Do I need a generator?

[Steve_B_]

I've been camping for years and haven't felt the need for a generator but now I will be doing more trips without hookups available. My trailer has a single battery, and I only use it for lights, and usually only have one on at a time. I have no idea how long the battery will/should last, just running lights. I replace it about every 4 years. I don't even have a meter to tell me how much life is in it. A generator seems like a big investment, and there is the maintenance to think about as well, although it would be nice to have at home in an emergency. If I just hook up to my vehicle to recharge, how long does that take? If I'm in a spot for a week and then drive a day to another area, is that long enough to recharge? As you can see, I'm pretty ignorant on all of this but it just hasn't been a concern until now. Since retiring a few years ago, my goal has been longer trips. That didn't become possible until now, with the loss of my mom a few weeks ago. I don't like listening to other campers' generators so I've been reluctant to get one but the site I have this summer for a week is so private, no one would have to listen to it but me.

[Trackrig]

Yes, the refer needs 12V power for it's control circuit board.

Your water pump is also 12V. Since you don't have a hot water heater you won't be running it for showers, but you'll still use it some.

If you have room for a second battery I would certainly install one. That doubles your available power in one simple stroke. It will take a couple of extra cables, but you can get those at a NAPA. If you do this, you should use two 6V batteries as they provide more power and are meant to take longer and deeper power draws than 12V batteries. You will have to top them off with distilled water every month or so but very easy to do. On the internet search for The 12V Side Of Life it will cover wiring in the 6 V batteries - 2 of them give you 12V.

From your pictures it doesn't look like you have AC, but I'll assume you run the vent vans in warmer weather or to remove humidity when it's raining.

The LED light you bought should work in any position - think of taillights with their mounting bases in all sorts of positions. I'd double check the bases on bulbs in the dinette fixture, are they different than your other bulbs? Again, the LEDs should work in any position.

You mentioned 12V maintenance. If you get a Honda 1000 or 2000, the maintenance is really almost zero for years and years. All you have to do is change the oil which is very easy. It takes about a 1/2 qt per change every six months.

I'm assuming your TT has a built in battery charger. You need to see what its power requirements are. A Honda 1000 may not be enough to run it. When you find it in your trailer, it should say on it how many watts it needs to run, if you have questions, get the model # and come back with questions. The Honda 1000 will be lighter and take up less room than the 2000. With only a one battery system a 1000 will most likely take care of you.

Do you have a furnace or a catalytic heater? A furnace fan can be a big power draw especially when the battery is a little older.

If you can install two 6V batteries, you might get by without a generator, but you might be almost to the point of tent camping in your TT. 100 - 200W of solar on the roof would go a long ways.

As the Wiz said a 900W generator from Harbor Freight is cheap. If you find that you need / use it you can always sell it and upgrade to a Honda later which would be quieter. As for noise, set it on the other side of your tow vehicle and use an extension cord.

Bill

[Ivylog]

Steve B. wrote:
I did just get 3 LED light bulbs to replace what I had, they take half the power. I discovered that they don't work base up, so I can't use one of them in the fixture over the dinette.

LEDs are polarity sensitive so revering the wires in that fixture will make them work. They take closer to 1/10th the power.

[MrWizard]

STEVE

it sounds like you have done enough reading on this forum to know you can't go a week on only one battery unless you use the trailer as tent , turn off the fridge and lights
It sounds like you want somebody to tell you , that you don't need a generator

Get a ice filled cooler and use the tt as a log cabin and maybe you can do it
Other wise borrow, rent, or buy a generator

For what you want, you could get by with one of those little harbor freight 900w $99 2 cycle generators, a pretty inexpensive investment

It's not high power, so don't run the battery dead
Run it every other day for 2~3 hours

A total of 3 or 4 times for that week

[Gjac]

Steve B. wrote:
I don't have water tanks either! No bathroom. Used to that. Four lights, but only use one at a time. CO2 detector. Old fashioned camping. Transistor radio.

How will you boondock without water tanks? You have minimum 12v power requirements I would buy 2 6v GC batteries and wire them in series when you need to replace your 12v battery and you will have more amp hrs than you need to stay a week without power. I would worry more about how you will get FW. I assume you have no holding tanks either.

[theoldwizard1]

Steve B. wrote:
My trailer has a single battery, and I only use it for lights, and usually only have one on at a time. I have no idea how long the battery will/should last, just running lights. I replace it about every 4 years.

That seems a little short to life expectancy. Are you using a true deep cycle battery like a Trojan T-1275 or just a "dual purpose" marine battery ?

Steve B. wrote:
If I just hook up to my vehicle to recharge, how long does that take? If I'm in a spot for a week and then drive a day to another area, is that long enough to recharge?

Without going into technical details, a vehicle's charging system will never 100 percent recharge your battery. It will prevent it from going dead.

Steve B. wrote:
I did just get 3 LED light bulbs to replace what I had, they take half the power. I discovered that they don't work base up, so I can't use one of them in the fixture over the dinette.

You have to figure this one out ! LED bulb use SO MUCH LESS electricity than standard bulbs. I am sure there is a solution out there !

As others have mentioned, even a small solar pannel will help a lot.

[ppine]

How disciplined are the people you travel with? Do you travel in winter when there is a lot more darkness? Do you have any slide outs? Do you ever listen to music or charge devices? How many days do you boondock camp at a time? do you use LEDs? I bought a generator and use it fairly often on trips longer than about 4 days. solar panels are your other option.

It is very awkward to be ready to go home but not have enough juice to operate a slide out.

[time2roll]

Second battery and a couple LED lights would go a long way.
If you camp where there is any sun consider 200 watts solar.

Generator probably also needs you to upgrade the converter to 3 stage so you are not running it all day.

If you want to charge from the vehicle just use some HD jumper cables direct battery to battery. More of a crutch than a viable solution. Still need to idle the vehicle for an hour or two minimum to get a decent charge in a low battery. Some vehicle may work better than others.

[Steve_B_]

OK, CO. Got my carbons mixed up. And, no furnace to worry about either. Look at my trailer - it's old fashioned, basic camping. A step above a tent. A very comfortable step. Looks like I won't need a generator. Maybe it would be cheaper to buy an extra battery to take along. No room for a second on the trailer.

[kerrlakeRoo]

After seeing the followup post I dont believe you need a genny, Your usage seems so low that simply having a single good battery and if you wish a small solar trickle charger should cover your needs. There are plenty of small 10-15 watt solar chargers out there for less than fifty bucks. If you end up needing more add a second battery later.

[2oldman]

Steve B. wrote:
I don't have water tanks either! No bathroom. Used to that. Four lights, but only use one at a time. CO2 detector. Old fashioned camping. Transistor radio.

No, you don't need a generator. And it's CO, not Co2.

[phillyg]

Your furnace uses 12v power and my experience is that one battery won't last the night.

[RoyB]

kerrlakeroo wrote:
RoyB!!!!!!!! I'm shocked :E, aghast! :?
Your battery's arent color coordinated.

I noticed that too when I took the covers off for the photo... They were all purchased at the same time so probably only the one off colored one is the new one and the other two are older new ones haha...

I got them in 2008 and just last season they started to not perform well and lose their charge rather quickly... Not bad for 8-9 years of service which most was off-road really hard on the batteries. I think all three have the same model number...

I'm working on a new battery bank now which will fir inside the angles shown on my battery bank tongue area and hopefully will have two groups of two GC2 6V batteries in series for a 440AH battery bank... This will be the TORKLIFT 7710RS battery box which has the single solar panel on the lid for trickle charging the bank when in high sun...

Roy Ken

[toedtoes]

In that case, I would do a driveway run and see how much battery you use over a week.

I suspect you would do fine with one or two group 31 AGM batteries. When you run them down, find a campground/RV park with electrical hookups for a night. Hook into shore power and re-charge your batteries, take a shower, do some laundry, and then head back out for another week or two of dry camping.

With your basic camping (similar to my style), I don't think you'll need a generator.

[Steve_B_]

I don't have water tanks either! No bathroom. Used to that. Four lights, but only use one at a time. CO2 detector. Old fashioned camping. Transistor radio.

[toedtoes]

Can you driveway camp for a week? Live in it and see if the battery lasts the full week. If so, use a meter to see how much is left at the end of the week.

I have a group 31 AGM battery. It is more than enough for a week - I barely put a dent in it over 4 days. I have no need for solar or generator. Before I went with a generator, I would simply add a second battery.

You might find that your fresh water and dump tanks are what limits your stays the most. How much fresh water do you have left after a trip currently? Does that equate to being able to go a week without a refill?

How much do you fill your dump tanks after a trip currently? Will you be able to go a week without needing to dump either?

For me, I could push out the water to about 10 days max with frugal use. So, increasing my battery power isn't going to keep me out longer.