An upset neighbor

[s1000pre]

After visiting 80 or so campgrounds, we just had a first. Our neighbors who parked next to us today knocked on our door and requested us to turn off our heat pumps. We have five or so feet in between our trailers and I assume their slide outs aren’t well sealed. She said the noise is unbearable. The other option is to run the furnace which is pointed right at them like a cannon, which of course turns on and off throughout the the night.

[Dennis C]

Interesting. I’ve never encountered anything like that. I’m sure her RV is totally silent…

[bweybright]

It sounds like a very tight campground...screw them.....you will be dealing with their noise is my approach.
Or if you want to be nasty and as you said have your furnace blowing on them for noise and heat...then let er rip tater chip.
Its up to you what you do, but it does not sound like a happy place to be parked....ignore the idiot who knocked on your door. and move on.
The proactive response would be to let the campground management know this person has taken moves towards your spot. Let them deal with it.

Best of luck to you.
Bob

[mikeinca]

A lot would depend on your neighbor's attitude when they knocked on your door. Were they polite with their request or demanding and belligerent?

That said, I suppose I can see how a pair of heat pumps running all night could be disturbing. Although it's tempting to use the heat pumps when we're on a campground's shore power rather than burning propane, we find the furnace in our 2020 Globetrotter is much less intrusive, noise wise, than our twin heat pumps, even inside our own trailer. If you use the furnace and the neighbors still complain then I'd say they are being unreasonable. As far as the furnace cycling on and off, don't your heat pumps do that as well? Ours do.

Anyway, good luck and hope you get things sorted out.

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by mikeinca

A lot would depend on your neighbor's attitude when they knocked on your door. Were they polite with their request or demanding and belligerent?

That said, I suppose I can see how a pair of heat pumps running all night could be disturbing. Although it's tempting to use the heat pumps when we're on a campground's shore power rather than burning propane, we find the furnace in our 2020 Globetrotter is much less intrusive, noise wise, than our twin heat pumps, even inside our own trailer. If you use the furnace and the neighbors still complain then I'd say they are being unreasonable. As far as the furnace cycling on and off, don't your heat pumps do that as well? Ours do.

Anyway, good luck and hope you get things sorted out.

She wasn’t angry, more like irritated and complaining. As she started walking away, she yelled back “I sure hope they won’t be running all night”. As she walked up to knock on the door, I though there was something actually wrong. I was blown away when I realized she was irritated that we were running our heat.

When running our heat pumps or AC, we always leave the fans set to (on) not (auto). This way the fans stay on constant which drowns out any disrupting cycling of the pump. I think our furnace is actually louder. It sounds like a jet engine with a deep grown that reverberates through just about everything. I might just have to run that.

[Saluda372]

If you're cold you're cold. Never thought that unit made so much noise.

[GettinAway]

We sometimes run a small electric heater inside our AS. It is the quietest option we’ve found. I’ve been irritated by RVs running generators, or AC units when I’ve tent camped near them, but I’ve never even thought to ask someone to turn off AC.. I mean, that’s what you should expect when you select a CG with 5’ between sites.

[ROBERT CROSS]

I would have brought you a union suit just asked you to shut it off...please.

POI...one of our favorite campgrounds has no hook-ups. If we have or get neighbors I always made a point of greeting and letting them know we have a generator and if they need power they are welcome to it.
I never had a request or complaint.

Bob
🇺🇦🇺🇸🇺🇦

[GOUSC]

We use a small space heater as well at nighttime as we don’t like the cycling on/off as well during the night. Just our personal preference. I’ve never heard of anyone complaining about HVAC use unless powered by a generator. I agree with others that her request seems a little unreasonable.

[SuperTrouper]

I bought an oil filled space heater and augment that with the furnace if at full hookups for this reason. The heatpump is noisy inside and noisier outside. If it's hot, everyone runs their AC so it's not a big deal but if you need to heat the trailer I wouldn't want to be the only one running a heat pump all night both for myself and my neighbors' expectation of a peaceful night. Fortunately, most of my camping is no full hookups and in such cases I shut down the hot water heater and lower the furnace to 60 or so to be a good quiet neighbor overnight (23:00 to 07:00) - Brad

[kittmaster]

Your gear and options are there for your use....they don't like it, they can leave or move.....I wouldn't have been so nice if I were in your shoes.

People have real nerve these days....

[Mollysdad]

I usually go for problem solving, not confrontation.
The last time I had a neighbor 5' away was Alumalina and I wish I had a noise maker, but that's another story.
I've never had anyone knock on my door about noise.
Do you carry an electric heater? Otherwise, "Sorry, would you rather I use the furnace?"

[John Ware]

I hope that lady learned a valuable lesson about camping in an RV parking lot. I hope she didn't fall for the info on the brochure about the park being a Garden of Eden.

[CRH]

I had a camping neighbor suggest that I would enjoy sleeping more if I turned my AC off and opened my windows. I noticed her windows were open. I guess she didn't like listening to my AC.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by CRH

I had a camping neighbor suggest that I would enjoy sleeping more if I turned my AC off and opened my windows. I noticed her windows were open. I guess she didn't like listening to my AC.

There's a whole hierarchy of windows vs. A/C.
Go to a place with mostly motor homes and no one has windows open. I can't be sure I ever opened the windows on mine except the one for toll booths!
As the size goes down the windows open more. It took me a while to break the habit of "park/power/turn on A/C."
I actually discovered I liked the windows open.

[Fungus]

Yes. Windows open unless the camp-smolders (there’s no flame so they can’t be camp-fires) make it impossible to breathe.

How cold is it where the OP is staying? We never run the heat pump at night because it’s so noisy for us. The furnace is set to the low 50s. The furnace rarely comes on unless temps are in the low 30s or lower. Two warm bodies in a queen bed make it pretty cozy.

[rmkrum]

Fortunately our jet engine of a furnace exhaust is center rear on our Airstream. In cold weather it’s noisy inside, and I don’t worry about outside.

[Bill M.]

You needed 2 heat pumps in June? Or were you running the AC?

[richard5933]

Can't speak for the OP, but we're camping outside of Grand Rapids MI and needed to run the heat strip this morning.

There is a reason we camp up north in the summer, but sometimes the cold nights require a bit of heat to keep the marital bliss.

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

You needed 2 heat pumps in June? Or were you running the AC?

We could probably make some accommodations if this were heat. Furnace, space heater etc. if it were the AC I’d say sorry, nothing I can do for you. I don’t care for the AC sound either, but here in Florida there would basically be no camping most of the year without it. Those Penguins are loud though.