how to use a generator (1 Viewer)

[pappajohn]

Or there's solar power panels, quiet and free,once purchaced ,also safe (no petrol)no lugging about,AND no going outside in the RAIN...people.
As far as i'm aware,no you dont need to earth generator. (p.s i have a small 950,but will convert to solar soon as)

Kipor, and i asume Honda, do recommend earthing the genny and provide an earth point to connect to.

personally i never have as the genny should be earthed internally.

 

[Shore-is-Good]

Or there's solar power panels, quiet and free,once purchaced ,also safe (no petrol)no lugging about,AND no going outside in the RAIN...people.
As far as i'm aware,no you dont need to earth generator. (p.s i have a small 950,but will convert to solar soon as)

...but solar PVs don't work well on short, dark, cloudy winter days...pretty useless, in fact.

For those of us that store our 'wheels' away from home and don't have the benefit of plugging in at home, e.g. at a Cassoa compound, a generator is invaluable for using power tools, vacuum cleaner, pressure washer, charging batteries, microwaving a meal when you're working on the MH all day. Also PVs are not free. They're quite expensive. Nothing wrong in having them. I do. But a genny will often come into its own.

 

[barnybg]

I thought modern NEW solar panels,didn't need sun, just light..............and if your going to have small ones,then no they wont work,but 150 and upwards will keep you fully charged anywhere, unless your parked up in a garage of course,and if so,then 230v available .

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[ips]

I thought modern NEW solar panels,didn't need sun, just light..............and if your going to have small ones,then no they wont work,but 150 and upwards will keep you fully charged anywhere, unless your parked up in a garage of course,and if so,then 230v available .

How much would you expect to pay for a 150 and what would be the physical size be ?
what would be the minimum size to recharge a 110a battery ?
can you get portable ones that you put on the floor rather than install permanently.

 

[JeanLuc]

I thought modern NEW solar panels,didn't need sun, just light..............and if your going to have small ones,then no they wont work,but 150 and upwards will keep you fully charged anywhere, unless your parked up in a garage of course,and if so,then 230v available .

I am not an expert on solar panels, but did research them before buying a generator. I am not convinced of your assertion that a 150W panel will "keep you fully charged anywhere".

My opinion is based on the following logic.
150W / 12V = 12.5A. Allowing for some inefficiency in the panel, let's assume 10 amps usable charging current. And that's in summertime: in the UK during winter it will be a lot less - probably 5 amps or below. Then allowing for effective daylight hours, let's assume 12 in summer and 6 in Winter. (In fact average sunlight hours at latitude 51° are 5.3 in June and 0.8 in January.)

So, in June, you should get 10A x 12 hours = 120 Ah at best (using daylight hours) or 10A x 5.3 hours = 53 Ah at worst (using sunlight hours). In practice, the answer probably lies between the two, so let's assume 80 Ah.

In January, the sums are 5A x 6 hours = 30Ah (daylight) and 5A x 0.8 hours = 4 Ah (sunlight). Let's assume the answer lies between the two at 16 Ah.

I suspect my estimates are on the high side. Referring to the web site of Aire & Sun, a panel supplier, they state the following averages for the UK.
Summer: 4 x rated output in Wh per day; Winter: 1 x rated output in Wh per day.

That means 150 x 4 = 600 Wh / 12 = 50 Ah per day in Summer
150 x 1 = 150 Wh / 12 = 12.5 Ah per day in winter.

In summer therefore, you should have enough power to recharge daily usage using a solar panel. That is when your consumption is lightest. But in winter, when you use a lot more power from the battery, the solar panel will struggle to keep up. If of course, you are parked on the Costa del Plonk rather than the Yorkshire Dales, you will get a lot more output.

I am sure some more experienced / technically competent members will comment / correct my assumptions, but that is the reason I decided not to fit solar panels as a sole off-hook-up re-charging source.

Philip