Solar vs generators?

[g7777777]

Interesting

 

[Noobie]

Well you might run your tractor or barbeque from propane 'vapor' but it wouldn't last more than a couple minutes if the tank contained only vapor. A 30 gallon propane tank filled with liquid propane contains over 1000 cubic feet of propane vapor. The fill valve on a nurse tank may be on top, but the standpipe draws liquid off the bottom to fill your bottle. This vaporizes and is fed thru a pressure regulator to things like your BBQ.

 

[victor3ranger]

Well you might run your tractor or barbeque from propane 'vapor' but it wouldn't last more than a couple minutes if the tank contained only vapor. A 30 gallon propane tank filled with liquid propane contains over 1000 cubic feet of propane vapor. The fill valve on a nurse tank may be on top, but the standpipe draws liquid off the bottom to fill your bottle. This vaporizes and is fed thru a pressure regulator to things like your

That might be a case, I just know that my slave line hooks to the top of the tank

 

[memtb]

That might be a case, I just know that my slave line hooks to the top of the tank

The valve may have a line running to the tank bottom. My "thief valve" is also on the top of tank, beneath the dome lid! memtb

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Does the 2k generator cover all the power you need???
I am learning about this too

I run a Honda 2200 watt generator during hunting season and a 4000 watt in the summer as AC needs more juice.

I have a decent sized solar panel on top of my camper, but it's only as good as the sunlight it is receiving. My camp spot for hunting is in a deep canyon and receives nearly zero sun and forces me to use my Honda all night to run the furnace. It's pretty quiet though. My next door neighbor runs a predator from harbor freight and it's pretty loud, but cheap and gets the job done.

Anyways, solar works great but has limitations. Either way, get a good generator that will meet your power needs.

 

[victor3ranger]

I run a Honda 2200 watt generator during hunting season and a 4000 watt in the summer as AC needs more juice.

I have a decent sized solar panel on top of my camper, but it's only as good as the sunlight it is receiving. My camp spot for hunting is in a deep canyon and receives nearly zero sun and forces me to use my Honda all night to run the furnace. It's pretty quiet though. My next door neighbor runs a predator from harbor freight and it's pretty loud, but cheap and gets the job done.

Anyways, solar works great but has limitations. Either way, get a good generator that will meet your power needs.

Yes it definitely has limitations and definitely needs both systems to work together to do what needs to be done.
Only other solution is to have a huge bank of batteries with a lot of solar panels

 

[Flattire]

Have always had issues with my camper while dry camping/hunting for extended trips.

Looking into better/best options for keeping batteries charged while on extended trips. Ideally i would like to leave my trailer as a base camp for 2-3 weeks at a time on the mountain. Currently have two 12v deep cycle batteries but considering going to lithium or AGM batteries (but they are pricey).

Am i better off just running a generator while at camp to try keep batteries charged or investing into a solar setup (400watts)? The solar setup would run me around $1000 setup and installed.

Looking for what others have done that works.

A suggestion if you are wanting to just charge your batteries with a generator. Don't charge them through the trailer meaning don't plug the generator into the trailer. Bring a smart battery charger and hook it up straight to the batteries. The charger built into the trailer only trickle charges and takes forever to fully charge a battery.

 

[victor3ranger]

I run a Honda 2200 watt generator during hunting season and a 4000 watt in the summer as AC needs more juice.

I have a decent sized solar panel on top of my camper, but it's only as good as the sunlight it is receiving. My camp spot for hunting is in a deep canyon and receives nearly zero sun and forces me to use my Honda all night to run the furnace. It's pretty quiet though. My next door neighbor runs a predator from harbor freight and it's pretty loud, but cheap and gets the job done.

Anyways, solar works great but has limitations. Either way, get a good generator that will meet your power needs.

Does it take more than a 2000 watt to kick off and run the A/C unit?

 

[338 dude]

Have always had issues with my camper while dry camping/hunting for extended trips.

Looking into better/best options for keeping batteries charged while on extended trips. Ideally i would like to leave my trailer as a base camp for 2-3 weeks at a time on the mountain. Currently have two 12v deep cycle batteries but considering going to lithium or AGM batteries (but they are pricey).

Am i better off just running a generator while at camp to try keep batteries charged or investing into a solar setup (400watts)? The solar setup would run me around $1000 setup and installed.

Looking for what others have done that works.

50 gallons is 200 pounds of propane, roughly equivalent to ten standard 20 pound tanks. You can only get 80% fill, mandated by the intake tube I believe, so 50 is 40 and 20 is 16. The kids stayed in our non-winterized RV during the winter once and they were constantly headed for the exchange.
The ultimate solution was to buy a 1000 gallon grain drying tank such that liquid can be tapped, and building a DIY filler hose. Now I can fill a twenty pound tank for about $6 instead of the $20 exchange. Lest you be tempted to connect to the liquid tank drain on the top of a standard 500 gallon setup, I was told by me propane guy that most of them are stuck open and all the liquid will geyser out if you open the drain cap. Propane is heavier than air so it will flood your nearby basement, etc. and very bad things will happen.

 

[Husky user]

I use a 2k w generator because I have one for home use in case the power goes off.
Living in the wilds of Montana that happens some times.
The generator will run the pellet stove to heat the house.
If the power is off too long I power the fridge during the day.
So my generator covers two bases.

 

[victor3ranger]

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Those are good ones

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Does it take more than a 2000 watt to kick off and run the A/C unit?

Most of the time, yes. You would need to check the requirements for your AC unit. ACs suck a lot of power.

 

[memtb]

Does it take more than a 2000 watt to kick off and run the A/C unit?

Generally YES! I'll have to do some research. A few years ago there was something that you could purchase for your camper ac that would make it possible for a 2K genny to start the ac. Perhaps it was some sort of condenser that would give a short term voltage spike to get the ac running.

Once running, I think that many could be run on a 2K gen.

Here's a couple of links for "soft start" components! memtb

The Best Soft Start for RV AC

Want to run an RV AC unit on a small portable generator? How about TWO AC units on 30-amps? No problem with a good Soft Starter for RV AC!

www.thervgeeks.com

Honda RV Generators: The King of Power in the Great Outdoors

Drivin' & Vibin' LLC is an innovative lifestyle brand that blends the freedom of RV living with the passion for music. Founded by Kyle Brady, Drivin' & Vibin' has become a go-to resource for RV enthusiasts and music lovers alike. The company is renowned for its unique approach to travel...

drivinvibin.com

https://spartanpower.com/product/spartan-power-spartanstart/

 

[FireFlyFishing]

Generally YES! I'll have to do some research. A few years ago there was something that you could purchase for your camper ac that would make it possible for a 2K genny to start the ac. Perhaps it was some sort of condenser that would give a short term voltage spike to get the ac running.

Once running, I think that many could be run on a 2K gen.

Here's a couple of links for "soft start" components! memtb

The Best Soft Start for RV AC

Want to run an RV AC unit on a small portable generator? How about TWO AC units on 30-amps? No problem with a good Soft Starter for RV AC!

www.thervgeeks.com

Honda RV Generators: The King of Power in the Great Outdoors

Drivin' & Vibin' LLC is an innovative lifestyle brand that blends the freedom of RV living with the passion for music. Founded by Kyle Brady, Drivin' & Vibin' has become a go-to resource for RV enthusiasts and music lovers alike. The company is renowned for its unique approach to travel...

drivinvibin.com

https://spartanpower.com/product/spartan-power-spartanstart/

@memtb I think they're called a soft start. They're also used when using shore power and plugging into a 110 outlet so you don't blow a breaker when they start up.