living without a generator

[dyere]

We just bought a 1998 Dodge conversion by American Cruiser. The prior owner stripped it down to the essentials (removed the black water tank/septic system and bathroom) which we do like, but he also removed the generator in favor of an auxillary battery.

My question: is it worth installing an inverter so that we can run a microwave, fridge and TV off of the auxillary battery? how much space does this require? Special considerations or precautions? Would it make more sense to run the fridge off of the still present propane tank?

Is installing an inverter something I can do myself? I am not much of an electrician, but pretty good at figuring out technical issues.

Thanks for the input
ed

[Icky]

mobileempire:
My fridge is the middle size that Sportsmobile sells. Its a compressor 12 v model. 10 yrs old now, never a problem. When I make trips to the desert, it stays on for several weeks at a time. Never worry about the batteries because I start the van every day or so anyway to go somewhere. Also had the Espar diesel hot air furnace installed, it is very nice and never have to worry about fuel since it uses the van fuel.

[Horizon170]

Fastpaddler wrote:
Dyere Op question re fridge: the fridge in our PW is 110v/LP/Battery. In our experience the LP cost of fridge operation is really negligible.On battery the fridge is a dog and uses juice. On 110v it is not a problem,of course. A generator will recharge your house batteries but not as fast as the alternator in your motorhome when you are cruising down the turnpike.A generator will run your aircon but use,in our case, 1/3 tank in about 2 hours. All battery systems: I am still waiting to be convinced.

The three way Refer on 12 volt draws a lot of current as opposed the 12 volt compressor driven Dometic.

I guess it boils down to how you camp/travel/etc. For us, boon docking a lot, the compressor type is best. Propane would be my 2nd choice for boon docking. 120 volt for Campgrounds.
We also have a 120 volt freezer that we use to store our fish catch when surf fishing. It runs off the inverter though.I have an attachment for my Honda 2000wat gen to charge batteries but plugging the 30 RV into the gen. and letting the converter charge the batteries works best for me.

[Fastpaddler]

Dyere Op question re fridge: the fridge in our PW is 110v/LP/Battery. In our experience the LP cost of fridge operation is really negligible.On battery the fridge is a dog and uses juice. On 110v it is not a problem,of course. A generator will recharge your house batteries but not as fast as the alternator in your motorhome when you are cruising down the turnpike.A generator will run your aircon but use,in our case, 1/3 tank in about 2 hours. All battery systems: I am still waiting to be convinced.

[Horizon170]

mlts22, I will never have a propane refer again. I really like our 12 volt. It has never drained my batteries.

[mlts22]

stan909 wrote:
When Sportsmobile builds a class b motorhome, dc/ac fridges come standard in the pricing. Propane is an option. Sportsmobile tends to build for people who want to get off the beaten track. Often times parking at trailheads is not level. Dc (compressor style) fridges will work at angles up to 30% . Propane fridges will not opperate too far off level. This matters if you go on an all day or overnight hike. Many SMB 'S Have no propane at all,utilizing big batteries,solar,power,inverters to run hot water heaters, microwaves etc... They were making all electric campers long before Roadtrek got in the act. They also use flatplate waterheaters and other devices.

SMB has a YouTube vid of a demonstration of an all-diesel Sprinter. The stove is a Webasto, the furnace is an Espar model, the water heater a flat plate diesel version, and it can also have a PowerTech generator added, so there is no need for propane whatsoever. You do pay a price premium for these things, but it gives you virtually the same functionality as an E-Trek, except without the heated floors and other niceties. Plus, with a decent battery bank and inverter, it will run a compressor fridge without issue.

[stan909]

When Sportsmobile builds a class b motorhome, dc/ac fridges come standard in the pricing. Propane is an option. Sportsmobile tends to build for people who want to get off the beaten track. Often times parking at trailheads is not level. Dc (compressor style) fridges will work at angles up to 30% . Propane fridges will not opperate too far off level. This matters if you go on an all day or overnight hike. Many SMB 'S Have no propane at all,utilizing big batteries,solar,power,inverters to run hot water heaters, microwaves etc... They were making all electric campers long before Roadtrek got in the act. They also use flatplate waterheaters and other devices.

[mobileempire]

yizit wrote:
Run your frig off the propane, it is cheap, and will save your battery. On our 2004 conversion van, we had a 450W inverter, and it ran the TV and charged our phones, laptop, etc. We would watch 4-5 hrs a night of TV, use the lights sparingly, and water pump occasional. It would drain the battery to fair or good. Next day we would drive to our next destination and charge the battery up, while also running the frig on battery. Depending on your use and what you want it for, a single battery can work. Doing it all over again, we would have bought an AGM battery with more amps, maybe even 2. We also have a gen and wouldn't be without one. Comes in handy when we stopped somewhere and needed to run the AC. We also used it on occasion to charge the battery.

We recently upgraded our 2004 for a 2013 with 2 AGM batteries, solar panels and generator (won't be without one). The frig is an electric only and the TV is 12V. With our current setup, we don't have to worry about draining the 2 AGM's. Also, wouldn't be without a bathroom:)

Yizit , You recommended that he run his fridge on propane but then you said that when you upgraded to your current rig that you went with a electric only fridge , my question is do you wish you yourself had gone with a propane fridge ? Also do you run your fridge off of 12 volts dc or Ac
Thanks

[mobileempire]

Icky wrote:
I disconnected the generator in my Sportsmobile Sprinter many years ago and gave it away. Too much trouble. I have 2 group 27 batteries, large normal size 12 volt type. The inverter is a 3000 watt unit. The fridge is a DC 4 cu ft model. I boondock a lot. The fridge will run about 3-4 days in the hot desert on battery alone. But since I start the engine every day or so, I usually don't discharge the battrys too deep. I have run the microwave many times with the van engine off, no problem. The Coleman roof air conditioner will run 30 min only on battery alone, so I don't do this often. The van has a "high idle" switch that holds the engine at 1600 rpm and it has a high output alternator (200Amps) installed. With the van engine running (way quieter that the old genset, but not as fuel efficient) on high idle, I have used the airconditioner continuously for many hours without running the batteries down. The AC normally cycles about 50% anyway. So yes its possible to operate without a genset. I would never even consider owning one again. Someday I will add a solar panel just for the fun of it.

Icky , Your fridge sounds interesting , What model and brand fridge do you have ?
Thanks

[mobileempire]

IMO , You dont need a generator unless your running Air conditioning and then it is a must have but very expensive , I have a Honda 2000 and if I'm not mistaken the gas cost me 75% more then if I got my electric from the grid , not that I ever get it from the grid but just a example to show how inefficient producing electric from a generator is.
Also I would ditch the idea of a invertor and instead run all 12 volt appliances ,
You can pretty much leave 12 volt LED Light strips on without worrying about amp draw.
I bought a 12 volt truck driver oven from the truck stop , it looks like a joke but worked very well at replacing my microwave , The truck driver oven is small and does'nt take up much space , takes about 10 minutes to warm up hot dogs or a dinner, if the dinner is frozen i plan ahead and Iet it thaw over night .
It would take about 40 minutes to warm up a frozen dinner.
For boiling water I use a propane cooker instead of microwave.
mayby hook up a invertor but only use it for emergencys ( to save power) like power
tools and such .
One thing I've never figured out was how do i run a air conditioner while boondocking and make it cost effective , I ve searched searched and searched looking at truck driver air conditioners and also marine air conditioners and also the mini split units which are very bulky
To power the fridge you could get a fridge that runs on propane , I heard they run a long time on not too much propane.

[yizit]

Run your frig off the propane, it is cheap, and will save your battery. On our 2004 conversion van, we had a 450W inverter, and it ran the TV and charged our phones, laptop, etc. We would watch 4-5 hrs a night of TV, use the lights sparingly, and water pump occasional. It would drain the battery to fair or good. Next day we would drive to our next destination and charge the battery up, while also running the frig on battery. Depending on your use and what you want it for, a single battery can work. Doing it all over again, we would have bought an AGM battery with more amps, maybe even 2. We also have a gen and wouldn't be without one. Comes in handy when we stopped somewhere and needed to run the AC. We also used it on occasion to charge the battery.

We recently upgraded our 2004 for a 2013 with 2 AGM batteries, solar panels and generator (won't be without one). The frig is an electric only and the TV is 12V. With our current setup, we don't have to worry about draining the 2 AGM's. Also, wouldn't be without a bathroom:)

[Fastpaddler]

All kinds of possibilities from solar to multiple batteries.In our case we dry-camped on Gabriola Island,BC for 3 days and nights. No facilities outside the Plateau B. One battery. We were grateful for the genset which I cranked up to charge the house battery and give us some LIGHTS. Sure, running the diesel engine would have charged the battery faster but, there was a NOISE prohibition with NO engines allowed to run but,but, a genset was allowed for short duration use ie charging battery. Would not be without a generator.Period. But to each his/her own!!!

[stan909]

It should be noted that Icky is running a compressor style fridge which is very efficient on 12 volt (no propane at all) . Most of us have absorption fridges which will suck up battery power rather quickly.

[kendall69]

No reason to ever be without a gennie. I ran a Honda and it ran my AC, refer, etc. on a truck camper and never blew a fuse. I think it was 999.00 for a 20 amp Honda quiet model

[jjrai]

We use our 3wat fridge on gas most of the time. It is very efficient. We bought a 19" TV for about $100. If you check for one with an adapter, it will wire directly to 12 volt. No inverter needed. I agree that running a microwave ir AC from an inverter is problematic.