Generator vs. 2nd Deep Cycle Battery
Newbie Beth here, and when I ask this question you'll say "yeahboy she's a newbie!". Here goes -- last week reporting my purchase of a 91 Toyota Dolphin, 20" long has everything in good working order...
Forum Discussion
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
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
