Cooking without electricity

Gas hob - Whirlpool - 5 plate. Gas bottle is 48kilos and lasts just over a year.

Installed about 2 years ago for about R8k.

Also put in a 300L solar geyser.

Got a genny to power everything else.

2 x 105Ah batteries to keep my servers and ADSL up for just over a day.

Big plus is my average bill dropped by around R1.5k to R2k per month.
 
Mike Smit said:
Gas hob - Whirlpool - 5 plate. Gas bottle is 48kilos and lasts just over a year.

Installed about 2 years ago for about R8k.

Also put in a 300L solar geyser.

Got a genny to power everything else.

2 x 105Ah batteries to keep my servers and ADSL up for just over a day.

Big plus is my average bill dropped by around R1.5k to R2k per month.
Click to expand...

Mike
Can you share more detail on the battery setup to keep servers and adsl going?
 
Mike Smit said:
Gas hob - Whirlpool - 5 plate. Gas bottle is 48kilos and lasts just over a year.

Installed about 2 years ago for about R8k.

Also put in a 300L solar geyser.

Got a genny to power everything else.

2 x 105Ah batteries to keep my servers and ADSL up for just over a day.

Big plus is my average bill dropped by around R1.5k to R2k per month.
Click to expand...
You're lucky - I've got more than enough batteries, and a generator, to keep my end of the ADSL up… apparently telkom does not. As soon as the power went out last night, so did my internet. :o
 
I have 2 x gas stove set-ups....
A single plate ( cost R300,00 few years ago) with 9kg cylinder, used daily...gas cost R190 per month, average...

A dual plate (cost R700.00 few years ago), with 19kg cylinder, used very evening + weekends for all main meals....gas last 3 x months - cost to refill is average R400.00 Waaaay cheaper than using electricity...
 
in Durban,

most Hardware sell these single table top or double top on a stand..
My parents bought a decent 1 a few years ago, its cheap and works well. exactly what you need.
 
Mitos said:
I have 2 x gas stove set-ups....
A single plate ( cost R300,00 few years ago) with 9kg cylinder, used daily...gas cost R190 per month, average...

A dual plate (cost R700.00 few years ago), with 19kg cylinder, used very evening + weekends for all main meals....gas last 3 x months - cost to refill is average R400.00 Waaaay cheaper than using electricity...
Click to expand...

i didnt see this initially.. but this looks like what i am talking about
 
Mike Smit said:
Big plus is my average bill dropped by around R1.5k to R2k per month.
Click to expand...

All makes sense apart from that very last bit.
All that equipment and you're still paying R2,000 every month... what are you doing there? Smelting aluminium ;)
 
midnightcaller said:
Mike
Can you share more detail on the battery setup to keep servers and adsl going?
Click to expand...
Similar to this one http://m.bidorbuy.co.za/item/284847...STEM_SEAMLESS_TRANSFER_AND_AUTOSWITCHING.html
I cannot remember the exact spec of mine as u got it 4 or 5 years ago. Think it's the same.

Hooked up to it I have an old Dell P4 that is my firewall / gateway, my media server and ADSL.
If the power is down for a few hours then I shut down the media server to save battery.
A few years ago we were down for over 24 hours and she had not died yet. Not had an occasion yet where the battery backup was exhausted.

Note there are no screens connected to this. Just the boxes.
 
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My generator can run the grill or a stove plate
 
hmmm...parental unit volunteered to lend me a cadac. So I guess thats the cheapest solution.

Can I use an alu pan on a cadac open flame?
 
richjdavies said:
All makes sense apart from that very last bit.
All that equipment and you're still paying R2,000 every month... what are you doing there? Smelting aluminium ;)
Click to expand...
House of 6 dude. Hectic juice bill (to me anyway).
Before Eskom started its huge annual hikes I was paying on average R4.5k to R6k (rates etc...). Since solar geyser and gas hob the total bill has dropped to an average of R3.5k to R4.5k.
 
Mitos said:
I have 2 x gas stove set-ups....
A single plate ( cost R300,00 few years ago) with 9kg cylinder, used daily...gas cost R190 per month, average...

A dual plate (cost R700.00 few years ago), with 19kg cylinder, used very evening + weekends for all main meals....gas last 3 x months - cost to refill is average R400.00 Waaaay cheaper than using electricity...
Click to expand...

A single plate on 9Kg and you use the whole bottle per month ??? What, are you boiling water 24/7 ?

With gas, once your stuff is boiling/cooking, you place the lid on & turn the gas as low as possible. I have a 4 burner hob connected to 9Kg used daily which lasts 2-4 months :erm:
 
6 people or not that still a massive bill. Solar geyser or no solar geyser. Are you account or prepaid? Could be that you're on a bad tariff!?
 
COMPUTEK said:
A single plate on 9Kg and you use the whole bottle per month ??? What, are you boiling water 24/7 ?

With gas, once your stuff is boiling/cooking, you place the lid on & turn the gas as low as possible. I have a 4 burner hob connected to 9Kg used daily which lasts 2-4 months :erm:
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was thinking. But i didn't want to say anything.
That gas stove is very inefficient to be using so much of gas.
I have a 5 plate gas stove. We cook every day. 9kg lasts about 2 to 3 months. Sometimes longer......
 
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