I'm thinking of buying a few essentials for camping etc and was looking at methods of boiling water.

 

Looking things up online, i'm seeing people claim outlandish numbers like "20 minutes to boil a pot" etc for kettles.

 

I'm looking at a very simple heating element right now and am curious if people have experience with these.

Like this one: http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mSGvl7Aj8hBgvMlGVorsOVw.jpg

Just plop it in a cup and go.

 

My item claims 150w but looking at the skoda manual, it states a maximum of 120w or "risk damage".

 

Is this not feasible at all (too slow etc) and is the 120w a "very safe" ceiling and i can easily go to 150w anyway?

 

Thanks

Exceeding a manufacturers stated limit is always a risk. It's more than 10% above which is a typical design 'do not exceed'. It might be OK, but it might not. It depends upon how accurate the stated 150W actually is. If it's low then there is a risk of fire from overheated on board wiring.

Best way will be to connect it to the battery itself, rather than through the wiring loom. You can get adapters to go from 12V croc clips to a lighter socket....they would help you perhaps?

I don't know about Skoda, but BMW electronics actually record the current drawn through the circuits and if you exceed a limit, they check, and there is a problem then expect them to refuse warranty.

P=VxI

Power equals Voltage times the current...so 12Vdc times 10A equals 120W

If the car outlet is protected by a 10A Fuse, then it will blow as you are trying to push 15A (Ampere) of current.

If it is a Canbus electronic fuse, it will also trip and should reset, but do this multiple times and you could damage the electronics.

The standard cigarette lighter receptacle is rated between 10 to 15 Ampere. Obvious Skoda has gone the 10A way to stay on the safe moderate way.

My personal opinion is that I would not go above 10A or 120W as I have seen wiring damage and cigarette lighter receptacle damage on multiple occasions.

As a Comms Tech, I used to install Mobile phones/2way radio systems in our vehicles i.e Trucks/4WD/Cars.

I believe the fuse for the 12V socket has a 15A rating, which corresponds to 180W so it should be able to handle it. But 150W is the kind of power used by frost protection heaters and would probably take forever and a day to boil even a cup of water. Basically for camping, electricity for heating takes too much power, and IMO you'd be better off looking at portable gas appliances.

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Damn, i guess a small propane tank would be less risky and more versatile in terms of cooking other things too.

Agree, assuming no losses you're taking 12min for a small cup of water. I have a small stove, cost £10 and gas approx £1 per tin. Can boil enough water for four brews in 5min and can also warm beans, soup etc. Packs into a small case a bit bigger than a couple of packs of A4 paper.

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Hi,

We have a 12 volt "kettle" ( one cup size ) its sitting on the shelf in the garage, Nuff said....................

CALCULATOR

 

Second one down: enter, for example, 0.5 litres as the volume to heat, 85 as the temperature rise in the fluid in Celsius (assuming the water starts off at 15C and you want it boiling) and 0.12 as the power of the heating element (12W).

 

Result = 24.76 minutes

 

If you Google the subject, almost no-one recommends 12V water heaters; you need a truck with a 24V battery!

Screw the 12V option, get one of these instead. Fast, clean and much more versatile than a one cup kettle that takes 12 mins to boil:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002N18PHO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466625414&sr=8-1π=SY200_QL40&keywords=jetboil+flash&dpPl=1&dpID=41QuHftmvzL&ref=plSrch

Just get one of these, plus a pitch with electric hookup, and take a cheapy kettle:

Once you've gone mains, then you can take a fridge to keep your beer/wine cool in.

 

And this is the reason we have one of the biggest estate cars on the market, complete with roofbox