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PhilipKS · 02-12-2014, 05:40 AM

A reason to use the heat pump is that the electric is already paid for with the site. That said, I tend to follow the quiet time rules in the cold weather...no heat pump after 10pm. I don't bother in the summer, with all the SOB AC Units blasting away as well.

m.hony · 02-12-2014, 05:49 AM

Maybe I am hard of hearing, anyway, but-
The heat pump doesn't seem much louder than the propane furnace or the water heater.
For sure it isn't any louder than an old school diesel idling or a Bubba truck with Flowmasters and echo tips, or a family in the heat of a domestic dispute or a bunch of teenage boys playing football at 11 PM by the bath house light, or a bunch of loud drunk people playing dominoes and slamming the bones down hard on one of them concrete state park tables, or someone's dog being left in a trailer all day and barking incessantly, or a Harley with pipes- just sayin'
All of these noises are more noticeable in a tent than in a trailer.

Protagonist · 02-12-2014, 06:26 AM

Ah, one of the many advantages of getting old. Once you go deaf, it doesn't bother you anymore.

But seriously…

I've been an apartment-dweller all my adult life. The common-courtesy rules of apartment living aren't a lot different from the common-courtesy rules of campground living. If my neighbor needs to run the air conditioner to keep from sweating in bed, or needs a heat pump or furnace to keep from shivering, I'm not going to complain because I'll probably be doing the same. But when it comes to loud entertainment, apartment rules should apply there, too. In New Orleans, at least, if you can hear the party, you're automatically invited to join the party. So if my campground neighbors were blasting their television during quiet hours, I'd knock on their door and say, "Since I can hear it, I must be invited to come over and watch it as well, right?"

Many parks that allow tent camping have tent-only areas. Anyone who elects to pitch a tent in an RV camping area is making a conscious decision to put up with RVers next door in exchange for being able to park right next to the tent or have ready access to electricity and running water that they don't have in the tent-only area. In my opinion, a tenter in an RV campsite has the right to complain about loud entertainment next door, but not about the sound of air conditioning, heaters, or other comfort appliances. If we wanted to sweat or shiver in our sleep, we'd be in a tent, too, not in an RV, and they just have to accept that.

Valacidor · 02-12-2014, 06:50 AM

I'm not saying the OP didn't do the right thing, I'm saying the tent camper was rude. Since when is it right to think it is everyone else's job to make us happy.
I was taught it was my job to feed, clothe, house, and keep me and mine happy.
After 50+ years of such I am tired of pleasing other people who think I should cater to their every whim. Yes, I can be a grumpy old man, I've earned it.

SteveH · 02-12-2014, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valacidor

I'm not saying the OP didn't do the right thing, I'm saying the tent camper was rude. Since when is it right to think it is everyone else's job to make us happy.
I was taught it was my job to feed, clothe, house, and keep me and mine happy.
After 50+ years of such I am tired of pleasing other people who think I should cater to their every whim. Yes, I can be a grumpy old man, I've earned it.

Yes! And I think I'll start carrying some of those cheap foam ear plugs with us in the trailer should something like this ever happen to us. I'll just hand them some ear plugs. :-)

perryg114 · 02-12-2014, 07:21 AM

I have never heard a trailer heat pump but I can't imagine one creating that much noise. I prefer the noise of the AC fan over music and dogs barking. I don't see how tent campers even sleep in a park now days with all the dogs barking in parks these days. The tent campers with dogs seem to be the worse because their dogs are outside and they bark constantly. Most of the old folks that have dogs keep them under control. I actually turn my AC fan on to block other noise sources. I have even used white noise generating MP3's in hotel rooms to cover up noise. I did have a heat pump at my house replaced with a quieter unit because the original one sounded like a diesel truck running outside the house.

Perry

SteveH · 02-12-2014, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

I have never heard a trailer heat pump but I can't imagine one creating that much noise. I prefer the noise of the AC fan over music and dogs barking. I don't see how tent campers even sleep in a park now days with all the dogs barking in parks these days. The tent campers with dogs seem to be the worse because their dogs are outside and they bark constantly. Most of the old folks that have dogs keep them under control. I actually turn my AC fan on to block other noise sources. I have even used white noise generating MP3's in hotel rooms to cover up noise. I did have a heat pump at my house replaced with a quieter unit because the original one sounded like a diesel truck running outside the house.

Perry

Our trailer has two of them, and they make the same type and level of noise as when they are running as air conditioners. It's the same unit, only there is a valve in the refrigerant system that reverses the flow.

I'm actually thinking the tenter was a little pissed because he was cold and knew the people in the Airstream next to him were warm.

xrvr · 02-12-2014, 07:34 AM

I have never been to a campground that allows dogs to bark all night. Barking dogs are a reason to be kicked out, just like loud music or loud talking after quiet hours start. Jim

r carl · 02-12-2014, 07:44 AM

I think the tenter should of just unplugged your power instead of waking you up.

paiceman · 02-12-2014, 07:52 AM

My take - Life is short and so are many folks tempers these days - and many of them are armed. Despite my tendency of the past I've come to the conclusion it's better to simply comply with any reasonable request of a fellow human and move on. Things escalate very quickly, much faster than you can imagine - look at the recent movie theater incident - young father now dead and 63 year old probably (should be headed) to the remainder of his life in jail - over texting.

Tater · 02-12-2014, 08:09 AM

I would be reasonably compliant. Heat, I Have an alternative, A/C I don't. I think it's more about attitude than noise. I run the fan on unit all night just to minimize outside noise and it works for us. In this case I would have been p'd off just to be awakened, and more p'd off if someone touched the power supply.

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Protagonist · 02-12-2014, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paiceman

My take - Life is short and so are many folks tempers these days - and many of them are armed.

Life is too short to allow myself to live in fear of armed whack-jobs. But hopefully I'm not stubborn enough to die for my convictions in an issue that shouldn't have been life-or-death to begin with, either.

If someone insisted that I comply with their unreasonable request and the issue escalated to drawn weapons— or even the just threat of fisticuffs— then I would comply with their stupid request for exactly as long as it took to summon law enforcement and swear out a complaint against them, and not one second longer.

perryg114 · 02-12-2014, 08:23 AM

If you want to camp in tent and don't want to hear AC units etc then camp in the primitive camping areas or better yet backpack.

Perry

Jammer · 02-12-2014, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner3

New experience for us. Tenters in next campsite asked us to turn off the heat pump because it is keeping them awake at night. I know they are loud but I sleep right through the noise until there is loud banging at the trailer door.

This is a state park with good sized sites. Turned on the propane furnace to be a good neighbor.

Several insightful replies upthread

The thing about the noise from heat pumps is that it changes as the unit cycles to melt accumulated ice. The valve klunks, the fan changes speeds, the compressor turns on and off. I can see how it would keep someone awake.

Like many other posters I don't ordinarily use the heat pump and instead rely on resistance heat and the propane furnace. Much of the reason is noise. I have a permanently installed, wall mounted electric heater for use on cool nights when electricity is available.

Campground policies and layouts vary widely. Around here the state parks have electric and nonelectric sites, and both are open to RVs and tents alike. Many times tent campers will chose an electric site. That doesn't mean they are in the "RV section."

Protagonist · 02-12-2014, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammer

That doesn't mean they are in the "RV section."

Well, it does to the extent that RVs aren't allowed anywhere else in the park, unlike tents that are also allowed in primitive areas. But you're right to the extent that a real "RV section" wouldn't allow tents in the first place.

Fly at Night · 02-12-2014, 09:48 AM

Fisticuffs? Bullets?

Sorry, but in Canada, even if you knocked on your neighbour's igloo (or RV, sorry) and found your sorry spouse in bed enjoying the "heat pump," this is the only thing that would be exchanged.

We're just too polite.....sorry.

Jammer · 02-12-2014, 09:52 AM

Protagonist --

Perhaps that's how it works where you travel.

In the state park system here, all sites are open to both tents and RVs. RVs can stay in the non-electric section (subject to length limitations), and some do either out of preference or because no electric sites are available. I have in fact done so myself. And some tent campers stay in electric sites, usually because they have a camping style based on using electric cooking appliances. The only individual campsites in Minnesota state parks that are closed to RVs are the "camper cabins" and, at a minority of parks, a handful of sites (usually 3-5 out of a total of 60 or more sites) without road access.

r carl · 02-12-2014, 10:04 AM

I see tent only sites everywhere here.

Tltulsa · 02-12-2014, 10:16 AM

PerryG hit it on the head..tent camping near RV pads is silly on many levels. I get that sometimes there is no option...overflow/excess sleepers. But folks, these are RV's..they make all kinds of noises. They are not primative in any way...find a spot where you can hear nature...i get it. But i'm in a portable house basically...sorry, it's a decision many of us have made for the obvious reasons. Enough said.

KenSanLan · 02-12-2014, 10:38 AM

Wow. When in doubt about whether or not to complain in a campground, try asking yourself if your take on the situation would be different if that were your aged mother or infant grandchild in the next campsite. We once had to break camp - tent- in the wee hours of the morning, because of a death in the family. There were phone calls, doors, engine noises, and I knew everyone in the cg was cursing us because they had no idea what had just happened. You never know what someone else's situation is - try to be tolerant, please.