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
I spent a lot of time boondocking and have always kept a open mind to solar and wind, but the cost and complexity of these systems, so far has kept them out of my reach.
I had the opportunity to boondock with a group of 15 units that were into that and I was not impressed. The camp was pretty dark after sunset.
The camp host in the National Forest where we were had a large solar system provided by the FS that he was always fixing and he was using his generator to charge those batteries. I had a DP with a 5K inverter and 4 golf cart deep discharge batteries, but still had to run the generator about 4 hours a day to top them up.You can't push charge into a battery any faster than that and it is important to fully charge them.
Friends of mine who spent 6 years off the grid had a deep discharge battery a portable 3 stage charger and a Honda generator for their Roadtrec and I think that Honda had 1,000 hours on it. They watched TV on their laptops with a converter.
I did a inventory on my coach and the largest draw was always the laptops trying to charge old batteries. I could never get a 600 watt inverter to handle the load. In hindsight it would have been worth it to invest in a new laptop battery.
The best system for a small unit IMO is a Honda 1Kw generator and a good 3 stage portable charger. You could upgrade your chassis battery to the largest deep cycle that will fit or add a deep cycle that can be charged manually.
I had the opportunity to boondock with a group of 15 units that were into that and I was not impressed. The camp was pretty dark after sunset.
The camp host in the National Forest where we were had a large solar system provided by the FS that he was always fixing and he was using his generator to charge those batteries. I had a DP with a 5K inverter and 4 golf cart deep discharge batteries, but still had to run the generator about 4 hours a day to top them up.You can't push charge into a battery any faster than that and it is important to fully charge them.
Friends of mine who spent 6 years off the grid had a deep discharge battery a portable 3 stage charger and a Honda generator for their Roadtrec and I think that Honda had 1,000 hours on it. They watched TV on their laptops with a converter.
I did a inventory on my coach and the largest draw was always the laptops trying to charge old batteries. I could never get a 600 watt inverter to handle the load. In hindsight it would have been worth it to invest in a new laptop battery.
The best system for a small unit IMO is a Honda 1Kw generator and a good 3 stage portable charger. You could upgrade your chassis battery to the largest deep cycle that will fit or add a deep cycle that can be charged manually.
