Generator? (1 Viewer)

TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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many many years! since I was a kid
in most situations, where you are sharing a space with others, generators will tend to wind some folk up. the quietest and most reliable are made by honda, but you pay a high price for a quality product
 

OldAgeTravellers

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If you have a big van then get the Gasperini, 12volt built in LPG powered generator. Pricey but just sits there and does it's job when needed almost silent (quieter I think than the Honda). No fumes to speak of. Touring Scotland at the moment with little sun and wild camping all the time we have used it a few nights because the Solar panels have not put enough in and only done 50odd miles so batteries getting a bit low. Have been away three weeks with no hook up and totally self sufficient. Would not even consider humping a genie in and out of a locker when I can just flick a switch even when parked in a car park. Conrad Anderson install them, possibly VanBitz @eddievanbitz may do as well so Funsters discount on top.
Steve
 
Apr 8, 2015
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Kipor is affordable but mine was unreliable and difficult to start. Bit the Bullet and bought a Honda. That hurt but now have quiet reliable power.

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Imbiber

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I too can vouch for the 12v LPG option. It's now badged TelAir and we have the TG600 MEF so we can use it in the Alps. Needs to be used alongside a decent inverter and solar but does provide total off grid independence. I got mine fitted by Mick at SAP in Doncaster who did a fantastic job as usual.
 
Apr 10, 2010
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I have a Dometic-branded (TEC 29 I think) generator built in. I think it's made by Honda.

Don't use it much but having it built in, with a remote starting control panel is very useful, including allowing its use while travelling. However, it's petrol driven and conspicuous in use. Dometic also do an LPG version, which I think I would prefer; having a petrol driven version requires an additional fuel tank, pipework, etc.

The downside to having it built in is that it cannot be taken away from the vehicle for use at home, for example.
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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Before anyone can advise they need to know the intended purpose .. 'large motorhome' doesn't really tell us much.. what do you plan to use it for.. how many kw do you think you need.. ?

Petrol generators are noisily, smelly, heavy.. and unsociable.. if you invest in a decent sized battery bank, solar panels and a B2B charger and you won't need a genny.

There is no such thing as quiet generator.. I had a 2kw Honda EU2I and it was anything but quiet .. except when it was idling and doing sod all.. put it on load and despite the claims... it was noisy ..

a £1,000 buys a lot of batteries and solar panels..

If you plan on winter camping when there may be little sun, you would better off on a site with EHU

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zac

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Nov 19, 2013
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If you have a big van then get the Gasperini, 12volt built in LPG powered generator. Pricey but just sits there and does it's job when needed almost silent (quieter I think than the Honda). No fumes to speak of. Touring Scotland at the moment with little sun and wild camping all the time we have used it a few nights because the Solar panels have not put enough in and only done 50odd miles so batteries getting a bit low. Have been away three weeks with no hook up and totally self sufficient. Would not even consider humping a genie in and out of a locker when I can just flick a switch even when parked in a car park. Conrad Anderson install them, possibly VanBitz @eddievanbitz may do as well so Funsters discount on top.
Steve

Out of interest what does it cost to get one of these fitted ?

Scrap that just found it approx 3k
 
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Mart grump
Apr 26, 2012
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Thanks for advice don't know where to start it's a mind field we have a large Carthago with usuall electric kit what size geni would be recome
 

scotjimland

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Thanks for advice don't know where to start it's a mind field we have a large Carthago with usuall electric kit what size geni would be recome

cooking, water heating, fridge , space heating can all be run on gas .. if you fit refillable bottles LPG is cheap, and efficient..

you only use 12v for the water pump, warm air blowing and lights.. which is minimal in summer.. you can go for weeks without needing to charge the batteries, especially if you fit a solar panel and are moving on every other day, which you will be doing if wild camping..


On a site you don't need a generator... nearly all UK sites have a mains hook up..

so what other 240v mains stuff do you 'need' or want to use when not on a site ?
 

DanielFord

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Jun 1, 2013
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Thanks for advice don't know where to start it's a mind field we have a large Carthago with usuall electric kit what size geni would be recome

so what other 240v mains stuff do you 'need' or want to use when not on a site ?
That is the important question. In our van, the only things that need an EHU are the microwave, the roof aircon, the coffee machine and the electric ring on the cooker, the rest can all run 12v or gas.
If you have similar requirements, then you are going to be looking at a 2kva generator, the smaller 1kva will pop out trying to run these items.
That said, we only have a 1kva Hyundai genny, since we only use it to top up the batteries, and before the inverter, so that other half could use the hair drier. :D

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PhilG

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Mar 8, 2016
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I have a 2KVA Honda , reasonably quiet , but expensive to buy, will run a small town , (I run 2 sets of tyre warmers off it no problem), and the 1 KVA on ran everything we needed camper wise.
I hear what folk say about solar and batteries, you have to be honest about what your needs are , and how many times you will be off mains hook up.
 

Ivory55

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I think I would just use the van first and see what I actually need before jumping in and spending lots of money. You might have a couple of hic ups but nothing major, if you was desperate with flat battery you could give someone with a generator a drink to charge you up or something.
 

andy63

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Jan 19, 2014
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I have the Honda 2kw.. (1.6kw continuous ).. had it for a few years and found it reliable... It nearly always gets carried when I'm away and gets a little use round home as well..
It won't run everything in van at same time.. ie heating and hot water ,kettle etc and when we'll loaded it can be heard ..:)..
On the economy setting and running light loaded ie just charging batteries it is fairly quiet...
Andy

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John & Joan

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Mar 30, 2010
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We have a Gasparini fitted. The original, we clapped out after 800 hours of use in 3 years (18 months of this full timing). We had 3 fans disintegrate due to the fins breaking off in this time. These were replaced by Conrad Anderson. Serviced every 300 hours as per the makers requirement which involves a complete exhaust replacement each time. The last fan replacement turned into a full bearing replacement. Conrad Anderson replaced the bearings they could get at but the connecting rod bearing is a sealed unit so could only be replaced by Gasparini.
This was just at the point when Gasparini went into liquidation, so an arrangement was made to go to the factory near Bologna. We met Sr Gasparini and showed him our use record. He was gobsmacked to say the least and told us the unit was only designed for light use (about 100 hours per year) as stated in the handbook which we hadn't received from Conrad Anderson, who installed the original unit. He called in one of the redundant fitters and they stripped the unit, only to condemn it despite £700 of new bits being installed less than 2 weeks earlier, which they threw away.
They scraped together the last parts, as they had no built units. They rebuilt an engine and generator in the old case. This cost us a further £800.
When we got back to Conrad Anderson. Steve would not believe it had a limited annual usage, despite us showing him the section in the handbook Sr. Gasparini had given us. Sr Gasparini did say it was designed to supplement a solar installation and not as a stand alone generator. This unit is not a patch on the original and is smelly. It is getting worse as time goes on, now it does not reach the voltage of the old unit and cuts out about every minute then restarts after about 30 seconds. Our current unit has only done 127 hours since it was rebuilt in 2010 and we have fitted 2x130 watt solar panels
TelAir bought the design.
It is horses for courses but in all honesty I could not recommend the Gasparini generator after my experiences. The cost of the unit and the servicing/repair costs meant we could have bought a number of Honda units and still had change.
 
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Mart grump
Apr 26, 2012
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We would be looking at running tv satalite and lights we are going to the Austrian f1 g p in July camping st the circuit but hook up is on a first come first served basis so thought about genie just in case
 

DanielFord

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We would be looking at running tv satalite and lights we are going to the Austrian f1 g p in July camping st the circuit but hook up is on a first come first served basis so thought about genie just in case
1kva will be fine for that, and you aren't going to annoy anyone, absolutely everyone will have a genny at the F1.

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Oct 5, 2012
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I had a Kipor which was a nice machine, but well over the top at 2.3 KW. Now I just run a Clarke 1KW unit which has proven cheap & reliable, to charge the batteries and electronics. Just make sure you change the oil regularly and run them up fairly regularly. Everything else I use LPG for and in Europe you can often get an aire with around 4 amps for €6+ like the one I am on tonight.
 
O

Old Soldier

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I highly recommend a Meadows 27.5 Kva 3 phase diesel generator. Trailer mounted (you will need a good old fashioned army towhook) and only weighing 2.5 ton it's power output will keep everyone on the site happy, and as they will all be sharing the power they won't be moaning about the noise. Can be a bitch to start on a cold morning but once going it will give sufficient power for everyone to brew up together. Highly recommended for funster rallies!!! :think:. :giggler:. ::bigsmile:
 

Huwmari

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cooking, water heating, fridge , space heating can all be run on gas .. if you fit refillable bottles LPG is cheap, and efficient..

you only use 12v for the water pump, warm air blowing and lights.. which is minimal in summer.. you can go for weeks without needing to charge the batteries, especially if you fit a solar panel and are moving on every other day, which you will be doing if wild camping..


On a site you don't need a generator... nearly all UK sites have a mains hook up..

so what other 240v mains stuff do you 'need' or want to use when not on a site ?
Agree with this absolutely. Save your money (and avoid upsetting anyone parked nearby) and go the solar panel/batteries route.

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Mar 1, 2015
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We bought on of these as a back up a few weeks ago.
Very quiet and seems a good price with a 3 year warranty.
 

TerryL

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Mar 5, 2010
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We would be looking at running tv satalite and lights we are going to the Austrian f1 g p in July camping st the circuit but hook up is on a first come first served basis so thought about genie just in case

If that's all you're worried about the solar panels and extra battery will be more than enough, especially in July. Include a B2B charger and it will still be cheaper than the quietest generator. You might want to add an inverter for anything not 12v.

Save your pennies (and your neighbours irritation - sorry, personally I detest gennies, been known to upsticks to get away from them, but that's my opinion).
 
Mar 1, 2015
163
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Liverpool
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Frankia 840GD
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Since 2015
Gennies are okay as long as they are used in the right situation. When everybody else is using them or when you are on your own and will not disturb every one.

We are covered in all situations. EFOY - Solar - B2B - Solar and Generator.

EFOY for a quiet top up charge over night. But slow at 3-4 amps
Solar is great in the sun but not so great in winter
B2B great when traveling and want a fast charge. But can be noisy running your engine on site close to somebody.
Generator. Great for Microwave and habitation Air con when stationary But noisy and unsociable.
But the gennie is always their if we have a flat battery in the middle of nowhere.

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