I am planning on purchasing a new Scamp 13, and wondered if anyone has foregone the tiny propane fridge for a Yeti cooler. I have camped with coolers for 2 week duration without issue. I am phobic about propane and would like to avoid it. I have an electric skillet and induction plate to use inside. I assume these could not run off battery so I planned to buy a Honda eu2000i generator. Could I run rooftop air conditioning with one generator or would I need to piggyback two 2000 gens together. I am disabled and can not maneuver the weight of the Honda 3000.
I am trying to think of all these issues before I purchase. I want to buy the Scamp without fridge, burners, heater all run by propane if feasible. Thanks for your advice.....Diane
I have a Yamaha 2000i generator that easily runs the airconditioner, refrig., and TV. at the same time.
Ronald A.
That sounds promising. I cant find any info on how many BTU the rooftop air conditioners are that Scamp installs.
I see a listing for a polar cub at 9200btu's air cond and 5600btu's heat and I also see a picture of a coleman mach series air conditioner.Not sure what is what so why not ask them?
Wade..
Almost forgot but go to the Scamp website and click on the Ask Scamp section and scroll down. There is a listing for two air-conditioners there. Hope this helps..
Badge, I don't have to show you any stinking badges!
Thanks. Somehow I missed the info under "ask scamp" on their website. ( I had called Scamp and requested info, but they sent me the same info as their generic brochure they show on line. )
In researching the Polar Cub, some people say they can run it on a 2000w, but when the compressor kicks in, the gen kicks off. Many people say they can NOT run it on a 2000W. I see now that Scamp website recommends a 3000W for trailers with air.
I will be traveling with pets, so I will occasionally need air conditioning, but can be sure not to run anything else at the same time. I guess I may try one gen 2000W before I spend another $ thousand on the 2 one.
The key issue you need to focus on is not BTU's but on the Watts used by the Rooftop A/C unit.
You need to get the information from either the actual A/C Unit, or from the manufacturer of the A/C Unit.
This will tell you how many watts the A/C unit will draw during operation.
You also need to consider the "Starting" watts vs. the "Running" watts.
For example: let's assume you determine that your A/C unit draws 1,900 watts, in theory, you would be okay with a 2,000 watt generator. However, Electric motors take a lot more energy/power to get started than they do to simply run. In the case of an A/C Unit the compressor is constantly starting and stopping during operation so the "Starting" wattage of your Generator is critical to operating your A/C Unit. (This is why the "Other Posters" have said their generator "Kicks off" when the compressor turns on).
By-the-way, if your A/C has enough power to "barely" operate, but, not ALL the Power it actually needs, it will fail Very quickly (Very, Very Quickly!!! ).
Like any other appliance, Air Conditioners are constantly improving and getting more efficient. A/C Units today, are more efficient then A/C Units from only a few years ago.
Since this issue is critical to you, I would suggest getting a Scamp that is setup to accommodate an A/C unit and then researching to find the most efficient A/C unit available and then purchasing the appropriate Generator that will properly power Your Chosen A/C unit (sort of a "Matched Set" if you will).
Tip: The fewer BTU's a Roof Top Unit puts out the Lower the Energy requirements (watts used). Choose a unit that has enough BTU's to cool your Scamp, but, not so many BTU's that you can make Ice Cubes on the Dinette Table.
Realize that Scamp has specified the BTU requirement for their trailers based on "everybody's" need for cooling, including the people that have to sleep with the thermostat set to 69 degrees (my personal preference). If you are more comfortable at 76 degrees then you will be able to choose an A/C Unit with a lower BTU rating than I would be able to choose.
Good Luck and let us know what you decide.
Happy Scamping !!!
PS: Unless the Generator Manufacturer has made provisions to "Daisy Chain" (use two Generators on the same circuit) their units together, you can't simply plug two generators into the same plug and "Hope for the Best", that is a disaster waiting to happen.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Thanks for your input. I am learning over the months before I purchase, hopefully for spring delivery. I am leaning towards Honda eu2000i since they can run parallel. I am hoping to almost full-time in a Scamp 13, and am concerned about AC for pets, although I will try to plan my travels according to weather patterns. I was using the online BTU conversion to wattage site just to give me an idea of what I will need.I have only been tent camping for many years, so this is all new. I don't know how flexible Scamp is with options, in regards to air and a Fantastic Fan, which I hear is great. I was hoping to have Scamp do installs on what I wanted for a new trailer, rather than having to stop on the road to do post-delivery adjustments. Will see about that soon enough, I guess, when I am ready to order.
Thanks again......
I am sure it is possible to order a new trailer without a Propane system installed. But, if you ever wanted to sell your Scamp It would be very difficult, because everybody expects a Propane system to be installed at the factory.
Selling your Scamp would take longer than it should, and you would have to sell it way below "Market" value just to get somebody to take it off your hands.
A better option, is to have the Factory install the propane system and never fill the tank with any propane. This way, you don't Kill the resale value of your Scamp and you don't have any Propane risk either. Additionally, you have the option to change your mind at some future point in time.
Happy Scamping !!!
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
You are right. It is too much of an investment to buy a new Scamp, and set myself up for problems down the road. I hope to keep and use it for many years, but you never know what life brings. Would it be worth it to buy a second battery? Should I upgrade to group 27 also?
Good question about the battery.
To answer the question you need to think about what will be running off of your 12 volt system.
You will be running your lighting ( insignificant if you have converted all your lights to LEDs ), your exhaust fans (hopefully yours are high quality, low current draw models), your water pump and your furnace fan for those cold nights. Of the four, your Furnace fan will place the most demand on your 12 volt system. Additionally, you may choose to run an inverter to power up/charge up personal electronic devices and/or an Entertainment system (TV, DVD player, etc.).
Keeping the above in mind, unless you are using the heck out of a 120 volt Entertainment system ( a 12v radio would have low impact on your battery) the standard battery option should be sufficient (if you want a little bit of extra "peace of mind" the upgrade to a larger batttery group might be worth while).
Happy Scamping !!!
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
I was thinking I would NOT get the furnace, if I added the Coleman Polar Cub air conditioner which has some heating capabilities. But I assume this would have to run off electric, or generator, and not battery. That would leave a laptop, or ipad, and lights to run from battery. It looks like Scamp doesnt install LED, due to cost I assume, so I will have to change those all out. If I stay at one place for a while, I believe I read that I can charge my battery from the Honda generator somehow. ?
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