WIND POWER

I think that the best way to solve the electrical requirements in a motorhome is to minimise consumption. Good insulation cuts down greatly on heater running time and a three way fridge instead of a compressor saves many amps per day. LED lighting uses very little.
I have spent 5 days without moving in mid winter using only a 110 ah battery and 100w solar panel, and a 39ah golf battery to charge phones and i pad. That was in freezing conditions and the heating turned on most of the time, though only blowing perhaps a quarter of the time. The battery did get down to 12.4v on that occasion.
Normally I move most days and electrical requirements are covered by the engine running.
By cutting down on consumption with some straightforward power saving the battery charging problem goes away without the need to carry generating equipment. I have to do it this way as in a small van there is no room for more batteries, but even with a bigger van it’s maybe worth thinking about tackling the problem from the other end.
 
I think that the best way to solve the electrical requirements in a motorhome is to minimise consumption. Good insulation cuts down greatly on heater running time and a three way fridge instead of a compressor saves many amps per day. LED lighting uses very little.
I have spent 5 days without moving in mid winter using only a 110 ah battery and 100w solar panel, and a 39ah golf battery to charge phones and i pad. That was in freezing conditions and the heating turned on most of the time, though only blowing perhaps a quarter of the time. The battery did get down to 12.4v on that occasion.
Normally I move most days and electrical requirements are covered by the engine running.
By cutting down on consumption with some straightforward power saving the battery charging problem goes away without the need to carry generating equipment. I have to do it this way as in a small van there is no room for more batteries, but even with a bigger van it’s maybe worth thinking about tackling the problem from the other end.
Do you have a TV? Our TV is our biggest consumer and we do like to watch it. Looked for a lower consumption TV but not easy to find one with the same facilities as an Avtex. However do agree with you we all tend to look for more power rather than trimming our consumption.
 
Do you have a TV? Our TV is our biggest consumer and we do like to watch it. Looked for a lower consumption TV but not easy to find one with the same facilities as an Avtex. However do agree with you we all tend to look for more power rather than trimming our consumption.

I do have a tv, I do quite fancy an Avtex. I think mine uses about 1.5 amps, and is never on more than 3 hours so 5 ah per day max I’d say. The main power use is heating which is a Truma 4e, and I have to keep warm so it’s sometimes running 16 hours a day. It can use 2 amps when running hard, but usually less and only cuts in about 25% of the time unless it’s very cold, so maybe 8ah per day.
i pads and phones do take quite a lot of charge, but my little golf cart battery is used for them if stationary for a few days, which admittedly is rare.
In summer solar means no problem, could go weeks without moving, but in mid winter I’d need to run the engine after about 5 days, not happened yet apart from when the lb began to die a few years ago.
 
I do have a tv, I do quite fancy an Avtex. I think mine uses about 1.5 amps, and is never on more than 3 hours so 5 ah per day max I’d say. The main power use is heating which is a Truma 4e, and I have to keep warm so it’s sometimes running 16 hours a day. It can use 2 amps when running hard, but usually less and only cuts in about 25% of the time unless it’s very cold, so maybe 8ah per day.
i pads and phones do take quite a lot of charge, but my little golf cart battery is used for them if stationary for a few days, which admittedly is rare.
In summer solar means no problem, could go weeks without moving, but in mid winter I’d need to run the engine after about 5 days, not happened yet apart from when the lb began to die a few years ago.
If you go the Avtex route then it will be taking about 3 amps. Fortunately we can normally do without heating during the day and only use it in the evening then shut it down when we turn in. We have 2 x 100 ah batteries and we could probably stretch to 4/5 days without moving but the batteries would be low.
 
If you go the Avtex route then it will be taking about 3 amps. Fortunately we can normally do without heating during the day and only use it in the evening then shut it down when we turn in. We have 2 x 100 ah batteries and we could probably stretch to 4/5 days without moving but the batteries would be low.
I connected my Cello up for the first time in ages this week Eric to find I have bust the screen. Caz brought me a 240v 32” JVC down from the house we had in spare bedroom. I connected it up yesterday through the 300w inverter and it appears to be using between 2.4/2.6a. I expected it to be more

edit: must say it’s a bit big
 
I connected my Cello up for the first time in ages this week Eric to find I have bust the screen. Caz brought me a 240v 32” JVC down from the house we had in spare bedroom. I connected it up yesterday through the 300w inverter and it appears to be using between 2.4/2.6a. I expected it to be more

edit: must say it’s a bit big
That’s quite good for a largish TV, I have an ALDI TV which consumes less but it only has a freeview decoder and the viewing angles are rubbish. What is the Cello like?
 
That’s quite good for a largish TV, I have an ALDI TV which consumes less but it only has a freeview decoder and the viewing angles are rubbish. What is the Cello like?
I had a cello Eric but the sound was terrible and the picture wasn’t that good as well only had a few weeks had to get rid of it and bought a 24in Avtec superb picture .
 
That’s quite good for a largish TV, I have an ALDI TV which consumes less but it only has a freeview decoder and the viewing angles are rubbish. What is the Cello like?
The Cello I have is the 22" Traveller with rechargeable battery pack. Once charged it lasts anything from 6 to 10 hours, cant be more exact as not really timed it but a long time. Came with 12v and 240v charging bricks as well as two led spotlights that plugged in and a flat aerial. It doesn't have DVD player if you go rechargeable but does have DTV and Sat tuners built in. Never used the Sat side of it.
Picture quality and angle was fine on ours but sound was a bit quiet, we are both going a little deaf, but we managed okay.
Put the big TV on this morning for an hour to see what the dogs did (they go mad at adverts) and did I say it is big lol. I usually watch on my iPad though so no wonder :)
 
Got fed up messing around with aerials, re-tuneing , and the way the Avtex interfered with openlng locker door. I bit the bullet and bought a Chromebook.I've been more than happy with watching tv on the ipad, except for the screen size. Have I done the right thing? Only time will tell.
What this has got to do with windmills? I've no idea.
 
Got fed up messing around with aerials, re-tuneing , and the way the Avtex interfered with openlng locker door. I bit the bullet and bought a Chromebook.I've been more than happy with watching tv on the ipad, except for the screen size. Have I done the right thing? Only time will tell.
What this has got to do with windmills? I've no idea.
Thought of going that route but to get a decent sized screen is quite expensive.
 
Thought of going that route but to get a decent sized screen is quite expensive.
£199.99 Argos. Acer 15 inch screen. I'm pleased with it so far. Lets wait and see how it performs abroard. It's not quite a laptop, but then again, all the bells and whistles you get with a laptop,I don't use. Wouldn't know how either.

TBA, the Avtex was a PITA, that is of course you want to make an offer for it.
 
£199.99 Argos. Acer 15 inch screen. I'm pleased with it so far. Lets wait and see how it performs abroard. It's not quite a laptop, but then again, all the bells and whistles you get with a laptop,I don't use. Wouldn't know how either.

TBA, the Avtex was a PITA, that is of course you want to make an offer for it.
That price looks doable , have an Avtex already but was looking for something that would consume less power during the winter months, will have to take a peek at the Acer.
Just checked Argos and can’t see anything witha 15” screen.🤔
 
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That price looks doable , have an Avtex already but was looking for something that would consume less power during the winter months, will have to take a peek at the Acer.
Just checked Argos and can’t see anything witha 15” screen.🤔
could be worth checking out the Amazon Warehouse deals. Some good prices on there. Back in 2014 I got an HP Split X2 - which is a full-spec Laptop but with a detachable screen (so it can be used as a tablet) for under £300.
If you are looking at getting a basic laptop (I think?) then here is an HP with a 15.4" screen for under £200 with a full warranty - https://amzn.to/38mqCU5
 
That price looks doable , have an Avtex already but was looking for something that would consume less power during the winter months, will have to take a peek at the Acer.
Just checked Argos and can’t see anything witha 15” screen.🤔
Just checked the Argos website. The one I bought , the 315 15 32gb, is no longer listed. There is the 314 14 32gb there at £199.99
You are looking at Chromebooks,not laptops?
To make sure you know, I'm a complete numpty when it comes to things tech. I got the Acer as a replacement for the TV, watching YouTube 'n stuff. Nothing else. Neil set up my ipad for the clever stuff. It's only down side was it's screen size.
 
Just checked the Argos website. The one I bought , the 315 15 32gb, is no longer listed. There is the 314 14 32gb there at £199.99
You are looking at Chromebooks,not laptops?
To make sure you know, I'm a complete numpty when it comes to things tech. I got the Acer as a replacement for the TV, watching YouTube 'n stuff. Nothing else. Neil set up my ipad for the clever stuff. It's only down side was it's screen size.
Was looking for tablets I didn’t see anything above 10.5 inches, must have been the beer and wine I will try again shortly.🤪Found it, I would class it as a laptop rather than a tablet, I was looking for something like a large ipad that’s why I didn’t see it.
 
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Try Laptops direct
I now have an ASUS Laptop/Tablet 12.5 in Screen with is touch sensitive.
But also a detachable keyboard (Which I use nearly all the time !)
256GB SSD hard disk..8GB RAM ..It flies
Perfect for the Motorhome and big enough for home use.
Laptops Direct have a good range I went for a highish Spec but a newish and refurbished Item
Lots of choice including Lenovo which are rebadged IBM
 
Try Laptops direct
I now have an ASUS Laptop/Tablet 12.5 in Screen with is touch sensitive.
But also a detachable keyboard (Which I use nearly all the time !)
256GB SSD hard disk..8GB RAM ..It flies
Perfect for the Motorhome and big enough for home use.
Laptops Direct have a good range I went for a highish Spec but a newish and refurbished Item
Lots of choice including Lenovo which are rebadged IBM
I don't know how we've done it. We've got this WAY off topic.
Going back to wind power, today should supply excellent results, even for the smallest wind turbine. If you could nail it down, that is 🌬
 

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