We want to get a generator for our motorhome strictly for charging it at home and being able to do some work in the van when it's not been run a while and the battery is low, so we dont have to pack everything away and take it on a run. What's the advice on brand etc needs to quiet as to not upset he residents. Yes we have solar panels, no I cant put a lead out the window as the car park is not opposite the flat, and we dont want to always have to take it for a run when we are busy sorting it out. It wont get pinched because we will be there working inside. Can you tell yet I've already asked this question on another site? The motorhome runs perfectly when it's been used regularly, solar keeps battery topped up it's just events happen and we cant always get it out for regular runs to keep battery fully charged.
Generator advice please!
- Thread starter Hellen
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- Oct 29, 2012
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is it the vehicle battery you are talking about? if you have solar panels you probably only need a battery master. then the solar should keep habitation and vehicle batteries charged.
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BreweryDave
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Depends if you park under a streetlight............
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It's the habitation so we can go in when weve not been able to run it for a while and do some maintenance it's only for at home. The MH starts beautifully no matter how long it's been standing. Its parked in residents parking but no amount of cable will get it from window to MH. I know we can take it for a run but it was just an idea. Scottish weather is not the best through winter to keep solar panels charging it up.
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I use a 1Kw Hyundai to run the chargers in my van, it is light to move round, good on fuel and quiet.
edit: sorry it an HY1000Si
edit: sorry it an HY1000Si
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Campervan_man
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- Jun 24, 2019
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https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-...0001&campid=5338547443&icep_item=193330359188
I have one of these. Mid range. Honda are the best but ££££.
I have one of these. Mid range. Honda are the best but ££££.
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- Dec 24, 2014
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Bearing in mind the cost and faff of a generator I'd remove the battery(ies) and keep them charged them at home, but mine are very accessible which yours may not be.
(In fact, for less than the cost of a generator I'd buy a second battery to keep charged at home and swap it with the one on the vehicle when I visited it).
(In fact, for less than the cost of a generator I'd buy a second battery to keep charged at home and swap it with the one on the vehicle when I visited it).
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I have a Honda 1kw that I have used when not on EHU.
Quiet enough but not cheap.
Quiet enough but not cheap.
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PhilG
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I have a 2Kva Honda suitcase one, which fits (just ) into my side locker. We are off grid a lot of the time so we use it a lot.
Kipor do cheap copies, which a lot of folk I know use, my advice is that is you are going to get one, get one you can take anywhere, 1Kva is plenty unless you want to run kettles and microwaves (we don't ) .
Also , look at how you can chain it up, and make a second lead just for the genny. I have a chain that goes through my rear wheel, the genny sits under the van and has a 6ft cable. all nicely tucked away.
Kipor do cheap copies, which a lot of folk I know use, my advice is that is you are going to get one, get one you can take anywhere, 1Kva is plenty unless you want to run kettles and microwaves (we don't ) .
Also , look at how you can chain it up, and make a second lead just for the genny. I have a chain that goes through my rear wheel, the genny sits under the van and has a 6ft cable. all nicely tucked away.
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I agree but extremely hard to justify the price. I paid around £300, a Honda is around £1000. Yes the Honda will probably sell for £300 in 5 years but mine lasts 3 years I am quids in.
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Make sure its an inverter type that gives a pure sine output, sometimes called a suitcase type. If its just for battery charging then 1kW is sufficient, for power tools at least 2kW would be better. After that its down to noise, how close are the neighbours?
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Could you not have an arrangement with one of your neighbours whose window is nearer the van to plug in.... for a small fee for lecky...?
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TheBig1
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- Nov 27, 2011
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I have the honda eu20i, superb piece of kit, but its smaller brother the eu10i will do what you need. Or look for cheaper brands with quality components like the hyundai
At home my backup generator is a 3kw kawasaki frame generator. Slightly noisier but will run all day on a tank of fuel and will run power tools. I paid £50 for it second hand 3 or 4 years back
At home my backup generator is a 3kw kawasaki frame generator. Slightly noisier but will run all day on a tank of fuel and will run power tools. I paid £50 for it second hand 3 or 4 years back
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- Oct 29, 2012
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- Rapido 9090df
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- 20 years (unless you count my dads VW which makes it 52 years with a few gaps!!)
mine does
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An alternative to a generator is to use a second battery and an inverter to charge the leisure batteries. You can put the battery on a parcel trolley to ferry it from the house to the MH. You'll also need a smart charger and a small inverter.
My setup in the house was a CTEK MXS5.0 to charge a 100Ah battery. It's a bit slow, but will get to 100% overnight.
At the MH, I used a 150 watt Pure Sine Wave (PSW) inverter, to power the CTEK charger, connected direct to the leisure batteries. It slowly charged up the leisure batteries. I used to leave it overnight, and bring it back the next day for charging.
If you want faster charging, with a 300 watt inverter you could plug directly into the MH mains inlet, and use the built-in mains charger, which is likely to be about 20 amps. You'd still need a charger at the house, of course.
I think you can buy complete units, with battery, charger and inverter, that will do the job. But I already had a charger and inverter so I just used what I had.
My setup in the house was a CTEK MXS5.0 to charge a 100Ah battery. It's a bit slow, but will get to 100% overnight.
At the MH, I used a 150 watt Pure Sine Wave (PSW) inverter, to power the CTEK charger, connected direct to the leisure batteries. It slowly charged up the leisure batteries. I used to leave it overnight, and bring it back the next day for charging.
If you want faster charging, with a 300 watt inverter you could plug directly into the MH mains inlet, and use the built-in mains charger, which is likely to be about 20 amps. You'd still need a charger at the house, of course.
I think you can buy complete units, with battery, charger and inverter, that will do the job. But I already had a charger and inverter so I just used what I had.
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In Scotland in winter the sun is lower on the horizon and the daylight hours are shorter than in Southern Englandmine does
. However in summer they get nice long days .Subscribers do not see these advertisements
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Thanks for all the advice. Neighbours are not near either it's a big parking area and we keep it out the way at the top so as to not upset neighbours, the disabled parking is nearest and even that would need a cable way to long lol.
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