Generator Advice Please (1 Viewer)

[Hobert]

Hi Peeps,

Newbies to motor homing and looking to buy suitcase generator. What are everyone's recommendations please. Not looking to spend an absolute fortune, but do realise that will have to spend a decent amount to get a good one.

TIA

Av, Dav & The Dog

 

[pappajohn]

Do you really need one ?

The only time you will be able to use it is off site...wild camping...or at motorhome shows.
Many folks have one and never use it.

 

[Hobert]

Hi pappajohn,

Looking to do mostly wildcamping with our new addition to the family as there is so much of this beautiful country we live in that we have never seen.

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[Robert Clark]

If you have sufficient battery capacity, some solar panels and a battery to battery charger, you should never need a generator.

 

[pappajohn]

OK, used discreetly.

Nearly everything needing 230v can have a 12v equivalent.
The only things you really need a genny for are hair drivers etc.
A decent solar panel and another battery would be better option.
A scenario......Sat at night watching tv with the genny running and the local yobs come a calling.
You may need to move quickly but the gennies outside (unless they've nicked it)
This of course means you may have to face them and you don't know what they could do.
The best option with wilding is park in the direction you would leave in then the turn of a key and your on your way somewhere safer.

 

[aldhp21]

We have the Honda EU10 with an lpg conversion. It's brilliant when you need it. But with solar panel you very rarely need it. Think I've used ours once in the last year and that was at Le Mans with no hookup for a week and Lyn wanted to use the hair dryer.

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[pappajohn]

Anyway, in answer to your question.....
Expect to pay maybe £450 for a run of the mill KIPOR or similar to over £1000 for a Honda.
And they weigh around 20/25kg and you need to carry petrol.

 

[JJ]

I very, very strongly advise carrying a generator if you are planning to spend a significant time off-site and off grid.

If you have solar and decent batteries you might not need to use it much but, my goodness, on the rare times you do, it is a god send.

I live fulltime in my van (mostly off-site) in a really, really sunny part of the world and I never go anywhere without my genny.

I have a Kipor and a Honda.

I was a serious Kipor fan (based mostly on price) but would recommend a Honda these days. Mine is just SO reliable...

I get a huge amount of reassurance from knowing that I have electricity available should I need it... (leaving headlights on by mistake when in the middle of nowhere etc).

JJ

 

[Charlie]

Costco have the Honda EU 20 on offer fight now at £830 inc VAT....

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[MattR]

Hi Peeps,

Newbies to motor homing and looking to buy suitcase generator. What are everyone's recommendations please. Not looking to spend an absolute fortune, but do realise that will have to spend a decent amount to get a good one.

TIA

Av, Dav & The Dog

I would suggest that you use your MH for a few months before buying a generator. There are lots of views for having / not having one but we've survived quite happily for 10 years of using a campervan and MH without a generator and spend most of our time camping off grid and very rarely use electrical hookups when on campsites; we've only run out of battery power once after 3 days in one place and having spent about 10 hours watching TV & using lights, water pump etc.

 

[mustaphapint]

We inherited a genny when we bought our MH just over a year ago. We faithfully carried it around for 9 months and never needed it. We don't have a solar panel either except for a small portable one which again we've never needed. We do wild camp a fair bit but usually move on after 2 days at the most so driving recharges the batteries. We can manage for 3 nights if we need to before the batteries drop too low. That includes running led lights, tv and the central heating for a short while. If needed I can give them a boost by starting the engine. If I've done something stupid and the main battery is flat I have one of those supa dupa li-ion packs which is supposed to have enough power to start a 3 litre diesel. We no longer carry the genny but I would like to fit a proper solar panel.

 

[chrisgreen]

forget the genny and get a sterling b2b fitted and use your van engine as the genny

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[PhilG]

I have had a variety of Honda's , currently have am EU20 which is a bit big, but runs all the stuff we need, which is more than the average MH will ever need, it takes up a bit of space but will run 2 vans and all the lights and stuff we need . We had an EU10 which was ok, but its a smaller and has a smaller tank, you pay more for the Honda stuff, and i did have the EU20 running off LPG when we had a fixed tank, with a drybreak, which meant no fuel to carry and no smell.

Kipors are cheap. and you get what you pay for , my mate had one that ran without missing a beat for 2 years and then threw its guts up, but we run them 20 days a year from 8 till 11 .. and he breaks everything.

If you have room, buy one, the solar panel gang will no doubt say you dont need one, but if you thought like that , you probably wouldnt have a van either.

 

[MattR]

I have had a variety of Honda's , currently have am EU20 which is a bit big, but runs all the stuff we need, which is more than the average MH will ever need, it takes up a bit of space but will run 2 vans and all the lights and stuff we need . We had an EU10 which was ok, but its a smaller and has a smaller tank, you pay more for the Honda stuff, and i did have the EU20 running off LPG when we had a fixed tank, with a drybreak, which meant no fuel to carry and no smell.

Kipors are cheap. and you get what you pay for , my mate had one that ran without missing a beat for 2 years and then threw its guts up, but we run them 20 days a year from 8 till 11 .. and he breaks everything.

If you have room, buy one, the solar panel gang will no doubt say you dont need one, but if you thought like that , you probably wouldnt have a van either.

What do you mean by that?
Confused

 

[PhilG]

What do you mean by that?
Confused

Everyone has different needs .. every 'what generator ' thread is usually full of 'you dont need one' replies, and a load of solar panel recomendations.

My neighbour has a camper, i have food that has done more miles in the last year than it has, but i wouldnt tell him he doesnt need one.

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[MattR]

duplicate

 

[iceclimber]

Hi, I bought one this year as I was able to get staff discount on the Screwfix 700W genny. Works a treat but it is TOO small as I found out at Cadwell this year. I needed to run the engine for 15 mins to get the initial high current draw down, only then would the genny charge the batteries. Will probably only use 1 or 2 times per year, but its nice to know its on board & available.
Much better & should have got the 1200W Machine Mart genny, (which is included (not all genny's are) in their VAT free weekends)

 

[MattR]

Everyone has different needs .. every 'what generator ' thread is usually full of 'you dont need one' replies, and a load of solar panel recomendations.

My neighbour has a camper, i have food that has done more miles in the last year than it has, but i wouldnt tell him he doesnt need one.

Sure. But by the same token, I wouldn't tell him that he does. There are lots of threads about "should I get a genny or not" but IMHO, I would suggest that peeps use their MH first to identify their power needs and then decide whether a battery is adequate or solar / genny is required. Neither of the latter are cheap so if the OP doesn't have cash to splash, it would seem a shame to buy something just because some peeps have said that it is essential while many others disagree.

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[Jaws]

Hello everyone. My name is Jaws and I am a serial genny buyer..
There.. I have said it..

I have owned more Gennies than everyone I know..


I buy one.. store it away.. a year later sell it 'cos it has not been used.. See another one, buy it and so the cycle goes on !

For what it is worth, my opinion is spend the money on as much solar power as will fit on your roof and buy as many decent batteries as you can fit and carry !
We spend weeks off grid .. no probs at all

Oh.. and yes, I do have TWO gennys at the moment.. I bought them a couple of years ago and have still not used either of them !!

BUT !
If you def want a genny then @Geo has one for sale aat the moment that is a reet bargain !

Oops ! Edit !!! He has now sold it

 

[PhilG]

Hi, I bought one this year as I was able to get staff discount on the Screwfix 700W genny. Works a treat but it is TOO small as I found out at Cadwell this year. I needed to run the engine for 15 mins to get the initial high current draw down, only then would the genny charge the batteries. Will probably only use 1 or 2 times per year, but its nice to know its on board & available.
Much better & should have got the 1200W Machine Mart genny, (which is included (not all genny's are) in their VAT free weekends)

700w is a bit asthmatic.. i had one of those for about a month , and swapped it for an old 2kva one on wheels, which i still have, thats a proper paddock workhorse , but its a more of a busted sofa, than a suitcase.

 

[Robert Clark]

We all carry a generator without realising it - an Alternator

By simply running the engine you've got a simple source of emergency power.

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[PhilG]

We all carry a generator without realising it - an Alternator

By simply running the engine you've got a simple source of emergency power.

Nice use of the word 'simple'...

 

[Shrimp]

We have 2 x 110 batteries and solar but staying on a CL (no electric) for a few weeks this time of year-not much sun and when it is sunny it's quite low-our little Honda EU10 does the job, use it for about 2 hours a day it gives the batts a boost and only uses about 5 litres for the week, and very quiet, well worth the expense!
When the gennys running I use my Remoska and we watch TV every night.

 

[Shrimp]

We all carry a generator without realising it - an Alternator

By simply running the engine you've got a simple source of emergency power.

Think a diesel van engine would be noisier than a Honda genny!

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[PhilG]

Think a diesel van engine would be noisier than a Honda genny!

.. and if it has a CAT , a lot harder to repair after you have collapsed it leaving it running stood still.

 

[Robert Clark]

But you'd only use it for short periods of time during emergencies.
No different than being stuck in slow moving traffic.

 

[Ivory55]

Another plus is it's easier to pinch a generator then a motorhome engine.

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[Speve]

I've bought a Champion generator as quiet as the Honda and only £300 apparently one of the most popular generators for RVs in America and after trying it out it is very quiet only 18kg

 

[aldhp21]

Costco have the Honda EU 20 on offer fight now at £830 inc VAT....

Hi Charlie, is that in store offer as I can't see it on their website?

 

[PhilG]

Another plus is it's easier to pinch a generator then a motorhome engine.

while its sat there running with the keys in ??... probably not actually.

Someone used to do kits to fit suitcase generators under your bonnet, when the spare wheel used to be under there on the Express based vans, they were good.

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