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Sun 8 Jul, 2007 04:49 pm
My friend recently acquired a pretty decent camping trailer that she's going to use on her land south of Buffalo as a camp. The trailer is in place, leveled, and secured (the tires are still on so she doesn't run afoul of the town zoning). Where it's located, there's no power, so she's thinking of getting a generator, and need recommendations on what size to get.
Now, this is a primitive camp with no running water and only a portapotti for toilet facilities. Everything that can't be burned gets carried out. She don't expect to stay overnight (in fact, she will probably take at least one of the two bunks apart to make a sitting room with place to take a nap), and she don't really expect to spend a lot of time inside at all since she can do that at home. Most of the time, it's going to be just her and the dog, with occaisional visits from family and friends, either roaming the fields and woods, target shooting or chatting/snoozing inside the screen-house.
What size generator should she get? She has camping things like a camp stove, coolers, 5 gallon water jugs, Coleman lantern, etc, and have a spare microwave to heat things up in; She willl probably bring out either her old boombox stereo or buy a cheap stereo with an AM/FM radio and a CD player; and maybe a small portable heater or fan. Since this is going to be "day use", She won't turn the camper's refrigerator, stove or furnace on.
What size generator should she get? Please keep in mind that she's a single woman who's going to have get this generator in and out of a car or pickup truck by herself most of the time -- or at least out of the shed to the hitch end of the camper.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
According to waht you say, what does she need one at all? If its just the AM/FM /Cd, even a TV and coleman portable refrig, why not run these off the car? A generator will just make a lot of noise (unless you get a nice propane unit which is much quieter). Her big elec draws would be AC/ heater/ water pumps/ microwave and (I assume) that , if she uses the frig at all , she will turn it to the propaneoption (all trailer friges operate on DC(battery), AC, or propane). Some of the really old ones had alcohol burning friges. (Ive only heard about them)
Actually, for the minimal draw shes expecting, a solar panel will be all she needs to trickle charge the batteries.
How old a camper is this? does it have a power board to monitor power draw? Does it have propane tanks? (propane can run the heater, frig, and heat water(but it sounds like she doesnt have a source of running water so hows she gonna fill her potable water tanks since the unit is all blocked and leveled(I assume that moving it each week is a pain>
I just saw that she has a portable microwave. I dont know how that works but If she gets an inverter for her car, and keeps the car engine running while she's cooking in the nuke, that will obviate the need for a generator.
We have a gennie in our RV and its a 15KW unit that is metered to work on a hierarchy of demand. It comes on and off automatically if we are "dry docking" Otherwise its always off(unless our town elec goes down-only ever happened twice)
A generator is only needed for big draws, all the lights in a trailer are 12v so a trickle charge or exchanging batteries every trip up may actually be easier and cheaper
I must also question why she needs a generator. She's only going for ONE DAY and she's not even staying overnight! I have stayed in camping trailers for longer stays with only propane and it works just fine. Also, the batteries could be used in a cinch.
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