Dumb question re 12v Appliances

[thiel]

So... here's a dumb question: I wanted to buy my wife a 12v crockpot, and it comes with a classic 12v round plug -- like would fit in a cigarette lighter in a car. I am assuming this will not work in the AS... so what do I do? Do the 12v appliances for the AS come with a household plug? I am utterly confused....

[68 Overlander]

It would work if you have the plug or made one but are you sure that is what she wants? They are not efficient, use a lot of DC power etc. Not trying to discourage you but...

[mixedpuppy]

Are you planning on lots of boondocking where you require using a crockpot? If not, stick with 120V. Better yet if it's a good crockpot that just happens to run on 12V but has a 120V adapter, go for it, you can always wire it in somehow later. I bought all my electronics (tv, etc. etc. etc.) specifically to run on 12V and have wired them in that way. I suspect a 12V crockpot isn't going to be all that good.

[overlander63]

I don't remember what the wattage of a 120 volt crock pot is, but you could probably use the inverter to power it. Just be aware it will draw a considerable amount of battery power, though I don't know if it would be more than the 12 volt version.
You might also want to look into a dutch oven.

[StevieB]

First off, why would you buy your wife a crockpot in the first place? I would never think of buying mine a crockpot, I would just buy the Airstream a crockpot. I guess that is probably why I have been married 40+ years. (I have been trained well.)

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by thiel

... it comes with a classic 12v round plug -- like would fit in a cigarette lighter in a car. I am assuming this will not work in the AS... so what do I do? Do the 12v appliances for the AS come with a household plug? I am utterly confused....

Most newer AS come with USB charging ports instead of the 12 volt outlets. The coach has 12 volt wiring to the USB plug and you can use that as your power source.

I had a 12 volt fan that I wanted to use so I had to install a 12 volt socket (like a car cigarette lighter) to replace one of the USB outlets. It was fairly easy to do - I replaced the one beside the DVD player. Just be careful to get the + and - wires connected correctly.

I plug in one of the USB adapter plugs, that you can use in your car outlet, and can still charge my phone etc. until I need the outlet for the 12 volt fan.

[TG Twinkie]

Be sure you know the wattage rating of the 12volt receptacle and wiring before plugging in any device other than phone chargers etc.
Just because the plug on the crock pot will go in the receptacle doesn't mean the receptacle won't be overloaded.

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by thiel

So... here's a dumb question: I wanted to buy my wife a 12v crockpot, and it comes with a classic 12v round plug -- like would fit in a cigarette lighter in a car. I am assuming this will not work in the AS... so what do I do? Do the 12v appliances for the AS come with a household plug? I am utterly confused....

Yes, you do sound confused. All the outlets in your Airstream are 120V house type outlets. When you are connected you can plug in any 120V appliance. When you are not plugged in, all of these outlets are dead UNLESS you turn on your converter.

If you want a 12V plug you will have to install one as mentioned in a previous post. I think you really need to revisit this plan. Either way, a crockpot will draw a lot of current/power out of your battery. Unless you have an efficient solar array and some very good batteries I think the use of your crockpot will challenge your power supply.

I hope this helps. It is good that you asked the question beforehand.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by aftermath

Yes, you do sound confused. All the outlets in your Airstream are 120V house type outlets. When you are connected you can plug in any 120V appliance. When you are not plugged in, all of these outlets are dead UNLESS you turn on your converter.

You would have to turn on the inverter, which converts 120 vac to 12 vdc. The converter takes 120 vac and provides 12 vdc.

You're very right about running the inverter and using a regular crock pot is going to use a lot of 12 vdc power. I would use a Dutch oven or a slow cooking pot on the stove or outside stove. We use a Colman camp stove to slow cook our chili, soups and other things.

[Lumatic]

First, I know enough about electricity to be dangerous, so fact check me.

You need to 1.know the watts the crock pot draws 2.convert to amps by the formula watts/volts (12) = amps 3. the amp rating of the electrical circuit you are plugging into. So if you are drawing 250 watts on a 12v circuit you are using 20.8 amps, or just over the capacity of a 20 amp circuit.

[xrvr]

When did they stop putting twelve volt outlets in Airstreams?

[Native143]

Use a dutch oven as a slow cooker. No power required, just heat from propane for stove or wood fire. Things taste soo much better in a cast iron pot. :-)

[TG Twinkie]

Richw46 has the inverter backwards. It provides 120 volts from a 12 VDC source of ample capacity.
Converters do the opposite.

[Rob Cope]

I am a new owner of a FC25. What is a converter? And where to turn on? And why turn it on? I assume a converter converts something from 12V or from 120V. For example, if I want to operate a 120V space heater off the 120V socket, I hook into those other sockets, but how do they turn on? Thanks. Like the other chap, I feel kind of stupid about this matter.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by StevieB

First off, why would you buy your wife a crockpot in the first place? I would never think of buying mine a crockpot, I would just buy the Airstream a crockpot. I guess that is probably why I have been married 40+ years. (I have been trained well.)

LOL... truth by told, I buy her a crockpot every year. Sort of a running gag. I did get her a frying pan AND a vacuum one Christmas though!

[JimS]

You should consider a thermal cooker, such as Zojirushi or Tiger. We have used a Zojirushi for years and have no complaints. You prepare the meal in the cooker, heat to boiling for 20 minutes (depends on what you are cooking), then place it in the outer pot (essentially a thermos) and go out and have a good time for four to six hours. No electricity used, great for boondocking, and nothing left on in the trailer while you are gone.

Jim

[thiel]

Originally Posted by mixedpuppy

Are you planning on lots of boondocking where you require using a crockpot? If not, stick with 120V. Better yet if it's a good crockpot that just happens to run on 12V but has a 120V adapter, go for it, you can always wire it in somehow later. I bought all my electronics (tv, etc. etc. etc.) specifically to run on 12V and have wired them in that way. I suspect a 12V crockpot isn't going to be all that good.

My wife has a dream: that we can be driving down the road for hours, carefee, as something stews away in the crockpot while we do. The idea is that when we arrive at our campsite, dinner will be ready! Crazy? DREAMS USUALLY ARE!

Ideally I'd like to be able to leave the crockpot plugged in and powered during travel -- so the TV will be supplying charge to the batteries -- and I suspect that it wouldn't drain too much along the way.

Thoughts? Possible? Gonna copy my idea? :-)

[TomKirk]

I've got 3 "cigarette lighter" plug-ins in my '77 31 ft Airstream. They're wired for low amperage toys; TV; electric razor; radio; etc - all have 20 amp circuits; #14 gauge wire.

I've got a feeling your 12 volt crock pot will require a dedicated, 30 amp circuit, with #12 gauge wire or bigger.

Q: What does the owner's manual say??

Tom

[pcskier]

These use no power and yes they really work! Will slow cook all day. https://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Therm.../dp/B002QHZG3G

[Bob Cooke]

Since smoking is not a common as old days the recpt. Were eliminated. I have a 1970 25 ft. Trade winds that has one in the bath room and also in cabinet where the antenna booster is. Also just sold a 1966
Set up the same way. Good luck and best wishes Bob C.