New trailer: WDH, Generator

canuckystan wrote:
I'll be picking up a new Rockwood Geo Pro 16BH in May. Dealer said I should try without a WDH. Also said solar panels can keep batteries topped up.

Trailer is 3000 pounds dry. Towing with 2014 F150 with tow package to 13,000 pounds. Thoughts on WDH?

Also, do you think I should invest in an 800w Generac generator? How long would that take to re-charge 2 6 volt batteries? No TV, no air con, no intention to run anything off a generator, strictly using batteries for basics like water pump, furnace fan, maxxair fan, etc.

800W is IMHO way to small a generator to charge batteries in any reasonable time, and depending on the converter you may find it overloads the generator and your SOL. 1000W is marginal and will work with a 35-45A converter. To reasonably quickly charge 6V that are well discharges IMHO means at least a 55A preferably 75A converter, which also means a 2000W generator. A 50% discharge pair of GC needs 100AH to get to full charge. at about 80-85AH it's time to shut off the generator since charging current will drop. So a 45A converter will take over 2 hours to get you the 80ish AH after accounting for losses. A 75A converter will get you there is about an hour.

Solar is nice, but IMHO it doesn't eliminate the need for a backup generator. Properly sized it's great when
1) your parked in the sun
2) your solar setup is properly sized.

Now, park in the shade either because that's all the campsites, or you want the shade to stay comfortable, or the days are cloudy, and your out of luck.

I have solar on the roof (360W) and 360W of portable panels. between the two, if the suns out it more than keeps up with our needs. But give me 3 or 4 cloudy days or late fall/early spring camping and generator eventually needs to come out.