huge power inverter,
but that is already more power than the Vanagon alternator puts out. Even if
you had a 100 amp-hour auxiliary battery, it alone would be completely dead
in less than an hour, and that is not taking into consideration the
inefficiencies of the inverter. Using propane is much more efficient,
whether it be from a dedicated oven, or a Coleman one that you put on top of
a stove.

I have used the Coleman one on a stovetop. It takes some practive and you
have to keep an eye on it to keep the temperature where you want it, but it
works pretty well.

Ed

> Why not just use a toaster oven with a power inverter? I imagine they
> draw a lot of watts, but they aren't on for all that long.
>