Generators

sgntbilko · Senior Member

Generators

dave06 · Guru

Pete, you have just expressed most of my sentiments as well, why it is thought necessary to have a Genny is beyond me, as for medical reasons I cant see any, if it is for a cpap machine well my Bil and sil both have them and theirs run off battery's or 12 volt

but you hit the nail right on the head when you stated respect for other campers, there is none with a hell of a lot of people, I rarely come across this problem, I guess it has to do with where one camps, I choose deserts and out of the way places but I have noticed the closer one gets to major cities and the east coast the more prevalent it becomes, ignorance in numbers I guess

as for rubbish I honestly have only come across this problem once and that was in a free camp just the other side of Morgan, it was the week after a long weekend and the place was quite simply a toilet, we didn't stay!!

Bridgee · Senior Member

Well Peter, instead of starting a new thread on Generators / Caravan Electrics I guess we would also like some feedback on when or where (if at all) a generator would be required when free camping.

We will be setting off in April with solar power and inverter and a 12v system in our caravan, but is there must be a limit to how much power can be drawn and what type of appliances can be run for any length of time. We presume caravan air conditioners would require generated power?

We've heard that Honda genies are whisper quite but I guess to some nearby campers it would be a bloody loud whisper! Also read recently about some super quiet diesel powered generators - new on the market.

By the way don't get Davo started on generators in free camp sights!!

dave06 · Guru

I thought I did very well, keeping it down to that ammount!!!,

there is no limit to what you can run off solar/12 volt, the limit is in how you are going to place all the panels needed as well as all the Battery storage. in all my years of camping I have NEVER needed a genny, I carry one in squeeky but it has never been used

it is all in the planning of where you go and when you go, basically north in winter and south in summer thereby negating the need for such fume belching, noise inducing, mechanical mayhem inspiring fuel gobblers

if you are able to camp well away from other free campers then I can see no reason why you wouldnt be able to hole up in your little shell of self induced luxury, watching your tv and relaxing under air conditioned comfort and not daring to set foot in the horrid wilderness, while all other campers are having to make do with the laughter and good company of strangers, the poor delusional souls

you see, if you make that choice then that is great but please do not force your noisy habits on your peace loving neighbor. oh Jeeezz!! I'll shut up now and turn the putey off cos it's nearly knock off time and I feel a beer coming on, if I make it past the missus!!! without copping one!!

Smokeydk · Guru

Yep....gennies.......I've heard a cup of water in fuel tank helps..with solar/batterys...the gennies arent needed...plus they are a no...no....in Parks and Forests.

why need AC.and TVs..your camping to get away...arent you?

Dave

Bridgee · Senior Member

Ok everyone is against generators well thats fine but can someone PLEASE anwser my question which is.......what can you run on a 12v system, how long can you run appliances using 12 volt, what appliances can you use, etc. we will have dual batteries in the towing vehicle and one in the van. We want to be self sufficient but would like to know how long we can last without a generator.

dave06 · Guru

oh!! now sue we are not against generators persay, we are against the use of the things in free camps when they disturb others, if you have one then just have a thought of when and where you use it

you can run anything off twelve volt through an inverter, if you wish to know what can be run then take a look at the consumption plate of what it is that you wish to run then times that number by how long you wish to run it, divided by the size of your battery

if you know the input of two factors then the third can be determined

I.E. watts x amps = volts, ........................or amps x volts = watts

if something is 5 watt and you wish to run it on 12 volt then it will take 60 amps per hour to do so

if you wish to run this off a 100 amp battery you may do so for a period of 1.25 hours, remembering that you may not flatten a battery more than 75% of it's initial capacity

using the above information sit down and decide what you wish to run, add up a total usage and then decide what you need to replace it!!

JRH · Guru

Bridgee wrote:

Ok everyone is against generators well thats fine but can someone PLEASE anwser my question which is.......what can you run on a 12v system, how long can you run appliances using 12 volt, what appliances can you use, etc. we will have dual batteries in the towing vehicle and one in the van. We want to be self sufficient but would like to know how long we can last without a generator.

You can last as long as you like on 12 volt it all depends on what appliances you wish to use and how many solar panels on your roof and how much sunlight you get.

We have one 100 amphour deep cycle battery and one 85 watt solar panel on the roof of the caravan, we are not interested in tv when we go away and we do all our cooking on gas or campfire. I run a 52 litre compressor fridge/freezer, lights and radio and have not yet run out of battery power.

We do not use microwave, aircon, hair dryer or any power hungry appliances when bush camping, like Dave06 says we KISS (keep it simple stupid) not insinuating you are stupid, please do not take it the wrong way.

In theory you can run any appliance from 12volt through an inverter providing you have the battery power and enough solar panels to recharge said batteries and as an example a 100 amphour battery is only good for about 50 amphours before the battery is too low to work properly. As you use the amps then the volts decrease and the solar regulator will cut the power when the voltage in the battery drops too low, I believe around 10 volts and the power in the battery is too low for efficient use and the regulator will prevent any more power from being drawn from the battery as a saftey precaution so as to protect the battery from damage as a result of too great a discharge.

I hope I haven't muddied the waters too much.

Bridgee · Senior Member

Just as well Brian is coming with me cos wot you just said is gobbledy gook!!! I am blonde! though not a natarul so not that stupid! don't tell me I can't use my hair straightener!! Oh !! no!! well that's for me, Brian doesn't need it - bit hard to straighten skin!!

But thanks for your input, this is our 3rd time round Aussie but first with a van. Hence all the questions. Will print out your responses and keep then in our 'caravan file'. We do not have a generator but have looked at getting one but if we can survive without one then we will - save a cupla $'sss too. We have got solar panels too - not sure how these work. (blonde remember) !!

Dave, are you getting a tourist pass when in Tassie ?? we have been looking at them for when we go in May.

dave06 · Guru

I intend to have a look at the passes when we board the spirit, apparently they have all sorts of special offers just for the ship so we will see what we grab, I just hope the restaurant is open cos we'll be hungry when we get there, oh and a little drinky Pooh wouldn't go astray!!

sue grab a Genny and just use it when you want to use the big ticket items, air-con, hair dryer, toaster, or recharging your batteries, but it is not as complex as it sounds

it is actually enthralling juggling all those figures, thats why I dont do it, if I cant run it I get a bigger solar panel and a bigger battery until I bloody well can!!!

if you are still in doubt, drop an email to the 12 volt shop in adelaide they are pretty cluey and dont mind helping!!

JRH · Guru

Bridgee wrote:

Just as well Brian is coming with me cos wot you just said is gobbledy gook!!! I am blonde! though not a natarul so not that stupid! don't tell me I can't use my hair straightener!! Oh !! no!! well that's for me, Brian doesn't need it - bit hard to straighten skin!!

But thanks for your input, this is our 3rd time round Aussie but first with a van. Hence all the questions. Will print out your responses and keep then in our 'caravan file'. We do not have a generator but have looked at getting one but if we can survive without one then we will - save a cupla $'sss too. We have got solar panels too - not sure how these work. (blonde remember) !!

Dave, are you getting a tourist pass when in Tassie ?? we have been looking at them for when we go in May.

Geez I don't know where the blonde bit comes in. You asked a very general question, no mention of what size batteries and what size solar panels you have so a definitive answer to your question is just about impossible.

Bridgee · Senior Member

Well we don't have the van as yet so not sure of panel sizes etc, but we are getting another battery fitted to the car, deep cycled one like you mentioned. Once we have the van here then we can have a look at it and ask more questions then. Appreciate your input and have printed off your replies and filed away for future reference.

dave06 · Guru

someone about your size is getting excited sue, and I dont blame you. dont worry too much it will work out, things always do!! settle and enjoy, take the slow lane!!!

VK3FEMT · Senior Member

sgntbilko wrote:
I have just been looking at the Caravan and Motor Home forum and they have been discussing what type of generator to use when camping which will run all the modern conveniences.

Gidday Pete;
Yep I was originally intending to get one of those silent generators, but have dished that idea. I really don't like the idea of carrying heaps of fuel around. Obviously at some point I will have to carry some for the bus for emergencies, but I am going to get a bracket rigged up on the back rather then having it inside.

But for everything I need to run, I can get away with an inverter, they do the job pretty well.

twobob · Guru

Blonde Bridgee
As you see, trying to find out how much power you need to go for it, can be a mine field. Need to know how to do power calculations, where to find the info, etc

The simpliest, most accurate method is, use your van at home, for those activities you would do, on the road. For example, make your cuppa's, turn on lights, dry your hair, etc, for one day's activities. Turn the fridge on

To do this, make sure your van battery (s) are fully charged, solar panels connected and working, and no other power source, the day before.

Now if you can do all this, and still have power available, all's well. On the road, you will need approx 5 hours vehicle run time (daylight hours) to recharge the battery.

You may wish to do this test a couple of times and push it to the limit, just to find out what that is. (recharge battery between each test)

Also I provide a link to a calculator, that may show you whats involved, and may also show you what you may have to remove if things are tight

http://www.rpc.com.au/products/services/faq-info/calc/calculator.html

remember also, things like batteries deteriorate over time, and the existing battery may not be as good as it should be.

Bridgee · Senior Member

Yes thats what I want to do I said we should even sleep in the van! We are on 8 acres so our neighbours can't see us and think we have gone a bit do lally, anyway who cares? we need to know what we can and can't use, I can't see the point of buying a van that comes with all these things, e.g. microwave etc and you can't use them unless you are in a caravan park, someone said you can't even use a toaster, so it's back to camping days and we use the mesh one we use on the gas stove top. We want to to do a fair bit of free camping which we have done for years but with a tent now we are doing it with a bit more comfort.

But yes we are going to 'test' the van here before we do any trips, then we want to do a few short ones before we hit the road big time!

Thanks for the input, will check out the web page.

Forgot to mention, only got one battery in the car at present but booked in for new battery, bull bar and trailer plug thingy!

-- Edited by Bridgee at 16:28, 2009-01-30