Kettle or water heater?

[wildebus]

I think the point is being missed altogether.

Which one is the most efficient?

If you want the most efficient use of energy, you heat exactly the amount of water you need using an electric kettle or an induction hob.

It you are washing up during the winter, then using a gas hob to heat a kettle is good as all the (considerable) wasted energy will go towards heating the interior of the motorhome.
If you are washing up in the summer, than you will use extra power to extract the unwanted heat and using electricity regenerated by solar is best. (The boiler heated by gas may seem more directed energy but it is still not that efficient, otherwise you would not get hot air out the extraction flue).

 

[Greengrass]

I think the point is being missed altogether.

Which one is the most efficient?

What I do is put the kettle on for a cup of and put enough water in do the washing up

 

[marchie]

Never tried teaaswell but up for anything.

The Goblin Teasmaid was a big disappointment. I expected so much more ... And, as for the little titter that ran round the Court ...

Steve

 

[Sonar]

Discounting the volume of water heated and you only need enough to wash the dishes, which is the best use of gas?

Liz says that the kettle is best because it uses less gas for the same amount of water, kettle is 0.5L so not enough in one hit.

I say the water heater will be better as the gas only heats the water not the room and you get all the water required to do a better job.

Plastic washing up bowl used.

Hot water until it’s boiled then turn it off should have hot water longer than the kettle keeps it warm. The gas ring the boilers use does not pump out as much gas as a gas ring . Also there’s no steam to boil off

 

[nabsim]

All these answers and I think I have the most efficient, let the dogs lick everything clean, no power needed

 

[Carrerasax]

Does water heater really work on 12v electric

 

[wildebus]

All these answers and I think I have the most efficient, let the dogs lick everything clean, no power needed

or just have takeaways or eat out?

 

[Sonar]

Does water heater really work on 12v electric

Mine works on gas but is ignited by 12 volts

 

[Okta]

Burning 1g of propane produces 1.64g of water vapour. I usually use the combi boiler for water heating so that the water vapour goes out of the balanced flue and not into the van. Our kettle is used for making tea and not much else.

 

[wildebus]

Does water heater really work on 12v electric

Some do. But the electric heating element if fitted would usually be 240V AC

 

[Rumour]

OK, I am feeling left out as there was no diesel option!

But seriously, when we use the boiler for heating the water, it stays hot right through the day because of the insulation. If we heat a kettle, it gets cold in less than an hour, even when in 30 degree heat outside. So we use the boiler in the morning, get the water hot and it will cover ablutions and washing up till late in the afternoon.

 

[Rec]

We only have a kettle, and heat full one in the morning after breakfast and at night. Excess goes into the thermos and is used for morning drink or washing ourselves. I was up using the Thai method ( my DIL's are both from there. No hot water but everything very clean!), wipe everything with a sponge with drop of fairy on it. Rinse with cold water afterwards. Works really well.

 

[wildebus]

Must admit when I go out in the Motorhome (not often enough, but a different problem), I like to think of it as a 'home from home' rather than a challenge to use everything ultra-minimally.
So while I do time using things for efficiency, don't do so at the cost of 'normality', and I do enjoy a 'proper' shower in the Motorhome (for which I seem to be in the minority amongst motorhomers?)

(I find not having hot water 'on tap' a little annoying actually, being in that situation currently at home due to a broken boiler that won't be replaced until maybe July and having to rely on an Immersion Heater that cannot be left on for extended periods )

 

[Rec]

Must admit when I go out in the Motorhome (not often enough, but a different problem), I like to think of it as a 'home from home' rather than a challenge to use everything ultra-minimally.
So while I do time using things for efficiency, don't do so at the cost of 'normality', and I do enjoy a 'proper' shower in the Motorhome (for which I seem to be in the minority amongst motorhomers?)

(I find not having hot water 'on tap' a little annoying actually, being in that situation currently at home due to a broken boiler that won't be replaced until maybe July and having to rely on an Immersion Heater that cannot be left on for extended periods )

The lack of running hot water is pretty normal for us, when in Portugal we heat it all with the Wood burner and it is second nature to be frugal and part of life. The van is home from home by those standards......We do shower in the barn, but heat the water in big copper and have a solar pump ( although Dave prefers a jug) to get the water over us. Can't do that in the van...but as you say, many motorbikes are the same. Strip wash daily and a campsite shower regularly suits us ok. We have all mid cons in our UK home though, so lead a double life with two norms!