Solar, worth it in my case?
Hope I am posting in the proper forum. DW and I tend to boondock or stay in parks with no electric. Although we have a generator I am reluctant to use it because of the smell and noise. I have a 2010...
Forum Discussion
I can understand the "better safe than sorry" concept, especially with Cpap machine... But... There are 2 things to consider here.
1) It is very likely that generator is not needed in this scenario, i.e. the battery would still be +50% in the morning without that genny run. TV itself draws very little, a good energy efficient model will draw less than 10 AH in 4 hours. If yours is not efficient, it pays getting a better one. Satellite receiver and dish motor draw a bit more, though. Up to 30 AH more, in 4 hours. Your battery monitor can tell you the morning SOC.
2) Even if you need 30-40 AH from sunset to bed-time, and after checking with monitor you've estimated that without a generator this 40 AH would've brought you to below 50% in the morning, the generator run in the evening is very inefficient. It takes same amount of time, noise, fumes, and almost same amount of fuel, to put 40 AH into battery at +50% SOC as it would take take to put 80 (if it needed 80). Try running it same 1.5 hr in the morning. Or 0.5 hr in the evening and 1 hr in the morning.
1) It is very likely that generator is not needed in this scenario, i.e. the battery would still be +50% in the morning without that genny run. TV itself draws very little, a good energy efficient model will draw less than 10 AH in 4 hours. If yours is not efficient, it pays getting a better one. Satellite receiver and dish motor draw a bit more, though. Up to 30 AH more, in 4 hours. Your battery monitor can tell you the morning SOC.
2) Even if you need 30-40 AH from sunset to bed-time, and after checking with monitor you've estimated that without a generator this 40 AH would've brought you to below 50% in the morning, the generator run in the evening is very inefficient. It takes same amount of time, noise, fumes, and almost same amount of fuel, to put 40 AH into battery at +50% SOC as it would take take to put 80 (if it needed 80). Try running it same 1.5 hr in the morning. Or 0.5 hr in the evening and 1 hr in the morning.
