DESPERATE NEWBIE

[CLUELESS19]

Hello-
Please accept my apologies in advance for asking such an elementary question.
I made a COVID19 purchase last week. New Coachman 319MB leprechaun.
I have never even driven a truck. A very long and sad story has prompted this purchase. No need to go into details other than I really didn't have any other viable option.
It will be necessary for me to stay in the northeast for a few more months. I will need to stay in the RV full time. My question involves charging the battery. The place I would like to park and stay does not have a power supply. So cannot plug-in to 30. How long will I need to drive in order to charge the battery? Other than solar is there an acceptable way to charge? Assuming I will use AC, and want to keep the fridge running etc as well as my computers, microwave etc, how long will the charge last? When the power supply is running low is there an alert?
Is it worth spending $1800 plus at a private rv park? All of the lesser expensive state parks are full.

[Healeyman]

On a totally sidenote, where are you on Cape Ann.

My grandparents lived in Gloucester where my GF was principal of Gloucester High School.

Later (1940-1965) they had houses on the water in Magnolia. I spent 14 summers of my youth there.

Tim

[F1bNorm]

As Valhalla mentions, you do not need a 30 amp service to run your appliances and charge the house battery. You can use a regular 15 amp house plug with an inexpensive plug adaptor. The only appliance that needs the 30 amps is the AC.

I often boondock for several days and don’t like to use the onboard generator because of the noise. I use a small 1100w Honda generator for charging batteries. It is very quiet and compact. You do have to secure portable gens, as they are a popular theft item.

[wanderingaimles]

Apparently the dealership did not explain much of anything to you. The generator, and how and what it runs should have been part of your walk through.
You likely would find it helpful to stay at an rv park for at least a month, hopefully you can find an experienced neighbor who can help you understand how everything ties together. If not, you may want to have a local RV tech come out and walk you through all the basics that should have been covered at delivery.
To find spmeplace to stay initially try using the online apps to locate places. rv parky
This will let you browse campgrounds and check pricing pretty quickly. And you can scroll the maps to compare areas.
Get out of Boston if possible and it gets much cheaper and easier, an example
3 ponds
Good luck.

[wapiticountry]

That $1800 you quoted for an RV park, is that a month or is that for say 4 months at $450 a month? Life will be much easier in a park. Especially if you are there into winter. A park provides you not only electricity but a way to refill you water tanks, empty your waste tanks and have people around who can help you out with questions and issues that will inevitably come up.

[T18skyguy]

One of the best books on full time RV'ing is "Complete Guide to Full-Time RVing: Life on the Open Road" by Bill and Jan Moeller. It's a classic and that's what helped me. It's very important how you manage the waste system. You need to know that right away. Regarding your generator, its probably a 4000 watt, and it will burn about 1/2 gallon of fuel per hour. Like stated above,the fuel draw stops at 1/4 tank. This is so you don't run the rv out of gas.

[garyemunson]

Using a generator or running the rig's engine for power can get really costly fast. You will learn how cheap electricity from the power company is, relatively speaking. USAFBILL had the best solution. If you have no access to power, do you even have access to water and sewer dump facilities?

[bobndot]

Google the '12 volt side of life part 1 and 2' to learn about your rv electrical system, you need to read this and understand that basic operation of your system. Its a simple to understand reading.

Work and Stay programs: There are campground jobs where you can work and stay for free throughout the country. Even state parks without hookups will offer workers a special site with full hookups if you work there.

or... Try to find a business like a marina where you do some part time work for them and park on their property with water and electric as payment or partial payment. Marinas, farms or restaurants could be a good option for you. I found some businesses that just want to have someone on the premises to act as security, eyes and ears for them. Some businesses get insurance discounts if they have someone on the premises during the night. Just something to think about. You can dump your gray shower water into a bucket then into in a slop sink and use a nearby campground dump station when needed to dump the black tank.

$1800 sounds to be the seasonal rate for a few months ? In your area, it does not seem like its a bad deal to live somewhere full time in coastal New England and you won't have to worry about dumping water.


If you park without hookups, you will still have to spend money on gasoline to operate the generator as well as propane expense . You can offset those expenses by having full hookups somewhere. Your water heater might have an electric 110v setting, it wont use propane, just like the fridge. You'll be saving that money. That makes the $1800 seem like a better option for you.

You will also have other seasonals as neighbors which may be helpful to you. It helps to have rv specific connections it will help you find what you need.

Just in case you need to stay in the area longer than planned, there are winter campgrounds often located near ski areas that offer sites (with no water) but have electricity, wifi and cable. Those campgrounds offer a heated bath house with showers. There area more choices in NH, not sure about Mass.

Don't wait till November to try to find a site in a warm climate, they book up real fast, especially now with so many people fleeing large cities that are becoming less safe to live. Try to find a winter spot NOW if not yesterday !

[valhalla360]

bgum wrote:
Get you two Honda 2200i generators (one should be a companion) if you can use them where you are. Solar will not generate enough power to run AC etc.

But usafbill has best solution above.

This is a nice option but expensive (figure about $1000 each + connection kit), particularly if you won't be on the move.

Look at a generator in the 3000w range. Lowes has a 3150w champion for $600 right now.

If you don't need air/con, do they have a regular 15/20amp household outlet available. Air/con draws too much to reliably run but everything else would be fine.

[midnightsadie]

best ,find a cheap place with ac power, even a friends back yard, running a gen set takes gallons of fuel.

[Grit_dog]

Welcome and sorry to hear about whatever happened.
First, take a breath and slow down. It’s all good. You have a new RV with all kinds of features, apparently including a generator.
Learn how that works and keep your batteries charged with it. It may run off the coaches gas tank or propane. If propane it uses it fairly rapidly. Remember it’s like any other engine. Needs oil checked and changed occasionally. Figure out what you have for house batteries and if you have an inverter on board. If you do, you can use it to power small AC appliances like charging computers etc. Air cond will require a plug in or running the generator.
Good luck and try to have fun with the experience.

[carringb]

You already have a generator. Go ahead and fire it up!

If your park has quiet hours when you can't run the genny certain hourse, go ahead and run the motor. It still puts out about 30 amps to the house battery, and the V10 idles so quiet, nobody will notice its running.

[garyhaupt]

Looking at the Net info of the RV you bought, you have a generator on board.

https://coachmenrv.com/class-c-motorhomes/leprechaun#features

I am sending you a private message...


Gary Haupt

[LadyRVer]

Unless you have a generator, the A/C will not run off the battery. Most motorhomes come with a generator. But, also, they will shut off at 1/4 tank of gas.

[CLUELESS19]

Thanks for the ideas and help.