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DiploStrat

Arlington VA

Senior Member

Joined: 09/01/2008

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Good Sam RV Club Member
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Sjm9911 wrote: .... It almost seems if you had an answer in mind before you started the thread, labeling people as unaware of the options that are out there. A little disingenuous if you ask me.
Absolutely. When we are in campgrounds we get a lot of people visiting and asking about our systems. Most comment that they could not imagine a camper that did not use propane. We have not used propane (except for a small grill) for years. Simply don't need it.
My only point in starting this thread was to point out that it is very possible to build a camper that is comfortable to 0F and below, for months on end, without using propane for heat or cooking.
Air conditioning is, indeed, a challenge. Having installed a 12v air conditioner, and used it, I think that next time I will go back to a 110v unit.
-- If it is really that hot and miserable that you NEED air conditioning, then it is probably worth paying for a campsite. And, if you have shore power, it is much more efficient to simply use 110v than to to run the air conditioner on 12v and recharge with 110v. (The charger gets hot!)
-- If you need to do this in the bush, then you are probably far enough from other folk that one of the new inverter/generators is a good option.
Everyone's needs differ.
DiploStrat
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1990 Mercedes Benz 917/XPCamper
Website: https://diplostrat.net/
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pianotuna

Regina, SK, Canada

Senior Member

Joined: 12/18/2004

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DiploStrat,
Which 12 volt air conditioner are you using?
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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StirCrazy

Kamloops, BC, Canada

Senior Member

Joined: 07/16/2003

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DiploStrat wrote: StirCrazy wrote:
While I can appreciate the ability to do this I am still amazed at how much power people use when they are camping.. Maybe I am just the not normal one.
in my truck camper with the furnace running most of the time my AH consumption is about 35AH a day. in my 40 foot 5th wheel it is only up around 85 at 28 degrees F so running the furnace, letting the kids watch 1 movie a night and using my kureg in the morning and after supper and the odd microwave use.. popcorn... so your supper alone is almost my entire days use , but I am using propane not power, and same for my fridge and furnace..
I recently upgraded to LFP batteries in the camper, and I am still playing to see what I can do with it but my rough capacity is 9 to 10 times my daily use, as I use it a lot in the real early spring and late fall when there is or could be snow on the ground still and we get a lot of overcast days so I want to be able to go until the sun comes back out and can charge everything up again. I plan on switching the 5th over also , just watching for screaming sales again..
I guess my thought process is that by leaving the furnace, fridge, and stove on Propane, I can focus my power on the lights, furnace fan, pumps etc which maximizes the length of time I can go.. with the solar set up in the summer water and take capacity are my limiting factors now as I can go a couple months on the propane and I'll never run out of power with the solar panels..
Would be interesting to do an energy audit - am I using the same amount of energy, regardless of source. As my camper is considerably smaller than a fifth wheel, I suspect so. I am just using electricity as opposed to propane.
My objection to propane is mostly the challenge of finding the right adapters outside of the US, getting a certification that there is no propane left before shipping, compressor refrigerators tend to work better than absorption, and, finally, a 60 gallon diesel tank will produce more heat, longer than a common propane tank without the need to refill.
But if you never travel outside of the US, none of this may be worth it. Ironically, we have a gas stove at home. ![grin [emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/grin.gif)
I have no issues with a diesel heat system at all, aside from having to carry a third power source haha. I was looking at going to one in the camper but decided the benifit for me wasn't worth the cost. still looking at hydronic systems though... I guess if you ship your unit and travel overseas then there would be some issues, but finding an adapter is a one off thing, once you have a european adapter you have it and so on... I cant speek to compressor fridges as I have never had a adsorption fridge not work well. any issues I have found is from manufactures not following directions properly when installing them.
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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