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Old 05-16-2009, 10:36 PM   #1
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2008 31' Classic
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Should I take my Gens on our trip?

Planning a 11 week trip from Florida to Maine leaving 6/7, NS back through Canada to Upstate NY. I took them w/us 2yrs ago and never used them. Found it logistically difficult to plan on the road to be in a place secluded enough to use them. I called a client in coastal upstate Maine 65 miles from the border. I told him my unit has 2 Acs he said I should instead make sure my furnace is working! The water temp was 45 degrees. So even if we boondock he is implying Ac not needed. I kinda shy away from using the free parking at Wall-Mart etc society is a little frazzled on the edges and I dont want to invite intruders. So any overnite stay will probably be in a campsite in the states. Does Canada frown on roadside overniters. Or are there places one has to go to experience that happen to be off the grid?
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Old 05-17-2009, 04:53 AM   #2
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I assume by referring to "Gens", you mean 2 Honda EU-2000s. I would recommend taking one of them to recharge your battery. We went without our Gen and encountered a nasty storm event. Cold and rainy. The electricity to the campground was knocked out and the battery was insufficient to run the furnace fan through the night. I always carry my generator when we travel/camp, just in case.
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Old 05-17-2009, 05:47 AM   #3
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I'll second the one generator . Both Maine and Canada have some places to boondock . They both also have nice state and provincial parks that usually don't have hookups. It will open up more choices for you.
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Old 05-17-2009, 03:44 PM   #4
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One Gen 2000i

Good so I should not need 2 to run an AC even away from the ocean.
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Old 05-17-2009, 03:49 PM   #5
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Change over stock batteries to AGM?

My unit is now 2 years old, 2008 Limited 31. I have her hooked up when not camping. Is it time to swap them out and to change for 2 AGMs? I will be going through Colonial on the way up and the price for solar was $3400 if it is just to keep a charge to the batteries I dont think it makes much sense. If you are storing w/o a hookup I would think it would be best to just turn off the battery switch on the converter so the alarms dont drain them.
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Old 05-17-2009, 03:58 PM   #6
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Are you sure that killing the battery switch turns off the alarms? I think there is a requirement that CO, propane, etc. alarms be hard wired to the electrical source, so that if you've got batteries installed, you've got drain, so long as the batteries are connected. That's why most folks either pull the batteries in the winter or put them on a Battery Minder or equivalent.
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Old 05-17-2009, 04:04 PM   #7
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I would disconnect and remove the batteries to be safe. A wall mounted Battery Minder will keep the batteries topped off during storage. Some phantom loads are still going to be in the trailer due to Code requirements.

Solar panels are good in Florida, but are marginal in northern states like Maine.
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Old 05-17-2009, 05:24 PM   #8
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Take one

Two summers ago right after we bought our one 2000 when ready to break a boondocking camp the convertible battery died. No problem, I thought, I'll just take the trailer battery out and jump start the car with it. Our last night in the campsite we watched some movies and....you guessed it, the trailer battery was dead also. We were miles from any service help plus out of cell phone range too. At the time that I bought the 2000 I decided to splurge another $15 and buy the car battery charge cord accessory. We were on the road within 15 minutes.
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Old 05-17-2009, 06:46 PM   #9
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I splurged when we bought the Hondas, connecting kit and jumper cables. I met a fellow with the same exact AS as ours at Topsail 08 they came from Oregon by motorcycle traded it in for a F250 diesel and the AS. He is quite handy he had rigged up a maserator 12v system directly to an area where the outlet pipe runs, had a security system, his wife had already sewn pattern matching covers for all the furniture, made their own ottoman, and sewn security blinds for the camper top interior windows, and black cloth covers for the Hondas. They were out for full-timing in a serious way. I did pick up from him a couple of ideas one of which was the necessity of a bedslide. But the best setup I saw was at the Sarasota Rally one of the long-timers in his 34 had a power vent installed in his topper and he ran the generator from inside the bed connected to a forward position connector on the AS, he could stop on the road and without much hassle...
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Old 05-17-2009, 06:57 PM   #10
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Take at least one of the generators with you, two if you think you might need the AC. I have been caught in a variety of situations where having the generator along made the difference between miserable and tolerable. I also have heard one tale where someone's tow vehicle broke down and the only place to park was the dealer's back lot...with no power for 4 days...

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