Generator help/ advice. Please

[Amanda Lloyd]

Hi All

I am looking at generators for when I'll be wild !
How do I know how much power I need to generate? When asking about one online I received this reply
'
New message from: mids-tools (326,711)
Hi, thanks for the email. This generator has a 13a socket so will need the power lead from the motorhome to have a 13a plug. if it has a 16a round type plug, we sell an adaptor that will convert this.

Please bear in mind that this generator will only power appliances up to a maximum combined load of 750w so you would need to make sure that this isn't exceeded otherwise it will damage the generator

So, is the 16a plug he refers to the EHU?
would 750w be enough to power lights and a fridge?

All help very much appreciated as I'm a total beginner.
Amanda

 

[ambulancekidd]

Yes the 16a plug is for the EHU, but adapters are very cheap & necessary for charging up at home if you want to plug into your house of garage. Can't help with generator though.

 

[pappajohn]

Yes, 16a is the plugs MAXIMUM rating.
750watts may not be enough power if you have the blown air heating, lights, maybe tv, water pump etc.
It also sounds like it's a 2stroke engine which means carrying oil for the petrol mixture and we'll as petrol itself.
2strokes are noisy, messy, smelly, and did I mention noisy.
Your fridge is more efficient, and cheaper, running on gas rather than generator.

 

[Stealaway]

Suitcase generators are by far the best - best of the best is probably the Honda ones

BUT you will not be popular with any neighbours and you will have to find a way to carry petrol safely inside your MoHo.

The most favoured supply of wilding power are solar panels - but depending on your batteries there is always going to be a restriction on how much electrical power you have - It's one big compromise.

There is no simple answer. You need to read up a bit more on here.

 

[SuperMike]

Several bags of

and a super large glass of lightly chilled.

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[Freespirit1]

Hi All

I am looking at generators for when I'll be wild !
How do I know how much power I need to generate? When asking about one online I received this reply
'
New message from: mids-tools (326,711)
Hi, thanks for the email. This generator has a 13a socket so will need the power lead from the motorhome to have a 13a plug. if it has a 16a round type plug, we sell an adaptor that will convert this.

Please bear in mind that this generator will only power appliances up to a maximum combined load of 750w so you would need to make sure that this isn't exceeded otherwise it will damage the generator

So, is the 16a plug he refers to the EHU?
would 750w be enough to power lights and a fridge?

All help very much appreciated as I'm a total beginner.
Amanda

I think you would probably find a 3 kW suitcase type your best bet for running a normal household microwave, your hair dryer, and having some over for odds and ends - bearing in mind that you use the larger items one at a time off the generator. Again a good bank of solar panels is usually all you need with what is called an inverter which converts 12v dc to 230v ac for your appliances

 

[Freespirit1]

Several bags of View attachment 212606 and a super large glass of lightly chilled.

@Amanda Lloyd - for your benefit the above comment and others like it are suggesting there will be a lot of discussion between the replies agreeing and disagreeing with each other - but they have their own preferences as to what to eat and drink while they criticise

 

[Bart]

Hi Amanda if you have your MH already may i suggest that you find out how much power you are using in a typical day from each appliance by the use of a battery monitor which shows you exactly how much power if being drawn from your batteries, then using this information you can get a feel of what power you need to "substitute" using the generator.

 

[icantremember]

and you will have to find a way to carry petrol safely inside your MoHo.

Not if you get one with lpg conversion and you always have lpg in your motorhome .. I have a Honda EU10 1Kw with the lpg conversion but haven't needed to use it in a long while ... extra batteries and solar panels are more practical.

 

[Amanda Lloyd]

Thanks everyone for all this advise. I am having a solar panel fitted ( also a trickle panel to keep the running battery charged). looking at 120w. Planning on a lot of off grid camping .

I think you would probably find a 3 kW suitcase type your best bet for running a normal household microwave, your hair dryer, and having some over for odds and ends - bearing in mind that you use the larger items one at a time off the generator. Again a good bank of solar panels is usually all you need with what is called an inverter which converts 12v dc to 230v ac for your appliances

May i ask what you would consider to be a 'bank'? have been looking at a 120 w panel. Would you suggest more than 1? thanks

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[Pausim]

I had one that claimed to be 1kw but it still kicked out the overload button as soon as I connected my 40 amp charger. Now use solar and battery to battery.

 

[peterc10]

Thanks everyone for all this advise. I am having a solar panel fitted ( also a trickle panel to keep the running battery charged). looking at 120w. Planning on a lot of off grid camping .


May i ask what you would consider to be a 'bank'? have been looking at a 120 w panel. Would you suggest more than 1? thanks

The answer will depend upon how, where and when you are using your motorhome. They work best in sunny weather and don't work at all at night or when they are covered in snow. So if you want to use a lot of power in the winter in the UK, you should fit as many as the size of your roof and your wallet will allow. But there is no point in having lots of solar panels if you do not have enough batteries to store the energy until you need it.

We have 250W (1 x 100W and 1 x 150W) of solar and 2 x 95Ah AGM batteries. Works well for us, but I would not want to stop for a week with no EHU in a UK winter. But can last all the time without EHU throughout the UK spring, summer and autumn and winter in the South of Spain.

The main advantages with solar over generator is that they are silent, much more convenient and work from the moment the sun comes up until it goes down. In the summer we often find that our batteries are full again by the time we get up

 

[funflair]

@Amanda Lloyd your question was, "would 750watts be enough to power lights and a fridge" the answer to that would be Yes But thats not the right way to do it as that would mean that the generator would be running all the time and nobody wants that, even the occupants I would think, so lights take hardly any power at all as they can all be LED so that leaves your fridge is it not a three way so will run on gas?.

You say that you are having 120watts of solar fitted and then ask "is this enough"? well the simple answer is you can never have too much solar but once you have as much as you can get up there then you need to think about storing it during the sunny days so then you need to look at your battery capacity.

A "bank" is just a term for more than one so a "bank" of solar panels or a "bank" of batteries.

Martin

 

[Richard n Ann]

Have an extra solar panel rather than a generator. We've got one 150w panel and a 100ah battery, they provide plenty of power for lights, TV, water pump and phone charging. The fridge uses LPG.

The only time you need a generator is if you're going way up north in winter like Norway or somewhere.

 

[SuperMike]

@Amanda Lloyd - but they have their own preferences as to what to eat and drink while they criticise

No critism intended, I’ve got four solar panels and two generators, it’s just a bit of fun.

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[SUGGY]

Go solar

we have :-
2 x 150 watt solar panels approx £350
2 x 125 amp batteries " £125
1 x 3000 watt inverter " £125

Job Done ...

Would cost a lot more for a good high wattage Honda Generator

 

[Freespirit1]

Thanks everyone for all this advise. I am having a solar panel fitted ( also a trickle panel to keep the running battery charged). looking at 120w. Planning on a lot of off grid camping .


May i ask what you would consider to be a 'bank'? have been looking at a 120 w panel. Would you suggest more than 1? thanks

Hi Amanda - other’s have already answered this question to me and yes the more panels the better provided you have room for them and you have good sized leisure battery or better still an extra one ideally the same size make etc.

Have a look at these solar panels too

https://mipvsolarpanels.co.uk/

- third the weight of the ridged type and only 3mm thick with more energy yield

 

[two]

Hi Amanda, and welcome to the Fun.

I’m guessing that you’re fairly new to this outdoor activity (but like your style) and sense that you may be a bit too enthusiastic about acquiring the kit. Could I suggest that you slow down a bit and try to determine your needs from experience rather than in anticipation? Most of us manage to survive without a generator, so that would suggest that you should be able to, too.

If you find that a generator is required, however, I’d suggest that you may need better kit than what you’re looking at now. In general, try to get the best you can, rather than cheapest. There’s nothing worse than not being able to open a bottle or cut something up because you skimped on equipment. When on holiday you want to be relaxed and things to run smoothly. Less can be more (especially if it’s quality) when away outdoors and don ‘t forget to watch your payload.

To address the generator thing: They tend to be noisy, especially the cheap ones, so draw attention from the less appreciative. If you get a four-stroke, it will be quieter and can be converted to gas, so that you don’t have to mess with a second fuel (container & fumes). 1kW is the minimum I’d go for, to recharge batteries but not to run anything significant from it. 2kW is better (in my opinion) but bigger and heavier. You really need to understand your requirement better before leaping into such an investment.

Please don’t be shy to ask if you don’t understand, or have anything else that’s “troubling” you. It’s much easier to lean on the experience that’s already out there than pay the price of learning for yourself.

 

[SUGGY]

Well said rogher ....

Amanda don't forget that you can always start you MH engine for 10 mins to boost the batteries .

 

[Amanda Lloyd]

Thanks you all so much for all of this.
Rogher, How did you guess I'm new to this .
From all that's been said so far I'm going to look at having more solar and invest in a second leisure battery. The reason I can't see how I go is that I'm planning on heading off round Europe for a few months so I want to make sure , as much as I can, that I won't come 'unstuck' somewhere that I can't speak the language.
As I plan to be in the sun, I have an aversion to cold weather, It seems that this is the best option.

Can't thanks you all enough for taking the time to reply and I don't expect this will be the last you'll hear from me

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[SUGGY]

We do 4 months winter trips only have ehu on very rare occasions ie if we use a site and even then only if the ehu is free .

 

[flatpackchicken]

Hi All

Hi Amanda see you are not far from me as I live in Bicester.
Ok it’s all down to what you want in living in van when wilding : ie Hair dryer, toaster, electric kettle, Remoska cooker, bread maker, small food mixer, small electric heater, microwave, etc etc etc
I have all the above and run them all from my inverter which changes the 12v system to a 240v mains system and does same job as generator for power to appliances. I also have. 2kw Honda generator for back up on cloudy days which can come in several days at a time if my solar panels cannot cope when very cloudy. But overall my solar panels cope with my electric usage in mh so don’t use generator much but always there for back up (Boy Scout mentality) lol. Although at about £1100 a Honda is costly but about the best there isxabd very quiet. You have to think about what you need and what you want in your mh in terms of electrical appliances as everyone is different but I like my appliances so I can cook what I want when I want and not be restrained to beans on toast lol. Seriously though you have a choice but get it right first time with all the comments on here . This is what I have and it suits me perfectly:
3 x 100w Solar panels
2 x 140A Varta batteries
1 x 1800w pure sine wave inverter
1 x 30a Solar victron Solar controller
1 x battery master (charges engine battery from habitation batteries automatically
1 x Honda 2kw generator as back up plus fly lead from generator to ehu cable
1 x 25m ehu cable (yellow) for outside use
All this costs money and you also have to have the room on the roof for the solar panels and space inside for batteries (bank)
Please don’t hesitate to ask anymore questions don’t matter how silly you think they are as we all had to start somewhere and that’s what this club is all about !!!!!!!!
I am sorry cannot help you more at moment as in Portugal fir the winter but will be home start of April if you need any help as I’m only up the road to you ok
Regards Garry Flatpackchicken


I am looking at generators for when I'll be wild !
How do I know how much power I need to generate? When asking about one online I received this reply
'
New message from: mids-tools (326,711)
Hi, thanks for the email. This generator has a 13a socket so will need the power lead from the motorhome to have a 13a plug. if it has a 16a round type plug, we sell an adaptor that will convert this.

Please bear in mind that this generator will only power appliances up to a maximum combined load of 750w so you would need to make sure that this isn't exceeded otherwise it will damage the generator

So, is the 16a plug he refers to the EHU?
would 750w be enough to power lights and a fridge?

All help very much appreciated as I'm a total beginner.
Amanda

 

[Amanda Lloyd]

H
i Gary,
that's really helpful. I think I will have to manage without a generator due to weight and cost.
I will buy a second leisure battery, do they have to be the same as I have one already?
I have a trickle solar charger for the running battery.
The appliances I will be running are; microwave, toaster, electric heater Though I also have gas so that can be used) and a hairdryer. Looking at 2x12 (or 150w) solar panels plus an inverter.
You have listed 1 x 30a Solar victron Solar controller , can you explain what that does?

Thanks for your help and patience
Amanda

 

[peterc10]

T
As I plan to be in the sun, I have an aversion to cold weather, It seems that this is the best option.

Can't thanks you all enough for taking the time to reply and I don't expect this will be the last you'll hear from me

If you are heading south then solar and batteries are definitely the answer.

One more thing to think about will be gas, because if you are going off grid that is what you will need for cooking and the fridge. Don't know if you are aware but there is no exchangeable propane bottles that are common to all of Europe. Many of us therefore fit refillables for convenience, and then refill them at autogas pumps which are available all over Europe.

Maybe another question coming on ........

 

[Amanda Lloyd]

If you are heading south then solar and batteries are definitely the answer.

One more thing to think about will be gas, because if you are going off grid that is what you will need for cooking and the fridge. Don't know if you are aware but there is no exchangeable propane bottles that are common to all of Europe. Many of us therefore fit refillables for convenience, and then refill them at autogas pumps which are available all over Europe.

Maybe another question coming on ........

You beat me to it!
That answers my next question. So if I buy the refiilable ones what gas do they use and where would i buy them from initially and do I get them refilled at petrol stations in europe?
Thanks
Amanda

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[peterc10]

H

The appliances I will be running are; microwave, toaster, electric heater Though I also have gas so that can be used) and a hairdryer. Looking at 2x12 (or 150w) solar panels plus an inverter.
You have listed 1 x 30a Solar victron Solar controller , can you explain what that does?

Thanks for your help and patience
Amanda

You need to think carefully because you have to put a lot of watts in before you can heat much up with solar. You won't be able to use an electric heater without an EHU (electric hook up). If you need warmth use gas. Same with the toaster, use a dry non stick frying pan on the gas. And do you really need a microwave? You will find you have plenty of time to shop fresh and cook it traditionally. We don't have one in the motorhome and don't miss it at all.

You will need mains voltage electricity for your hairdryer. But you can run it off an inverter from the batteries, as long as you are not using it for too long. If all you are using it for is the hairdryer than a 2000W modified sine wave will do. But it may be best that you start another thread to get advice on that.

All the rest of the stuff including TV and charging phones and tablets and computers can be run directly off your 12V system with the right chargers and USB adaptors.

 

[peterc10]

You beat me to it!
That answers my next question. So if I buy the refiilable ones what gas do they use and where would i buy them from initially and do I get them refilled at petrol stations in europe?
Thanks
Amanda

Petrol stations in the Uk and most of Europe. Called Autogas in the UK, and has other names in Europe, but easy to find. Get a couple of apps to find where it is sold. We use FillLPG for the UK and myLPG.eu for the rest of Europe. You will need different adaptors for different countries, but they can be bought with your refillables.

 

[two]

Thanks you all so much for all of this.
Rogher, How did you guess I'm new to this .
From all that's been said so far I'm going to look at having more solar and invest in a second leisure battery. The reason I can't see how I go is that I'm planning on heading off round Europe for a few months so I want to make sure , as much as I can, that I won't come 'unstuck' somewhere that I can't speak the language.
As I plan to be in the sun, I have an aversion to cold weather, It seems that this is the best option.

Can't thanks you all enough for taking the time to reply and I don't expect this will be the last you'll hear from me

…and now I’m beginning to admire your adventurous spirit, Amanda,

and I have a couple of suggestions to help you on your way:

Do some test-runs over here, where you can still understand the lingo (mostly). I know it’s colder here, but you might as well find out about the heater at some stage. Do it on the driveway, many of us have done that, then you can use home as an immediate fall-back if necessary (say, the cork screw snaps…).

Then create a separate query/thread for each of the things you become uncertain about. Responses will be more coherent if you can maintain focus on one subject at a time. It’s so easy for many of us to be lead astray and, if several questions are raised at the same time, you can be pretty sure that it will be swamped with answers to the easy ones at the expense of the others, some of which may not get answered at all.

Glad you’re postponing the genny decision. I’m not at all sure you’ll need one.

 

[Amanda Lloyd]

Onto the drive for a couple of nights it is then!

 

[Stealaway]

So if I buy the refiilable ones what gas do they use and where would i buy them from initially and do I get them refilled at petrol stations in europe?

We have a free butane exchange bottle from Super U. If you sign up with them then you can use their supermarkets garages throughout France. The gas refills are cheaper than here.
Your biggest problem will be buying and fitting or getting someone to fit the different French bottle connection.

You have listed 1 x 30a Solar victron Solar controller , can you explain what that does?

It converts the 18+ volts from the Solar panels to 14 volts for charging the batteries.

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