Generator or Solar panel for Caravan?

I agree if you want to camp with others forget the generator. (hate them and unnecessary) maybe as emergency backup for health equipment but vans should be designed around not needing generators.

If you have neither then caravan parks maybe for you

Solar panels are the way to go.

Disagree, I love my little compact gennie

I have got 720 watts of solar and 5x120 ah full river batteries in my rig. I also have a generator.

I have been over here in W.A. for the past 4 months and have had to top up several times with the gennie.

If the sun don't shine, you get no power to run things.
I would like to be able to get 4 days out of a 100 ah battery like some can, running a fridge / freezer and accessories, but I can't.

As I have stated before, if you are there first I will ask if you mind if a run my genie, if you do I will go somewhere else and run it.
Should you arrive after I get there, I will tell you when I am going to run my genie, and if you don't like it you can do like wise.

Cheers

Ha, does that mean I can snore as loud as I want, I warn you I can snore louder than your bloody gennie, my wife can back me up on that. I guarantee it I could out do your tv and diesel heater too.
We travel in a camper trailer so sound levels are clear and crisp. Oh and when it's cold enough where you might put a heater on we would need a fire, and perhaps some green ginger wine, and being nice and warm around the fire we might stay up a little while and get a little melody going, a singalong of sorts, probably sounds a bit like a dog howling at the moon thing for the adjacent "campers"
We don't put music on but if we did we would warn you first and you would then have the choice to " GO ELSEWHERE "
The above is all bull apart from the snoring but doesn't it sound arrogant. Along the lines of your last paragraph for instance.
Each to their own I guess.

I reckon it was fair enough.

You wouldn't be biased though would you "Genny".

Sorry couldn't resist LOL

Cheers

Anthony

If you also had a solar panel....and it was sunny....then that would be a no brainer as well.

Zero noise, no petrol needed.

Then IF it was raining for a few days, the gennie would be a good back up !!

A genni produces more power much faster than any panel, and you run your fridge on 240 proper volts. You can't keep things frozen properly on battery for a real length of time.

Sorry Paul...

That is absolute rubbish.

I travelled around Australia for 8 months. I would have periods where I was not connected to 240 volts for periods of 4-5 weeks at a time. In fact the only time I connected the trailer to mains power was when I parked it up and left it or was in a capital city caravan park doing the touristy stuff. My National Luna maintained - 18 on the freezer. (Nothing like eating a Drumstick icecream on the top of Big Red).

A well maintained solar setup with adequate production, good batteries and sensible power consumption does work.

Cheers

Anthony

ACD 1, what you wrote in your last paragraph is correct,

"A well maintained solar etc, etc, and sensible power consumption does work"
I have an adequate solar and batteries set up, but you also need sunshine to make them work.

I did all my testing at home (south west Qld) for a month or so, where I had full sun shine and everything was good and charged by lunch time.

But come to the S.W. of W.A. In the winter time when you run your lights, a 12 volt 175 ltr fridge, a diesel heater, a Cpap machine, watch a few shows on the TV as well as a 40 ltr Engel as a freezer, and it is a whole new ball game.
There are times when you only get 3 hours sunshine a day, sometimes none for days at a time is not enough to maintain the batteries.

That is when the genie comes.

The wife and I don't switch the lights out much before 02:00 each night, as we love to read a lot, as well as travel and stay in nice spots.

Cheers

BlueM

My comments do not have anything to do with using a gennie. They relate to Pauls comment about not being able to maintain frozen foods for a real length of time.

If you choose to quote someone, do it in its entirety. You chose to leave out the pertinent point so I'll say it again...

"A well maintained solar setup with adequate production, good batteries and sensible power consumption does work."

From your own words, I would suggest that your power consumption is not sensible nor does you solar setup it have adequate production.

"In the winter time when you run your lights, a 12 volt 175 ltr fridge, a diesel heater, a Cpap machine, watch a few shows on the TV as well as a 40 ltr Engel as a freezer, and it is a whole new ball game." You also state "The wife and I don't switch the lights out much before 02:00 each night..."

No wonder your solar setup won't keep up. I doubt it would anywhere.

As for your assumption that "There are times when you only get 3 hours sunshine a day, sometimes none for days at a time is not enough to maintain the batteries." Again, what a load of rubbish.

I lived in Manjimup for a number of years, I taught in Nannup during this time. The school where I was the boss was powered entirely by battery power that was recharged by solar panels. Not only was the school fed by the solar/battery array, so to was the hostel that housed 10 teenage boys and 3 adult carers.

Cheers

Anthony

Ditto, Paul has scored some free Crack from somewhere.................
Sorry Paul :-)

Thanks for the feedback guys. Well Lyndon nt, your nudge nudge wink comment about me being on drugs works well on an anonymous forum.
Better than in person.
I disagree on certain aspects of your opinions,as per some of the above drawbacks pertaining to solar. I have some 240v appliances to power consistently. You scored a point against me about freezing temps, and that's how you view it obviously. Well done, I'm humbled by your expertise, but I don't agree entirely.
I too have traveled for extended periods.

"It weighs eight kg and is the size of half a jerrycan"

What make and model of generator is that please Paul?

I also have a Honda eu20i in the front of the trailer (just in case).

I have never had the need to use it to charge the batteries.

Cheers

Anthony

With your setup, I'd recommend adding another battery and solar panel.

No use having a fully charged battery at 4pm if it won't comfortably last the night running your cpap and fridge. Even worse is if the solar isn't fully recharging the battery either..