Residentials and generators - all day.

[2oldman]

I'm in a rustic no-hookups CG where I'm fortunate to be able camp well away from a newbie with an i-Power brand inverter generator that he runs ALL DAY. Why? Because he has a residential refrigerator.

This i-Power unit is pretty loud. I was thinking it didn't have an Eco throttle or the owner wasn't aware it did, but it does, and he's using it. Problem is, even at its lowest power output, it's tough to carry on a conversation near it. If you're wanting to avoid the cost of a Honda/Yamaha, I strongly recommend the Predator over the i-Power unit. I was pleasantly suprised at the quietness of the Predator.

Residential refers are pretty and keep your initial costs down, but IF you plan on doing a lot of boondocking, take it seriously they will need 120v power. And that's either going to be solar/batteries/inverter or generator. Your salesman will try to wow you with how hard your ice cream will and how much they hold. Don't be blinded by that. These refers need 120v power.

Running a generator, ANY generator, all day is just obnoxious.

[Trackrig]

BFL13 wrote:
Never heard of salmon in Arkansas! Learn something new every day. Turns out they are steelheads, but whatever:

https://www.informationvine.com/index?qsrc=999&qo=semQuery&ad=semD&o=603517&l=sem&askid=386ff903-9b6...

Ok so AK is actually Alaska! It is hard to keep up with all these things. 😞

Yeh, you southern boys don't know much.

Bill

[CincyGus]

I guess I'm different than some or maybe many. My expectations are whatever the rules say they are when I go somewhere. When I camp in a field at a dirt track that doesn't have quiet/no gennys running hours, I expect that there will be some that run them all night. If it's hot, I might even be one if I need the AC.

If I'm boondocking, There generally aren't a lot of rules, more like common courtesy. The thing about common courtesy is, it's a lot like it's cousin common sense, sometimes it's in short supply.

When faced with a situation like that, If it's really bothering me, I may go over and try to have a very polite, diplomatic discussion but if I see it's not going anywhere, I just move along. Nobody has the responsibility to conform to my ideal of what the world/campground/river bank should be. The only place I get to make the rules is my property, and that's only after checking with the Mrs. 😉

[theoldwizard1]

dons2346 wrote:
So they need 120 power. They do not need it 24/7.

I have NEVER heard of a campground that does not have some "quiet time". Usually no later than 9 or 10 PM and until about 8 AM. See what the rules are.

Second, talk to him, nicely. See if there is an Eco-mode on his generator and he has tried it.

Third, you can quiet ANY generator a lot by A) pointing the exhaust toward an empty space and B) placing noise barriers around it.

For probably less than $20 he can make a 5 sided box (again, open side pointed away from others) out of 2" foam board. Temporarily atpe it together leaving one of the long faces open. Make sure there is about 4" of air space on all sides of the generator. Get some 1/2" wooden dowel rod and cut it into about 4" lengths. Using a 3/8" drill bit, drill a couple of holes through each face into each edge. Press the short piece of dowel rods into the hole.

That is just one design. Many other designs can be imagined. Make sure there is plenty of air circulation and any opening are point away from occupied areas (UP is only occupied by the birds.)

[BFL13]

Never heard of salmon in Arkansas! Learn something new every day. Turns out they are steelheads, but whatever:

https://www.informationvine.com/index?qsrc=999&qo=semQuery&ad=semD&o=603517&l=sem&askid=386ff903-9b6...

Ok so AK is actually Alaska! It is hard to keep up with all these things. 😞

[Trackrig]

Lantley wrote:

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I over-nighted in a Walmart parking lot. Far edge of the property, no other RVer's in sight, generator running. It was something like a million degrees out so we ran the generator all night so we would have A/C. The next morning a guy in a 5th wheel parked 2 full double rows away, who pulled in after us, stopped by to let me know that apparently I did not know the rules about running a generator all night. Just grin and imagine how you would have responded......My response was not nearly as kind as the worst thing you just imagined!

I see this scenario as 1st come 1st served.
If no other RV's are around I will run genset while Wally docking. Overnight if necessary.
However if they are RV's already there ahead of me and they are not running gensets.Than I will not use mine.

Ahhh, this reminds me of salmon dipping at Chitna, AK one year. We went down with about five RVs. There was a huge long bank at the river, probably a mile long. No one else was there then and we camped at one end.

While we were setting up another RV came along and sat up within 100 feet of us. I went over and suggested he might want to move a little further away as we'd be running the generators 24 hours a day to freeze the salmon after we cleaned them, that we had five dogs with us that would be running loose (he had a dog also) and we had a lot of dirt bikes with us that we'd be riding while we weren't dip netting. With 24 hours of daylight, you only went to sleep when you were tired.

He stayed where he was, but he complained about the noise and dogs for three days. Sometimes you can't help stupid people.

Bill

[Lantley]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I over-nighted in a Walmart parking lot. Far edge of the property, no other RVer's in sight, generator running. It was something like a million degrees out so we ran the generator all night so we would have A/C. The next morning a guy in a 5th wheel parked 2 full double rows away, who pulled in after us, stopped by to let me know that apparently I did not know the rules about running a generator all night. Just grin and imagine how you would have responded......My response was not nearly as kind as the worst thing you just imagined!

I see this scenario as 1st come 1st served.
If no other RV's are around I will run genset while Wally docking. Overnight if necessary.
However if they are RV's already there ahead of me and they are not running gensets.Than I will not use mine.

[toedtoes]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I over-nighted in a Walmart parking lot. Far edge of the property, no other RVer's in sight, generator running. It was something like a million degrees out so we ran the generator all night so we would have A/C. The next morning a guy in a 5th wheel parked 2 full double rows away, who pulled in after us, stopped by to let me know that apparently I did not know the rules about running a generator all night. Just grin and imagine how you would have responded......My response was not nearly as kind as the worst thing you just imagined!

Gee, I would have apologized and said I thought I was alone in the area, so hadn't worried about it, just needed to stay cool during the night. I do try to consider where the other person is coming from before I respond poorly.

[2oldman]

Almot wrote:
People place generator where it has minimal impact on them, ex. far away from their RV and/or with a truck between their RV and generator. Or, if it's a built-in, they would park side side away from their lot. Unfortunately this is where it has more impact on their neighbors.

There is lots of room for him to place it well away from his rig without infringing on anyone else...and saving his own ears.

He's a newbie and I might work up the courage to suggest that the refer may be just fine if he ran it every 6 hours or so.. and a nice long extension cord would be a plus. I don't know.. one has to be very diplomatic doing this kind of thing. He also has a surge supressor on it so I know he could use some help.

[Bill_Satellite]

I over-nighted in a Walmart parking lot. Far edge of the property, no other RVer's in sight, generator running. It was something like a million degrees out so we ran the generator all night so we would have A/C. The next morning a guy in a 5th wheel parked 2 full double rows away, who pulled in after us, stopped by to let me know that apparently I did not know the rules about running a generator all night. Just grin and imagine how you would have responded......My response was not nearly as kind as the worst thing you just imagined!

[Lwiddis]

Almot, regarding your 20 watt TV comment, these RVers just don’t know anything about power and they don’t want to learn.

[Almot]

... and if over-populating and over-polluting affects your life, you chose a poor planet. Being ignorant and inconsiderate is not illegal, for sure.

[Lantley]

It all boils down to is the offender within the rules.
If the CG or situation allows 24/7 gensets or some form of extended use, the OP chose a poor destination.
Yes it would be nice if all campers were considerate, but consideration is not mandatory or enforceable.
I feel the OP's pain but if the offender is within the rules the OP is unfortunately out of luck

[Almot]

2oldman wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
So they need 120 power. They do not need it 24/7.

I'm not sure they realize that.

What most neighbors also don't realize is that a neigbor's generator is always louder than if it were your own 🙂

And there is a fair bit of truth to this joke. People place generator where it has minimal impact on them, ex. far away from their RV and/or with a truck between their RV and generator. Or, if it's a built-in, they would park side side away from their lot. Unfortunately this is where it has more impact on their neighbors.

I've grown to like hook-up locations lately. Too many people like this guy in your post, on offgrid camps. They would run a genny to watch 20W TV set. Have written here about residentials in offgrid many times, too.

[toedtoes]

Anyone who plans on dry camping in campgrounds should consider power needs carefully. Many campgrounds have limits on generator usage, solar requires sunlight, etc.

Make sure you can last 20+ hours on one charge and can recharge via a generator within 2-3 hours. This will ensure that 1) you don't need to violate generator rules, and 2) you can keep everything running without issue without encroaching on the enjoyment of other campers. If you need more than this, then you are not set up for dry camping in campgrounds.

[Bill_Satellite]

If they have a battery bank and an inverter they also only need to run the generator a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. A residential fridge only draws a few amps when the compressor is running and nothing when not. My coach can easily go 8-12 hours without needing any external power.