Kenyon Electric Stove Help?

S

swillmerchant

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
70
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
Sea Sprite 23
Vessel Name
Indian Summer
Good morning everyone,
I spent another glorious night on our new to us tug, but couldn't get the Kenyon electric stove to heat up a pot of tea, or work at all. The switch on the AC panel was not lit, so power must not be getting to it. House battery switch was on, and I even turned on the engine thinking the batteries just didn't have enough juice to power it up. That didn't work. I examined the AC panel and all wires were tightly connected back there, and so were the connections on the stove itself after I took that apart. The stove had a sticker saying that it had a 20 amp breaker. There were 3, 20 amp fuses on the box behind the dash, but all were fine, and yet it still didn't work. I searched all documentation of the electrical systems aboard, but couldn't find where the breaker might be, or the buses that the stove connects to somewhere on the starboard side of the boat apparently. I came home and found the actual stove's manual online, but that didn't help either.

Having the ability to put on a pot of tea would just make my mornings aboard. Anyone know what else I could do???
Thanks!
 
You mentioned the battery switch but did not mention what 110V AC you had available. these stoves are usually 110V AC and only run on shore power or Genset.
 
Our R25 was delivered from the factory with the electric stove. After I year of use, I converted the stove to propane. I utilized the ice chest/ cockpit seat for the storage tank and ran an inner duct and gas line to the cabinet under the stove cut-out. It works great. On cold mornings the excess heat from brewing a pot of tea water takes the chill off the cabin. Easy to convert. If you want to do it, give me a PM and I will fill you in on the parts and procedure. having spent two years on a mooring, I figured out you can't get an extension cord to reach the dock power pedestal!
John
 
Thanks, John and Bill for your responses. Clearly, I need to reread my basic physics textbooks, because I know so little about electricity and electrical systems. I didn't realize the stove was AC and can only be powered by the genset or shore power absent an inverter. There's so much I need to learn about the electrical systems on the boat. If anyone has a tutorial about basic electrical systems on boats, I'd love to read it.

John, your idea about converting it to propane is a great idea. I saw your pics, and am intrigued by the idea. I only use the "live well" to keep my beer cold, so it would be a tough decision to lose that capacity, but it might be worth it come fall on the mooring. I'll PM you for the details.
 
We are primarily marina creatures spending only a few hours at a time on the hook so the AC powered electric stove works perfectly for us. The radiant surface is fast to heat up and fast to cool down.
Were we to change over to being hook creatures for a time, rather than spend money to change out the stove I would likely just set up a small propane stove on top of the electric stove/counter.

BTW, the refrigerator is only battery powered even though there is an AC breaker switch labeled refrigerator (at least on our boat) Another Tug idiosyncrasy - so don't think it is just your lack of speaking electrical that causes confusion.
 
Let me caution that the idea of using an inverter to run the stove will drain your battery set rapidly.
Running an inverter for high wattage AC devices is not even close to being efficient.
If you need fast coffee in the AM using the battery set check the truck driver web sites for 12v DC powered appliances.
http://www.roadtrucker.com/roadpro/12-v ... at-979.htm
 
The Nova Cool refrigerator on our R27 is capable of running on both DC and AC. But the key word there is "capable." The factory wires it for DC only. If I understand correctly, it can be wired for both and, when so wired, somehow will switch automatically between the two. I think the factory opted to wire it for DC only because it is more of a KISS approach. If wired for both, you can have it running on AC and if AC stops, it switches over and drains your batteries without you knowing it. Same thing if you think AC is on, and it isn't for some reason. Or that's how I understood everything when Kenny tried to explain it to me . . .

I've given some thought to whether we would like to change the setup and wire it for both. But so far, the KISS approach is working for us.

Gini
 
OK, that is information I did not have.
Now, if it were wired for both and you leave the DC breaker off when using AC, it would seem that would protect the battery set. Eh wot?
 
Levitation - valid point. How can that not be right? DC breaker off would protect the batteries. Even for some one who needs a KISS system. Makes it very tempting to look into having the refrigerator wired for both. Anyone who has done that?

Gini
 
Novo cool makes a 12v only model and a 12v/110v model. I believe Ranger at some point switched over to the 12v only. It is my understanding that the dual volt is nothing more than a stepsdown transformer to 12v anyway, so in reality the refrigerator is strictly 12v.
 
My 2008 R25 has both 120V AC and 12V DC breakers for frigg. I have rerely ever used the 12V DC source as the 110V AC wprks fine. My understanding is that both electrical sources provide electrical power to the model in my boat and the actual frigg compressor is 12V DC but has a convertor for when powered by 120V AC. My understanding is that if both breakers are left on no damage occurs & the power will come from 120V AC. I have been told that later designs (after 2008) had only 12 Vdc source.

My stove was the "cheapo" Kenyon (single 110V AC & single bottle gas burners). The stove is just a modified version of Kenyon portable camping stove. The 110 VAC element works OK but the portable butane bottles will not properly seal and leak so I never use that heating element. One concern I have is my understanding is that if you have "internal" propane service (as opposed to a rear external propane grill, that you are expected to have a bilge blower like gasoline powered boats have. Diesels are exempt from this requirement. Would internal propane cause a problem on a Coast Guard inspection?
 
If they notice it, yes.
And more than that it is just not smart.

Shucks, put some handsome container on the sports rack and mount the propane in that. :mrgreen:
 
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