We are in two minds about whether we need a generator for our travels - mainly at free camping sites or places with no power available.
We are in Tasmania at present but only here for another month and house sitting for 2 weeks of that time. Then we will be travelling north to NT and then down through WA until then end of the year or more. As much travel as funds allow
There has been some days when our solar panels (2 x 80watt) have struggled to keep our batteries fully charged. Shade and cloudy days and also staying in one place for a couple of weeks with no re-charge from driving. We have battery in caravan and a Thumper in the car for the evakool fridge. We have just re-wired the solar panels to a much heavier gauge which is now giving us more power from them
Some say we will not need a generator travelling up north as plenty of sunshine. Others say they used their generators rarely and sometimes for air conditioning on very hot/humid days BUT many people seem to have one!
Can anyone who has done long periods travelling and mainly free camps give us some input as to where and why they have needed and used a generator.
We are the " suspenders & belt" types so have a 1Kva Yamaha "in case".
We have 160 Watt solar panels & they are proving to do well.
The genny has been handy when I've needed power tools to make or fix things.
In that regard,worth every cent. ( Bought 2nd hand. Service,new air filter & double oil change)
I run it on load each week for 10 minutes to keep it fresh.
We were on a tight budget and saw lots of no-name chinese 2 strokes but held out
for a known brand 4 stroke. Other campers may tolerate the noise of a genny
but add 2 stroke fumes and you'd be pushing your luck,I reckon.
4 stroke and if built in ? insulate the area its in .. I've extended the exhaust on our old petrol Onan 3.6 gene to the rear of MH as in most cases the rear of MH is away from from other campers.. I try to keep a little distance so noise, our noise isn't annoying to others.. Only run after 8AM and way before 8pm and only when required..
In areas where its NOT allowed we use gas ...
I think I have posted this in wrong area. Should be General Forum! How do I move?
You are in the right section, too much of this is getting into the general section.
We started off with a genny, then got solar a we could afford it & now have enough to do the job while ever the sun shines but still carry the genny & battery charger for when things are not favourable.
No air con but jenny will run a heater when cold, microwave etc when needed. Best to have & not need than need & not have. Buy where you can get one for a good price rather than get stuck some where or have to leave an area early.
We struck a lot of wet weather down the south of WA in Sept/Oct.
JC
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
We are in two minds about whether we need a generator for our travels - mainly at free camping sites or places with no power available.
We are in Tasmania at present but only here for another month and house sitting for 2 weeks of that time. Then we will be travelling north to NT and then down through WA until then end of the year or more. As much travel as funds allow
There has been some days when our solar panels (2 x 80watt) have struggled to keep our batteries fully charged. Shade and cloudy days and also staying in one place for a couple of weeks with no re-charge from driving. We have battery in caravan and a Thumper in the car for the evakool fridge. We have just re-wired the solar panels to a much heavier gauge which is now giving us more power from them
Some say we will not need a generator travelling up north as plenty of sunshine. Others say they used their generators rarely and sometimes for air conditioning on very hot/humid days BUT many people seem to have one!
Can anyone who has done long periods travelling and mainly free camps give us some input as to where and why they have needed and used a generator.
All points of view appreciated
Thanking you
Steve & Trish
We had a generator, used it once and never again, noisy, smelly, polluting and not cost effective. Solar power is the only way to go if you want to experience the real bush and the life that's in it.
Depending on your power needs, 160w of solar panels may not be enough, nor your battery capacity. We have 710w and 200Ah lifepo4 which gives us all the energy we need for long periods of time. We had 400Ah AGM, but they didn't give anywhere near power of the 200Ah lifepo4 and dropped to low voltages quickly, whilst the lifepo4 stays at a constant voltage for almost all the capacity, so you can use it.
Nothing worse at a quiet peaceful camp spot when some fool starts a generator and the wonderful abience disappears in noise, smoke and horrible smells.
Hi native pepper - I'm sure you ment to type in " person " instead of "fool" in your last line of your post, I have nearly made that mistake myself, LOL...........
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The wish bone will never replace the back bone.....
got the Pack in the garage all ready to go and had to use the generator last night as the Li's have not been installed yet....
J
Ok My answer to the gene Question..
Yes a Generator can help in a sticky situation, but if you are willing to go to the expense of buying one, you need to take into a lot of factor's..
- cost of fuel.. Carrying the extra fuel around.. [ so the overall coat of running a generator]
- The noise factor..
- there are some good generator's out there now. but the better/Quite ones you pay for them..
Can you afford to change your system. ie Add more solar Panels even by adding them one by one as you go..
- A classic situation Like I saw yesterday.. an old school van.. [so minimal insulation..]
-- Add a Frame work to the top of the van that you can attach the solar panels to.. it will act as a tropical roof for your van..
-- Add solar Panel's as you can afford them..
--> Look at maybe updating your Batteries to LiFeP04's if you can afford them.. [ If you want more information about LiFePo4's ] Pm the one's that have them..
Juergen
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IF I say something Dumb.. Just Smack me..
I'm full of Knowledge.. I don't profess to know EVERYTHING, but I'm constantly Learning new thing's..
I'm on the road indefinitely with a smaller setup that's easily powered by 120W of portable panels and 98Ah of AGM batteries. I'm not equipped to charge from the mains or while driving, solar is the only way I can do it. You almost certainly have higher power demands than I do, for which 160W of panels isn't a lot of capacity, especially if they're roof-mounted. It doesn't sound like your current power system is falling very far short, and it would cost less dollars to add the extra solar capacity required to sustain you while parked than to add a generator. Even just another 80W of solar would make a significant difference, especially if you can chase the sun with it. A generator adds another layer of supply and maintenance to your rig, and may also require you to purchase a high-current battery charger.
It's par for the course that if you have a gloomy day, your batteries may not be "fully charged". My main battery may get as low as 12.5V if I have several such days in a row in a place where my panels are curtailed by shade for half the day, but it recovers quickly when the weather brightens.
If you want to run appliances that draw lots of current, such as an air-conditioner or washing machine, then you may have no choice but to use a generator.
-- Edited by moblet on Tuesday 11th of March 2014 05:08:29 PM
New generators are not too bad .. I must say the cheap 2 strokes I wouldn't consider.. We used our generator when it didn't upset any one.. Our solar was large enough to insulate heat ..This is the old bus..Um still have it actually..
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Tuesday 11th of March 2014 11:28:03 PM
Be it Generator or Solar - neither will provide you with the ideal solution in all situations.
The generator namely due to others around you. Having said this I have a silent generator and have never had any issues with using it.
Whether you go for a generator or solar largely depends on two factors:
1. The amount of current draw and the period of time.
2. How deep your pockets are.
In my situation I draw a reasonably heavy load on a continuous basis, so a solar/battery set-up is going to have a hard time keeping up. You have to take into consideration current draw during times when the panels are not providing effective output.
For me to have the same amount of power available via solar would see me spending several thousands on solar, then there's the issue of storing and carrying this. Fine if you have somewhere to bolt the panels permanently, not everyone does though. At this point and probably well into the future I do not have the available space for a solar set-up which would provide enough capacity to allow for my current draw.
I do have a small 20 Watt panel that I use to keep the start battery topped up during stays and this works fine for what it is. As I tend to stay in places well away from others the generator isn't such an issue.
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Stewart www.vkportable.com.au www.forums.vkportable.com.au
Be it Generator or Solar - neither will provide you with the ideal solution in all situations. The generator namely due to others around you. Having said this I have a silent generator and have never had any issues with using it.
Whether you go for a generator or solar largely depends on two factors:
1. The amount of current draw and the period of time. 2. How deep your pockets are.
In my situation I draw a reasonably heavy load on a continuous basis, so a solar/battery set-up is going to have a hard time keeping up. You have to take into consideration current draw during times when the panels are not providing effective output.
For me to have the same amount of power available via solar would see me spending several thousands on solar, then there's the issue of storing and carrying this. Fine if you have somewhere to bolt the panels permanently, not everyone does though. At this point and probably well into the future I do not have the available space for a solar set-up which would provide enough capacity to allow for my current draw.
I do have a small 20 Watt panel that I use to keep the start battery topped up during stays and this works fine for what it is. As I tend to stay in places well away from others the generator isn't such an issue.
You hit the nail on the head mate, capacity needed and deep pockets.
Sue and I only have a 15ft van (light towing) and limited roof space. We fitted 2x 80Watt panels. When we caught in 2010 floods with no sun for a week, damn useless. Survived because of generator to charge phones and laptop batteries.. Now our power requirements are greater because of medical equipment (Nebs and Oxygen Concentrator) so a geni. necessary. Thinking of fitting 2x175Watt panels at 24VDC with 300AH of batts. and using step-down transformers to 12VDC. No gas but 240VAC inverters to power induction stove top and fridge.
It also amuses me that some people that require peace and quiet park next to you even if plenty of room available.
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Cheers Peter and Sue
"If I agree with you we'll both be wrong"
No, I'm not busy, I did it right the first time.
Self-powered wheelie walker, soon a power chair (ex. Nomad)
Be it Generator or Solar - neither will provide you with the ideal solution in all situations. The generator namely due to others around you. Having said this I have a silent generator and have never had any issues with using it.
Whether you go for a generator or solar largely depends on two factors:
1. The amount of current draw and the period of time. 2. How deep your pockets are.
In my situation I draw a reasonably heavy load on a continuous basis, so a solar/battery set-up is going to have a hard time keeping up. You have to take into consideration current draw during times when the panels are not providing effective output.
For me to have the same amount of power available via solar would see me spending several thousands on solar, then there's the issue of storing and carrying this. Fine if you have somewhere to bolt the panels permanently, not everyone does though. At this point and probably well into the future I do not have the available space for a solar set-up which would provide enough capacity to allow for my current draw.
I do have a small 20 Watt panel that I use to keep the start battery topped up during stays and this works fine for what it is. As I tend to stay in places well away from others the generator isn't such an issue.
You hit the nail on the head mate, capacity needed and deep pockets.
Sue and I only have a 15ft van (light towing) and limited roof space. We fitted 2x 80Watt panels. When we caught in 2010 floods with no sun for a week, damn useless. Survived because of generator to charge phones and laptop batteries.. Now our power requirements are greater because of medical equipment (Nebs and Oxygen Concentrator) so a geni. necessary. Thinking of fitting 2x175Watt panels at 24VDC with 300AH of batts. and using step-down transformers to 12VDC. No gas but 240VAC inverters to power induction stove top and fridge.
It also amuses me that some people that require peace and quiet park next to you even if plenty of room available.
Keep in mind a GOOD 150 / 200 amp alternator fitted to your engine as an auxiliary to charge batteries on the run . No point in arriving at a spot after driving 2 or more hours to find batteries are low !!!
No gas but 240VAC inverters to power induction stove top and fridge.
It also amuses me that some people that require peace and quiet park next to you even if plenty of room available.
03_troopy wrote:
I hope you only want to warm soup on that.
We have two portable induction cook tops, they are great, use very little power and cook things heaps faster. We've used one with our lifepo4 batteries to see how it went and now use it during the day when needed. We had to get some different cookware as they only work with stainless and cast. You quickly learn whether the pots you've bought are really stainless based and not aluminum, which is a poison to cook with. We carry one cast iron crock pot, which makes the most scrumptious curries and stir fries, plus stainless steamers, pots and kettle. Now we only use gas for baking bread, chips and fish.
When people park close to us camping and there's lots of room, it doesn't make me laugh, just the opposite. That's another growing weirdness for some reason, no idea why they do it, we always stay as far from others as possible and convenient. Then you can say hello without intruding and most of our friends on the road are the same. Always nice to have a chat, then be able to return to your privacy.
-- Edited by native pepper on Wednesday 12th of March 2014 08:59:26 PM
This plus the Solar to recharge them will be all that I will use..
- the initial cost is more expensive.. but I'm hearing that if treated well they will FAR outlast any LA setup, and be FAR cheaper over their life time..
That is one of the main issues that Li's have over any AGM setup..
-- You need to Look at the Coast of an equivalent Usable Ah system.. Noting that Li have a 80%DoD[5000cycles] while LA's have a 50%DoD...[1000-1500 cycles depending on make]
To even match the Li's you need between 3.3 - 5 set's of AGM's..
What's your battery capacity Native Pepper, and how much solar do you have to top it back up? From what I've read online you'd be pushing pretty hard to use it regularly, with a fridge as well, with 300AH with 350W of solar.
What's your battery capacity Native Pepper, and how much solar do you have to top it back up? From what I've read online you'd be pushing pretty hard to use it regularly, with a fridge as well, with 300AH with 350W of solar.
We have 200Ah lifepo4 and 710w solar, plus 24v x 60amp engine charged transfer battery (AGM soon to be 100Ah lifepo4) attached to a 60amp 24v-12v charger. The transfer battery runs through a redarc from the start batteries, which will also become lifepo4 when they die. Our panels consists of 460w 12v and 250w 24v, the 24v is switchable from start to house, or transfer. Been almost a year with lifepo4 and not once have they gone below 12.6v, our low voltage cut off is 12.4v and it works beautifully.
I bought an el cheapo Fuji generator (4.4kva) on ebay 18 months ago. (I figure that if its life span was 1/4 that of a name brand generator I am still in front if I have to replace it 4 times) Has not missed a beat and was worth its weight in gold through the NT in November last year....hot & muggy to the max. Nothing beats the option of aircon when you want something more than a fan pushing hot air around. I haven't need the generator since late January but still pull it out & run it for 5 minutes every week to keep the systems working. Make your travel as comfy as you can particularly when you are trying to sleep. Generator runs battery charger as well as aircon. I believe that I should keep te batteries topped up as much as possible.
it really depends on what you want to run. If you are 'doing' northern Aust you might like it for aircon. We free camp when we can but after 3 or 4 days of wet/cloudy weather we needed to run the genie for a few hrs but that's because we were watching sat tv, hours on the computer as well as the usual lights, water pump, engel freezer and phone charging. We could have moved to a caravan park to 're-charge' but were enjoying the sea view too much. We have 2 120w panels on the roof feeding into 2 120 amp hr batteries plus a portable panel and 100wt panel on the ute just for the Engel.
We have also used it to recharge the car battery when inexplicably it was flat, run a vacuum cleaner and other power tools. We are full time travellers.
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Jenny and Barry
2009 Roma Elegance / 2013 Colorado. Permanent travellers 2011-2015 now just travel for 4-6 mths
think we will try the trip to Darwin and around without generator and maybe staying in caravan park from time to time to make sure everything gets fully charged up.
The last time we used our generator the river we were parked next to was making more noise than the generator ever would. At this stage we only have a generator as we can't afford solar yet and we also use it for jobs at home. If we weren't allowed to use one we would be denied the joys of 'free camping'. We consider we use it sensibly with all consideration of others. It runs very quietly. We chose not to buy one that made a lot of noise.
As someone above has mentioned, sleep machines, oxygen machines - all life supports - often need a generator. Are you still going to say they shouldn't be used? Anyone needing to use them for life support is legally allowed to do so if they put a sign outside to say that is why.
Hi.We bought a red no name 4.4kva from ebay.Remote,key and pull start.Not a problem.If we did not have JENNY,.her indoors could not use her hair dryer.God forbid.Yes we can still go out somewhere even when at a free camp.
We are in two minds about whether we need a generator for our travels - mainly at free camping sites or places with no power available.
