Thursday, December 23, 2010

Excellent Accessory To Take On Your Next Camping Trip

By Eric James


Owning a portable generator has its obvious benefits, especially if you are an avid camper. You don't need to go without all the mod cons for starters. Some people believe that camping is equal to roughing it but a growing number are starting to realize that it doesn't have to be this way. Portable generators are useful for both tent camping and caravan or RV camping. Different models of portable generators are designed to suit a particular need so your requirements will ultimately be the deciding factor on which you model you end up purchasing..

The very first thing when deciding on a portable power generator is to calculate your power requirements. This is just very basic maths. List all of the devices that your generator will be powering at the same time, find out the wattage requirement for each appliance and then add them together. If they don't have a wattage rating then you will need to do a few more sums. Watts=Amps x Volts and you will arrive at the wattage needed to power the device.

For large appliances you will need to factor in another requirement called the start up current. This is mainly to do with appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers.

A freezer for example can use up to 3 times its normal operating current just to start the compressor. Forgetting this important factor could damage your appliances and fry a few electronics. Take the largest start up currents that you know will be starting at the same time and add those together to find out your maximum power requirements.

Fuel Choices For Portable Generators

You will have a choice of fuel supply when choosing your portable generator but the most common for portable generators is gasoline or propane. Gasoline is probably the most convenient fuel source to acquire but if you are going to use your generator at home for emergencies then you might like to consider propane as gasoline has a short shelf life. Some generators are dual or even tri-fuel capable so if you like to have choices you should seriously consider getting one of those models.

Other Things To Consider For Portable Generators

A portable generator for camping will need to be as silent as possible. If you don't take this into consideration and get a noisy generator you risk being asked to leave the campsite or at the very least you will annoy all your neighbors. There are quite a few campsites that don't allow generators but you don't want to abuse the privilege when staying at one that does. Most campers are trying to get some peace and quiet so make sure you only use your generator at times you know are not going to annoy your fellow campers.

These days there are many models that are available that are super quiet but the important thing to remember when it comes to portable generators is that you get what you pay for so plan to pay a little extra for quality and durability.

A USFS approved spark plug arrestor may be required if you plan on camping in national forests. It doesn't hurt to be on the safe side when it comes to preventing forest fires.




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