Generator - where to put it?

[Shelley Latin]

I have a Casita SD17. This is my first experience with a camper. I will be bringing a generator with me on a long trip. It’s heavy and I’d like not to have to carry it in and out of camper. I need it to run a C-PAP, as annoying as that is. Has anyone built or bought some kind of carrier that I can attach to the outside of the Casita. Thanks for any ideas.

[Berthaduniverse]

We have a Scamp 13, and I would love to see some pics of some good solutions. Thanks for asking...

Originally Posted by Shelley Latin

I have a Casita SD17. This is my first experience with a camper. I will be bringing a generator with me on a long trip. It’s heavy and I’d like not to have to carry it in and out of camper. I need it to run a C-PAP, as annoying as that is. Has anyone built or bought some kind of carrier that I can attach to the outside of the Casita. Thanks for any ideas.

[Huck]

Another option would be solar and a battery.

https://blog.cheapcpapsupplies.com/power-cpap-rv/

[Berthaduniverse]

Good afternoon Huck.

We have a Scamp 13 with two 125ah AGM batteries and a 175w solar panel, and I can't run my tiny AC on it.

To cover the AC w/o a generator, we'd have to get 6-8 100+ah Lithium batteries (~$6000) and another three solar panels to charge them.

On a realistic 95 degree day, a 6-8 battery system might run our AC for 3-4 hours after say 4pm.

IMO, we use solar on cooler days, but when it's over 90, we'll need a generator to drive our little 5000btu AC.

Originally Posted by Huck

Another option would be solar and a battery.

https://blog.cheapcpapsupplies.com/power-cpap-rv/

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Berthaduniverse

Good afternoon Huck.

We have a Scamp 13 with two 125ah AGM batteries and a 175w solar panel, and I can't run my tiny AC on it.

To cover the AC w/o a generator, we'd have to get 6-8 100+ah Lithium batteries (~$6000) and another three solar panels to charge them.

On a realistic 95 degree day, a 6-8 battery system might run our AC for 3-4 hours after say 4pm.

IMO, we use solar on cooler days, but when it's over 90, we'll need a generator to drive our little 5000btu AC.

I was only suggesting solar and battery for cpap. Have you tried running your cpap on your existing batteries?

I have 2 100 ah lithium batteries and 600 watts of solar panels. I haven't tested it yet, but I think I could run the ac (5000 btu) for 3-4 hours at night (about 50 amps per hour for continuous running).

[Elena-sophia]

Many Casita owners have installed racks for their generators, either on the tongue or at the rear via a frame-mounted receiver. Do a search on "Generator" on the Casita Forum, which is dedicated to Casitas.

[tractors1]

It would be most helpful to know the size/make/model/weight of the generator. Many mount their Honda 2000s on the tongue end of the rig.

[Jon in AZ]

You do know that most developed campgrounds do not allow generator use at night, right? So unless you're boondocking where 24-hour generator use is allowed, you'll have to run your CPAP off your battery or a campground power connection.

If you plan to use the battery, and the generator is just to recharge during the day, a small 1000W inverter generator will do the job. They’re very lightweight (around 30-35#) and quiet. Some can be converted to run on propane so you don’t need to carry gasoline. What kind of generator do you have and how heavy is it?

Best mounting place for a lightweight generator is over the tongue, but it depends on whether your tow vehicle can handle the additional weight. Stromberg-Carlson makes a tongue rack commonly used for that purpose. An alternative is to add a rear receiver from Orbital Machine Works and a small rear cargo rack. A lightweight generator shouldn't be a problem on a Casita 17, but a heavier generator could cause sway. With a rear mount you also have to be careful about running a generator near open windows- you don't want the exhaust getting into the trailer. Front or back, theft is a problem, so you’ll want a secure mounting platform or a strong cable lock.

You may not need an outside mount at all with one of the small inverter generators.

If you're using the battery, you'll need a CPAP that runs on 12V power, and you'll need to calculate the power use to determine if your factory battery is enough to run it all night (along with other essential power needs) without discharging the battery below 50%.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

You do know that most developed campgrounds do not allow generator use at night, right? So unless you're boondocking where 24-hour generator use is allowed, you'll have to run your CPAP off your battery or a campground power connection.

If you plan to use the battery, and the generator is just to recharge during the day, a small 1000W inverter generator will do the job. They’re very lightweight (around 30#) and quiet. Some can be converted to run on propane so you don’t need to carry gasoline. What kind of generator do you have that is so heavy?

Best mounting place for a lightweight generator is over the tongue, but it depends on whether your tow vehicle can handle the additional weight. Stromberg-Carlson makes a tongue rack commonly used for that purpose. An alternative is to add a rear receiver from Orbital Machine Works and a small rear cargo rack. With a heavier generator and a rear mount, you have to be concerned with sway. A lightweight generator shouldn't be a problem on a Casita 17. Theft is a problem, so you’ll want a secure mounting platform or a strong cable lock.

If you're running off the battery, you'll need a CPAP that runs on 12V power, and you'll need to calculate the power use to determine if your factory battery is enough to run it all night (along with other essential power needs) without discharging the battery below 50%.

Yes, listen to Jon. Please don't run the generator all night. If you try you'll have irate people knocking on you door at night or complaining to you the next day.

Use your generator to charge your batteries the next day.

There are many battery operated CPAP's available.

Enjoy,

Perry

[South Coast Stu]

To answer the OP's question , the Stromberg Carlson looks pretty good and isn't too expensive. Don't know if it will fit but eTrailer is usually very helpful and knowledgeable about such things. https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Cargo/St...on/CC-255.html

[pete_britt]

Originally Posted by Huck

I have 2 100 ah lithium batteries and 600 watts of solar panels. I haven't tested it yet, but I think I could run the ac (5000 btu) for 3-4 hours at night (about 50 amps per hour for continuous running).

I think that you are forgetting the difference between ac(120v) and dc(12v). 50 amp hours 12dc can only produce about 5 amp hours 120vac. The A/C will need near 15 amps @120vac or about 150amps @12vdc.

[Alex Adams]

My 6000 BTU window AC unit draws 520 watts of power. 520 watts/120 volts equals 4.33 Amps. At 12 volt that would be 43.33 amps and adding in wastage for the inverter that would be about 50 amps at 12 volts DC like Huck stated in his post. If my window AC drew about 15 amps I would be tripping a breaker with everything else on that circuit at home.

[sokhapkin]

Why people do not read the exact question before posting a random answer? The OP's question was about CPAP, but not about A/C.

[Stevieboy]

We ran TWO CPAPs all night from my battery run through an inverter. The next day I had my solar panel hooked up. (This was Badlands Natl Park so no shore power.) Then we Did it the next night.
I have no idea how much battery was used to run the CPAPs.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

Why people do not read the exact question before posting a random answer? The OP's question was about CPAP, but not about A/C.

Read the followup where the ac was introduced into the equation.

[Shelley Latin]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I don’t plan on staying in RV parks. And if I did I wouldn’t use a generator. The generator is for boondocking for more more than a few days at a time. I think I'll try to store it on the tongue with something built for it, and that can be locked. I do have portable solar panels and I hope I’ll only rarely need the generator. Thanks again. Be safe all.

[mm2670]

My son's cpap has a wal-wart that plugs into 110v and the cpap actually runs on 12v. He had a 12v wire that went to a cigarette lighter type plug for camping and a normal 12v car battery would run the cpap at night. Are you sure the cpap itself isn't 12v?

[Shelley Latin]

I”m going to check with the makers of the C-Pap to find out exactly what I need. I don’t know whether it’s12V. If I can run it without a generator that definitely is my preference. Thanks for the idea about the cigarette type plug. I wish I’d asked before I bought the generator.

[Jim G. - Ohio]

Originally Posted by Shelley Latin

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses. I don’t plan on staying in RV parks. And if I did I wouldn’t use a generator. The generator is for boondocking for more more than a few days at a time. I think I'll try to store it on the tongue with something built for it, and that can be locked. I do have portable solar panels and I hope I’ll only rarely need the generator. Thanks again. Be safe all.

To secure the my Honda EU2000 generator I use a device called LowPro Lockdown which would make it difficult for a thief to remove.