Generator vs. 2nd Deep Cycle Battery

Lemme cut to the 1st question...
How do you plan on recharging it (them) ?

tv and small items can be powered with a small 150w to 400w inverter using battery power.

Yes a second battery will be needed with or without a generator. I recommend about 200w solar to keep the battery charged and skip the generator.

Microwave, coffee pot etc are high draw items needing a large inverter and even more batteries or a generator. If you must have air conditioneing you are going to need a generator.

The 12 volt Side of Life

IN my decision time I found out real quick I was not going to allowed to run a generator anytime I wanted to. IT seems that almost everywhere we go here on the East side of the USA including the Natl Forest all seem to have some sort o generator run time restriction in place.

Most PUBLIC camp grounds like to follow the 8AM-10AM and then again from 4:30PM to 7:30 PM.. This also happen at alot of Natl Forest places. A few Natl Forest places will have the 8AM to 8PM generator use time allowed... Out West the dispersed camp grounds seem to be relaxed on the use of generators and you can do whatever you want to do. We don't have many dispersed camping locations here on the east side.

So to be able to have the 120VAC and 12VDC items we wanted to have ON when camping off the power grids it was quite obvious we would have to run them from INVERTERs or direct connected to the batteries. This would require a bigger battery setup and smart mode charging technology to be able to re-charge those batteries in a quick three hour generator run time each day.

I have a 255AHs capacity battery bank setup which allows us to run all those things we want to have ON and then be able to re-charge the batteries the next morning when allowed to run our generator...

Been doing this now for a good five years or so and this has been very successful for us... Since we have our bigger battery system all setup it becomes second nature now when camping off the power grids. We actually use just about everything we use at a regular camp ground with hookups with the exception of the Air Conditioner and high wattage microwave appliances.

Just my view on being successful camping off the power grid

Roy Ken

The generator goes without saying. Without a method to recharge batteries, one is hosed. Then comes the second battery.

After that comes the solar charging system. Usually this won't completely replace a generator, but will allow you a few more days of dry camping.

I would get a 2000 watt inverter type generator, they are quiet. Check Honda, Yamaha, Champion brands. You can run it most anywhere during day time to use your microwave, coffee pot, and to charge your batteries. And of course you could watch TV etc during that time too.

I would get a small power inverter (a few hundred watts) to run my TV when the generator was not running. A second battery will extend your off generator time but you may not need it if you charge your battery every day and don't watch tv etc for a long time at night.

Everyone does it different but to enable micro and coffee pot I would want a generator.

A second battery just might do the trick for Newbienac because the chassis is a Toyota. That means the motor home will be their get-around vehicle. I would recommend them installing that second battery along with a quality battery isolator if they don't already have one installed. They may be driving the rig enough to maintain the two coach batteries. Two good coach batteries will supply a whole lot of 12v power. Converting to 110v works, but they'll need to be careful with usage. If they kill the batteries, they'll take out the fridge because even though it runs off propane effectively, it still needs 12v to think.

If they plan to sit at campsites for more than 2 days at a time, that could present power challenges.

For reference HERE IS A BATTERY ISOLATOR. It is the one I installed in our Toyota motor home after the cheap original one burned up, almost destroying our rig.

You can see it installed in our old Toyota rig in this picture (lower right). We had that blue isolator in the rig for at least 16 years and sold the rig with it still working great.

We have a vintage percolator for coffee. Just turn the stove on. No electric required.

We have a 185W solar panel, 150AH AGM battery, which powers XM radio, TV, Waeco refrigerator. There are a couple of aspects to being able to use solar successfully, generation, solar. Conservation use LED lights, we use computer case fans in place of Fantastic Fan, TV powered by 300W inverter. What we do not use is anything using resistant heat, we use a french press for coffee the propane stove or grill for cooking. We spent 8 days on the north shore of Lake Superior. I monitor state of charge with a Vicron battery monitor and at the end of 8 days we were are 64% SOC using only solar.

We got by without a generator on our first mh. We had it for 14 years. It did not have an air conditioner, microwave, or tv. I added a second battery. We could set in the summer, no heat needed, for 3 or 4 days. So if you don't need those things that need 120 volts and don't set in one place very long, you can get by without the generator.

Dusty

what we have been doing :
we mostly dry camp . no hookups .
no genny . no solar .
our TT has 2 group 27 batteries
our duramax pickup has 2 group 78 AGM batteries .
we park the TT and turn our pickup around so that we can connect all 4 batteries .
we have the heavy # 2 guage 12 foot cables .
the pickup is hooked up to the TT right away .
every second or third day the pickup gets driven and the 2 AGM batteries get fully charged .
when we return we immediately hook all 4 batteries together .
we do not run the pickup in an attempt to recharge the TT batteries .
all 4 batteries equalize somewhat just being hooked up most of the time .
we only use a small 400 watt inverter to recharge laptops , electric razors , our rechargeable makita drill , and so forth .
the inverter will draw down the battery if left connected , so once the inverter is not needed we disconnect it from the batteries .
we use a simple coleman propane lantern to take the chill off of the TT just before turning in .
We conserve electricity .
I paid $ 140 each at BiMart for Exide Edge group 78 AGM batteries .
For your motorhome I would attempt to have 3 AGM batteries hooked in parallel .
An AGM battery can occupy the living space if necessary whereas a conventional battery will give off gases .
I would run at least a # 2 cable between the 3 batteries .
I would install an inverter adjacent to one of the AGM's .
The inverter must have a disconnect from the 12 volt side to keep from draining the battery when it is not in use.
The parasitic draw is a killer .
Then use a 12 guage 120 volt extension cord for the longer distance to your TV .
Generators get stolen if left outside .
AGM batteries recharge faster than conventional .
AGM batteries do not leak acid .
AGM batteries can be drawn down further without harm than conventional batts.