Help me generate power ... mechanically!

[2657]

Perhaps using less electricity is the way to go, we are supposed to be camping, especially when off site

 

[Basildog]

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

Nobody should ever use the 12 volt output as it’s next to useless !
Far better to plug in a 12 volt smart charger to match your particular batteries.

 

[Basildog]

Perhaps using less electricity is the way to go, we are supposed to be camping, especially when off site

My mate uses power only for lighting and he lives in his van with nothing but the upside down flower pot on his gas hob for heating.

 

[2657]

My mate uses power only for lighting and he lives in his van with nothing but the upside down flower pot on his gas hob for heating.

I've still got some gas mantles if he can find the fittings

 

[Reallyretired]

I'd go for the smallest generator you can. To run heating appliances from electricity generated by gas/petrol is much less efficient than just using gas directly. You have refillable gas so its about as cheap as energy can be.

The telair generator looks quite good for occasional use but are expensive and apparently need quite a lot of servicing/parts replacement if used regularly. If desperate you could always stay on a site for a night to get a good charge, could be quite a lot of nights for the cost of a genny

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[Minxy]

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

Is that similar to the ones I occasionally see touted at MH shows as the 'all new brilliant design' etc generator????

 

[Minxy]

I'd go for the smallest generator you can. To run heating appliances from electricity generated by gas/petrol is much less efficient than just using gas directly. You have refillable gas so its about as cheap as energy can be.

... hence why the only thing I would really like to run from it would be the Remoska as we don't have an oven, otherwise it would mainly be for battery charging.

The telair generator looks quite good for occasional use but are expensive and apparently need quite a lot of servicing/parts replacement if used regularly. If desperate you could always stay on a site for a night to get a good charge, could be quite a lot of nights for the cost of a genny

Stay on a site! With three dogs! I'm not that rich!!!!

 

[Reallyretired]

Not everyones battery bank could be charged at 55A without damage, and how come these generators (which look homemade) are so expensive.

 

[Reallyretired]

... hence why the only thing I would really like to run from it would be the Remoska as we don't have an oven, otherwise it would mainly be for battery charging.


Stay on a site! With three dogs! I'm not that rich!!!!

We have two dogs and have rarely paid anything extra for them, perhaps UK sites do charge though, I wouldn't know. Acsi sites usually allow two with no extra charge and you can always hide one in the washroom

 

[Nasher]

On reading this thread, I should qualify that my generator is used to charge the battery via the on-board Victron intelligent charger & connected via the EHU cable - 240v

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[Minxy]

Perhaps using less electricity is the way to go, we are supposed to be camping, especially when off site

... try telling that to my fridge!

 

[Nirvanauk]

... try telling that to my fridge!

You can stay at campsites for a long time for the cost of EHU

 

[Nirvanauk]

Sorry, it was supposed to say the cost of a generator

 

[Basildog]

... try telling that to my fridge!

Had the lecture from my mate at Xmas about how we shouldn’t need a fridge and don’t need tv , shower etc etc
Soon told him he picks and chooses the bits of modern life he likes and so do we which means we like our modern appliances and go motorhoming not camping

 

[Lenny HB]

Stay on a site! With three dogs! I'm not that rich!!!!

Outside of Southern Spain and the Portuguese Algarve, you would be lucky to find one open anywhere in winter, in most of Europe.
So you can stop panicing Mel.

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[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.

Chris with his self build Malvern show 2011.
Yes could have improved with a silencer. Bob

 

[Minxy]

You can stay at campsites for a long time for the cost of EHU

Don't do sites, just don't like them as prefer to be 'free' to roam and for the dogs to potter without worry ... might do the odd one though when we go for longer to scrape the muck off occasionally so as to not weigh the camper down!

 

[funflair]

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 .

From memory at least 3000 hours on an EFOY but I have read of 7000 and more and then if required it just needs a new converter block.

Martin

 

[Top Hat]

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.


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.


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


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.

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.


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.


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.

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/using-400w-remoska-on-1500-w-inverter.103895/

Check this post, a lot of info on what wattage required by @scotjimland

 

[Burgo]

Dump the electric only fridge.
Install a modern three way 12v / gas / 230v one.

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[peterc10]

Yup but the cost would be extortionate and a genny would let us use our other stuff as mentioned above.

I don't think it would for at least some of that stuff. I suspect your electric ring, grill, toaster and kettle would not be able to run on a Genny, unless you were getting a bigger one than you would be able to carry!

 

[Minxy]

I don't think it would for at least some of that stuff. I suspect your electric ring, grill, toaster and kettle would not be able to run on a Genny, unless you were getting a bigger one than you would be able to carry!

The toaster and kettle are low power ones and as I said before the only thing that I would like to use it for other than batteries is for the Remoska which is only 400w.

 

[Minxy]

Dump the electric only fridge.
Install a modern three way 12v / gas / 230v one.

Its a new camper which we bought in April last year so it's a modern electric fridge ... installing a 3-way one will be very, very expensive, if it can be done at all.

 

[LesW]

Its a new camper which we bought in April last year so it's a modern electric fridge ... installing a 3-way one will be very, very expensive, if it can be done at all.

So what's the benefit of a modern electric fridge?

 

[maxi77]

If you go the generator route then the Honda is probably the best and fairly quiet but also expensive. Still noisy though on a quiet aire or site. Had ours running a few weeks ago when on a aire (we were on our own) and could still hear it about 30-40 yards away.
How about a small wind generator, as used on many boats?
No idea on price or efficiency but might be enough just to top up every now and again. No fuel to worry about either.

Richard.

Be careful with wind generators, some are quite quiet but they tend to be the lower output ones. Like all things the higher the output the noisier they are, I can take most petrol gennies they are pretty constant noise and my mind can filter it out but some of the wind gennies surge in gusty winds and make sleep almost impossible a hundred yards away, just think what it would be like mounted on your van

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[maxi77]

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

I have seen people try to sell these n the UK but they seem to fail every time. I woule be concerned by the unregulated output and woud suggest they need a proper alternator controller such as https://sterling-power.com/products/universal-advanced-digital-regulato-pro-reg-bw-waterproof. Also there seems to be little soundproofing so some form of enclosure may be needed

 

[ludo]

Have a look here Mel, @Minxy Girl . I bought our Honda EU20i from him, (best price at the time and a brilliant machine) and what he doesn't know about generators isn't worth knowing! You can call him, he is a really nice and very helpful chap.

https://petepowerblog.wordpress.com/

https://petepowerblog.wordpress.com/get-the-right-machine/

 

[Blue Knight]

Dump the electric only fridge.
Install a modern three way 12v / gas / 230v one.

How much would one cost, fully fitted?

BTW, I have over 70 quid in my piggy and the missus has over 40 in hers so would that cover it.

 

[jezport]

I know 12v fridges have less to go wrong than 3 way fridges, but it seems a backward step if you then have to carry around a genny and fuel for it when the MH already has a perfectly usable gas system installed.
I wonder what the thinking is in Globecar.?

Money saving, cheaper to buy, cheaper to fit with no vents to fit and no gas work.

 

[jezport]

Thanks Lenny but we don't have a problem at all recharging the batteries when driving, even for short distances, as I think the Globecar has an uprated alternator and puts more 'oomph' back into them, so I don't think that a B2B will help much as they're usually fully charged when we stop anyway.

One issue we had was when we stopped for a few days and whilst it was lovely and sunny the batteries weren't getting much help from the solar which just didn't make sense ... until hubby popped his head out of the skylight and realised the framework was casting a big shadow over them for most of the day! Fortunately we were able to turn the camper round so that the skylight didn't cause an issue after this. As our panels are semi-flexible and fitted flush to the roof itself they aren't raised up as high as rigid panels would be on a framework which probably wouldn't have been shaded - it's something for others with flush fitted flexi panels to bear in mind, or for those thinking of fitting them - if there's a lot of protruding roof 'furniture' rigid panels on a framework would probably be better.

The flexi panels suffer more from reduced power in hot weather as air cannot circulate under them to cool them, its probably why they are less reliable also

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