Generators, any advice !

TWS

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Gonna be looking to buy a genny for when we go out wildcamping, any advice on makes, models, size, etc, do many M/H owners use a genny ? any advice would be great.

Thanks Tom
 
there has been much discussion on this topic and a varied response some feel the need for one some like to go the inverter route . me personally if the need for 240 volts is really needed then a hook up at a site is recommended, as a genny is noisy and a lot of weight to lugg about . i find that for my needs a bit of t.v phone charging, camera and the like, a half decent inverter works well i have a 700 watt one runs my needs and you never run out of power as what we use ,the leisure battery is always recharged after a run
 
If you really feel that you must have a Genny then the Honda range are worth every penny. They are quiet in operation and also reasonable in running costs.
I must also mention Kipor. They also make quiet gennys but whether or not they will last as long as the Honda is anyones guess
If you do buy one then whatever you do, make sure that it is chained to your vehicle with gert big thick chain and and a dirty great padlock. They're a very popular item to go walkies
 
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Thanks for the replys, not 100 % convinced that I really need a genny, it was more as a back up, Ive got the usual gas for my heating, cooking fridge etc, battery for my lights etc, not a big TV fan so thats not required, its really just as an insurance incase Im in the dark ! looked on the ebay, some really cheepo gennys around for under a hundred quid, seems really good value for money.
 
I have a Dometic T2500 - Petrol engined (Honda) I haven't used it much but I did want it for the times I really needed it. I do think for most people they will be a waste of money but if it's small and cheap and not annoying to other people and yes they can be very annoying; then go for it.
It is of course something else that can go wrong and cost money and also needs servicing.
You will probably get very varied views about Generators.
 
In answer

Hi, its all a question of what you are going to be doing and for how long.
For me solar panels are a total waste of money for the power they sometimes give out. I don,t always go to sites and then some free sites have no power and mainly are just car parks near sports centres in germany, or give so few amps that you are lucky to keep the lights on, some france sites have power ratings of .3amps, yes thats right .3 amps.
I have a honda 2k gen and yes its heavy and yes its a bit noiser then it could be. But I keep out of the way from other motorhomes and at these times its worth the cost and weight,
we have two pugs so use the roof air con a lot.
and as I say if you don,t like gens don,t park next to us, as we will not park near you.
michael
 
terry1956 said:
Hi, its all a question of what you are going to be doing and for how long.
For me solar panels are a total waste of money for the power they sometimes give out. I don,t always go to sites and then some free sites have no power and mainly are just car parks near sports centres in germany, or give so few amps that you are lucky to keep the lights on, some france sites have power ratings of .3amps, yes thats right .3 amps.
I have a honda 2k gen and yes its heavy and yes its a bit noiser then it could be. But I keep out of the way from other motorhomes and at these times its worth the cost and weight,
we have two pugs so use the roof air con a lot.
and as I say if you don,t like gens don,t park next to us, as we will not park near you.
michael
Click to expand...

Well said that man.:D sometimes if we have been on a packed Aire or Stellplatz, rather than upset the natives, we find a layby on route and stop for dinner and run the gennie for a couple of hours, but its amazing how you park somewhere with loads of room, and someone comes and parks right next to you, they think twice if the gennies running.;):D Bob.
 
at home & on a lot of aires/sostas/stellplatz there's street lighting giving 24 hour power through my solar panels. 2 x 75W charging 4 x 125Ah batteries.

so much power that i switch the mains power battery charger off, if i'm not away, in the winter. when on hook up on the drive. the hook up just runs a fan heater set on low.

but i still carry a honda E10i when wildcamping. so far i have only used it to do the laundry.
 
horses for courses

like others, i must agree, you need to work out how much your power consumption might be (worst case). solar panels are expensive to buy but thereafter, free. gennys are heavy, noisy but sometimes essential. i have both. if you need a genny, try aldi, they are very cheap. i can recommend a split charge system, your battery gets charged up at high amps whenever you run the engine so going to and coming from your fave spot, should charge up most batts and they cost very little for great returns. problems only come when you stay in one spot for some time. take some time and do the sums ( really simple).
 
My advise is DONT DO IT. It is anti social and noisy for you as well as those around you.

We have over come the need for power in the following way
An extra leisure battery (needs to be identical to the original in capacity)
A Sterling Battery to Battery charger
A heavy duty inverter


The Sterling BtoB fast charges your leisure batteries whilst the engine is running. Fast charging batteries is far better for them than trickle charging and this clever device comes off the alternator, with some added electronic wizzardry. see http://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/product_manufacturer.aspx?manu=Sterling about half way down the page. We also have the management panel which enables us to see exactly the state of our batteries at any time.

We travel for months, never going anywhere near a camp site, and this little lot keeps us well topped up. The Inverter is powerful enough to run my hairdryer or the hoover!

BTW we have bought 2 gennys on previous occassions and both times have got rid of it really fast as they are not the best solution.
 
I have a cheap and cheerful £60 generator and have no problems with it

I allow it to warm up before connecting to MH and use a surge arrestor.

It is noisy compared with the up market units, but as I use it responsibly am not a nuisance to others ,
 
This is becomming a recurring thread and a recuuring argument........ and unfortunately I always end up in an argument with Graham over this....
But I am Sorry but can I just suggest another way of looking at this subject.
How many times have you been enjoying a walk in a woodland glade ..... listening to the sounds of the woodland, the birds, the wind through the branches... etc...... then somewhwere a chainsaw is fired up..... don't you cringe..... it might be a mile or so away but in total peace and quiet it is an assault to the senses.

A geny never sounds loud to its owner, but even a Honda ( by far the quietist ) can be heard half a site away.

They are anti social to fellow campers, they are dirty, heavy, you have to carry a volatlie fuel source close to where gas ignition flames are very close and if you don't use them often are an expensive toy.

Solar panels work every day of the year, when you are out with your van or it is parked up. whenever there is daylight it is charging your batteries... in winter it might be a pathetic amount but it is FREE........ and it could be the difference between your alarm protecting, or a flat battery.

Tws...... please think long and hard before wasting your money on a geny..... your neighbours when camping will be very gratefull should you chose the solar route...This year on Harris a Caravanner and a thug to boot, was running his 2 stroke geny untill well after 11 at night but the cheeky sod had it about 50ft away from his own unit and under the window of an old couple in a camper van..... they were very distresse but frightened to tackle this yob who was strutting around inviting agro....... It will be a lasting impression of ( I could'nt give a toss about you, but I'm allright)...........

P.S please Graham this is not a dig at responsible users like you!
 
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Baloothebear did advise me Fischer-Panda arevery good
http://www.fischerpanda.co.uk/generators.html
Unicat use them and also Honda are reported to be very good. I bought the Honda as I got it cheap or as cheap as you are going to get these things.
The Fischer-Panda were very expensive and it always comes down to cash, do you need an excellent generator for a rare emergency?
I think one of the reasons I wanted one was thinking of one day when I might sell my Bedford and it would be of interest to someone who wanted to do a lot of over-landing. It was also for emergencies and an alternative source of power to batteries - belts and braces guy that I am.
 
storage batteries

i run a 1000w inverter for my laptop, phone, tv and waterpump and use an anderson coupling to charge when moving (i travel to work every day) and i never run out. also had a genny stolen also extra weight etc etc inverter for me....
 
in answer,

Hi, well this is a old chestnut. But I do find it odd that some people think that an inverter is a good form of power. If you check the figures an inverter uses more power then it puts out.So the overall supply of amps in the batteries will run out faster.
I fitted solar panels to my last van ( got them in gemany 2nd hand) and fine them a waste of time for me.
I use lots of power, mainly because I don,t wish to live in the dark eating cold bake beans. So when its dark out side and we are forced to remain in, I have the lights on, heating and the tv. if it boiling hot outside then I have the air/con on. all this uses amps, around 6 to 7 last time I checked. We use lots of sites out of the high seasons, and most of the time we are the only van in the place, with a few local vans coming in over the weekend.
I use the gen a honda 2k and place this in a sound box locked up to the car trailer, to be honest you would only hear it if you came within 15 feet of the thing at the exhaust end. As to smell I have never had a smell from the honda at any time.
The year before last my partner was working on the rock and i was parked up for 6 weeks in the motorhome/car park just outside on the spanish side. the gen was a god send,as anyone who knows the place will no there is no power at all. It was hot but overcast so needed the air con on most of the mid day for the pugs. No one near me so what was the harm. the only other thing to was run the engine.With an over cast sky solar panels just would not of given the power needed.
michael
 
[i have been told by someone whose purchased a diesel genny ;which runs the fuel from the vans own tank,they cost about £500 , does any one know of these ; it might be over the top but i have some times thought of trying to purchase a traffic light genny with trailor, {with out the traffic lights}i have to say of course here ;
 
I've just fitted a 1700W Inverter into my van, it Great! So my little genie now sits in the shed. In fact I think it would be far better to sell my generator and put the money toward a good set of Solar Panels. The Inverter is so much friendlier and plus I have heard that the generator is quite a target for thief's.....

You can't beat clean, quite renewable sources of energy!!!
 
Im gonna sound like a total thickey ! but when you talk about invertors, do you have to have the M/H engine running to use TV, lights, etc, can someone just give me a simple overview of the use of an invertor.

Thanks Tom
 
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