generators

[Corky 8]

So Much for give and take and live and let live, I have two 110 amp/h batteries fitted in my Motorhome, and I have a 20i Honda generator converted to run on Propane which is quieter than petrol but by no means silent, I run on my batteries for as long as possible,and if there is a hook up available I will use that, but on most CL sites and some of the sites in the highlands hook up is not available, If I need to charge the batteries I tend to wait till everyone is out for the day,or I will go and ask if it would intrude on thier peace and quiet if I ran the genny, and to those who say go ahead,I always check back with them that its not interfering with thier pleasure,I make a point of never running it after 4pm or before 10am and never when someone else is running one.and if someone objects to me running the generator I dont run it ,I dont fall out with that person he or she has a right to peace and quiet ,but some of the objectors and thier children have been more noisy than any generator but to them thats Natural noise????. Once my generator is running I position it under the Motorhome then walk around to make sure it is in its quietest position I can site it in,I never run it for more than an hour if anyone is around the site,and I certainly wouldnt run it if someone was next to me,but I am guilty of lighting up my barby without consulting anyone,my stomach over rules my sense of fair play in that area.  I think both sides of this topic need to be more tolerant of each other as others could find fault in something we all do ,should they have a mind to

[Brian Kirby]

I just wonder, before Mike goes any further, whether there is a rule of thumb, or similar, that can be applied to his situation which, I suspect, is common to many.  I gain the impression that his off hook-up stays are occasional, largely at shows, rather than being an article of faith, as for the dedicated wild campers.

There must somewhere be a logical trade off between battery capacity, daily consumption, and solar panel size.  There seems little point to me in installing large capacity (and therefore expensive) battery banks, that then require high charge rates or extended charge times, if one is only using them intensively on an intermittent basis.  There also seems little point in installing large (and therefore expensive) solar panels to re-charge the batteries, if what is usually taken out on a daily basis is well within the batteries capacity (hope this is clear!).  Is it not preferable, without getting too fancy, to calculate approximate daily usage when off hook-up, size the battery bank to reasonably accommodate that, and select a solar panel of appropriate output to keep the battery topped up under normal conditions.  Most consumption will, presumably, be during darkness, so some consideration should be given to season/s of use, and not all days will give optimal solar panel performance, but surely there must be a ratio, or series of ratios, that could be calculated to approximately match battery bank capacity, and solar panel size, to pattern/s of use?  Or am I being unrealistic?

[rapidoman]

hi brian yes you are right on the first part due to work commitments we cant take long enough breaks to travel around wild camping so most of the time we are hooked up even at home, this is what prompted my original thread as malvern was the first time for quite a while we used batts only and first time in present van so i was suprised they went down so quick so before i do anything else as i have already said i will test batts and if ok then back to drawing board 8-)

[Brian Kirby]

Corky 8 - 2010-08-21 1:06 PM So Much for give and take and live and let live, ...........  I think both sides of this topic need to be more tolerant of each other as others could find fault in something we all do ,should they have a mind to

I think Corky8 demonstrate exemplary consideration of others in running their genny.  Would that all might do likewise. 

However, I do not accept their final comment above.  This is the old "let he who is without blame cast the first stone" argument.  Only the blameless may criticise others, meaning, in effect, that as we are all sinners (not intended as a religious point), we must all accept whatever someone else chooses to do without protest.  Really?  Then find me a jury of blameless individuals before whom to try a suspected robber, murderer, rapist etc etc! 

For society to function, there has to be compromise, and so acceptance of fallibility.

It is always difficult to find the middle ground, where sufficient people can agree that a practise is acceptable, so that it becomes permitted, or unacceptable, so that it becomes banned.  So yes, give and take, and live and let live, but when the give and take all goes in one direction, or the living and letting live results in disruption to the lives of others, there is surely ample justification for calling a halt?

The problem is not limited to generators.  It is the perennial one of rights and obligations.  With rights, go obligations.  In exercising their "right" to run a generator, Corky8 demonstrate their ready acceptance, and appreciation, of the concomitant obligations to do so without causing nuisance (sorry, this is not intended to be the least bit patronising).  If everyone who ran gennys were so considerate, the rest of us would merely assume generators to be more or less silent, and no adverse (guilty! :-)) comments would have resulted.

So, we are drawn back to the inconsiderate minority, who always, at every turn, cite their legal rights, while ignoring their moral obligations.  It is these anti-social, selfish, short sighted, individuals who have, since the dawn of time, bequeathed the rest of us that plethora of wholly unnecessary laws and restrictions that govern, and so often blight, our daily lives.  It is they who, in a different context, will eventually provoke laws across the whole of Europe banning wild camping in principle, because it will simply become far too difficult to try to construct, and too expensive for authorities to enforce, local restrictions for areas of maximum pressure.

So, I offer no apology for criticising inconsiderate generator users, but I have no quarrel with those who, like Corky8, use them with proper consideration.  It is for those who use generators, rather than those who do not, to consider their position.

[Clive]

Electrics (12v) for LED lights and technology - flat screen TV,s Laptop etc

GAS for cooking and heating and fridge.

Solar is super in the summer to top up your battery. Have as much as you can.

Batteries are best if they are big and of the Traction variety.

 

Hookup for Hanging around on sites for long periods and to save your gas.

 

Generators for portable welders, washing machine, spin dryier, hedge trimmers, the Flymo and all that clutter required when wild camping! (really?)

 

If you need to charge a disability scooter then firstly use sites with hookup or alternatively via a Sterling B2B charger.

 

"Never before, in the field of human conflict has so much been suffered by so many and caused by so few"

 

 

C.

 

 

 

[pkc]

Clive, 21 August 2010 4:16 PM.

 

"Never before, in the field of human conflict has so much been suffered by so many and caused by so few"

 

 

 

But if we fail, then the whole world, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of inverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its batteries last for a thousand years, men will still say. This was their finest power!

 

Honda EU10i generator

 

[Clive]

For God so loved the world that he gave his ever begotten sun, for who soever useth him shall not perrish but have everlasting lights.

 

J 3 16

 

 

BP solar 125 watt

 

[weldted]

before spendingmoney on a generator you might like to consider my findings? I have a Telair 2.5kw lpg powered onboard genny, it is in the locker where the gas bottles used to live (fitted gas tank) and I have insulated it as much as I can but as others say it still is audible I have had the genny for three and a half years. we wild camp in europe for up to ten weeks at a time usually between Oct - March as we have a dog with a heart problem.We have three 110 amp batteries two spr 90 solar panels which are very efficient mounted on brackets to allow them to be tilted as the sun is low at that time of year. The genny has only run for just over 100 hours. We watch a lot of tv as the nights are quite long at that time of year, we also have a 50 amp battery to battery charger which is very good. But if I have to I will run my generator with consideration of others if I am where it is crowded I will move the van, but in three years the most comments I get is can you help me my batteries are fla,t Christmas before last I was charging three other vans. but I have just fitted another 160 watts of Solar panels so if this winter I do not have to run the genny out it will come. So think long and hard before you buy one, If it is petrol you have to carry Fuel for it (possible fire risk) weight, and noise. So as others have suggested go down the battery, solar, b2b charger firs. But at the end of the day it is your van your life and do what suits you but be considerate to others)

[Ppauly]

LOL Cheers Ned, that gave me a laugh, give us some more

[oldlowie]

hallii - 2010-08-19 3:25 PM

 

If I have the misfortune to be so disturbed these days I am quite prepared to leave the camp, at 3.00 am

Hallii

 

Leave site at 3am??? The Old Bill would have me blowing into the white pipe before I could say "The nasty man next door had a GENERATOR officer" 8-) 8-) 8-)