but what if its hot & sticky while boondocking?

[deryk]

Trust me i see the merit of running solar to keep the batteries charged, but what about when its a hot muggy night and the fantastic fan just isn't cutting it?

i know alot of folks are anti generator but if your not camping in a facility that has power...what would be recomended for a 5000btu window type ac unit that isn't too loud but pretty reliable?

deryk

[Frederick L. Simson]

I believe that a generator is your only option under those circumstances. The Honda eu2000i or a similarly spec'd model is my recommendation for the generator running as quietly as possible. It should be plenty powerful for a 5000 btu air conditioner.

What you want to avoid is a contractor's generator that is very cheap to buy, but extremely loud. (The ones sold at Harbor Freight come to mind.)

[deryk]

Yeah its not an everytime need but seems sometimes it is muggy like that in August... also one place i might go to this summer i would be banished from the tent camping are and all the rvs run generators all night long so for sure i would want one.

So is Honda the generator of choice for reliable dependability??


Deryk

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by deryk

So is Honda the generator of choice for reliable dependability??

Deryk

Honda and Yamaha inverter generators are the cream of the crop and priced accordingly. Sometimes you can snag a deal on a used one.

[cpaharley2008]

Deryk,
I used a 12v fan/ice filler cooler combo, worked for 2-3 hours until I fell asleep. here is link Portable battery operated cooler air conditioner for tent or RV by Kool Aire

[Otters]

Originally Posted by deryk

Yeah its not an everytime need but seems sometimes it is muggy like that in August
Deryk

Deryk, when you have those hot muggy August days, you should just head for the West Coast. Nice breeze, low humidity, comfortable days and incredible sunset. Don't need no stinkin generators. We'll keep the light on for ya.

[deryk]

I wish Linda...but I love my job and want to retire in 19 more years lol...then I'm a free agent and can wander where its not too hot in the summer....and no snow in the winter....ah freedom one day lol.


deryk

[Darwin Maring]

We have a Cummins Onan 3500 electric start extremely quiet and national park approved.
Bought it through Costco several years ago and it runs everything in the camper.

[Otters]

Originally Posted by deryk

I wish Linda...but I love my job and want to retire in 19 more years lol...then I'm a free agent and can wander where its not too hot in the summer....and no snow in the winter....ah freedom one day lol.


deryk

The important thing is you have a great plan and those 19 years will pass in a flash. In the mean time, the generator is a great interim plan. See ya in 19 years.

[deryk]

now i like diesel....coming from living on a boat with a diesel engine....but have seen mods for converting a Honda to run on propane too...I have 2 propane cylinders so would be nice to not have to carry gasoline....anyone using anything like this?

deryk

[Joy A]

Check the spec's on a small window A/C it is possible that you might just need the Honda 1000 which is quite a bit quieter than the 2000.

The factory installed a Fridgedaire 5950 BTU in my Scamp. I wanted to get the Honda 1000 but found that it's the power needed to kick the A/C on that requires the most juice. I researching my A/C with the Fridgedaire factory I found that it runs on 661 watts but needs between 1000 or better to start it, so they recommended that I go with the Honda 2000.

[deryk]

Yeah Joy Ive been reading about 5000 bu air conditioners and generators and although its "possible" to run 1 on a 1000 honda, for the smallcost more for a 2000 its well worth it.

Im also readin about the propane setup,burns about the same amount of propane as gas, but a 20lb cyl holds 5 gallons... more then enough for a little less then a half a load rated for 2nights

deryk

[Francesca Knowles]

You have my sympathy, Deryk...my Mother's from New Jersey, and the summer I was seventeen I went back there to visit the relatives. What a shock the weather was...this little born-and-bred Oregonian could hardly breathe with all that humidity! Even when it rained it didn't seem refreshing. It seems to me that the raindrops themselves were warm.

Needless to say, I haven't been back in the summer!

I will say that this was in 1970- long before everyone had air conditioning, and the relatives' solution was to "go to the shore". ("Shore" instead of "beach" was a new one on me, too...don't even ask about the language barrier! )

Point is, you might do what the relatives did: in muggy weather, go to the shore!

Francesca

[deryk]

campgrounds at the shore?

Yeah it can get rough, and I agree most times in the mountains of Pa, at night it does cool off enough...but not always lol. So it would be nice for backup purposes to have it and if I can run it off of the propane tanks then it avoids the whole smelly gas you need to carry around with you and all that.

deryk

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by deryk

campgrounds at the shore?

What- New Jersey doesn't have them anymore???

Francesca

[Carol H]

Before you run out and buy a generator I would suggest you give the Fantastic Fan a chance to see how well it does. I use to carry a portable window ac for the hot august nights but since putting in the Fantastic Fan I have stopped carrying it even when not camping on the coast. I dont know where your fan is located - mine is directly over the bed so I find I actually need to turn the fan right down at night even if the day has been in the high 90's to low 100's. Normally end up shutting it right off at some point in the night.

[David B.]

I agree that you should just try using what you have before purchasing a generator. We don't have air conditioning in our 13' Scamp, but we got by with our Fantastic Fan in the kitchen (not over the bed) this past hot July and August, traveling 9,000 miles from Arizona to Michigan, to Colorado, to Las Vegas Nv (staying in doors with friends on that 100+ degree night) then up the west coast to to Canada, over to northern Idaho, then back to Arizona. Other than the one night in Las Vegas out of 62 nights, we were able to stay cool enough with just the fan (especially if the camp ground had a pool to dip into just before bed).
We have a 12 volt 134a compressor type refrigerator, and run off a 100 watt solar panel, with one 12volt battery. We rarely used 110 volt electricity at the rv parks because many gave us very good discounts by not needing to be hooked up to anything. We just used their showers.
Happy Trails
Dave & Paula

[Ray N]

Don't go camping if it's going to be "hot and sticky." We are fair-weather campers and generally only go if the daytime highs are predicted to be between about 60 and 85 degrees.

[honda03842]

If you're worried about sleeping when it's hot and sticky, typically running the generator at night will not help unless you're really off the beaten track. Few places allow the night time running of generators.

[deryk]

Nah, I will go out in any weather cept snowey icey just cause I love my health, rav4, and ParkLiner lol

I have a heater so I can camp in the cold, and have an airconditioner for sleeping when its way to hot and humid out! During the day I have no problem staying in the shade and drinking lots of fluids but when the day is done, I want to take a quick shower to wash the grime off of me and sleep like a babey in my nice cool caravan(hopefully not alone)!


deryk