Google fu help please - electric hot plate height extender

[David]

Our new caravan has three gas rings and one solid electric hot plate.

Great idea because you can use the bundled electricity you get with the pitch for cooking.

Dumb implementation because the electric hot plate is below the level of the pan supports so you have to drop the pan into a 20 cms * 24 cms space which effectively means a 20 cms diameter pan.

Normal hobs you can use larger pans and they can overlap partly with the rest of the hob.

Useful thing; something stable and heat conducting which would fit over the solid electric hot plate and stand level with the pan support over the gas hobs, allowing the use of larger pans.

It seems an obvious thing; I can't find one so either they don't make them or I am using the wrong search terms.

One reason for the low slung electric hot plate may well be to keep it away from the glass fold down lid. So a degree of risk when removing this proposed device to fold everything away.

Anyway, ringing any bells?

Cheers

Dave R

[Robin]

I wondered if one of these would fit :)

[spuorgelgoog]

I think anything solid enough to conduct heat effectively (ie a solid lump of metal) would also have unfeasibly high thermal mass and slow response.

Could you raise the electric hot plate by removing it from the hob unit and sandwiching a band of stainless steel round the perimeter between the hotplate and the hob unit, I think most electric hotplates fix with a central screw to a spider?

Or can you use a flat-bottomed wok?

Owain

[David]

[David]

I wonder if aluminium which is light but a good conductor of heat would do? Or copper, for that matter.

Electric hot plate is in one corner of the hob so a kitchen unit and the glass cover both get in the way so a wok probably wouldn't fit.

It is a relatively low power hot plate anyway (total power to caravans can be quite low, often 10 Amps or 16 Amps) so I assume they don't want a red hot 3 kW hot plate taking the circuit breaker out.

Lots of other electrical stuff as standard including wet heating and a microwave and fridge.

Cheers

Dave R

[Tim+]

How thick would it need to be? Maybe you could get a local engineering firm to machine up a simple aluminium "puck" that you could lay on the hot plate before use?

Tim

[Tim+]

Something like this?

Tim

[Chris Green]

3kW is around 12 amps so can be used on a 16 amp circuit with some to spare.

[Clive Arthur]

Diamond would be best.

Cheers

[Capitol]

Why is wet heating used? Doesn't it add unnecessary weight to the caravan?

>

[David]

I assume someone did some research...I didn't ask. :-)

First guess would be the same reason that heating in houses is usually wet; there is a slow response but then you have stored heat slowly released. With radiant or blown air it has to be on all the time or the air cools down rapidly.

It does compare well with the blown air heating in our Motor Home and everywhere is toasty.

I don't think you need very much water (or other fluid) to heat the caravan so it isn't like having cast iron radiators all over the place.

What bits I can see are piping with shiny fins all round so I expect the volume of the heating bits are like the old oil filled bar heaters - like a drainpipe. I don't fancy taking the body work apart to investigate because the radiators are concealed behind trim panels.

All very nifty. Like a continuous run of heating hidden behind a panel with air flowing from floor to ceiling behind the seats and the overhead lockers.

Cheers

Dave R

[Capitol]

Interesting, thanks.