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12v microwave

13597 Views 37 Replies 24 Participants Last post by  jackdale, 
T
Has anyone used a 12v microwave on their boat?
Good or bad?

Thanks,
Reddirt
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Omatako
Don't know about 12v microwaves but I have a 110v unit and it draws vast amounts of power. We use it rarely.

I can't think why a 12v one would have different power consumption but then again, I'm not a specialist.
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tommays
There was a thread a few months back about a 12 volt 650 watt ? unit it was not real impressive and pulled a killer amount of amps
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pdqaltair
Also, running them on low-voltage kills them.

If they pull the inverter voltage down, don't expect them to live very long. We tend to use our (110v) only a the dock, but it will run on the inverter. and if it lasts 3-4 years for $100... no big deal.

I have seen 12v models...$$$$$$$$. Probably triple.
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T
Microwave was best upgrade to cabin

This isn't 12 volts but, I tossed out the factory alchohol stove and found a small 750 watt microwave that fit the space. I use a 2500watt inverter powered by two 100 amp rv batteries. I kept a daily log of microwave use and the results are that the microwave ran for 56 minutes (intermitent use)before he inverter low voltage alarm went off. This was a weeks cruising two years ago. Now I keep the batteries topped up with a small solar panel and the outboard. The alarm has never gone off again.
Next to fixing window and deck leaks, the microwave is my best upgrade.
I know if you extensively cruised or cooked a turkey everyday it would not work for you but 56 minutes is a lot of microwave time for hotdogs and popcorn.
TJ
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sailingdog
Most I've seen are bad...a decent microwave needs to have at least 750 watts of power.... that's at least 65 amps @ 12VDC... You're alot better off with a real microwave (120 VAC) and using only when on shorepower...
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tdw
I know I'm a bit of an oddity here (yeah yeah I know, spare me the obvious retorts) but I don't like food heated up in a microwave. Even left overs, I prefer to heat them up in a pan than zap 'em. Maybe a blind test would prove me to be talking through my arse but that's the way I feel.

At home we use the microwave to heat milk or to reheat a hot drink and to reheat boiled rice. Don't think thats enough use to justify having one on board.

Friends of ours who have one on their Beneteau 50 and they reckon it makes a great bread bin.
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pdqaltair
Yup, good points. We store plates in ours!

tdw said:
I know I'm a bit of an oddity here (yeah yeah I know, spare me the obvious retorts) but I don't like food heated up in a microwave. Even left overs, I prefer to heat them up in a pan than zap 'em. Maybe a blind test would prove me to be talking through my arse but that's the way I feel.

At home we use the microwave to heat milk or to reheat a hot drink and to reheat boiled rice. Don't think thats enough use to justify having one on board.

Friends of ours who have one on their Beneteau 50 and they reckon it makes a great bread bin.
Click to expand...
When cruising we have the time to cook. That is the point... to have time.
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Valiente
Let's not forget that a microwave is an excellent Faraday cage during a lightning storm.

Whether you'd want to jam a laptop in one sideways is another question.
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ardoin
Faraday cage -- That's what they are best at. But you could get a metal ammo box to do the same. 6 Amp hours of draw to heat a cup of joe... not a very good use of power or space
I use mine as a Faraday cage and as a warn still place to raise dough when I make bread.
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N
tdw, I found my bad taste out of MWs due entire plate heated to same temp. One way to overcome a bit is, heating in steps rice, beans, meat, etc ... not wanting to bring back the discussion, my Honda EU2000 is perfect for popcorns and quick meals ....
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tdw
negrini said:
tdw, I found my bad taste out of MWs due entire plate heated to same temp. One way to overcome a bit is, heating in steps rice, beans, meat, etc ... not wanting to bring back the discussion, my Honda EU2000 is perfect for popcorns and quick meals ....
Click to expand...
Take your point there but even so I still prefer a pan. What I also like is that you can adjust the flavour and/or seasoning as you go. Maybe that's the key to it.

Certainly I would never consider installing a MW into a boat, the faraday cage thing might convince me to not throw the thing overboard if the boat came with one.
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tager
I have a toaster oven in my boat. It is for use at the dock. It is the same size as a microwave, but is superior as a culinary item. It does take a lot more electricity to run, out of the question on battery power.
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Omatako
tdw said:
Friends of ours who have one on their Beneteau 50 and they reckon it makes a great bread bin.
Click to expand...
Heh heh heh, whenever we want to rustle up a bag of popcorn (the predominant use of the MW) we have to move all the bread out first.

Seems consensus it that the MW is really a non-essential. Glad I'm not alone on this.
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Bene505
I think it's all about wheter you have enough solar/wind power and whether propane is easy to get. As you get farther from civilization, I could see microwaves being great to have.

We have a 110v one. No inverter set-up yet. Wind generator comes first IMHO, since we are rarely on shore power.

For 12v, note that the wires will have to be huge all the way from the batteries to the microwave. Better to get an inverter and run a 110v microwave - putting the inverter near the batteries will mean shorter lengths of thick wires. The less expensive wires will offset the cost of the inverter, and you can use the inverter for other things too.
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B
I have the wave box. It is underpowered compared to the home model. But I am often by myself and like the single serving prepared food. I really enjoy popping one in and not having to watch it. I am lucky to have a large battery and solar bank. It works for me and my system.
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C
I had a 110-volt 800 watt microwave on our last boat. We had sufficient solar power (450 watts) and were cruising in the Sea of Cortez (lots of sun!) that we used the microwave on the inverter for popcorn probably at least every other day (my husband is addicted to popcorn, I'm certain).

The BIG thing to note is that it won't be as powerful running off the inverter/batteries as it is off a generator or shore power. Every time we'd go to a marina and plug in, he'd burn the first bag of popcorn he'd make because he'd forget to adjust the time.

In El Salvador in the rainy season, with the most amazing lightning I've ever seen, we put the laptop in the oven and the handheld GPS and VHF, MP3 player and digital camera in the microwave. We never had a direct lightning hit, so I can't vouch for it working -- but we figured that since we knew they'd be toast if we left them out, we might as well.
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FishSticks
If you were born after 1980 please read this

To the new generation of sailors out there .... are you aware that it is possible to pop corn over a fire in a covered pan?
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M
Local grocery store makes homemade style meals in microwave containers. Meatloaf, lasagna, chicken parm, and they last about 6 days in the fridge. Warm in micro in 3 minutes.

While I prefer to cook, its nice to have a quick hot 3 min meal at the end of a long hard day sometimes. A microwave and genset are on my nice to have cruising list.
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sailingdog
FishSticks said:
To the new generation of sailors out there .... are you aware that it is possible to pop corn over a fire in a covered pan?
Click to expand...
And you can buy the popcorn pre-packaged in an aluminum foil pan....
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