12volt appliances

[Lily RoseParticipant]

We want to build in Rotherham Uk a house off grid because it will cost us £30,000 to connect to the electricity grid.

Where can I get 12 volt appliances. I need TV washer, hair dryer, iron, microwave.

The one’s available for camping all go in the cigarette lighter. Am I going to have to have cicarette lighters instead of sockets?

Lily Rose

[DustofferParticipant]

The best thing to do with a totally disconnected house is go with solar/wind to charge control, to battery bank(s), to fuze, to inverter(s) to standard circuit breaker box. For more than 30 feet, the wire size for DC goes to thick while with an inverter, standard 3 (or 4) wire house wiring can be used. Hair dryers and irons use too much electricity, and only some washers will tolerate modified square wave electric of the less expensive inverters (like my Staber 2000). You will want to go with all LCD or CF lighting, LED TV, LED monitor, and energy star other appliances. Do some reading on solar installation, and do the worksheets for system sizing. Paying others to install costs big money, but with DIY you may need someone licensed to look at your work and sign it off before inspection. There isn’t much available with 12VDC appliances, some lights, car vacs, and other little, less powerful stuff, for cars. Some have built in inverters after the cigarette lighter plug. My hybrid even has a low power 110VAC outlet. Inverters come in European 220 VAC 50 Hz, or 110VAC 60 Hz.

[elnavMember]

Let me endorse dustoffer’s suggestion. I have been designing off-grid systems for a decade now. Except when you live in a small caravan going DC simply does not make sense.

[Lily RoseParticipant]

Thank you for your help.

We are going to have a twin tub as this will reduce our washing time and need for electricity by 5 hours. If we wash 6 loads and an automatic it will take 6 hours. If we wash in a twin tub it will take an hour.

WE can do lighting and TV but we are going to have to invert up. However, we are going to watch Kevin Mccloud on sunday building off grid.

I thought the caravan world would help but they go to site and hook up to the mains.

Lily Rose

[caverdudeParticipant]

I wouldn’t hurt to have a few 12 volt appliances for cooking such as the ones you find in any truck stop. There are also 12v electric blankets and twin size bed heaters. You may always cut off the cigarette lighter ends and wire them straight up (though add inline fuse). Cigarette lighter plugs have a fuze in them. Use wire nuts so that you can simply put the cigarette lighter end back on if you need to go mobile with it. Also radio’s run on 12V both CB and Ham radios. One gripe I have about 12v appliances is that they seem to be made cheap and burn out regularly, or maybe that’s just 12 volt stuff. Heating elements are bad to burn out. One really good cooking device is called a Lunch Box oven. And one item I keep just for heating water is called the “smart pot”. It shuts off in the event that it gets turned over or the water boils dry. Beware that in some of those you could burn your house down if they are not carefully monitored. I almost burned a truck down once by letting water boil dry in one. And remember many things you have can be charged on 12 volts. I think there is great room for improvement in the world of 12volt appliances.

http://blog.larrydgray.net

[elnavMember]

I favour AC appliances because they are better built, mass produced and often found cheap in second hand and good will stores. Because the amps are so much less for a given wattage they do not burn out as quickly. AC can easily be converted by transformer whereas DC require expensive DC-DC converter.

Yes you need batteries for quiet time but a small AC generator properly used will suffice in many cases and the cost of pettrol is comparable to paying for utilities. Sometime it is even less expensive if you are careful about power use.

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