Frugal RVing In South States - Ebooks

Monday, January 5, 2009

Seeking of Ultimate Power - The Quest To Find A Generator

Well, last night was supposed to be a hum-dinger of a storm with snow and wind enough to concern the locals about if their generators were ready in case of power outage.  

... so we had about 4 or 5 cm of snow, and the wind did kick up a bit, but to all intents and purposes, it rather fizzled.  But it does bring our mind to a focus of our next major addition to our set up.  

The Generator

Our generator hunt continues now.  We want to know that if we dry camp - winter or summer, we are prepared to power our needs, and with a 36 foot 5th wheel on 50 amps, it can be thirsty, depending on what you are running.  My husband is working with the theory that he would rather over shoot than miss the mark. 


Since our set-up includes a workshop for Ken (a utility trailer with his tools for pottering and such - a retired millwright does not easily step into idleness), we need a power source that can run his welders as well as standard power tools.   Also, we want a diesel generator for a few reasons.

  1. The truck is a diesel and so we only have to store 2 fuels (diesel and propane)
  2. Diesel generators don't need spark plugs
  3. They have no carburetor or distributor (with points to deal with)
  4. They run slower, so they last longer and are more efficient with the fuel 
  5. They have less maintenance downtime by far
In general, diesel motors are a better workhorse (whether for truck, or for generators).
Some would argue that diesel is now more expensive that regular gasoline.  I think you will find that the general descriptions above will in the long run, result in lower cost over time to run the diesel.

Whatever you choose, it is important to remember that preventative maintenance is the key to cost efficiency in all machines.  If you are going to go full-time, the effort and time will definitely be well spent.   The old adage of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure truly is applicable.  Only then can you truly attain the Ultimate Power - at least for your personal section of the world... 

Again, the day beckons, so I bid you,

Adieu


2 comments:

  1. Have fun doing your 'energy audit' to figure out what capacity genset you need!

    I'm glad Miranda came with a built in unit.

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  2. Thanks. We have decided the capacity - 6.5 - 7 Kw and we want diesel, but finding a good one that has the correct connections is going to be fun. Stay tuned... :-)

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