Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

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Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby GPW » Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:29 am

Faced with the ensuing Hurricane ( Harvey ) , the wife starts asking me how I will provide power to keep H.R.H. “comfortable “ , as they say here "sheltering in place” . . :roll:

Yes, she’s no camper … not anymore . Old now , can’t take the heat , and forbid the power goes out , she makes my life MISERABLE , as if my only purpose in life is to keep her comfortable … ( Spoiled ) Quite frankly , if we hadn’t been together for 42 years , I’d trade her in on a new model ( quieter running ) :R
All I’m hearing now is “We (me) should go out and buy a generator “ … Which immediately started the conversation over which is better , a generator , or some solar panels and batteries . She wants something to run a refrigerator , a couple fans , and some AC , plus keep her I-pad and phone charged…
So I’m thinking , put her in the trailer , small AC ( Lots of insulation ) , perhaps buy one of those little electric truck fridges ( ?) , fans, lights less of a problem ( all LED lights now ) Less Electricity to run than even thinking about plugging in the house . Smaller system needed to accomplish such a Herculean labor .
The problem is the decision , Solar or generator … Both have their pro’s and cons , the generators needing gas ( lots of gas) and the Solar needing lots of panels , and batteries , and sunny days . This is one of those rare cases where " money is no object “ when it comes to providing for her worship’s needs … Whichever system we choose , I will be solely responsible for its maintenance and operation, so we have to get it right .. My concerns are as always , fuel handling safety , and the hand starting of a balky engine , vs. dealing with batteries and cloudy days .. Either one , the trailer still may be the best opportunity to provide without Investing in a major system … I have only a little idea of what i'm doing , and need the learned opinions of those who have more experience in these areas…
I have her making a “ master” list of what she wants ( :roll: ) then we’ll add up the watts and see what size we need ..That’s as far as we’ve come … yet ... :NC

The real question is , what would you do in a similar situation ... ? Your opinions would be greatly appreciated !!!
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Bill n Robi » Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:44 am

We bought one with an AC already installed.... but I feel for ya. Every time it gets super humid or the heat (like this next weekend) climbs, she and her dog head out to the TD to watch Netflix.

There are no AC units that will run on battery or solar, you will need a generator. Depending on your set up, you could use solar and battery for all the lights, frig, TV, music type things then run a generator for the AC unit by it's self. There are several quiet generators available. If she doesn't like the smell of a gas engine exhaust like mine, try to buy a dual fuel or get it converted to run on propane - less maintenance for you, the exhaust is CO2 and water - no smell.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby daveesl77 » Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:54 am

My next door neighbor, over the past year, has shown to be very proficient at using his oak trees to destroy the power lines in the neighborhood. Last year his tree trimmers knocked down the lines while removing a tree. Last week gravity took out the lines with the large oak falling over them all. Two days ago he decided to allow his daughter's idiot boyfriend to cut down another large oak.

In the 6P mode (Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance). I fired up our little dorm fridge and the new, 5k window ac in Conch Fritter, using house current to get everything down to temp in anticipation of the upcoming explosions, sparks, fires, sirens, etc. The new AC draws max of 4AH continuous, but in my previous test (last week), it only runs about 35% of the time once the temp in down in the camper and never hit 4, so 100 WH was the test average. The fridge uses (over many uses) about 70 WH, once down to temp. The inverter is about 75% efficient. I have 200 watts of solar panels and an 800 watt mini HF generator. The generator will easily run everything in the camper, plus more, charge the battery and it uses 1 gal every 5 hours.

So, if I have sun, the panels will almost keep up with the full load of the AC and fridge, for about 8 hours per day. To keep going at full capacity, I would then need to run the generator about 16 hours for the overnight, or between 3-4 gals of gas per day, should the need arise. The generator by itself could easily run everything, non-stop, using 5-6 gals per day.

Remember, this is all based on central Florida summer heat/humidity (90/90). Now back to the tree story - neighbor proves it is better to be lucky than smart (or skilled or even have a little common sense). They did get the top of the tree down without destroying the power lines, but the main 30' trunk is still standing. His yard is beautifully decorated with giant tree limbs and branches and his daughter's boyfriend hasn't been seen since. Hmmm.

So yes, you could fairly easily run ac and fridge on solar or generator and you don't need a monster generator to do it.

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Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Socal Tom » Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:22 am

My backup generator for the house is a loud 4
K unit. It can run the home fridge, up to 10k btu AC AND tv etc. you can pick these up fairly cheap. Alternatively you could get a 2k inverter unit like the Honda. It's big enough to make a pot of coffee, OR run 5k btu AC unit and a home fridge. It's much quieter and small enough for TD camping. For emergency short term use I prefer the generator vs solar. As long as you have gas, you will have power. With solar, you have to depend on the weather and unless you have a huge setup, no AC.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby alaska teardrop » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:09 am

GPW wrote: The real question is , what would you do in a similar situation ... ? Your opinions would be greatly appreciated !!!


:o Get a hotel room & hope real hard that your wife doesn't read this post! :lol:
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Socal Tom » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:37 am

FWIW, a 2K generator will probably run 4 to 6 hours on a gallon of gas depending on load. My 4K will run about 10 hour on 5 gallons. If starting is a concern for under $1K you can get one with electric start, then the worst case is pulling the battery out of your car to start it. This Champion is $450 on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Power-Equipment-76533-Generator/dp/B00VFDJGCE
Its duel fuel, so you can hook it to a 100 gallon propane tank and it will probably run for a week.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Camp4Life » Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:58 am

Go for a generator that is slightly more power than you need. Generator is the way to go, especially if dealing with bad weather. For one, you can't rely on there being any sunshine, and two, if you rely on the panels and flying debris smashes them, then you have nothing at all. If money is truly no object, then do both. Stock up on fuel. And if possible, go propane as Tom suggested.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby tony.latham » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:29 am

I think AC is a deal breaker for a solar-powered system. :thinking:

And again, thanks for reminding me why I enjoy living in a place where you don't need AC to camp. (and there's no need to flee hurricanes and such.) Grizzlies? that's another matter. :frightened:

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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby working on it » Thu Aug 24, 2017 11:44 am

  • I'm sorta in the same situation...we're going to demolish our increasingly irreparable DW home (43 years old), and replace it with a new DW on the same spot. So many things have to be torn down to fit it in (several giant oak trees, wire-backed wood fencing around the sides and rear, dozens of shrubs, a deck, front-yard picket fence, and possibly a front yard well house). The previous owners didn't foresee the eventual demise of the home, and all normal installation codes weren't followed, as we eventually learned (to our chagrin) as we lived here for 24 years, constantly trying to fix it all.
  • So, when we pack-out the contents we want to keep (into a rental container in our large parking area in the rear), we will move into our 20-ft Puma travel trailer (also in the parking area), along with our seven dogs and parakeet and cockatiel, for the demolition/tree removal/pad preparation/new home delivery and hook-up period. The WYSCO converter died last year, as did the battery, so our neighbor (an electrical engineer) has ordered a replacement component to fix the convertor, and I have a new battery standing by, so the trailer will be habitable again this weekend. I'll put a temporary wire fence around the trailer, connected to a separate yard (where our deceased pet goats once lived) for the dogs to use during the day and to do their business. Power and water will come from our neighbor's outdoor connections, as ours will be shut-off.
  • I expect to be in that trailer for up to two months, though all contractors have promised us that each phase can be completed in a week (each phase, in succession, for a month or so, at best). My wife will start going nuts after a week in close quarters to me and the dogs, so I might not survive this experience. Fortunately, if need be, I can pull my squareback TTT out of the garage and sleep there (with my two faithful bed-mates with me: Chloe the Dorky, and Scooter the Silky Terrier). My onboard generator (in my little trailer), and the 3500 watt genny in the garage can power both trailers, if need be, so at least we can keep the A/C going at night (we have brown-outs all summer; in close quarters A/C is a necessity). You guys don't really have a problem now, do you, comparatively speaking?
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby GPW » Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:30 pm

Whoa , that’s a lot of Good advice , and a whole lot to consider … Many Many Thanks !!! I’m going to run all this past the "chosen one” and see what flies …. She’s already said she didn’t mind the FoamStream/AC Idea , I think she actually likes it, feels comfortable in it ( and yes she’s claustrophobic) :o

So I could do a solar thing for the house stuff (LED lights , tiny fridge , fans , TV , phone and pad charging) and a small generator for the FS AC … That would be cool …that way we would only need to set up a few good solar panels on a temporary basis , and not store a 55 gal. drum of gas, should we happen to have a storm come through … and we always have a backup plan !!! ( propane sounds interesting too , they deliver ... 8) )
We’ll see what kind of budget "the house" will tolerate ? :roll:

Not putting our Energy eggs all in one basket is sound Logic to me … :thinking: Thanks again !!!
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Bill n Robi » Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:35 pm

One other thing to consider is where you are going. All generators sold in the USA are 'certified' by the EPA. Won't go into all the BS stuff but they are 'adjusted' to run pollution free at Sea Level. The higher up the mountain you go, the worse it will run because the EPA won't allow adjustable fuel jets. With the propane kits - modified or factory installed have adjustable mix which means peak performance at all times and altitudes. Propane does not have the 'energy' of gasoline so it is not one-to-one gallons/hour but when you get up a few feet, it will be better than gas.

Research gasoline additives, ethanol absorbs water from the air, runs bad, need to clean out the tank, can't store gas so in an emergency it isn't a great idea. A dual fuel will run on gas, it is a good backup in an emergency - if the gas station has power... Look on youtube for 'rebuilding a forklift" a 10 year old engine looks like it was assembled yesterday.

I just pulled mine out of the shed last week for our next trip, stored it after the last one without doing anything. start on the second pull right out of storage - for 6 months. I do not believe anyone can say that about a gasoline engine.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby GPW » Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:06 pm

How about a small refrigerator/electric cooler ? Any preferences ? ( the wife’s question)
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Socal Tom » Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:28 pm

GPW wrote:How about a small refrigerator/electric cooler ? Any preferences ? ( the wife’s question)


Stay away from the cooler/warmer type of electric cooler. They don't get very cold, and they use lots of power. You would be better off with a small "dorm" fridge, if you use the generator you will be fine.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby me&z » Thu Aug 24, 2017 5:34 pm

Plane ticket to Paris.

Just throwing out random ideas, especially if she reads your posts. ;)

But seriously, stay safe and good luck.
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Re: Putting the Wife in the trailer … a Power question...

Postby Camp4Life » Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:19 pm

GPW wrote:How about a small refrigerator/electric cooler ? Any preferences ? ( the wife’s question)


Chose the one with the highest eco/energy star rating. They will have the most efficient compressor as well as the best insulation. It will run less often and be easier on your electrical source.
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