Search Results for: mini inverter

It Would Be Fun to Live Off the Grid All of the Time

My Part Time Off the Grid Life.

Basically during most of the weeks of the summer, I live off-the-grid in the form of camping in the Adirondack backcountry at various roadside campsites. In the back country, your pretty much up to doing it all yourself, with gear you have brought. It is a rare thing for a campsite to even have an outhouse, much less a picnic table. The best you can expect for is a fire ring. All else, you must bring in or implement yourself.

When I roadside camp, I generate my own electricity using a 800-watt inverter to power lights, my laptop, and other small appliances. The electricity, generated by the alternator, is stored in a deep cycle battery, and turned into 120 volt AC current with an inverter, much like it would work in an off-the-grid set up. While I’m basically converting gasoline to electricity, the principles are the same as solar or wind energy in an off-the-grid system. There is no power grid to keep the lights on.

In the backcountry, you have to cook your meals and clean up after without the benefits of running water or centralized electricity. You learn how to be self-reliant and learn to do without. Most campsites lack outhouses, so your stuck digging a hole in the woods and burning your toilet paper. Showers involve taking a dip in a creek, or hauling water up into woods, and taking a shower under a shower bag. Okay maybe that part isn’t as much fun.

There is no trash pickup, so you burn the burnable garbage, and bring the unburnable waste back home for recycling. If you choose to use stryofoam plates, you don’t have to worry about them sitting in a landfill for the next millennium — they burn just fine. You get to build camp fires to stay warm, for enjoyment, and to watch things burn. Fire is fun.

Daylight matters in woods, and you can here the birds and wildlife back there. There isn’t the traffic noise. It can be darn quite. In the wilderness there is non-stop beauty, as the natural world works it’s way around the cycle known as the year — as the world continues to evolve through each and every flood, hurricane, and tornado.

Traveling to the backcountry usually involves visiting a lot of out of the way places. Many beautiful small towns, and spending time in and around them. Small towns are really a world away from living in Albany, where people are connected to the land. When your in a small town in the mountains or in farmscape of Rural America, it really feels like your a world away from the city.

Rochester Hispanic Percentage

Someday to Live Off the Grid All of the Time.

Camping is a fun adventure in summer time, but I think it would be fun adventure to basically do all of the time. While certainly I would want to have running water, and good way to take hot showers, I really don’t want to be part of the grid, but instead be responsible to meeting my own needs by physical means. Rather then paying a distant corporation to generate electricity or pump water to my place, I’d rather be able to generate it on my own means — either by petroleum or wind, water, or solar.

Unlike some people, I do not have as much as a moral objection to the grid or even civilized society, but I think it would be a lot of fun to work directly with the technologies that power’s one life — and to live fairly minimally without all the gizmos and energy sucking gadgets that are common when people are connected to the grid, and get virtually unlimited electricity for very low prices. It is nice to have a system under one’s control — and not dependent on the grid beyond your control.

I like the idea of living off the grid, because you would get to use fire in almost every facet of your life. One of the things I like most about camping is the fires, watching the woods (and trash) burn up in the fire pit. I like cutting and splitting my own wood, and I’d rather be in control of my heat energy supply rather then sending a check off every month to some distant utility. I want to minimize my waste, then be able to burn my burnable trash, and haul my recyclables to the recycling center, rather then depend on a centralized service that promotes wasteful behavior.

I want to live in outside a small town, away from the big city. I don’t want to have to deal with big city traffic, public transit, criminals, and the sensationalization of the media on how life in the city must be.

Electricity

The second part of the series I’ve written on Truck Camping deals with the use of electricity and inverters. The first article is about the truck I currently use for camping and my future plans. A third article is coming soon.

A Must Have:
An Inverter for Household Electricity.

No truck camping set up is complete without having access to electricity. Foruntately, we live in an era with inverters, that quietly turn the 12v electricity from your truck’s electric system and battery into household electricity. They make no noise except for a low hum of the cooling fan in the inverter, that keeps the transformer from overheating. The silence is nice compared to noisy, smelly, and bulky gasoline powered generators some people use to power their camping equipment.

Inverters are now inexpensive. I am a fan of the Vector Inverters from Pepboys. I currently use a $75 dollar, 800 watt Vector inverter, which is large enough to power a small dorm-room refigerator or a microwave, although I don’t currently use either one of them. I previously had $35 dollar, 400 watt Vector inverter from spring 2004 to fall 2008, but I replaced it as I thought it was broken, even though the real problem was the electrical line from the truck battery to the inverter had broken, shorting out and blowing the in-line fuse.

Hillcross Farm Parcel now posted as State Forest

Managing Your Battery Load:
Idle Your Engine Every 2-3 Hours for 10 Minutes.

One of the reasons that I bought the 800 watt inverter over the 400 watt inverter was for the built-in Digital LED voltage meter. Few things are more critical when camping, then to ensure you have sufficent cranking battery power to start up your truck in the morning. When the battery voltage gets below 12.0 volts unladen (ie. with your electrical load unplugged), you know you should start the truck up for 10 minutes to ensure the battery charge is maintained.

I’ve discovered that idling the truck for 10 minutes every 2-3 hours of moderate load (50-200 watts draw), ensures your battery remains a strong charge for starting even in cold weather. Their should be sufficent charge at all night for camping, and powering a florescent reading lamp, alarm clock, and other small devices (20-30 watts), although one should always start the truck up 10 minutes before bed to ensure the a sufficent charge come morning. For heavier temporary loads, like running a microwave or toaster, it’s probably best to idle your engine while in use, and few a few minutes there after to ensure a strong battery charge.

The colder the weather the quicker the discharge and the more power you need for starting, however if you keep the battery meter above 11.8 volts, there should be sufficent charge. Most inverters will shut off at 11.7 volts, however, this in many cases is not sufficent power for starting a cold engine, and risks damaging a typical truck starting battery through warping the electrode plates.

We are often educated to think idling a car is wasteful and consumes large amounts of gasoline. Indeed, idling a car without purpose, or even to warm up a car (for the engine’s sake), is wasteful of gas. However, idling to charge a battery uses minimal gasoline, my Ford Ranger uses maybe a 1/4 gallon of gasoline per day camping, just to generate electricity. Modern engines have little drag at idle, and therefore consume minimal energy running the alternator and other equipment when parked.

When in doubt, idle. It’s uses minimal gas and a lot easier then having to jump start in the morning.

Tulip Beds

Have A Back Up Plan:
For a Dead Battery.

Don’t go alone without a plan in case you have a dead battery in the morning. If your traveling with buddies who also have pickup trucks, then just make sure you have jumper cables. Be aware that smaller cars will not be able to neccessarly provide the power you need to jump start your truck, especially in cold weather due to the amperage requirements.

If your traveling alone, bring another battery to jump start. I currently use a Vector “Hot-Shot” Emergency Battery Jump Starter Kit that I bought for $40. It is a stand-alone battery that you charge in advance, and in case of emergency, you hook the jumper cables built into the “hot-shot” battery to your truck’s battery, providing the extra current needed to turn over your motor.

I currently store the “hot-shot” behind the driver’s seat in the cab. It’s 12 volt trickle charger cord is currently hard wired into the line that provides power from the main truck battery to the inverter. I unplug the “hot-shot” charger cord from the inverter power line when using the inverter, to keep the inverter from robbing electricity from the “hot-shot” when camping. Otherwise, when I’m driving, the “hot-shot” is constantly getting trickle charged at the proper voltage, controlled by the truck’s built in voltage regulator in the alternator.

Previously I had a transformer cord that I used to charge the “hot-shot” at home, but it got accidently destroyed, and I figure it’s smarter to have the “hot-shot” in the truck at all times and persistantly charged.

Afternoon

Future Set Up.

When I get my next pickup truck, a full-size truck, with more room under the hood, I plan to have a second battery installed under the hood. This will be a marine or deep cycle battery, designed to provide longer battery charge for powering the inverter, providing more electricity for longer periods of time. Likewise, due to the thicker plates of a deep cycle battery, it’s unlikely to be destroyed by the use of

The deep-cycle battery will be electrically isolated from the main starting battery using a device called a battery isolator, which is a block of diodes. While the truck’s alternator will provide electricity to charge the deep cycle and starting battery, the isolator prevents the deep cycle battery from stealing electricity from the starting battery.

In addition, I’m considering getting a set of low-cost 50-watt solar panels, to provide about 10 amps of 12vdc power through a solar charger, to feed into the battery isolator when the truck is off. That said, I’m not sure if it’s cost effective compared to simply idling the truck when the battery is low.

Truck Camping in Pictures

In recent months I have done a series of articles about truck camping and my set up. This time I decided to do an article with pictures, showing my set up over the years and some of the equipment I currently use.

My Truck.

Campsite

This picture was taken camping down by Betty Brook in the Burnt Rossman State Forest. This is one of my favorite places for camping. No fancy gear set up here, just unloaded the things I needed from the back, started a campfire, and enjoying the afternoon sunshine on this cold fall afternoon.

Electricity Generation.

Hillcross Farm Parcel now posted as State Forest

Lanterns are okay for camping in the back country. I however like being able to camp with electrical lighting and small electrical appliances when I am truck camping, as I have a ready source of energy — the truck’s battery. My current inverter (Vector 800-watt inverter) has voltage meter that displays how much power the truck’s battery is putting out, so as it gets lower, I simply just turn on the engine for 10-15 minutes to recharge the battery. At idle speed, especially in summer months, the truck uses minimal gasoline to recharge the battery.

Kayak Tying Down Tarp

In this picture, you can see the wires coming out of the cab, from the inverter, out to Christmas Lights, and to the regular old power strip I have in the bed of pickup, which provides places to plug in the lead lamps, the alarm clock, more Christmas Lights, and anything else that needs juice like my camera battery charger or even my laptop.

Lighting the Campsite.

Campsite

I use a set of 9-watt, 12-watt or 26-watt compact floresecent lamps in conventional lead lamps to light the campsite. I swap out light bulbs depending on my need for light, choosing smaller bulbs to conserve energy whenever possible. These compact lamps put out the equalivent of a 40-watt, 60-watt, or 100-watt conventional light bulb respectively.

Reading in the Rain

The light is largely flicker free, much brighter and higher quality then white-gas lanterns, and is superior for reading. I frequently read late into the night when I am out camping.

Tarp and Polls.

Camping

I originally bought this inexpensive tarp from Walmart for privacy while taking “showers” from my portable shower bag. I use it far more to keep the rain off my head on rainy days when camping. Usually it’s just attached to surrounding trees with bungee cords, other times I use a mixture of poles, trees, stakes, and occassionally the kayak.

Camping Down By Otter Brook

In this picture, the tarp is held up entirely by trees and long bungee cords, when I was camping up at Moose River Plains down by the Otter Brook.

In the Cab


I frequently store one or more plastic tubs in the cab of my truck at night, usually with food and other things that I want to keep away from animals and don’t want back where I am sleeping.

Under the Cap.

Packing Up the Gear

This picture shows some of the wires, camping gear, and box full of beer I had when I was camping up at the Allegheny National Forest.

Camping Set Up

Camping at Sugar Hill, with my wooden table in my pickup, a little bit before the un was up. I have a table lamp up there, and below the table is all the blankets I brought to stay warm this time of year.

Truck Camping

Using my tailgate as a table as I have breakfast when I was camping up at Stoney Pond.

Hanging Out at the Campsite.

Tulip Beds

Camping up on Leonard Hill last summer. The beer is chilling on the bumper, and the campfire in the front, along with Christmas light.

Oil Heating in NY State

Camping up at Allegenheny National Forest. Getting ready and packed up for the morning, burning off some trash before I head out for the day’s events.

Lighting & Appliances

This is third in a series. First read about generating power using the inverter.

Lighting System Wiring.

For wiring in my system, I use two sets of surge strips. One is plugged in the cab of the truck, directly to the inverter. This is used for charger and cords I want in the cab. When parked and camping, I then use a 12 foot extension cord / lead lamp cord, to run power out to the bed. There is another surge strip plugged in there. From there, is were I plug in all the appliances to the bed, along with the two other lead lamps that I use when camping.

Hillcross Farm Parcel now posted as State Forest

Compact Florescent:
My Set Up & What You Need to Know.

Whether or not you believe in global warming or the price of your utility bill, compact fluorescent are a technology you want to embrace when truck camping. Truck battery technology — whether or not you have a deep cycle or starting battery is limited in the amount of current it can retrieve, prior to requiring you to start up the truck and generate more current.

Low-cost, high-efficiency compact florescent lighting (CFL) is the most important invention when it comes to truck camping. You can get a lot of light on your campsite using CFL technology, with minimal battery drain. For example conventional incandescent bulbs versus florescent lighting:

  • 40 watt incandescent = 9 watt florescent
  • (50 watt incandescent estimated output of camp lantern)
  • 60 watt incandescent = 12 watt florescent
  • 100 watt incandescent = 24 watt florescent

You can therefore, produce a lot of light using compact florescent lamps compared to camp lanterns. You can have the best lit campsite around town! I swear any time I camp at Moose River Plains, people wonder why my campsite has so much light.

Reading in the Rain

I typically use two lead lamps I bought at home depot for $9 with 24 watt florescent bulbs. The fixtures are rated for 75 watt incandescent bulbs, but with the cooler and lower energy consuming florescent bulbs, you can get more light output out of these fixtures then you normally would. Moreover, your saving your battery by the lower electricity consumption.

For inside the truck cap, I use a desk/reading lamp outfitted with a 9-watt compact florescent light. I have used bigger lamps, but under in the intimate space of the truck cap, you don’t need more light for reading other activities. Why waste energy, that you can conserve, and avoid having to start the pickup on up?

Camp Cowboy

Other Electrical Appliances.

When I’m camping, I always bring a portable (desk) fan, a clock radio/alarm clock. I also often bring my laptop, charger, along with chargers for things like my mp3 player, cell phone, and portable weather radio. I could also bring more devices, and indeed I have plenty of current with an 800 watt inverter (remember 742 watts = 1 horsepower) to power almost anything within reason I could bring camping.

Afternoon

The Truck Radio:
One Other Appliance Not to Forget.

While the truck’s radio is built into the truck, it can be a great source of entertainment. Just roll down the windows, and crank up the tunes up! Be aware however that the radio uses a lot of electricity compared many of the appliances you might plug into your inverter.

ou might find it more energy efficient (meaning less idling the truck), if you get a portable boombox that you can plug into the truck. Many use a lot less wattage then a conventional car radio, and you can direct the sound where you want.