How often do you use your portable generator?

skipro3 wrote:
I love having solar; it's a no-brainer. I have to do nothing and my batteries are kept charged unless I'm parked in shade for a considerable amount of time. Solar will certainly cut down on any generator time you would need to keep batteries up.
I love having my generator too because not everything runs on 12 volts and even if I installed an inverter to make 120AC out of the 12 volts, it isn't practical; inverters large enough to run 2KW will be very expensive and requires wiring that is near welding size. Inverters of that size are big and heavy and require ventilation. Batteries of sufficient capacity are going to be a huge weight penalty as well. Unless you are using 500watt or less AC, inverters are not practical.

Of the two, I'd give up my generator long before my solar. I have a diesel truck and can run that to charge my batteries. It's got a 180amp alternator that will keep it's two batteries and my camper batteries topped off in nothing flat. I have plenty of room under the truck hood to install a 2kw inverter and then only need an electrical extension cord to connect it to the camper for all my AC needs. The truck idles for just pennies an hour and won't incur any additional weight or fuel hazards.

The fact is; with a diesel engine truck, there really is no real need for a generator.

I wondered if you were correct about idling your diesel so I checked around and this is what I found.

Diesel at Idle fuel consumption

Looks like you were right on. All though there was a lot of talk of whether this is good for your engine or not.