no noise generators

[relaxin]

hello fellow campers.
with some parks up here now banning generators, some in designated areas and some outright, and the fact that getting a electric serviced site is getting harder and harder during peak season, has anyone tried these new power supplies
back up power
theres this company and another

other company

keep in mind prices are in CA dollars, they are probably 1/4 the price in the US.

Just wondering if this is a possible solution to running a generator, it may not run the A/C very long but up here we can get by without that and the microwave, and run the fridge on propane, just need the lights and electronics pumps, fans and maybe some music for a 3 day weekend. perhaps the tv for a movie on a rainy day.

if you have one let me know how it works for you.

[StirCrazy]

valhalla360 wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

what camp site will let you run a generator for 23 hours. up here you are limited to 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours around supper and they are even claming down more. lots of places have no generator policys. thats why I went pure solar.

I've used it boondocking when no one is nearby or I've been in boondocking areas where everyone is running them anyway. ie: no formal policies.

I've also used it in formal campgrounds when the voltage sags to unacceptable levels (as in below 100v with the autoformer boosting) or fails entirely. I've offered to shut it down as soon as they provide the 120v power I contracted for when renting the site...they usually say "never mind" at that point.

ya the only time up here I have seen them throw the rules out the window, was last year when I was camping and we got the heat wave where it went up to 47 degrees C. this last few days I was camping in a provincial park and they park wardens were at the niebouring site 2 min after generator hours to tell them to shut it off. I forgot how much I hated them, they were two hundred feet away and when they started it it was very anoying, wasnt even a quiet honda, which I probably wouldnt have been able to hear at that distance. funny thing they were tenting and were using a genny to power a electric hot plate to do there cooking on.. haha

[Lantley]

austinjenna wrote:
The power stations have their place and are nothing new and have been around for a while, they have just got a little fancier and have better batteries in them and now being able to charge them with solar as well. I think a well-prepared person has both a generator and a power station.

Agreed. Power stations are another very viable option.
Having a small generator to coincide/recharge the power station is a wise idea. Relying on solar as the only means of recharging is as reliable as the weather. Having a genset as an alternative is a wise/foolproof decision

[austinjenna]

The power stations have their place and are nothing new and have been around for a while, they have just got a little fancier and have better batteries in them and now being able to charge them with solar as well. I think a well-prepared person has both a generator and a power station.

[Grit_dog]

jaycocreek wrote:
Battleborn 230ah(3456wh) bare battery......$2375
Bluetti B300 3072wh(240ah) with outlets.....$1999

Battleborn is more expensive here..

Just proof that if you try hard enough to prove yourself right, you can typically find some obscure example by which to hang you hat on.....

[Grit_dog]

jjrbus wrote:
I feel so much better. I read solar generator and put a solar panel on my lawn mower hooked up to the battery, with a couple emergency LED and a 12V outlet, advertised it on Craigslist as a state of the art Solar Mower Generator. I am not getting any calls on it.

Just wait...there are a few folks here who'd beleive that...just needa sucker! LOL

[jaycocreek]

Battleborn 230ah(3456wh) bare battery......$2375
Bluetti B300 3072wh(240ah) with outlets.....$1999

Battleborn is more expensive here..

[Lantley]

naturist wrote:

Lantley wrote:
How much time did you spend building your unit including research?
My point is you have no labor or overhead in your pricing. So how does that make those for sale over priced?
I can make my own hamburger or I can go out and buy one.
Does that mean McD's over priced?

You are right, I didn't include my time building. I also neglected to mention having purchased my parts at retail, rather than wholesale, unlike the "power station" manufacturers.

And you are right about Mickey D and the hamburger situation. But if I make my own, you can bet it'll be better than the McD version!

Being retired, the time/labor of building such a device falls into the hobby category. But to be fair, if I charged myself for the labor of building these devices, I get to pay myself around $500 a day for my efforts, paid for by the difference in cost between the commercial unit and the home made one(s). While that is below my daily rate when I was a working stiff, it is well above what I'd make greeting at Wally's. I call the commercial units overpriced because that labor rate is well above what the guys in the factory are making, and the wholesale/retail markup make for what looks like a very profitable product. Maybe that's why it appears everybody on the planet it going into building the things.

I imagine there are huge marketing cost in developing a unique product.
Even among us RV'ers we debate the usefulness of the product and what it actually is? What is it actually capable of doing? Takes lots of marketing $$$ to introduce a novel product. As mentioned not everyone is capable of buiding their own solar genset battery pack contraption!

[time2roll]

jjrbus wrote:
I feel so much better. I read solar generator and put a solar panel on my lawn mower hooked up to the battery, with a couple emergency LED and a 12V outlet, advertised it on Craigslist as a state of the art Solar Mower Generator. I am not getting any calls on it.

Have read some riding lawn movers converted from gas to electric.
Try that, might get more calls.

They may just want you to come over and mow with far less noise 😉

[jjrbus]

I feel so much better. I read solar generator and put a solar panel on my lawn mower hooked up to the battery, with a couple emergency LED and a 12V outlet, advertised it on Craigslist as a state of the art Solar Mower Generator. I am not getting any calls on it.

[toedtoes]

Gjac wrote:
Op said "Just wondering if this is a possible solution to running a generator, it may not run the A/C very long but up here we can get by without that and the microwave, and run the fridge on propane, just need the lights and electronics pumps, fans and maybe some music for a 3 day weekend. perhaps the tv for a movie on a rainy day." For what you are looking to do 2 6v GC batteries will be more than enough for a 3-day weekend. There is no need for Li batteries or these expensive portable units. I camp for a week like what you described, and my 230 AH batteries are at 50% SOC without any genset recharging. This has been an interesting thread with a lot of good information because many on here have greater energy requirements than you do. For what you are looking to do 2 6V Sam's Club golf cart batteries for about $200 will be a lot cheaper than these portable Li units with a lot less AH's.

The voice of reason!

[naturist]

Lantley wrote:
How much time did you spend building your unit including research?
My point is you have no labor or overhead in your pricing. So how does that make those for sale over priced?
I can make my own hamburger or I can go out and buy one.
Does that mean McD's over priced?

You are right, I didn't include my time building. I also neglected to mention having purchased my parts at retail, rather than wholesale, unlike the "power station" manufacturers.

And you are right about Mickey D and the hamburger situation. But if I make my own, you can bet it'll be better than the McD version!

Being retired, the time/labor of building such a device falls into the hobby category. But to be fair, if I charged myself for the labor of building these devices, I get to pay myself around $500 a day for my efforts, paid for by the difference in cost between the commercial unit and the home made one(s). While that is below my daily rate when I was a working stiff, it is well above what I'd make greeting at Wally's. I call the commercial units overpriced because that labor rate is well above what the guys in the factory are making, and the wholesale/retail markup make for what looks like a very profitable product. Maybe that's why it appears everybody on the planet it going into building the things.

[valhalla360]

StirCrazy wrote:

what camp site will let you run a generator for 23 hours. up here you are limited to 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours around supper and they are even claming down more. lots of places have no generator policys. thats why I went pure solar.

I've used it boondocking when no one is nearby or I've been in boondocking areas where everyone is running them anyway. ie: no formal policies.

I've also used it in formal campgrounds when the voltage sags to unacceptable levels (as in below 100v with the autoformer boosting) or fails entirely. I've offered to shut it down as soon as they provide the 120v power I contracted for when renting the site...they usually say "never mind" at that point.

[Gjac]

Op said "Just wondering if this is a possible solution to running a generator, it may not run the A/C very long but up here we can get by without that and the microwave, and run the fridge on propane, just need the lights and electronics pumps, fans and maybe some music for a 3 day weekend. perhaps the tv for a movie on a rainy day." For what you are looking to do 2 6v GC batteries will be more than enough for a 3-day weekend. There is no need for Li batteries or these expensive portable units. I camp for a week like what you described, and my 230 AH batteries are at 50% SOC without any genset recharging. This has been an interesting thread with a lot of good information because many on here have greater energy requirements than you do. For what you are looking to do 2 6V Sam's Club golf cart batteries for about $200 will be a lot cheaper than these portable Li units with a lot less AH's.

[toedtoes]

From the post, the OP doesn't even know how much power they will need for a weekend, so they may be putting out money on unnecessary equipment REGARDLESS of what system they buy, be it solar, generator, power pack, etc.

The first question anyone should ask on these threads is "have you determined how much power you need?". If not, then all the green vs fossil fuel, solar vs generator, etc is moot.