Community Forums

cgreer00 · 03-25-2017, 07:29 AM

Does anyone have a resource you can point me to for the basics of boondocking? We have 2 house batteries (12V each) and a 1000W inverter, can these typically run what you need to overnight? Not A/C, but perhaps the fridge (residential) and a TV, laptop charger, etc?

Is there any harm in running your generator? We have an Onan 5500 that is pretty quiet and can power everything. Do people typically run their generators all night when boondocking? I guess when it's hot and we need A/C we would have to.

We are going on a 1 week trip at the beginning of April and are thinking about boondocking a few times just to learn how it all works.

cgreer00 · 03-25-2017, 12:03 PM

Edit: actually it looks like I have a 1000W converter but no inverter.

twinboat · 03-25-2017, 12:20 PM

Converters are usually rated in amps, so you may have an inverter.
Can you run the fridge without shore power or generator ?

I have run the generator thru the night, to keep the AC cooling us down.

okmunky · 03-25-2017, 12:33 PM

I boondock about 7 months per year. I have 2 6 volt golf cart batteries and 272 watts of solar glued to my roof (Unisolar), an RV fridge, 12 volt TV and DVD player and enough water and waste tanks capacity to go 4-5 weeks if I conserve.

You won't be able to run your residential fridge without an inverter. Depending on your water and gray tank capacity you might be able to shower in your rig if you are very careful with water use. You can use your generator all you want, but if there are others camped nearby they won't like it or you. It's also the most expensive way to get power.

You could easily add some portable solar panels that sit on the ground to increase your available power. Zamp makes some really good ones, but your battery capacity is limited.

Boondocking is more a way of life and requires the right equipment and changes in the way you live. You could easily overnight without hookups, but for long term boondocking you'll need to make some investments and sacrifice some creature comforts.

Read back thru this forum. There's a lot of knowledge posted here.

cgreer00 · 03-25-2017, 07:04 PM

Thanks everyone, great tips. We do have decent tanks (42 gallon grey, 42 gallon black, 55 gallon fresh) but we won't boondock for long periods of time, probably a few nights at the most before we stop at a campground to refresh everything. We have an Inteli Power 9100 next to our batteries and I believe that is a converter. The fridge doesn't come on unless we are on shore or have the generator running.

twogypsies · 03-25-2017, 09:20 PM

If you can't run your refrigerator on propane you won't be boondocking long unless you run the generator continuously. Make sure you're not parked by anyone else, especially if they have solar on their roof.

Our refrigerator could run on propane.

vsheetz · 03-25-2017, 09:27 PM

You don't have much battery capacity. You need an inverter for the RR. Surprised it does not have one if original to the RV?

Typical genny usage is a couple hours in the morning while preparing breakfast to recover battery charge from the previous nights usage. Then again run the genny a couple hours while preparing the evening meal, and maybe again in the evening while watching TV and topping the batteries to last through the night. Most area have quiet house of maybe 10p to 8a or so. Even if not published being kind to your neighbor is a good thing.

Oregon RR · 03-25-2017, 10:15 PM

If you are going to be running your generator boondocking - A tip on the Intelli Power / Progressive Dynamics 9100 series converter.

You can buy a "dongle" for that converter and for the 9200 series as well, it is about $10-$15. The dongle significantly speeds the charging time off the generator.

The converter ordinarily will charge at a rate of 14.4 volts until the batteries hit 12 volts, then kicks back down to 13.6 volts until fully charged (I think these numbers are correct - I studied it months ago - the concept is sound). There is a big difference in charging time between charging at 14.4 volts versus 13.6 volts.

The dongle allows you to force or not a 14.4 charging rate versus 13.6. If you are boondocking for 4 days and use the furnace, etc. a lot, you are going to have to use the generator a lot to keep the batteries up. You will have to check the water levels in the batteries more frequently - but that dongle might save you time and gas. Buy the dongle off the Progresive Dynamics web site. They have a really good explanation off how the converter works in conhunction with the "Charge Wizard."

I guess solar is the wildcard - is it sunny or not - do you have a good charging system or not.

Good luck.

cgreer00 · 03-26-2017, 05:07 AM

Thanks everyone...as far as the residential fridge, I believe it is pretty well-insulated, so if we don't open it at night after dinner, can't we run the generator to cool things down (set it on really cold) and then leave the generator off all night and let the fridge just rest without opening the doors? I think we can boondock without running the generator when we are sleeping as long as it isn't really hot outside.

vsheetz · 03-26-2017, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgreer00

Thanks everyone...as far as the residential fridge, I believe it is pretty well-insulated, so if we don't open it at night after dinner, can't we run the generator to cool things down (set it on really cold) and then leave the generator off all night and let the fridge just rest without opening the doors? I think we can boondock without running the generator when we are sleeping as long as it isn't really hot outside.

Yes, the refrigerator should stay pretty cold overnight without power. Although I would recommend to put an inverter on it.

memtb · 03-26-2017, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsheetz

Yes, the refrigerator should stay pretty cold overnight without power. Although I would recommend to put an inverter on it.

I'm with vsheetz here! Put in a small inverter to run the refrigerator. It may require a little "creativity", but is an inexpensive option that will satisfy the power needs of the refrigerator. We have an 800 watt inverter running our small "chest" freezer when we are traveling or boondocking. memtb

Scottybdivin · 03-26-2017, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgreer00

Does anyone have a resource you can point me to for the basics of boondocking? We have 2 house batteries (12V each) and a 1000W inverter, can these typically run what you need to overnight? Not A/C, but perhaps the fridge (residential) and a TV, laptop charger, etc?

Is there any harm in running your generator? We have an Onan 5500 that is pretty quiet and can power everything. Do people typically run their generators all night when boondocking? I guess when it's hot and we need A/C we would have to.

We are going on a 1 week trip at the beginning of April and are thinking about boondocking a few times just to learn how it all works.

If AC is required at night, and you are not in an area with restricted hours, you can certainly run the generator all night. I do it a couple times each year at race venues, in 100 degree weather. We run it for up to 96 hours straight. I shut it down every 12 hours to check oil, then fire it back up to get the AC going. Of course noise is not an issue at these events.