A no generator Lazy Daze? June 27, 2016, 05:06:21 pm I'm wondering if this is possible and still be able to maintain battery power?Let's assume at least 4 more batteries are added and the roof is covered in panels.Also, for hot weather dry camping, a total of 2 swamp coolers are installed and the microwave area is converted to a storage space.How much capacity (days) would 6 to 8 batteries hold?While camping in shade or cloudy days would this render the solar charging mute?Would installing an even higher output alternator charge the batteries faster during a move to another camp or if needed during an emergency charge?I guess the real question is...has technology advanced enough to live without the generator, the smell it produces, the noise it makes, and the weight it displaces?
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #1 – June 27, 2016, 07:56:47 pm If you intend to retain the roof air, then shorepower would be your only alternative to a generator. As far as the rest goes, if you switch to high-efficiency lights, entertainment, appliances that preferentially utilize propane when the option exists, calculate your power budget, then you should be able to decide how many batteries and solar panels will meet your need. With our '83 we camped without a generator for 19 years, avoiding excessively hot weather if hookups weren't available, and never ran out of 12V power. We had all LED lights, 2 batteries, and 2 small solar panels, and paid attention to our environment and usage. When to move was determined by when the tanks needed attention.Steve
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #2 – June 27, 2016, 09:52:48 pm I'll offer some thoughts based upon my own experience, but bear in mind that people's power needs vary widely, so the following may or may not be applicable to your situation."Let's assume at least 4 more batteries are added..."For a total of six? That's a lot of weight. Of course, it depends upon the batteries. I'm carrying four GPL-31XT batteries right now (500 amp-hours total), and they weigh 75 pounds apiece--300 pounds total. If I added any more, the rig would be overweight. Or let's say you had eight Group 27 batteries at 65 pounds apiece. That would be 520 pounds in batteries alone, plus the weight of all the solar panels you'd need to keep them fully charged.I'm not saying it can't be done, but you have to think carefully about the added weight. Of course, you could save 175 pounds by eliminating the generator--assuming you took that step. "...and the roof is covered in panels."Again, this depends upon the panels. I have a midbath with six 100 W Renogy panels on the roof (100 pounds total), but I sacrificed the satellite TV dish and TV antenna to make room for them. Many people would be unwilling to give up TV for extra solar power. (I also have two more 100 W panels that I can lay out on the ground.)"How much capacity (days) would 6 to 8 batteries hold?"This is one I can't answer for you, because it depends so much on your electrical lifestyle. To begin with, you're never going to be depending upon batteries alone--there will always be solar input. So a more realistic question might be "How long will the batteries last if I get a run of cloudy days?" In my case, they will last indefinitely if I'm reasonably careful about power usage (e.g., no microwave oven use, minimal use of my 27" computer monitor, etc.). If I stick with my propane stove and my MacBook Pro and iPad, I can get through any number of cloudy days. Or take this winter, when I was boondocking in a campsite between two big hills. In late December the sun rose at 9:00 and set a little after 3:00, but clouds were few. Despite the very short day, I did OK (got the batteries up to 100% charge every day) with my six panels on the roof plus two on the ground, angled for best sunlight."Would installing an even higher output alternator charge the batteries faster during a move to another camp or if needed during an emergency charge?"If you drive often and drive long distances, this might be worthwhile. I do neither, so a larger alternator wouldn't be of much use to me. In fact, I replaced my under-hood isolator with a manual combiner switch, and I very rarely use that switch. In other words, I seldom bother to put alternator power into the house batteries. In fact, the last time I used the combiner switch was when a rogue accessory ran down my engine battery, and I used the house batteries (backed by my solar panels) to charge it back up--something you can't do with the stock isolator."has technology advanced enough to live without the generator, the smell it produces, the noise it makes, and the weight it displaces?"To get to the point of your question (at last!), the answer for me is "mostly." I dry-camp 95% of the time or more, and don't feel starved of juice--and I'm a fairly heavy power user. But it took me several thousand dollars in electrical upgrades, a fair amount of labor, and the loss of TV capability to achieve this. And I'm within about a hundred pounds of this 2003 midbath's maximum allowable weight.I do still run the generator a few times a year, mostly to power a 1,600 W heat gun when I'm doing electrical work with large-gauge shrink tubing that is too much for my butane lighter or hair dryer to handle. (I have tried a number of propane- and butane-powered heat guns over the years, but have yet to find anything affordable that can handle half-inch to one-inch shrink tubing.)As always, your mileage may vary. :-) 1 Likes
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #3 – June 28, 2016, 08:50:40 am Look to your intended use. After 12 years we have 260 hours of use on our genny and all but a handful of those hours is exercising it monthly so it doesn't die an early death. We camp in state parks that generally have an electrical hook up or go somewhere where a/c is not needed. A genny has been a waste for us up to now but may become more useful as we get to retirement and using the rig more often. If I was full timing I would want one for the convenience factor.FYI, we have the standard 2 6v golf cart batts, one LD installed 80 watt solar panel (before that was standard) and an 85 watt suitcase panel. LED's in the incandescent fixtures. No prob keeping things going dry camping as long as it's not too hot. We are not power consumers when on the road. I'm trying to get away from all that when in the LD!!
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #4 – June 28, 2016, 12:17:46 pm This is a great topic for making us think about camping style. My POV changes regarding solar, but not regarding generators. We have used ours (a portable), for specific circumstances, i.e. hunting camp, when there will be no moving, days are short and dark (think Twilight, I hunt in the Pacific Northwest), and copious amounts of heater blower are in order. We travel between 2 and 8 months at a time. We like state and federal parks a lot. If it's too hot for a couple of hours of fan, we make plans to move north, up the mountain, or into a park, where there's a pool. Mostly we enjoy home in the hottest months, where the temp rarely goes over 70°, even in the afternoon. (It's hell growing tomatoes).We like to move around after a week, but maybe can go 10 days in mild weather using two T145 FLA batteries. That's about 260 amp hours rating. We are very parsimonious with the lights, using little solar lanterns, Read on Kindle at night, they require little light to enjoy, Keep our camp dark, except for said lanterns, Use a propane cat heater if we need heat, Cook outside, play outside (in the shade if need be),By the end of two weeks, I gotta move, and the tanks are getting low. So investing in solar is something I want to do, but don't yet need. Like others, we are fully LED, don't much watch TV, and Internet via iPhone, which gets recharged each night. It's good to read what others do. We know for sure our style changes year to year, so we like to learn how others roll.
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #5 – June 28, 2016, 12:35:16 pm Quote from: tedeboy - June 27, 2016, 05:06:21 pmI'm wondering if this is possible and still be able to maintain battery power.I guess the real question is...has technology advanced enough to live without the generator, the smell it produces, the noise it makes, and the weight it displaces?Well, the high technology stuff hasn't trickled down to our level yet to allow doing without a generator in all conditions but you can still do so in most conditions, just stay out of extreme heat and rainy climates.Our 1983 LD didn't have generator and our 2003 LD's has only 200 hours on it, (90% of which occurred during maintenance runs). I hate the noise.The 2003 has 400-watts of solar and 4- T105 batteries, mounted under the frame. It handles most of our needs except during long stretches of cloudy days, when either hookups or some generator time is needed. Two more batteries and a couple more panels would cure it...if the space and CCC is available. Our electrical needs are limited, we do not watch much TV and use most of the power for running fans, LED lights and recharging our phones and tablets. My advice is to first install a battery capacity meter and then use it to better understand your energy consumption habits.Once your have developed an 'energy diet', you can better decide if removing the generator and upgrading the rest of the battery and solar panels is feasible. Only you can determine your needs, our experiences are just examples but do not represent your situation.One though about generators, they are a great thing to own during emergencies. Everyplace has its own set of potential emergencies. Living inSoCal, earthquakes are part of our lives and we treat the LD as our urban escape pod, keeping it stocked when parked at home. You might want to take that into consideration. Mother Nature can be a...er, very bad person.Larry
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #6 – June 28, 2016, 12:42:24 pm What would be cool might be a lithium ion system that could be towed, and serve as an auxiliary power source, and a transportation pod. Like a Tesla X wired into the house system. Andy???
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #7 – June 28, 2016, 01:04:44 pm Quote from: Larry Wade - June 28, 2016, 12:35:16 pmOne though about generators, they are a great thing to own during emergencies. Everyplace has its own set of potential emergencies. Living inSoCal, earthquakes are part of our lives and we treat the LD as our urban escape pod, keeping it stocked when parked at home. You might want to take that into consideration. Mother Nature can be a...er, very bad person.LarryY'know, Larry's point here is spot on for having a genny. We are in tornado-land and I have lived through one that tore up Omaha and left many homeless (LONG time ago). This also calls for a Go-Bag which we carry. It is an old Mountainsmith back back full of clothes, survival necessities such as knives, battery pack and mini-solar panel, bear spray (I'm not a gun guy so that is the most protection I have), life straw, iodine, solar blanket, first aid kit, water, MRE's, you get the picture. If we have to go more than about four days we could be in trouble but if it is needed for more than four days that may be a world it's best not to think about.I just can't get the people of New Orleans during Katrina out of my head. That was so horrible. I just want to be prepared.-- Dave 1 Likes
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #8 – June 28, 2016, 01:28:10 pm Quote from: paul banbury - June 28, 2016, 12:42:24 pmWhat would be cool might be a lithium ion system that could be towed, and serve as an auxiliary power source, and a transportation pod. Like a Tesla X wired into the house system. Andy???Using an electric or hybrid toad as a "slave" has been a topic of discussion before. It would be great to have the toad push itself uphill and generate power while braking. The control system is the hang up. Modern cars are completely computer controlled, trying to integrate various brands would be a interesting and difficult project. Wonder how fast a top-end Tesla could push an LD uphill?Larry
Re: A no generator Lazy Daze? Reply #9 – June 28, 2016, 01:43:58 pm After Larry's excellent point, Dave said, "...can't get the people of New Orleans during Katrina out of my head. That was so horrible. I just want to be prepared." And the midwest Missouri-Mississippi River floods of '93...Sandy back east...and the folks affected by wildfires... open hill ground out in the boonies of north Missouri certainly has its advantages. I, too, have thought about the idea of LDy Lulubelle as an emergency shelter on wheels--only problem is, if she's six miles out of town at the farm, I'm not sure I could get to her if the river gets over the road like the flood of '93, or in the case of snow/ice taking out the electricity in town, even though the township maintainer would eventually clear the gravel road for the folks who live out there, it's nearly a mile of marginally graveled farm road (with a bit of uphill grade) from the graveled township road up through the pasture to the machine shed where she lives when we aren't traveling...need to do more thinking about this.Though the roads might not all get cleared right away after a snowstorm, I don't think we ever went more than overnight without electricity when I was on the farm--the REA cooperative always did a great job, but my aunt & cousin once went nearly two weeks after an ice storm w/o electricity in very urban Independence, MO...another lesson learned, though food could be put outside in a cooler to keep from spoiling, they couldn't cook anything with only an electric range & microwave, and the natural gas furnace wasn't any use without electricity to run the blower. Good topic & points by all. Thx
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