Help me generate power ... mechanically!

[Minxy]

Our camper has an all-electric fridge which can seriously hit the battery levels and in Spain recently, despite glorious weather and lots of sun, sun and more sun shining on our 200w of solar and supplementing it with a 50w portable panel, occasionally it meant we were rather too low on battery levels for comfort (down to 12.2 at times), so although our 2 x 78ah gel batteries can cope with going below 50% its not something I'm overly happy with. I'm going to put the portable panel on permanently as my controller can cope with 250w input but there's a limit to how much solar I can stick up there so don't want to add even more panels (changing the controller for a bigger one), and/or adding another battery would be difficult as no obvious place to put it, hence my thoughts turning to a generator.

Good points:

• Allow us to top up the batteries when needed
• Allow us to use our Remoska to cook joints, pizzas etc (we only have a 2 ring gas hob), along with our electric ring, grill, toaster and kettle if we want

Bad points:

• Can be noisy and smelly (I have a husband so used to that already! )
• Needs to be stored along with fuel (we'll have space for it once I jettison the stuff we don't use)

So, weighing it all up a small genny would seem to make sense for us but I don't know what to look for as I've never had one before! Ideally we would like one that:

Needs to be reliable and easy to use
Isn't too noisy or smelly
Isn't heavy or bulky
No need for any special 'outputs' (ie 12v), just mains would be sufficient

I know there are lots on the market but don't want to buy a lemon which some seem to be and don't particularly want to spend the earth buying one as it won't be used much other than in the camper occasionally so going 'major brand' and paying to some extent for the badge on it doesn't make a lot of sense unless the rest are crap!

Suggestions please.

 

[Clarky]

If you go the generator route then the Honda is probably the best and fairly quiet but also expensive. Still noisy though on a quiet aire or site. Had ours running a few weeks ago when on a aire (we were on our own) and could still hear it about 30-40 yards away.
How about a small wind generator, as used on many boats?
No idea on price or efficiency but might be enough just to top up every now and again. No fuel to worry about either.

Richard.

 

[Jaws]

As mentioned before, I am a serial genny buyer !
Never had any problems with Kipor, Clarke or of course Honda.
All have been easy to start, are fairly quiet and have performed well

What wattage is the Ramoska ?

 

[funflair]

Even if you could fit another battery in there doesn't seem much point if your existing solar can't keep up with the demand on a good sunny day, OK you might arrive with a bit more capacity after driving but you will still end up with batteries lower than you are happy with as you you stand for a while. I would say EFOY as its clean and quiet BUT it is expensive to buy and to run so it comes back to a generator or EHU, I don't know anything about them but my gut feeling would be go for Honda.

Martin

 

[Stroppy Bird]

Thanks for your update Mel. As I've said in another thread the 12v fridge is the one thing that is a concern for us in our preferred choice of next van.

If you're going to go down the genny route I would get one of the ones that is LPG converted. You already have the refillable system so there would be no need to carry any extra fuel. You would just need something like an external bbq point putting on to hook the genny up to.

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[Two on Tour]

How about a hampster wheel for the dogs hooked up to a dynamo/alternator, kill two birds with one stone then, power and dog walking.

 

[JJ]

Edited...

I suggested gas conversion but was beaten to it by Ms Stroppy ....


JJ

 

[Nasher]

Just posted this on the other generator thread:

I have a Clarke IG950 800 watt pure sine wave inverter generator

On special offer, it was £180 delivered a couple years ago

It's reasonably quiet, small & light and great for topping up the leisure batteries

For me, it's normally used at motorcycle race meetings/events, after 2 days without EHU (I don't have solar panels) I put it on for a couple of hours, during that time it charges the leisure battery and any phone, laptops, tablets, tv, etc that need charging

Clarke have a good reputation for spares back up, which is why I chose it. That said there is a Screwfix version and a Wolf version which appear the same gennie with different coloured side panels

There are some on here who just post negative comments about generators, seemingly without knowledge or consideration about how they can be used sensibly, but for me it offers a far more reliable solution to solar panels, especially in the UK and particularly in Wales

 

[Jaws]

There are some on here who just post negative comments about generators, seemingly without knowledge or consideration about how they can be used sensibly,

I think a lot of the moans about genny's are pretty valid Nasher.. and they are caused by genny users NOT using them either with consideration or sensibly !
Some folk just do not seem to have the brains theyy were born with, but I do not think we need worry about that in Mel's case

 

[hilldweller]

consideration about how they can be used sensibly

I bought one for Morocco ( did not use it in Morocco ) but when I did use it the noise drove ME mad. I think I only used it once in anger and sold it on to a FUNster.

It's the constant drone but with a twist as the auto-throttle kicks in and alters the drone you have just become used to.

I admit I am allergic to background noise, I hate radios too, if just on for background noise, I can't be the only one like this.

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[Mr Chrysalis]

Here’s just the thing for you. Lightweight and quiet. Needs no petrol. Just pop the hubby on it and chuck him the odd pasty and glass of beer.
Amazon product ASIN B00EZS8VQS

 

[Minxy]

Thanks for your update Mel. As I've said in another thread the 12v fridge is the one thing that is a concern for us in our preferred choice of next van.

Same concern we had but difficult to get Globecars without them now unless you go for a used model, so it was a bit of 'suck it and see' ... well we've sucked and seen what happens so now we need to give it occasional 'sustenance' for winter long-term use especially as we intend to go for longer than 2 months in the future ... not told my Mum yet though!

If you're going to go down the genny route I would get one of the ones that is LPG converted. You already have the refillable system so there would be no need to carry any extra fuel. You would just need something like an external bbq point putting on to hook the genny up to.

I noticed that some are 'duel fuel' and there are also just LPG ones but these tend to be quite expensive compared to a solely petrol one. We do have spare gas capacity now with 2 x 11kg refillable bottles and didn't even use the equivalent of one whilst away, that's cooking every night except one, and having the heating on some of the time, but whether we need to go to the extra expense of an LPG one so we can use it on LPG and then me having to put in a BBQ point for it, I'm not sure, it also means that if I wanted to use it other than with the camper I'd have to have another gas bottle to fuel it from. Pros and cons for both types I think ... hmmm.

 

[Dorset Diver]

Beat me to it @Mr Chrysalis .

 

[Minxy]

I think a lot of the moans about genny's are pretty valid Nasher.. and they are caused by genny users NOT using them either with consideration or sensibly !
Some folk just do not seem to have the brains the were born with, but I do not think we need worry about that in Mel's case

... thanks ... I think that was a compliment!

 

[Lenny HB]

You are worring too much about your batteries, Gel don't mind being g taken down to 20% DOD although it will take a while to charge them back up.
Have you considered a B2B it will improve the charge rate quite a bit when driving. Your Globecar has decent size wiring so the improvement won't be a fantastic amount but I reckon it will do the job.

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[Basildog]

We’ve pretty much lived in vans for the last 10 years and have heard all the solar stories of how a 100 watt panel and a 10 year old battery are still providing more power than anybody needs

We have had upto 500 watts of solar and 4 Trojan t105’s and still in trouble in winter.
I actually haven’t fitted any solar on this van as it seems to provide power when we don’t need it and nothing when we do .
Best generator we’ve had was a B&Q special 800 watts £50 it was still going at 10 years old when we gave it away.
Latest generator is a Kipor ig1000 which is ok but noisy, Honda eu2.0i was ok but heavy for the boss and IMO still noisy when working at anything above tickover.
We have a Ring pro 50 smart charger as it seems to charge batteries better than any onboard charger we’ve ever had.
We’ve been away for 3 weeks over Christmas in the U.K. and only run the generator twice , once was Christmas Day as hair straighteners were necessary apparently, we don’t bother with inverters either as have had them in the past and have never been used .
To all the solar worshipping gang I wish you a lovely April to September when you can actually use your vans

 

[Riverbankannie]

I know 12v fridges have less to go wrong than 3 way fridges, but it seems a backward step if you then have to carry around a genny and fuel for it when the MH already has a perfectly usable gas system installed.
I wonder what the thinking is in Globecar.?

 

[Basildog]

I know 12v fridges have less to go wrong than 3 way fridges, but it seems a backward step if you then have to carry around a genny and fuel for it when the MH already has a perfectly usable gas system installed.
I wonder what the thinking is in Globecar.?

Most owners use sites with ehu

 

[Lenny HB]

Most owners use sites with ehu

I always thought there were some strange people out there.

 

[Minxy]

You are worring too much about your batteries, Gel don't mind being g taken down to 20% DOD although it will take a while to charge them back up.
Have you considered a B2B it will improve the charge rate quite a bit when driving. Your Globecar has decent size wiring so the improvement won't be a fantastic amount but I reckon it will do the job.

Thanks Lenny but we don't have a problem at all recharging the batteries when driving, even for short distances, as I think the Globecar has an uprated alternator and puts more 'oomph' back into them, so I don't think that a B2B will help much as they're usually fully charged when we stop anyway.

One issue we had was when we stopped for a few days and whilst it was lovely and sunny the batteries weren't getting much help from the solar which just didn't make sense ... until hubby popped his head out of the skylight and realised the framework was casting a big shadow over them for most of the day! Fortunately we were able to turn the camper round so that the skylight didn't cause an issue after this. As our panels are semi-flexible and fitted flush to the roof itself they aren't raised up as high as rigid panels would be on a framework which probably wouldn't have been shaded - it's something for others with flush fitted flexi panels to bear in mind, or for those thinking of fitting them - if there's a lot of protruding roof 'furniture' rigid panels on a framework would probably be better.

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[vin0114]

@Minxy Girl Our last PVC van had the same all electric Waeco fridge and I fitted 240watts of panels and 3 bats totalling approx 280ah's. Allthough we were constantly concerned with the fridges 48ah's usage over 24 hrs we managed better than I had expected and saved a load of gas to boot! I must admit that I was pleased that the money spent on the panels and two extra bats were being used to their maximum. Apart from lighting and a couple of hours telly at night our usage was minimal even subsidised with a rechargeable radio so I'm wondering what is hammering your bats especially with full sunshine in Spain?

Manufacturers are banging these units into lots of PVC vans now because they are a doddle to fit and they assume that the great majority of buyers predominantly use ehu sites..... NOT!

 

[Lenny HB]

I wouldn't fancy carting a genny and can of petrol in a PVC. Have you considered changing the fridge for a 3 way one.

 

[Minxy]

I know 12v fridges have less to go wrong than 3 way fridges, but it seems a backward step if you then have to carry around a genny and fuel for it when the MH already has a perfectly usable gas system installed.
I wonder what the thinking is in Globecar.?

Ease of installation and cost probably ... no gas pipework to run, no side vents or drop vents to install, and the fridges themselves are cheaper. Not sure if there's still an option to have a 3-way if ordering new but if I had the choice I'd have a 3-way, although to be fair, they aren't perfect' either as we often had frozen cucumber and lettuce in our previous one when it over compensated for the heat!

 

[Jaws]

To all the solar worshipping gang I wish you a lovely April to September when you can actually use your vans

LOL!!! Our van gets used all year round.. and rarely sees a hook
We have 360 watts on the roof, and several 110aH lead blocks ( )
Like you, never use an inverter ( though there is a small 600w one under the eat... just never bothered to wire it up ! )

 

[two]

I think electric fridges work well in conjunction with solar.

I’d consider a small suitcase generator, converted to LPG. More expensive, but it would avoid the smells and need to carry another fuel. 800W would do.

I’ve only had a couple of gennies that ran off LPG, so cannot speak for the others.
Be careful to get one that will start on LPG. My first (cheap one) required petrol to get going and then could be switched to LPG. I now have a Honda (used only a handful of times) and it’s never had petrol in it. Be wary of the conversion type, though, they are not all the same.

B2B is the other route, unless you remain stationary for much of the time.

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[Jaws]

Most owners use sites with ehu

I dunno about most owners as a bald statement is proly correct, but there are an AWFUL lot of folk like us who just do not bother with hook up even if we are on a site ( which is rare except for our long term stay on a site in winter, and still do not use hook up )

 

[DBK]

Thanks Lenny but we don't have a problem at all recharging the batteries when driving, even for short distances, as I think the Globecar has an uprated alternator and puts more 'oomph' back into them, so I don't think that a B2B will help much as they're usually fully charged when we stop anyway.

One issue we had was when we stopped for a few days and whilst it was lovely and sunny the batteries weren't getting much help from the solar which just didn't make sense ... until hubby popped his head out of the skylight and realised the framework was casting a big shadow over them for most of the day! Fortunately we were able to turn the camper round so that the skylight didn't cause an issue after this. As our panels are semi-flexible and fitted flush to the roof itself they aren't raised up as high as rigid panels would be on a framework which probably wouldn't have been shaded - it's something for others with flush fitted flexi panels to bear in mind, or for those thinking of fitting them - if there's a lot of protruding roof 'furniture' rigid panels on a framework would probably be better.

There's something about that which doesn't ring true. The alternator may well be uprated (as is mine) but to rapidly charge the leisure batteries it needs to to do that at a high voltage - typically 14.4 volts or thereabouts. The problem is with a normal setup the vehicle battery is going to be exposed to the same 14.4 volts and this will very likely result in it being overcharged if it was more or less fully charged at the start of the journey.

A B2B works by allowing the leisure and vehicle batteries to be charged at different voltages. It does this by putting a load on the alternator so the alternator voltage drops, resulting in a greater current output from the alternator. The B2B then takes this power and increases the voltage to about 14.4 volts and uses this to rapidly charge the leisure batteries. Its sort of the reverse of a solar MPPT charger where a high voltage low current power is turned into a lower voltage higher current charge. The the B2B takes a lower voltage high current output from the alternator and changes it into a higher voltage lower current to charge the leisure batteries.

 

[Minxy]

I wouldn't fancy carting a genny and can of petrol in a PVC.

Not ideal but in a sealed container shouldn't be an issue.

Have you considered changing the fridge for a 3 way one.

Yup but the cost would be extortionate and a genny would let us use our other stuff as mentioned above.

 

[2657]

I bought one for Morocco ( did not use it in Morocco ) but when I did use it the noise drove ME mad. I think I only used it once in anger and sold it on to a FUNster.

It's the constant drone but with a twist as the auto-throttle kicks in and alters the drone you have just become used to.

I admit I am allergic to background noise, I hate radios too, if just on for background noise, I can't be the only one like this.

The trick is to place the genny as far away as possible close to someone else's van

 

[SuperMike]

Run the vehicles engine.

I know, I know, as he stands back and waits for incoming.

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