Generators (1 Viewer)

Liz14

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I know this subject has been discussed often but can someone explain to me the difference between a Honda generator cosing several hundred pounds and the generator I can buy for less than £100.00.:whatthe:
 

ips

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Have always camped, caravaned or had boats. Now in our second year with the motorhome.
I know this subject has been discussed often but can someone explain to me the difference between a Honda generator cosing several hundred pounds and the generator I can buy for less than £100.00.:whatthe:

One costs over 100
And one costs under a 100 :ROFLMAO:

No seriously.... I am no expert however I beleive that apart from the obvious inferior build quality of cheap ones which are almost certainly chinese, I beleive that cheapo ones dont have a voltage stabilizer thingy majig which could damage "some" of your elecrical items due to inconsistent output.

Small print
The above could of course be totally wrong :thumb:
 

scotjimland

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Depends on what you intend to use it for ..

A cheapo is fine for most power tools, emergency lighting etc

If for your van look for one with Inverter technology, otherwise you could blow the electronics on your van charger ..

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Oct 14, 2007
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I know this subject has been discussed often but can someone explain to me the difference between a Honda generator cosing several hundred pounds and the generator I can buy for less than £100.00.:whatthe:


The Kippor is a cloned Honda from China. I have the yellow peril and it runs everything on my van icluding LCD TV and laptop
 

pappajohn

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IPS is right....

a cheap genny will be of an inferior quality and the voltage wont be stable and fluctuates with engine speed. could be 200v one minute and 270v the next until the engine warms up thoroughly.
plug in something sensitive like a laptop and chances are you'll be looking for a new laptop.

honda's and kipors use invertor technology meaning the genny produces 12v and the circuitry converts this 12v to a very stable 230v...hence the big difference in price.

very expensive honda's are superior in build quality than kipors (never thought i'd say that :Doh:) but they both work the same way....stable invertor technology.
 

JeanLuc

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Around £100 and below, what you will get is a cheap open-frame generator of the type used by builders on a site (only they tend to use better versions).
These produce electricity by running at a constant speed (≅3000 rpm) and driving an alternating current (AC) generator. The output voltage tends to fluctuate and they also tend to be quite noisy.

Most motorhomers (who use a generator) go for a 'suitcase' model. These produce electricity in an entirely different way. They generate direct current (DC) which is fed through a sine-wave inverter to produce 230V AC at the outlet. This has the effect of producing a very stable output voltage without surges. Their design makes them quieter too.

The problem with power surges is that they can damage sensitive equipment, perhaps most importantly, the charging unit of the motorhome if you plug the generator into the mains inlet. They are not good news for things like computers either.

Suitcase generators come in a variety of sizes and makes. Output is measured in KVa and 1 KVa is equivalent to about 900 watts. Most motorhomers will choose a 1 KVa model if they just want to power the onboard charger and perhaps run a few modest items. A 2KVa or 2.6KVa model will be required if you want to run large hairdryers, microwave ovens, household kettles etc.

The difference between 'suitcase' brands is then down to build quality, reputation, service / spares and how much you are willing to pay. Honda are the most expensive, but generally regarded as the best and they are pretty quiet. They start at over £600 for a 1KVa model. Kipor are very popular and start at around £300 I believe. There are other makes too - have a look at the PlanetGen website - they are trade members of Fun and know a lot more about it than me.

Finally, returning to the noise issue, there was a £65 Aldi special discussed the other week. From its specification, it would be about 2.5 times louder than a Honda. And of course, it would be prone to power surges.

Hope this helps and is not overly technical.

Philip

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Mikemoss

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Good post Philip, I'm no expert either but everything you say seems to add up to me. I've had two generators, one older Honda (non inverter) and now a cheapo Kipor 1kw (inverter, sine-wave type - ie yellow). The Kipor is quieter and lighter, the Honda was noticeably better made but noisier. Both have been fine for running TV, hairdryer, lights and charging battery, the Kipor would be better at running my laptop - but I don't mix work and pleasure so have never tried!
 

tick59

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Coul you not fit an invertor to the ALDI generator then plug your van lead into the 230v on the invertor?:Doh::Doh:

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pappajohn

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Coul you not fit an invertor to the ALDI generator then plug your van lead into the 230v on the invertor?:Doh::Doh:

you could but it wont give you much usable power.
the 12v output on most Gennie's is around 8amps which ain't much to run an inverter.

100watts from an inverter will be 8.3amps from the Genny and a lot of that 100watts will be used by 'fitted' equipment...lights, charger, water pump etc.

inefficiencies in the inverter will also reduce the 100watts to around 90watts usable power.
 
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Maplins I see sell Surge Protectors. A Single Surge Socket at a fiver or the Belkin Surge Cube at £7. I am asking would these products or similar allow the use of a cheap Aldi genny to feed into the motorhome mains without melting the control/charger units???
Anybody know?? Please.
 

mr bond

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I know this subject has been discussed often but can someone explain to me the difference between a Honda generator cosing several hundred pounds and the generator I can buy for less than £100.00.:whatthe:

you only get what you pay for these days:thumb::thumb:

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JeanLuc

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Maplins I see sell Surge Protectors. A Single Surge Socket at a fiver or the Belkin Surge Cube at £7. I am asking would these products or similar allow the use of a cheap Aldi genny to feed into the motorhome mains without melting the control/charger units???
Anybody know?? Please.

I would contact either PlanetGen or Edge Technology, both expert suppliers, and ask them the same question. (You can find them easily by searching the web.)

Personally, I would not touch it with a barge-pole. Why risk a motorhome, for which you have paid several thousand pounds, by trying to use a cheap, low-quality generator? I am happy with my Honda.

Philip
 

tick59

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I have used my cheap one bought at NETTO for £50 a few times, don't know if it has done any damage but everything seems O.K.:Smile::Smile:
 

Heyupluv

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Around £100 and below, what you will get is a cheap open-frame generator of the type used by builders on a site (only they tend to use better versions).
These produce electricity by running at a constant speed (≅3000 rpm) and driving an alternating current (AC) generator. The output voltage tends to fluctuate and they also tend to be quite noisy.

Most motorhomers (who use a generator) go for a 'suitcase' model. These produce electricity in an entirely different way. They generate direct current (DC) which is fed through a sine-wave inverter to produce 230V AC at the outlet. This has the effect of producing a very stable output voltage without surges. Their design makes them quieter too.

The problem with power surges is that they can damage sensitive equipment, perhaps most importantly, the charging unit of the motorhome if you plug the generator into the mains inlet. They are not good news for things like computers either.

Suitcase generators come in a variety of sizes and makes. Output is measured in KVa and 1 KVa is equivalent to about 900 watts. Most motorhomers will choose a 1 KVa model if they just want to power the onboard charger and perhaps run a few modest items. A 2KVa or 2.6KVa model will be required if you want to run large hairdryers, microwave ovens, household kettles etc.

The difference between 'suitcase' brands is then down to build quality, reputation, service / spares and how much you are willing to pay. Honda are the most expensive, but generally regarded as the best and they are pretty quiet. They start at over £600 for a 1KVa model. Kipor are very popular and start at around £300 I believe. There are other makes too - have a look at the PlanetGen website - they are trade members of Fun and know a lot more about it than me.

Finally, returning to the noise issue, there was a £65 Aldi special discussed the other week. From its specification, it would be about 2.5 times louder than a Honda. And of course, it would be prone to power surges.

Hope this helps and is not overly technical.

Philip

Philip
Just a quick question..and John (papajohn) or Jim (Scot Jimland) may know this answer

Peaks and troughs output voltage surges....what would a Belkin Surge suppressor do..inline between the cheap genny and the inlet plug of the motorhome ??. would it improve or solve the problem, or be a waste of time...meaning stop any damaging surges to sensitive equipment.....?????:Doh:

Mel

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JeanLuc

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Mel,

See my last post above, which was in answer to the same query.

Philip
 

Heyupluv

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Mel,

See my last post above, which was in answer to the same query.

Philip

Philip
You must have done that reply while I was typing mine...sorry for the overlap...no it was not for me, but for anybody that may already have one those cheap gennies..

thanks for the reply
Mel
 

pappajohn

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Philip
Just a quick question..and John (papajohn) or Jim (Scot Jimland) may know this answer

Peaks and troughs output voltage surges....what would a Belkin Surge suppressor do..inline between the cheap genny and the inlet plug of the motorhome ??. would it improve or solve the problem, or be a waste of time...meaning stop any damaging surges to sensitive equipment.....?????:Doh:

Mel

these things are designed for use on your household (national grid) electrics which are in pure sine-wave form...

a cheap genny will be either a modified sine-wave or square wave so a surge protector may not work. i dont know for sure though.

the more expensive honda and kipor genny's are usually pure sine-wave

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waveforms.svg

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imprint

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Apolgies to all for wandering off-piste (that's one word, not two) but I was working my way through this very useful stuff when my eye was caught by "Communication Consultant" Jean Luc. (Obviously well versed in French letters, but moving swiftly on).

He lists his interests as "watching walking". What a delightful thought! There's a man who's got his life-balance about right...Quelle delicatesse!!

Hope that doesn't detract from the sine-waves. I'm going to give them to every MH I see in the future.
 

scotjimland

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Hope that doesn't detract from the sine-waves. I'm going to give them to every MH I see in the future.

these kind of sign waves ?:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

palmback-v-sign.jpg
 

imprint

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Certainly, if I see both of you.

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dewaltman

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i have been offered a used honda ex 350 2 stroke generator in perfect condition because of size and lightness was thinking of buying just for charging the batteries in an emergency does anybody know of this model and have any advise. I know maximum output is only 300 watts
 

scotjimland

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i have been offered a used honda ex 350 2 stroke generator in perfect condition because of size and lightness was thinking of buying just for charging the batteries in an emergency does anybody know of this model and have any advise. I know maximum output is only 300 watts

Hi

After a bit of searching I found this PDF specifically about the Honda EX 350.. should help you decide ..

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JeanLuc

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Ho Ho Ho

Apolgies to all for wandering off-piste (that's one word, not two) but I was working my way through this very useful stuff when my eye was caught by "Communication Consultant" Jean Luc. (Obviously well versed in French letters, but moving swiftly on).

He lists his interests as "watching walking". What a delightful thought! There's a man who's got his life-balance about right...Quelle delicatesse!!

Well spotted - I never thought about the effect of line-wrapping on the order in which I listed my interests. I have made an amendment to improve comprehension for those very few that might be interested.

Regarding the username, it owes nothing to my experience of French letters, either extensive or limited. It is a nickname given me by a one-time work colleague who thought I bore some resemblance to Patrick Stewart; he played the role of said commander of the Starship Enterprise at that time. I have to admit that my family never saw the resemblance and have a negative view of the nickname to this day. I failed to produce anything more interesting, cryptic or creative at the time I was completing my registration on 'Fun'. And as I was already using the name on the 'Dark Side', I thought I would maintain motorhoming consistency.

Philip

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