Genny help please. (1 Viewer)

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
Which Genny do I need? 1kw or 2kw or bigger?

I have had 3 and 4 kw genny before and they have run everything I needed them too, but never had to worry about sensitive electronics, but obviously, the one I need now is an inverter type. But, which size?
Weight might be an issue, I can get a 1kw Honda or Hyundai that weighs 13-14kg or a 2kw that is double the weight. I don't really want anything heavier.
So, what do I need it for?
We have 2 x 110 ah leisure batteries and a solar panel. We rarely use EHU and in the summer the sun and motoring keep the batteries well charged.
But, in the winter, we want to be able to go away, again not using EHU's. We will use led lighting ( minimal) water pump, Truma combi boiler on gas, but the fan uses 12v.
Then we are fitting insulation and heating to the fresh and maybe the waste water tanks. The heating elements when needed, take up to 5amps each ( 50 - 60 watts)
Our longest static stay will be for 3 or 4 days

Whats the best size genny to go for?

Allan
 

chatter

Free Member
Aug 3, 2009
3,689
937
cheshire
Funster No
7,812
MH
5th wheel
Exp
10+
Most places (sites) would not allow the use of a genny, its only at things like the summer shows or the cc and c&cc rallies/temp holiday sites that allow use of gennys. So where is it that you will be going for 3 or 4 days? I think you would be hard pushed to find a wildcamp spot over here where you could use one and use it securely
On an aside most folk find the 1kw adequate some opt for the 2kw so that they can use their microwave/hairdryer or maybe fan heater.
 
Last edited:

Landy lover

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 11, 2009
2,296
5,928
Zummerzet
Funster No
7,453
MH
27ft Eurolight
Exp
Camping Caravaning now 5'ering 49 years
One thing you might want to bear in mind is that to produce 1kva from a 1 Kva genny the engine will be going flat out all the time and therefore fuel consumption will be high as well as noise levels. If you have a 2 Kva and it is producing 1Kva for most of the time it should use less fuel and be a lot quieter than the 1Kva you also have spare capacity for other needs

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
We don't tend to use sites and don't need to use it in the summer anyway.
We will be moving to France soon and we will be using the van all year round, hopefully getting in a bit of skiing as we travel. The genny will be used for extra power in sub zero temps only.
Allan

Hair dryers will be left at home and we doubt whether the microwave will be used much if at all
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
One thing you might want to bear in mind is that to produce 1kva from a 1 Kva genny the engine will be going flat out all the time and therefore fuel consumption will be high as well as noise levels. If you have a 2 Kva and it is producing 1Kva for most of the time it should use less fuel and be a lot quieter than the 1Kva you also have spare capacity for other needs

I doubt we will be using more than 2 -300 watts if everything is turned on. My main concern were the tank heaters, 5 amps x 2 , 60 watts each, but regulated so they will be on and off all the time but not necessarily both on at the same time.
Logically, a 1 kW genny should be ok, but I was never good at logic. The batteries will need to be kept charged too.
Allan
 

FULL TIMER

Free Member
May 31, 2012
795
717
NORWICH
Funster No
21,259
MH
SELF BUILT IVECO 75E17
Exp
BEEN BUILDING THEM FOR 32 years
I only occasionally use mine but chose the Hyundai 1000si might be a bit louder than the Honda but a hell of a lot cheaper, I have a 24v battery bank charged with a Sterling Products 24v 25amp charger, I normally run the genny in the morning just to recharge the batteries after a nights use of tv and eberspacher heater, led lights etc, at the same time charging a couple of laptops, copes easily and batteries normally fully charged within an hour. Found it to be very reliable so far and pretty economical.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
Thanks, I have heard pretty good reviews of the Hyundai, and a couple of really bad ones. Yours seems to do the job well and certainly is the right price. Not too bothered about noise, I just needed to have an idea of how they perform.
Allan
 
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
Well, my suggestion to Mrs A that she lies down in front of one of the warm air vents to dry her hair didn't seem to go down that well! She said she will "need" a hair dryer in the winter because she can't go out with wet hair. :Doh:
So, it's either a 12 v hair drier or a bigger genny. Might have to look at 2kva units if I can't find a very low powered drier......
Allan
 

injebreck99

Free Member
Dec 5, 2011
1,706
1,795
norfolk
Funster No
19,123
MH
Low profile C Class
Exp
Since 1997
12v hair dryers are rubbish, don"'t bother.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Landy lover

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 11, 2009
2,296
5,928
Zummerzet
Funster No
7,453
MH
27ft Eurolight
Exp
Camping Caravaning now 5'ering 49 years
We don't tend to use sites and don't need to use it in the summer anyway.
We will be moving to France soon and we will be using the van all year round, hopefully getting in a bit of skiing as we travel. The genny will be used for extra power in sub zero temps only.
Allan

Hair dryers will be left at home and we doubt whether the microwave will be used much if at all

If you are considering even using the microwave then you will need a 2 kva genny - the power consumption of a microwave is just over double its cooking power so an 800w microwave needs 1700watts of power to run it.

Hyundai 1 kva - yes we had one - bulkier and noisier than a Honda but we had no problems with it - we changed it to a 2kva which is actually slightly smaller than the Hyundai 1 kva and of similar weight - we changed for two reasons 1/ charging and etc the genny was running at 75% capacity so relatively noisy and 2 we have an 850w microwave and air-conditioning while neither gennys would run both the 1 kva would not run either so with the 2 kva Honda we can run either ( not both at once) if we want to but when charging etc you cannot hear the genny running as it is on tick over( unless of course you are right near it. :Eeek:)
 
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
Looks like a 2kva is the way to go then, but I think the Honda 2kva, much as i'd like one, is just a bit too expensive for me.
Time to seek the advice of Mr Google.....

Allan

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

hilldweller

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 5, 2008
605
36,108
Macclesfield
Funster No
5,089
MH
Zilch Mk1
Exp
From Aug 2007
Looks like a 2kva is the way to go then, but I think the Honda 2kva, much as i'd like one, is just a bit too expensive for me.
Time to seek the advice of Mr Google.....

Allan

I think you've already answered your own question, you need 1kW.

2kW are much bigger and heavier.

Microwaves are big and bulky in the context of MH size and can't be tucked away.
 

JeanLuc

Free Member
Nov 17, 2008
3,304
2,199
Warwickshire
Funster No
4,952
MH
Hymer B630 Star-Line
Exp
Since 2007
If everything that you are planning to run is 12V then you need to size the generator for charging only. For that purpose a 1KVa will be perfectly adequate as it's the onboard charger that determines the power requirement. Most operate at around 350 - 400 Watts I believe.
If you need power for significant 230V devices (e.g. hair drier - forget 12V) then a 2 KVa or larger would be required.
I have a Honda EU10i and use it principally to supply the EBL charger - it is more than good enough for my needs.

You might consider a second hand Honda EU20i if you need the power. They are first class machines - better quality engine than the smaller EU10i. Have a look at this website:
http://www.petepower.co.uk/index.html
 

Don Quixote

Free Member
Jul 29, 2012
2,966
5,257
Lost in La Mancha, Spain
Funster No
22,171
MH
VW T6 Campervan
Exp
Not long enough, but a little common sense helps..........
Well I read every post about "genny's" here before going out and getting one.

Some say buy cheap - lasts for 2/3/4/5 years, but may not start if not run for long periods of time.......

Some say noise is not a problem - so far I have heard some genny's running, but as they where 10 metres away it was not as bad as many say....

Some say Honda are the best and last for ever - but buying new is a problem...... because of price ( buy second hand as I did )

I was left working out how often I would use it in a MH per year.....

I bought one after the "funster" get-together in April this year and to date have used it twice... ( I have 3 x 110 batteries with solar panel 80amp on roof ) whlist in Germany after 3 days of no sun to speak off and running to much stuff in MH...... and the second time here in Spain when the chap next to me had dead batteries and his "cheap" genny would not start ( having not used it for 9 months ) Mine started fist time after 6 months.......


Conclusion: I went for the Honda 10i after much head rubbing and wallet banging.

Why: because there was so much talk about them on many forums and so much positive feed back. I thought why buy cheap and have to buy 2 or more genny's when the old one fails to start ( watch 6 men trying to fix a "cheap" one at the "funister" meet ) 3 x cheap costs more than a Honda 10i which lasts for ever subject to correct maintenance.

Honda every time wins

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
My last genny was a 4kva and had a Briggs and Stratton engine, though not an inverter type. I had it 10 years and it spent about 10 months of the year not used. It started every time first pull every time. It now has a new owner.
My mower has a 6.5 hp Honda engine. 7 years on and it works perfectly, again, starts first pull. Used every week, fortnightly through the winter
I also have a Honda powered strimmer, 4 stroke, that gets used maybe once a month that is a pain to start and runs rough at high revs. It's been back and forth to the local repair shop for new carb parts every year. I have just bought a carb rebuild kit from USA to get it running again because the repair shop is getting expensive.
So, while I understand people rating Honda power, if I didn't have the mower, I would think they were rubbish.
I would love a Honda eu20i but at over £1k it's out of reach now. I'll look for a Honda powered alternative or a used 20i or get Mrs A a substantial haircut so she won't need a hairdrier!
Allan
 
OP
OP
Allanm

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
Well, I rebuilt the carb on my Honda powered strimmer today, with all new gaskets and jets. Started first pull, much to my surprise because it hasn't done that for years. Runs sweet as a very sweet thing now, so, I thought, maybe Honda is the right engine to get.
So, armed with a purpose ( but still not enough cash for an EU 10i and since Mrs A is forgoing the hair dryer since I told her a 2kva Hond is about £1200) I just bought an SDMO 1.15kva inverter genny. Powered by the same Honda engine as the EU10i but built by an established French company. Should be here tomorrow.
Sorted
Allan
 

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!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top