Quote: Originally posted by suttons2 on 13/11/2010
No still not convinced solar panels no. Will stick with genny thanks pollution maybe a bit but hey that's life.See all the fuss is people seem to think it's the noise It will keep me awake WHY I don't run mine all night usually not passed 8pm kids run around screaming latter than that and tellies going on full blast to drowned out the kids!!!!!!!! It is why as stated again and again we only use them with THE FULL PERMISSION OF THE LAND OWNER.
Getting enough solar panels to power anything more than a laptop is going to be expensive, plus they are fragile and useless unless it's sunny.
My comment about the generator keeping me awake was a reference to other people's, not my own. I think I'm with you in that I'd rather hear the background rumble of a generator than kids screaming and telly at full blast.
But, and this is a big "but"... when camping you don't have the layers of sound insulation that you do at home and whatever you do - be it playing monopoly, watching TV, or exploring the threads I saw a while back on ... er... adult cuddles in tents, it has to be done with an element of consideration to neighbours.
As for the pollution level, a well tuned generator, like a well tuned car, should not have a smelly exhaust (apart from possibly a whiff on starting). The EU20i holds less than a gallon of fuel and will run for 10 hours on that. I can get through that in 20 minutes in the car so I'm not really creating a whole heap of pollution running a genny for a few hours a day.
I think this discussion has run it's course though. The general consensus seems to be against running generators on campsites regardless of what the site rules and land owner says. I think I'm probably in the minority of not caring if a generator is being run during day/early evening.
At most shows a lot of folk use gennys make sure you get a 4 stroke low noise suitcase style, it doesnt have to be an expensive honda. We have soloar as well which is fine but at the end of the day their imput is to the 12v system and is really only good for battery mainenance in this country unless you cover the roof with them. I find the noise from a genny no more intrusive than a pile of kids playing and screaming. If you are at a show for 4 days and it rains or is overcast for 2 or 3 of them you need an additional power source even if its just to recharge your batteries.Running your vehicle is another option but is a more expensive way to me.
You shouldn't actually need a genny, I can understand having one as back-up, should your leisure batteries go down or something like that, but a good leisure battery should run lights, water pump & small TV for a good few days, maybe even a week. & a decent inverter will give you a much more stable output than most gennys, especially a pure sine wave model, although for the larger inverters it would be advisable to carry 2 or 3 leisure batteries.
I would say a decent charging system run from the engine whilst on the move, & possibly a solar system to keep them topped up if you're sat still for long periods, would completely negate the need for a noisy, smelly generator that requires constant fuel & regular maintenance & will probably end up annoying your neighbours.
I camped at a steam rally (The Festival of Transport) in the august bank-holiday. There were quite a few with generators there, most of whom were very considerate & switched them off by about 8 or 9pm, but there were one or two who kept them running well past 10pm & were, it's safe to say, the annoyance to just about everyone else on the field.
BTW, I'm not completely anti generators (I'm a sparky, & an old collector of vintage stationary engines, which includes some generators) as long as they are used with consideration to others.
I just feel that, these days, there are cheaper alternatives, like an extra leisure battery & an inverter. Or simply getting back to basics & running the fridge off gas (it WILL cope) & the lights off 12v.
It really depends on how much time you expect to spend in your tent/caravan & how much time you expect to be out & about doing other things. I like to think of my tent as sleeping & eating accommodation only, as I'm usually on holiday when I'm using it, which generally means exploring somewhere different.
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Personally I use the dreaded genny on site's with no ehu with the site owners full permission within strict times if needed, but thats our decision. We could I suppose travel a few miles and go to a site with all mod con's but we chose not to as we enjoy caravaning in it's natural form very basic and rural.
Sorry, just had to say it.... what is natural, basic and rural about a generator?
Not meaning to be rude or anything, I just can't see myself in a wonderfully quiet, rural spot, enjoying the solitude with a genny running.
Yes, hardly back to basics is it. Mind you, nor is leisure batteries, solar cells & inverters.
I'm glad someone bought that point up tactfully though, I was dying to say something but didn't want to offend anyone. Especially as we're discussing such a love-hate subject in the first place.
ok i have read thisb thread with interset as we camp for 2 weeks every year with no hook up with a large group of people who have the same hobby. we have gone from tent to caravan this year and took all our stuff with us wind up lights ect and used the fridge on gas so we are fine with no electics. but I have to say thoues who are with us use genoratours and they have caused us no problems when we were in the tent or van the new ones seam very quiet and fume free and and all users seamed to be considerat of the time they used them. We have no plans on using one yet but ahve to say there been some good info on here about them and we will probably get one in the futer. when you get yoir georator let us know hat type and how you get on with it
------------- Dyslexic not stuped
It's nice to be important but its more important to be nice
You're absolutely right, it's more the user than the actual generator that can end up getting on peoples nerves, like my experience at the Festival of Transport back in august.
I still stand by what I said about inverters, they're perfect for charging stuff up & running low wattage appliances, they need no maintenance & are quieter than a generator to the point where you can leave them running all night if you wish.
I'm sure none of our members here at ukcs would be inconsiderate when using a generator, & TBH my experience back in august was literally one or two caravanners (think it was 2 next to each other) out of lots who actually had gennys, so not bad really as I'm sure there could've been a whole field of them going all night, there were quite a few there.
The point here seems to be lost we go into a field maybe just us maybe a few of us, we ring the landowner ask his permission tell him we will be using jenny's if he says no then we ring another,(these are not camp sites just farmers fields) Never had one say no yet mind. NO other campers/caravanners anywhere else so we use our jenny so do our friends. THEREFORE we do not annoy others and they do not annoy us. If we use a camp site then of course we use leccy hook up.
The point was clearly laid out by the OP's OP;-
[I am looking at buying a genny and i wondered what the caravan and camping/ caravan clubs stance is on this. Does anyone have any views]
& they got their views.
Job done on that front, I would say.
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Topic: Leasure Generators
