# Generators for charging Leisure battery.



## fofeg101 (May 13, 2011)

I'm presently looking at generators as the cheaper option, compared with fitting solar panels, to charge my 90Ah leisure battery. Would a 850W one be adequate? any thoughts please? Is it OK or would it have to run too long to charge the battery? It would solely be used for charging the battery. Thanks.


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## vwalan (May 13, 2011)

hi, yes it would work. have you priced up the cheap ones ?two stroke gennies can be a bit un reliable. so can work out more than you first think. a nice whispergenny is better either honda .kawasaki or kipor.the argument is even the whisper ones become an intrusion if running near other people. wind genny doesnt put out enough,solar is maintenance free almost and usually lasts for years but only works in good clear sky. 
are you expecting to sit still for days or travel around .a good power regulator on the alternator of your m,home can really charge batteries quite quick. for me big banks of solar and big banks of batteries is the way i went.big diesel genny to work welding gear and tools for back up, but you wouldnt want me to syart charging batteries with my genny unless you are deaf. have fun .difficult decisions ahead for you.


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## fofeg101 (May 13, 2011)

Thanks vwlan, have you any more info. about the power regulator for the alternator, weblinks, etc.?


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## Tony Lee (May 13, 2011)

fofeg101 said:


> I'm presently looking at generators as the cheaper option, compared with fitting solar panels, to charge my 90Ah leisure battery. Would a 850W one be adequate? any thoughts please? Is it OK or would it have to run too long to charge the battery? It would solely be used for charging the battery. Thanks.


 
Main bit of missing info is what sort of mains charger have you got because that will determine how liong you need to run the generator.

If you use 50Amp hours per day and don't have any charging from your engine, then it will take about 7 hours to fully replace the 50Ah.
Even if you only use 30Ah a day, that will still take close to 5 hours. 

With a taper charger or a fixed voltage converter, it will take even longer.

If you intend to use the 12V so-called "battery charging" outlet in the generator then it will take even longer again.


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## fofeg101 (May 13, 2011)

Tony Lee said:


> Main bit of missing info is what sort of mains charger have you got because that will determine how liong you need to run the generator.


Hi Tony Lee, Sorry, I haven't the faintest idea, all I know is I plug in the hook up lead from my mains 240V to the plug on the side of the van and it charges the battery...I think. I'm also looking at these 40 watt solar panel for caravan / boat + 5m cable (40W) | eBay UK.

These are the generators I was looking at on eBay -  http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390302522072&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT....any good?


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## vwalan (May 13, 2011)

a 40wat panel is hardly worth having .if you are lucky on the brightest of days at midday be lucky to get 2.5 amps an hour.  . waste of moneyand the effort of fitting it.whats really important is to list what you think you will be using find out its required power draw and go from there. but a quick run round the block in the camper is better than that solar panel.


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## guyd (May 13, 2011)

Sterling sell good battery chargers, that convert the inefficient alternator output into a good 3 stage charger, like at home.

I used one on our last mh - never ran out of power - and, incedentally, its for sale - as its 12v and our new one is 24v....


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## Ian03/54 (May 13, 2011)

guyd said:


> Sterling sell good battery chargers, that convert the inefficient alternator output into a good 3 stage charger, like at home.
> 
> I used one on our last mh - never ran out of power - and, incedentally, its for sale - as its 12v and our new one is 24v....


 
Got a price in mind? Maybe send me a PM.

Ian


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## Lorry Ball (May 13, 2011)

fofeg101 said:


> These are the generators I was looking at on eBay -  Pro User 850W 2 Stroke Generator G850 - Factory Reburb on eBay (end time 31-May-11 16:12:01 BST)....any good?



I've had one these for about 6 years, the 12v output is very low,and they don't like having a 12v battery charger plugged in the 240v side either
850watts is just under 3 amps max at 240v.
fairly quiet for a two stroke tho.
It's been under the work bench for the last couple of years, rusting away.....

Lorry  :drive:


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## shortcircuit (May 13, 2011)

If the generator is connected to the vehicles PSU would this not provide a good bit more charge?  I have a Sergent 2007 PSU in my MH and the charger is rated at 200watts


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## Norris (May 29, 2011)

For a while I have been toying with the idea of using a 35cc strimmer engine to turn an alternator to recharge our batteries when parked up for extended periods, rather than running the engine of the van. Has anyone got any experience of this sort of project?


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## vwalan (May 29, 2011)

thats all ready been done years ago . you can buy a motor thats direct drive to an alternator.the chinese now make one. you occasionally get a look at them in the landrover mags . i think its matt savage that markets them. ideal as a real emergency . but these days any gennie will do it. many just cope with the cheap ones from lidl /aldi ,but back to noise again.


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## fofeg101 (May 30, 2011)

Has anyone got any experience of these Clarke's Generators sold by Machine Mart?

Clarke IG1000 1kW Inverter Generator - Machine Mart

Or these Sanli Generators, albeit 2 stroke:

http://www.northerntooluk.com/generators/generators-silent/Sanli_720W_Portable_Generator.html

-


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## vwalan (May 30, 2011)

may i sugest you go to a big m,home show and have a look n listen. all types for sale and in use by others . kipor was a favourite a few years ago. even the so called qyuiet ones are irritating. i have a 1.3kw generac and a 2.8 kw diesel for emergencies and using welding equipement when away. both extremly noisey. have watched and heard many arguments about gennies . in emergency repairs nobody cares but keep one running near others and well!!!!!!. cheers have fun we try to, alan.


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## fofeg101 (May 30, 2011)

There's a Review of Kipor Generator here:

» Kipor IG1000 digital suitcase generator, a cheap alternative to the Honda 10i

Anyway's, OT, I'm holding fire on further investment in motorhoming, "her in doors" seems to be losing interest, say's she's nervous about wilding and as far as I'm concerned staying on sites is inconvenient and expensive.
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## Seamoor (Feb 29, 2012)

*is 0.63 generator ok*

I am thinking of purchasing a ir coold 2 stroke 0.63cc ohv petrol generator with max output 0.72kw max output and 0.65kw rated output.  This would be to run tv/dvd and lights i n the camper can anyone tell if this ok .  Thanks very much


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## runnach (Feb 29, 2012)

The conclusion I have reached, is this is an area of motorhoming which cant be done on the cheap.........Batteries, Gennys, panels all come at a price as does it seems low consumption appliances.

For those that have gone the route of extending /independant power supply, What I would find interesting is in what order lets say on a standard van you do things......minimum expense v maxium benefit ?

Channa


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## Bigpeetee (Feb 29, 2012)

***** said:


> Agree!
> I think everybody is a little different with the way they use their van and power and it also depends on how often you move around enabling the engine to charge the battery or batteries.
> We get away with only one leisure battery as we are light power users but we have had the option of a quick charge from the genny if and when required.
> I did fit a Solar panel on my van a couple of months ago and after doing a weeks wilding earlier this month, I did find that I was able to stay put for longer without using the genny.
> ...



Agree,

I toyed with the idea of generators, but have taken the route of trying to reduce the power requirement per day away.

Being fortunate to have a larger van I've got 3 starter batteries of 310 Ah total. (I used starter batts as we use the 2000w inverter at gigs and leisure batts will die under that load)  I've installed an 80w solar panel that puts some charge into the battery as soon as it's light. Seems to be working well, even at this time of year, of course even when we're not away it keeps the batts in tip top condition. I've noticed a big difference!

But reducing the power requirement of equipment ie all 12v,  led lighting etc. Even being anal about switching things off properly. (The TV on standby uses about 3-6w ie 0.25 - 0.5 amp, so if on standby when you're not watching say 18hrs = 4.5-9Ah, out of a small battery that's quite a chunk!!)

If you go the genny route, there are occasionally 12v only gennys giving a good output straight into the battery, saves the inefficiency of using a charger from 240 to 12v, the heat given off by the charger (feel it it gets warm) are power losses.

If your charger is rated at say 20A then you only need a genny of say 300w.

Factor in the running cost and you'll find that solar panels are much better value and GREEN causing no pollution. FREE electricity!!


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## n brown (Feb 29, 2012)

i think a small quiet 4 stroke genny is a must for anyone doing long term wild camping,just as backup for when theres just not enough good weather or you overused the l/batteries or the van battery  goes flat for some reason or you need to use a small power tool or you have a party and need outside lights etc etc.a real friend in need i've found. get a good quality one so it has a chance of starting when you need it,2 strokes just aren't reliable enough apart from the noise and smoke


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## Viktor (Feb 29, 2012)

n brown said:


> i think a small quiet 4 stroke genny is a must for anyone doing long term wild camping,just as backup for when theres just not enough good weather or you overused the l/batteries or the van battery  goes flat for some reason or you need to use a small power tool or you have a party and need outside lights etc etc.a real friend in need i've found. get a good quality one so it has a chance of starting when you need it,2 strokes just aren't reliable enough apart from the noise and smoke




I would agree.  Back in November before I bought my van I asked about generators here in the forum, listened carefully to the answers and then was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time to purchase a member's brother's gas powered 2.0i Honda (though I had to outbid everyone on eBay to get it lol).....I took it down to Edge Technology power Ltd in Crewe and got the tubing replaced as a precaution - Main UK dealers)

I'm glad I bought it...great peace of mind and no fumes when carrying it.

My conclusion however is do your research as to exactly what you want and how you want to go about it....what I mean by that is...the engine alternator usually charges more efficiently and quickly than the generator and is a lot less noisy when idling....a good whisper generator new costs over £1000....whereas if your vehicle is petrol driven then a LPG conversion is around £1500 which would enable you to idle your engine cheaply as well as saving you money driving about.  (If you are diesel then this option is out the window).

That's what I do mostly....let the engine run on idle quietly on the LPG bumping in anywhere between 29 amps and around 4 amps depending how low the leisure battery has become....the jenny gets used on the cooking gas cylinder via the BBQ outlet on the side of the van for running a Philips Air Fryer, or a Coffee Machine, or hairdryer....and it is there in an emergency if I need it.


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## Firefox (Feb 29, 2012)

I bought a Honda E10i 4 stroke for about £650 recently.

OK it is only 1000W but that's fine for charging batteries or running my 700W fan heater. I used the genny to unfreeze my pipes with the fan heater when at Stonehenge the other weekend. It was minus 11 overnight!

I am pleased with the genny but as I have 180w of solar panels,  I don't know how much use I will get out of it. I think only in cold conditions will it be useful.


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## bmb1uk (Feb 29, 2012)

sorry to infringe on the thread ,i have a KUBOTA AE900, Anybody have any info on it i would be very grateful BAZ.  :idea:


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