laundry while boondocking

[wandering]

07 Allegro Bus with separate Whirlpool washer & dryer - both 120 v
7500 Onan gen
90 gal fresh water
70 gal grey water

dump station relatively close by - don't mind doing that more often

#1 ok to run gen to do laundry?
#2 cost effective vs dragging everything to the laundromat?
#3 any tips or tricks

[AFChap]

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#1 ok to run gen to do laundry?

Depends on where you are/rules/impact on neighbors ...as long as running the genny does not affect/offend neighbors or rules for the place you are, no problem.
[quote]

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#2 cost effective vs dragging everything to the laundromat?

General guide is max use of 1/2 gallon of diesel per hour ...the washer alone would take far less than that as it uses little current. So, how far are you from a laundromat, and what does it cost to get there. (Of course I ALSO would want to think about how long I will be there, and how much diesel I need in the tank to get to a fuel station someday ...if I would be using all my diesel and having to refuel the MH, "cost effective" takes on a whole new light!)

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#3 any tips or tricks

You might look into how much power it would take to run the washer through a cycle, and if it works with your setup you could run the washer to wash clothes, and then hang them outside to dry ...the dryer is the large current hog, not the washer. And depending on where you are, it may be permissible to dump gray water on the ground.

[cdolan]

you can unplug your washer and plug it into an inverted outlet so you don't have to run the genset and hang clothes outside to dry. Is there a grey water dump nearby just adapt your sewer connection to a cap that takes a hose and run it out that

[wandering]

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Originally Posted by cdolan you can unplug your washer and plug it into an inverted outlet so you don't have to run the genset and hang clothes outside to dry. Is there a grey water dump nearby just adapt your sewer connection to a cap that takes a hose and run it out that

Getting at the outlet requires an acrobat!

Hanging outside is an option sometimes.

Gray water dump is not close enough to run a hose.

[wandering]

[QUOTE=AFChap;1043396]Depends on where you are/rules/impact on neighbors ...as long as running the genny does not affect/offend neighbors or rules for the place you are, no problem.

Quote:

General guide is max use of 1/2 gallon of diesel per hour ...the washer alone would take far less than that as it uses little current. So, how far are you from a laundromat, and what does it cost to get there. (Of course I ALSO would want to think about how long I will be there, and how much diesel I need in the tank to get to a fuel station someday ...if I would be using all my diesel and having to refuel the MH, "cost effective" takes on a whole new light!) You might look into how much power it would take to run the washer through a cycle, and if it works with your setup you could run the washer to wash clothes, and then hang them outside to dry ...the dryer is the large current hog, not the washer. And depending on where you are, it may be permissible to dump gray water on the ground.

Thanks for the info. Sometimes it's just the convenience that will determine how we do the laundry. But I do try to be conservative with both water & electrical usage. Other times, if we've got a good book going, a trip to the laundromat is a good excuse to read away a few hours if the laundromat is not too far away.

[Davdeb1]

No toad?

[Mr_D]

On our Splendid it cautions you to open the grey water valve before running a load although I think we could do a couple loads with no trouble IF the grey tank was empty to start.

[mr300ce]

Read on some site or in the 10-minute tips books about putting clothes in a tub/tote with water and soap, and let the motion of the vehicle do the agitation/washing, then empty and fill with fresh water and let it shake around some more to rinse. Then let them hang to dry.

I would try it when out in the toad. Free washing.

[Mtnbiker1096]

5 gallon bucket with a snap on lid with about a 1 inch hole cut in it. Put in a few items, some detergent, some water, put a plunger in the bucket and put the handle through the hole in the lid. Then pretend your churning butter for a little bit. Sounds corny but it actually works pretty good in a pinch.

[jemma112]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtnbiker1096 5 gallon bucket with a snap on lid with about a 1 inch hole cut in it. Put in a few items, some detergent, some water, put a plunger in the bucket and put the handle through the hole in the lid. Then pretend your churning butter for a little bit. Sounds corny but it actually works pretty good in a pinch.

What a great idea!

[jzick]

There are some non electric or light electric use small washers and dryers available that may be useful for some. You could start a search here http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie...8SI3W&isPopup=

[TXiceman]

And you can always use a rock down at the creek to pound out the dirt.....

Ken

[bucks2]

There are a lot of variables built into the original question. Boondocking can mean out in a national forest with no one within miles of you, and it can mean dry camping in a parking lot next to other folks 10 feet away. Different people interpret the concept differently.

I envision that most peoples boondocking involves some generator usage at some point in time. I would time my laundry activities to coincide with that time. Most onboard generators in RV's with w/d will have plenty of capacity to charge batteries and run the dryer at the same time.

I also interpret from the OP that the dump/water supply is a reasonable distance from the boondocking site. So, pulling in the slides, and jacks (or going from "level" to "travel" on the air bags) is about all it will take to be ready to dump. Now if you have Arizona rooms attached, dog pens, skirting, flat tires, wild animal snares or other attachments, those might take a little longer.

I would make a laundry day. Start the generator, wash the clothes, dump that water/refill, dry them while dumping and filling if possible, and repeat if necessary. Do it all in one day and you're good to go for another however long. We can just barely make 2 wash loads with empty gray tank, your mileage may vary.

We have enough clothes to wear clean for 2 weeks without worry. While boondocking we've been known to not shower every day and sometimes wear the same clothes more than one day. Often times we'll "accidentally forget" to iron the t-shirts and shorts. Occasionally we'll go without socks or wear wrinkled ones right out of the drawer. So I guess I'm saying that wash day every 2-4 weeks isn't, in my mind, a large burden if I can get 'er done in one day and go back to my busy lifestyle.

If you're driving to work at the office each day from your boondocking site, you got a whole 'nother set of problems which I don't remember the answers to.

We have done the laundrymat thing on occasion and it seems like 3 loads is $10-$15 each time. It'd be your decision whether to wash your frilly undies in the washer right after Farmer Fred did his overalls.

Ken