not2old

cheap - like what they use in restaurants to keep food hot or 'Fondue fuel'

Sterno Solid Gel Fuel (6-Pack) | Lowe's Canada

Ideal for heating a single cup of water. Small metal kettle or tin mug

http://zenstoves.net/Sterno.htm

BristolUK

Thanks.

I need to look at this a bit more. Most seem to be surge protectors or computer related and seem to need to be plugged in ready for something going wrong. I'd have expected an ability to run other electrical stuff as a power source would be something worth mentioning in features but I don't see it on those I selected.

not2old

progressing on from the initial 'heat a cup of brew' OP

for larger power uses, another other green option (without a gasoline generator) is to have two or three 12 v car batteries (in parallel) on a trickle charger fed into a 12 - 120v Inverter. When the power goes out you could run many things depending on the power you want for a given time period

This is similar (48v) to what the cable TV guys & Bell do when the power is out as back up ....

All very basic & clever stuff, unless you want to have wind or solar power.

Buy the TrippLite 2000W 12V DC to AC Inverter at TigerDirect.ca

or this

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/NEW-COBRA-CPI...-/230801203533

Oink

Get yourself a Thermos and keep a cup on hand.

not2old

two or three of them

I still like the cheap & effective 'sterno' in post#16 if its just for the cup of coffee/tea

http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm

MillieF

Bristol, don't you have a wood stove or burner? I have an insert, and an old pan that I stick in to get water hot.

Pulaski

Water has a very high specific heat capacity (requires a huge amount of energy to raise its temperature by 1°C), which is why the car heater was so slow.

If my rusty physics is correct, based on a D cell having 18000mAH of power (the upper limit for an alkaline cell), you would completely flatten 2 D cells boiling just one pint of water from 10°C. In practice drawing a lot of power quickly can halve the energy recoverable from an alkaline dry cell, so you might actually need four D cells to boil one pint of water.

In short, other than as noted above by using a fire or propane heater, yes, it is that difficult.

BristolUK

Yes, but it's in the room that used to be our living room. Even with the woodstove it was not as comfortably warm in winter as our new living room. By changing rooms we are warmer and save a lot on the electricity bill.

Now it's out of use and likely needs to be swept before use.

But this is rather the point of improving science. Once upon a time the starship enterprise would have been impossible because the engine needed for warp drive and all the rest would have been too big. They found a way to power it with something much smaller.

There's a gadget that can identify and name a tune. We have microwaves, the internet and more...why can't we boil (or at least heat to a nice temperature) a cup of water in a more efficient way?

Pulaski

Well water takes as much energy to boil as it takes, it is a physical constant. So we have the choices of (i) making tea with a different liquid, or (ii) dramatically improving the power storage capability of the battery, which has proved impossible so far, not withstanding the efforts of Elon Musk.

What do you suggest? Perhaps a plutonium battery?

BristolUK

Sounds like a plan. Or an alternative to a battery. I dunno...a pill that you drop in a cup of water and it converts the water to hot water.

Sounds about as likely as wafer thin telephones/cameras did when these were being used

not2old

all along you were thinking along the line of 'the way, how or what it is the astronauts eat & drink in space


Eating In Space - Canadian Space Agency

Siouxie

Get one of these.

Motomaster Nautilus Battery Pack, 800 A | Canadian Tire

BristolUK

When they reduce the $275 by $250

Or they get rid of all the other stuff and just leave one connector for a plug and sell it for a tenner.

Yorkiechef

Forgive me, I thought this thread was for ideas, hence the reason for my post. For the record, I have started the wheels in motion on my idea, if it progresses I'll keep you posted.

Anyone else got any great ideas but no finance or drive to make it happen? Let's have some ideas, some of the most outrageous ideas are the best. I understand that windscreens break on a regular basis in Canada, is this through rocks on the road or the extreme weather, perhaps there is a solution........

BristolUK

Yes. I was wanting something specific but the idea was for any suggestions.

Here's another....a four slice toaster where the two slots on the right don't pack in before the two on the left.