Help me generate power ... mechanically!

[Minxy]

I think electric fridges work well in conjunction with solar.

For our previous trip in August/September it was fine with just solar.

I’d consider a small suitcase generator, converted to LPG. More expensive, but it would avoid the smells and need to carry another fuel. 800W would do.

That's about the size I was thinking of too.

I’ve only had a couple of gennies that ran off LPG, so cannot speak for the others.
Be careful to get one that will start on LPG. My first (cheap one) required petrol to get going and then could be switched to LPG. I now have a Honda (used only a handful of times) and it’s never had petrol in it. Be wary of the conversion type, though, they are not all the same.

Yup, I too noticed that some still need petrol to get them running first so no real advantage there, as for the conversion type, what should I look for?

B2B is the other route, unless you remain stationary for much of the time.

In the past we've moved every couple of days but this last time we stayed in one place for 4 days which is unusual for us but we did enjoy it so will likely do it more often so a B2B wouldn't make any difference.

 

[Minxy]

As mentioned before, I am a serial genny buyer !
Never had any problems with Kipor, Clarke or of course Honda.
All have been easy to start, are fairly quiet and have performed well

What wattage is the Ramoska ?

400w although the hotplate is 1000w I think but we don't need to use it if it's gonna mean a large genny to power it, so only need a smallish output one in reality, max 750/800w probably.

 

[The Wino]

Sounds like a poor option compared to a 3 way fridge (although I didn't think that last year when our gas jet was blocked!!!). I think best to run anything that you can on gas theres a lot of energy in a gas bottle

 

[Minxy]

Run the vehicles engine.

I know, I know, as he stands back and waits for incoming.

That's what we did a few times for a short while and it did put a fair bit back into the batteries but I don't think it does the engine any good to do it longer - we met a chap with a VW who did this a lot and happened to turn his engine on for this purpose whilst we were there ... it sounded okay at first then turned into 'a bag of spanners' and he quickly turned it off ... no idea what damage had been caused!

 

[vin0114]

......
To all the solar worshipping gang I wish you a lovely April to September when you can actually use your vans

Absolute cobblers! We have outings commencing February like many others - sorry, no EHU

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[Lenny HB]

That's what we did a few times for a short while and it did put a fair bit back into the batteries but I don't think it does the engine any good to do it longer

Something you really don't want to do if you have a CAT or DPF a sure way of bu**ering them, even on engines without it's bad news as diesels never get up to operating temp on tickover.

 

[Top Hat]

You mentioned in a earlier post you were going to have the fridge checked out, was it ok.
You don't say what solar controller you have, if it's a standard one maybe one of the quality mppt controllers will improve solar input, others on here could help in that respect.
I have had a Genny in the past and if you want one for 230v use it would have to be a 2kva and in my opinion is to big for a PVC so personaly would only consider a .750kva for battery charging only.

Charlie

 

[LesW]

Absolute cobblers! We have outings commencing February like many others - sorry, no EHU

Have to agree 100% there, perhaps the quoted text is by someone who has never tried this.

We've use ours as late as the end of November with no EHU, and even now the solar is keeping both leisure and starter battery fully charged with occasional use.

 

[Basildog]

Run the vehicles engine.

I know, I know, as he stands back and waits for incoming.

I don’t even like running the engine to drive the poxy Fiat’s they sound so horrible
Running the crappy things on tickover definitely causes problems but others know better so leave them to it

 

[Basildog]

Have to agree 100% there, perhaps the quoted text is by someone who has never tried this.

We've use ours as late as the end of November with no EHU, and even now the solar is keeping both leisure and starter battery fully charged with occasional use.

As I said at the beginning we’ve lived in vans so have a little bit of experience and have heard all the solar god stories.
As soon as the blown air heating or Alde is being used and the sun drops lower solar panels become increasingly less effective until they are next to useless.

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[two]

Yup, I too noticed that some still need petrol to get them running first so no real advantage there, as for the conversion type, what should I look for?

I wish I could remember. It's a while ago now and, these days I don't even remember if I took my tablets an hour ago.
Those without a carburettor can only run off gas but mine is dual fuel and then it depends on how the gas is introduced.
If you're buying new, check with the supplier, then you can return it if it doesn't start from gas.
If secondhand, get a demonstration. Make sure it's not warm before you start it and be encouraged if there's no petrol in the tank.

 

[bobandjanie]

We was very happy with our old van Rapido v53, it had a 3 way fridge, 2 large gas bottles 3 x 85ah batteries 200w solar and a 50amp B 2 B , never a problem.

So when we were looking for our present van a Pilote v600 one of the things that swung it was the 3 way fridge, we still have 2 large gas bottles, 200w solar but only 2 x 90ah gel batteries , but because we dont really use the van in winter, we decided we don't need a b2b.
But having owned a 2.0 and a 1.0 eu Honda generator and a Stirling battery 2 battery, my advice is get yourself a b2b fitted, they take up less room charge the batteries fast and no smell of petrol to worry about.
Bob.

 

[138go]

Think I would use one of these. You can convert Honda engines to run off gas so will be quieter. The idea behind these is that you need 12V DC not 240VAC which you then have to convert back to DC using a charger. Output of 55A means you don't have to run it for long to recharge batteries. Bit like driving the MH really. Easy enough to wire in. As it will be on for short periods you are not really going to annoy anyone.

https://www.macfarlanegenerators.com.au/products/150/Battery-Charger-12V-55A

 

[Snowbird]

Some years ago I looked at a 12 volt generator called a Gasporini, sold by Conrad Anderson. It was permanently fitted to the vans chassis and ran on LPG. It automatically fired up when the batteries dropped to a certain level and switched off once they were fully charged. The engine was tiny and it could hardly be heard running. As it only produced 12 volt, it did not rely on the vehicles onboard charger to charge the batteries as a normal generator does. They were not cheap at the time, but I have seen them on evilbay occasionally second hand at under £100.

 

[Speve]

We have a small Champion generator it’s as quiet as the Honda and very light also cheaper, apparently they are very popular in the USA.
Haven’t needed to use it as new van has 180w of solar and 190amps of batteries.

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[Basildog]

Some years ago I looked at a 12 volt generator called a Gasporini, sold by Conrad Anderson. It was permanently fitted to the vans chassis and ran on LPG. It automatically fired up when the batteries dropped to a certain level and switched off once they were fully charged. The engine was tiny and it could hardly be heard running. As it only produced 12 volt, it did not rely on the vehicles onboard charger to charge the batteries as a normal generator does. They were not cheap at the time, but I have seen them on evilbay occasionally second hand at under £100.

Problem was that they were designed for occasional use and had a useful life of something like 500 hours which I believe is also the problem with Efoy systems so ok for emergencies or light users.
I believe that the lpg Gasporini designs were bought up by telair but again I am told they still have a relatively short design life .

 

[Wildbill]

Deleted post
Bill

 

[Nasher]

Re Petrol smell:

My Clarke gennie has a way to seal the fuel cap breather and I've never had a smell of petrol from it when stored in the moho (or anywhere else)

I never carry spare fuel as it can be filled at a service station

That said, I use the gennie when away in my moho for long weekends, when away for weeks at a time, I use campsites & EHU
(as I've posted before, my moho is to transport me & my toys to where I want to be to pursue my interests and provide accomodation when there - meandering around in a moho is not for me)

 

[Speve]

They were not cheap at the time, but I have seen them on evilbay occasionally second hand at under £100.

They are now Telair and new you are looking at £2k +

 

[bobandjanie]

Think I would use one of these. You can convert Honda engines to run off gas so will be quieter. The idea behind these is that you need 12V DC not 240VAC which you then have to convert back to DC using a charger. Output of 55A means you don't have to run it for long to recharge batteries. Bit like driving the MH really. Easy enough to wire in. As it will be on for short periods you are not really going to annoy anyone.

https://www.macfarlanegenerators.com.au/products/150/Battery-Charger-12V-55A

Blimey that's a blast from the past I think @chrisgreen has the copyright on those.

If Mel @Minxy Girl ever saw it in action I doubt she would want one. Bob.

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[Jaws]

400w although the hotplate is 1000w I think but we don't need to use it if it's gonna mean a large genny to power it, so only need a smallish output one in reality, max 750/800w probably.

Yup... But I would be inclined to look a 1kW though.. Start up current may be a lot more that 400w ( unlikely to be honest but still... ) AND a kW jobby will handle a smallish microwave should it take your fancy

 

[Riverbankannie]

Ease of installation and cost probably ... no gas pipework to run, no side vents or drop vents to install, and the fridges themselves are cheaper. Not sure if there's still an option to have a 3-way if ordering new but if I had the choice I'd have a 3-way, although to be fair, they aren't perfect' either as we often had frozen cucumber and lettuce in our previous one when it over compensated for the heat!

Lol, been there! I’ve given up keeping these things in the fridge.

 

[SandraL]

If you have electric bikes, .How about a dc dc converter to reduce volts from 36? to 12v for the occasional low volts issue.
A 36 v 10ah battery becomes a 12v 30 ah battery.
Suggest perhaps used to just run fridge as will soon be flat if trying to recharge both your leisure batts.
A dc dc converter with a current limit facility might be useful.
What current does the fridge draw?
What amps can the battery deliver continuously?
Normally the charge port and output power are in seperate places on bike battery. You will not be able to use the charge port.
Side benefit is you will soon be much fitter pedaling your bike with a flat battery.......

 

[EssexBoy]

Problem was that they were designed for occasional use and had a useful life of something like 500 hours

That would still make one of interest to me, as that would still be potentially multiple years in elapsed time...

I did a quick Google and couldn't find anything named "gasporini"... Did I catch that right please?

 

[two]

try TelAir.

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[Snowbird]

That would still make one of interest to me, as that would still be potentially multiple years in elapsed time...

I did a quick Google and couldn't find anything named "gasporini"... Did I catch that right please?

Google Gasporini generator.

 

[rangi]

Back to bicycles generating Power. Long ago I was in Hong Kong and needed a tooth filling. The power for the drill was generated by a kid on a bike pedaling furiously.

 

[Minxy]

Something you really don't want to do if you have a CAT or DPF a sure way of bu**ering them, even on engines without it's bad news as diesels never get up to operating temp on tickover.

Exactly my understanding too which is why I told hubby off when he did it and thought it was a good way to solve the issue, hence it was only used as a VERY last resort for a short length of time, don't want to b*gger up my camper engine!

 

[Doctor Dave]

Think I would use one of these. You can convert Honda engines to run off gas so will be quieter. The idea behind these is that you need 12V DC not 240VAC which you then have to convert back to DC using a charger. Output of 55A means you don't have to run it for long to recharge batteries. Bit like driving the MH really. Easy enough to wire in. As it will be on for short periods you are not really going to annoy anyone.

https://www.macfarlanegenerators.com.au/products/150/Battery-Charger-12V-55A

The Honda EU10i 12 volt output is limited to 8 or 10 amps, not sure which. I have mine running on gas but couldn't say it is any quieter than when I ran it on petrol - if it is then not much. Having said that it is not as noisy as some generators.

Dave

 

[Minxy]

You mentioned in a earlier post you were going to have the fridge checked out, was it ok.

Yes, the original one was the Mark 1 version which had a serious design fault IMV and was replaced with the Mark 2 which is much better so the fridge is working as it should but obviously in winter and not moving much the solar struggles to keep up with it's demand after a couple of days along with us using lights etc even though we don't do so excessively and TV is usually just an hour max.

You don't say what solar controller you have, if it's a standard one maybe one of the quality mppt controllers will improve solar input, others on here could help in that respect.

Its a Votronic 250 Duo MPPT one so one of the best there is as recommended by others, not one of the more basic and limited PWM ones.

I have had a Genny in the past and if you want one for 230v use it would have to be a 2kva and in my opinion is to big for a PVC so personaly would only consider a .750kva for battery charging only.

Is a small one too wee for running something like a 400w Remoska then? It wouldn't stay 'on' all the time AFAIK just when it needed to maintain the temperature? Other than that it would be just to plug the camper into to charge the batteries back up. I've never had a genny so it's a bit of a learning curve for me.

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