Portable generator any good

garry63

garry63

Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Posts
437
Likes collected
266
Funster No
87,579
MH
autosleeper
hi funsters
What generators do you use and recommend and are the any good
got solar and big battery but looking for something to supplement in winter months when our gold friend in the sky isn't playing out much
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
enark said:
Well said……

funny how many mention the imaginery annoyance of noise, one even suggests running the vehicle engine for thirty mins to charge the batteries……..madness, no good for the environment or the diesel engine….

but no one has mention the main hazard….petrol exhaust fumes - CO - lethal..
Click to expand...
Regarding the fumes.

We recently bought a new garden mower, it was a flip of coin between Honda and Sthil, decided to go with the Sthil (Loncin engine, best Chinese engine manufacturer) the sales guy managed to get me to buy Aspen fuel (quite expensive) but you just cannot smell it when cutting the lawn, may have some dodgy non smelling nasty carcinogen but I doubt it.
 
Upvote 0
Mzracer said:
Honda EU20 running light,
Click to expand...
they are all relatively quiet with a light load,

did you test it with a 2.0 kw load.. ?

specs say it is then 89 db of full load

over 85db for extended periods can cause permanent hearing loss
 
Upvote 0
scotjimland said:
they are all relatively quiet with a light load,

did you test it with a 2.0 kw load.. ?

specs say it is then 89 db of full load

over 85db for extended periods can cause permanent hearing loss
Click to expand...
Jim

Not tested it at full load but it is a lot noisier, I could not find my hair curlers and hair dryer so could not test !!

85 Db is reasonably noisy but I have survived exposure to extreme noise for a long time, took me ages to get her to shut up !!

No seriously noise should be taken seriously but I have had serious industrial exposure and also hobby exposure in motorsport activities, I will be OK.

The Honda genny would be ideal for the OP, what has not been well recognised in these messages is that you can use the genny any time and for many other jobs !!
 
Upvote 0
Mzracer said:
I have had serious industrial exposure
Click to expand...
Likewise, 50 years years of working in industry , bottling halls, power stations and refineries have left me partially deaf ..

It is not extreme levels that do the damage, because we couldn't bear to work without ear defenders.. for example, steam turbine generators in a power station.. .. it's the low level long exposure that does the damage ..

thanks for you interesting post and reply ..

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
scotjimland said:
Likewise, 50 years years of working in industry , bottling halls, power stations and refineries have left me partially deaf ..

It is not extreme levels that do the damage, because we couldn't bear to work without ear defenders.. for example, steam turbine generators in a power station.. .. it's the low level long exposure that does the damage ..

thanks for you interesting post and reply ..
Click to expand...
Yes some of my exposure was in power stations 2000Mw (4 x 500Mw Parsons) they were noisy, done that for about 10 years, then all sorts of other stuff.

Sorry to hear that it got you, certainly I get some idea of what partial deafness is like when my ears get blocked.
 
Upvote 0
garry63 said:
Can't believe the thread has come to this.
Everything makes a noise thedog kids the bleeding mrs. Do we all have to crerp about incase we upset someone's delicate hearing.
Next we won't be able to fart in our vans incase the neighbours with their hearing aids turned up to the max hears it
THE WORLD GOING NUTS 🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪
Click to expand...
Well, that’s about smelling distance not hearing 😀
 
Upvote 0
Mzracer said:
my exposure was in power stations 2000Mw (4 x 500Mw Parsons)
Click to expand...
One in Scotland 1980, at Inverkip 3 x 650Mw .. oil fired boilers, . and in South Africa , a coal fired station with 12 boilers and 12 steam turbines.. ... can't recall the Mw.. it was back in '78 .. but it was big power station , turbine hall was massive .. .. the coal was mined beside the station, conveyer to the crushers and into the boilers..
 
Upvote 0
We carry a Honda eu10i and the last time we used it was on a temporary holiday site and no one complained, we have a bag/cover that maybe reduces the sound.
I would be interested in what lpg kit people have fitted as i like the idea of not carrying fuel for the generator.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Use my Honda 10i at all the shows and at just a few yards away it just sounds like someone stamping their foot and as long as folk don’t run them all day I think most people are fine with the noise. Mine is more or less a power source for my beloved’s hair dryer 👩🏼. 👍
 
Upvote 0
garry63 said:
hi funsters
What generators do you use and recommend and are the any good
got solar and big battery but looking for something to supplement in winter months when our gold friend in the sky isn't playing out much
Click to expand...
You have lots of replies here but as we are currently in Spain/Portugal as I write, I thought I would put my twopennyworth in.

Marleen and I have a 5.5M campervan and decided to have a generator on this trip for the same reason of low solar energy and long, dark evenings. So we are working out our strategy 😃.

Best to assume that always people don't want the noise of someone else's generator. Our desire is to be independent of campsites (if they're open). The weather has been overcast for two weeks so we are surprised to find that we have needed the generator. So we find an isolated spot during the day and sit and feed, read or write for a couple of hours of generator and this does us well for at least one night. We run a Honda EU22i which, if only charging the battery, runs at very low revs and is 'quiet'. It gives us enough power at night for light, TV, etc.

We have used it twice in public car parks in the country and had no negative feedback at all. In fact, when a car came and parked next to us, I indicated that if they were not happy I would turn off the generator. The response (in Engish) was to give me every reassurance and welcomed us to Portugal and said how nice it was to see Brits in his part of the country!

If in doubt, observe people as they walk past. If they ignore it, you're in the clear. If they stare and look cross, you're not! Make sure your generator is small enough for you to lift without injury!

Good luck. Mike & Marleen
 
Upvote 0
Mzracer said:
But the OP would not need to run the genny if you were outside enjoying the sun as his solar panels would be doing the job !! he needs it for the dark winter in the middle of nowhere.
Click to expand...
Alone and in the middle of nowhere - no objection

Sorry but the OP did ask, it's not our fault he doesn't like [accept] our opinion
 
Upvote 0
Mike Hawkins said:
You have lots of replies here but as we are currently in Spain/Portugal as I write, I thought I would put my twopennyworth in.

Marleen and I have a 5.5M campervan and decided to have a generator on this trip for the same reason of low solar energy and long, dark evenings. So we are working out our strategy 😃.

Best to assume that always people don't want the noise of someone else's generator. Our desire is to be independent of campsites (if they're open). The weather has been overcast for two weeks so we are surprised to find that we have needed the generator. So we find an isolated spot during the day and sit and feed, read or write for a couple of hours of generator and this does us well for at least one night. We run a Honda EU22i which, if only charging the battery, runs at very low revs and is 'quiet'. It gives us enough power at night for light, TV, etc.

We have used it twice in public car parks in the country and had no negative feedback at all. In fact, when a car came and parked next to us, I indicated that if they were not happy I would turn off the generator. The response (in Engish) was to give me every reassurance and welcomed us to Portugal and said how nice it was to see Brits in his part of the country!

If in doubt, observe people as they walk past. If they ignore it, you're in the clear. If they stare and look cross, you're not! Make sure your generator is small enough for you to lift without injury!

Good luck. Mike & Marleen
Click to expand...
Mike Hawkins best reply very to the point and covers the merits of a Fenny and how to use well done Mike lots of common sense 👏
 
Upvote 0
chrisgreen said:
I have a Honda Genny and also BtoB running my engine for the BtoB is a lot noisier than running my Genny.
Click to expand...
A B2B won't disturb anyone though as you'll be driving.
A site I use regularly states in the booking T&C's no generators.
First time you're caught the site warden warns you, second time you're asked to leave.
I've seen several people have to leave.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
headlight said:
A B2B won't disturb anyone though as you'll be driving.
A site I use regularly states in the booking T&C's no generators.
First time you're caught the site warden warns you, second time you're asked to leave.
I've seen several people have to leave.
Click to expand...
Quite right too.
 
Upvote 0
headlight said:
A B2B won't disturb anyone though as you'll be driving.
A site I use regularly states in the booking T&C's no generators.
First time you're caught the site warden warns you, second time you're asked to leave.
I've seen several people have to leave.
Click to expand...
Thats on a site my original post was about wild camping
 
Upvote 0
Usually I know what you thinking b2b but you need a smart altinator.
My mh is a 2011 boxer not sure if my altinator would run a b2b
 
Upvote 0
garry63 said:
Usually I know what you thinking b2b but you need a smart altinator.
My mh is a 2011 boxer not sure if my altinator would run a b2b
Click to expand...
No you don't need a smart alternator.
My motorhome is 2006, non smart alternator.
B2B's are fitted to vehicles with smart alternators as smart alternators won't usually charge the leisure batteries fully without them.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
I think if you need a microwave, electric kettle,hair dryer, hair straighteners, and a TV on for hours and enough power to run a small semi, I think you would be better off in a hotel !
 
Upvote 0
headlight said:
No you don't need a smart alternator.
My motorhome is 2006, non smart alternator.
B2B's are fitted to vehicles with smart alternators as smart alternators won't usually charge the leisure batteries fully without them.
Click to expand...
Why are smart alternators so called if they don't charge both batteries ?
 
Upvote 0
Ducatikid said:
Why are smart alternators so called if they don't charge both batteries ?
Click to expand...
Smart alternators are supposed to only charge when the starter battery really needs it and it will prioritise charging on the overrun (off throttle) so consequently it is not on all the time to charge your leisure batteries, a B2B basically forces the Smart alternator to push out charge all the time that the leisure batteries need it.

Or that is my understanding anyway.
 
Upvote 0
andykim said:
I think if you need a microwave, electric kettle,hair dryer, hair straighteners, and a TV on for hours and enough power to run a small semi, I think you would be better off in a hotel !
Click to expand...
Who said they need all them?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
garry63 said:
Who said they need all them?
Click to expand...
We do ;) minus the hair straighteners and can go for 6 days if not more in the winter but we have 640ah of lithium and solar that is pretty useless in the winter, driving does put a continuous 70ah back but that is still a long drive to replace even 80%.
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top