Generator or electricity

[beverlyt]

What would you do?

In the next year or two, we would like to start spending a few weeks each summer camping on our property, 800 miles from home.

I can't make up my mind to have a electricity pole put in, with a box that is locked up and place a call once a year for $35.00 plus whatever we use in electricity.... then call them when we are leaving to turn it back off.

Or:

Buy a Honda 2000 generator and use that on the property. It is the AC issue that I am really wanting to tackle.

I have no idea how much gas we would need over a extended 3 week period to run the generator..... It gets hot... so we would run it mostly at night and a little during the day.
But I also think about how we could use it other places, other than the property.

Thoughts please?

Bev

[WoodSmith]

I would think that Having a generator would give you a lot more flexibility. Especially if it is a small and quiet enough unit that you could use it camping elsewhere. How big is the property? Would you need electric elsewhere for improvements?

With my luck, I'd forget to call the power company, or they wouldn't get the power turned on in time, or the power pole would get put in in a place that floods or or or or or...

Fuel and noise are things to consider, but I think they are doable.

[asianflava]

It's your property, if there is no one else that will get annoyed by the noise I say get the generator. The only cons I can think of would be having to bring it, and bring gas for it.

[JunkMan]

I would go with the generator, you could use it for other things besides just the few weeks you spend camping on your properety.

I don't think 2000 watts is enough to run an A/C unit. Most RV sites reccommend 5000 watts for a RV rooftop unit. The guys that have the small generators say they are fine for watching TV, and running lights and such, but just don't have the power for the A/C.

You probably have a small window unit, but it still draws quite a bit. You need to check what it draws on startup, and get a generator sized accordingly. I think the A/C unit is rated in amperage draw, which you can convert to watts (unfortunatly I don't remember the formula).

[Guest]

Bev,
Having the electricty to connect you to the grid would add value to the property should you ever decide to sell...
A friend of mine recently got put on the grid and it cost $15K just to put in a few poles and run the wiring to her house.
I don't know what it would cost in your situation, but my friend was wasn't very far away from where the grid stopped.
If the cost isn't extreme to be hooked up to the grid, I would think that having electricity would give you more options to work with as far as improving your property goes...
Some people do like not being on the grid as well...
My friend had been off the grid for 20+ years... went all solar.
Now that she is on the grid with the new house, she had the old house hooked up as well to sell electricity back to the power company.
She now get's a check from the power company, instead of writing one to them... The old house produces more elctricity than the new one uses.
In your situation... I think it depends on what your long term plan for the property is, because a generator is handy and you just take it with you when you leave.

[SteveH]

I think the A/C unit is rated in amperage draw, which you can convert to watts (unfortunatly I don't remember the formula).

Power ( in watts) = Current (in amps) X volts

An example: 15 amps X 120 volts = 1800 watts, or 1.8 Kwatts.

[Cutterpup]

Most electric motors including the ones in an a/c unit need almost twice the running current to start. So you will need a generator with at least 2 times the rated watts.

So remember sometimes bigger is better.

Dan

[Arne]

are the honda eu2000 available at discount, or are they one of those msrp items?

I've looked on the net and no go... most don't even list the price.

[beverlyt]

We have a small Hampton Bay. The info:
5050BTU, will cool approx. 150 square ft... 15 amps, draws 4.8 amps.

It think the Honda generator I want runs about 1000 bucks.

Since I don't know long-term what are plans for the property are, perhaps the generator is the better way to go.

There is a pole practically on the property, so I believe it would cost about the same cost of the generator to get the electric ran.

Thanks for everyones input!

Bev

[dmb90260]

are the honda eu2000 available at discount, or are they one of those msrp items?
I've looked on the net and no go... most don't even list the price.

You might find a better price with Google but I paid $1000 two years ago and I have not seen a lower price since then.
I was at an RV show and bought their demo model after it was over and I did save some money at the time.

They work well but can be overloaded. I had mine at an event a couple weeks ago and someone had two coffee urns going (I limit it to one) and then someone else just had to microwave a danish. Naturally it all shut down. the internal system protected it. I unplugged the microwave, one urn and restarted it and everything was fine.

Save us from the clueless... "How can heat my danish??"

If you know someone with a second Honda 2K, you can get a cable to daisy chain them and double the output. The cable costs about $100 so I have not bothered to get one.