Quiet generator how much

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My cheapo geny' is a bit bulky and noisy, and won't widen my exciting circle of camping buddies by disturbing them.

Power-wise I was mainly thinking something able to charge leisure battery, from which I can run minimal light/TV

(gas for all else)


answers on a postcard/stuck down envelope :)
 
how about a solar panel .hee hee. i can supply you with one for 165quid. 80wt brand new bp. others may be available . they have never been so cheap as they are now. know someone bringing in pallet loads . you get it from him .i just bought 4 but only need 3 after change of plan. much better than genny. even so called quiet ones are intrusive. i use a big diesel for to work tools and a welder but only in emergency ocasional repair use. cheers alan.
 
Not writing off the idea, but I have no experience, and don't personally know anyone that has,
educate me,
Whats the output on a midly sunny day and how would that compare to this mythical quiet suitcase whispering away, in terms of topping up LR

also, how would I link it, would it be easy to do


genuinely interested
 
I had two solar panels on my narrow boat that were fantastic for keeping the domestic batteries topped up.

I used to get 8 or 9 amps charge rate from them in sunshine.

They were sizeable panels, but would fit comfortably on top of a motorhome.

The benefits are zero maintenance and, of course, total silence :)

I can't recommend solar panels highly enough, but be prepared to spend sufficient to get quality panels.

Mine were made by Siemens, and had a 15 year guarantee, and were to telecoms company specifications.

I'm sure others will provide you with specific advice, but in the meantime have a search for other threads on this topic. I know it's been discussed before.
 
Yes, size I was coming to that, what sort of dimensions are these things please
 
To get the best from solar you'll need loads of battery capacity. Could also look at fuel cells - hugely expensive but silent generators.
 
Canalsman,
I just tried a search on the subject but find (apparently) i'm not allowed to view the topics,
can you outline roughly what you can power from your panels please



Thanks

richard
 
hi .80watt panel by bp. 48ins x 21 innches .weight about 8 kg. get about 5 amp at midday on sunny days . i use 3 on my truck to power a 240v fridge through an inverter . it works quite happy till we get a week of rain and clouds. i have up to 700 amp of battery power . .i bought a further 3 pan els to also go on the roof. that is abit excessive but i do full time in winter abroad and power washing machines etc never using hook up or going on sites. a genny does work but i have yet to see/ hear a quiet one that is acceptable to me. i sometimes camp with friends that use them but they are a nuisance and i soon move. i have had solar for 10yr and find it great. when at home i power fridge and freezer in my house through the inverter in the truck ,use an extension lead to the house, free then (well almost ,i had to buy the gear.).of course in winter in uk or during bad weather its all restricted . keep searching and asking questions ,its the only way.you could try google.
 
Mastodon said:
To get the best from solar you'll need loads of battery capacity.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's necessarily true.

As I see it, it works like this.

The amount of battery capacity you need depends on how much power you intend to draw, and the output power of the panels.

If you match the charging ability to more or less to equate to what you intend to draw from the batteries, that's a good starting point.

The batteries in effect become a reservoir.
 
Interesting to ponder what I'd need.
Would somone show me how to calculate this;
Run small portable TV for a couple of hours
(Possibly) with one small interior light.

Actually I'm surprised its viable running an appliance like. Fridge from panels,
They seem to have improved in leaps & bounds since glanced at them a few years back.

I would probably up' capacity
but would involve some remodeling in order to do,
And there's only room for one other battery.

What output panel would be apprpriate
Bigger the better?

Physically I have an area the size of a 'luton van'
Available so tht at least is OK
 
hi. if you have a vehicle that will allow the panels to sit nicely on roof good, its better to be able to tilt them to face the sun but its not easy or convieniant. i use a 2kw inverter to power the fridge. as i said i also have a small washing machine. my mate uses one of the blue twintubs you see on towsure site . he bought it from th 12v shop when here in cornwall its 240v and its like magic. i think if i was you i would actually fit 2 80wt panels flat on the roof. have a regulator and 2 x100amp batteries that should cover the nec. of course it would be nice to know the imput wattage required for the telly. . some are not very much some quite greedy. it may be also possible for you to use a live feed from your engine battery to charge while on the move. i used to do this but now my truck is 24v its further complicated . i earthed my liesure battery,s and ran a heavy cable from engine bat. to positive of liesure bats. having a big red plastic cut out switch i could control myself. ie. start engine turn wsitch. when stopped turn power off from eng .bat. cheap but works. ask what you like i,m sure enough of us here can help you. cheers alan.
 
I certainly have room for Two panels of the size mentioned, although they would need to mounted just about flat. For safety as I was hoping to make them a permanent fixture.

There's room for another battery to so that's still oK.

And 'on the move' I'd been wondering how best to couple the camper to the cars charging system,
Although for the paltry 50 quid or something,
I can get indispension to fit a grey socket to do it in the approved way.

That's not to say yours is wrong, but I suspect buying a pair of leads,
Socket and plug + the effort involved on my part.
On this occasion handing over a debit card might be easier.

That said you may see me add you as mates over the weekend so I can more easilly access/pester for information






(Sorry bout' that) :)
 
vwalan said:
hi .80watt panel by bp. 48ins x 21 innches .weight about 8 kg. get about 5 amp at midday on sunny days . i use 3 on my truck to power a 240v fridge through an inverter . it works quite happy till we get a week of rain and clouds. i have up to 700 amp of battery power . .i bought a further 3 pan els to also go on the roof. that is abit excessive but i do full time in winter abroad and power washing machines etc never using hook up or going on sites. a genny does work but i have yet to see/ hear a quiet one that is acceptable to me. i sometimes camp with friends that use them but they are a nuisance and i soon move. i have had solar for 10yr and find it great. when at home i power fridge and freezer in my house through the inverter in the truck ,use an extension lead to the house, free then (well almost ,i had to buy the gear.).of course in winter in uk or during bad weather its all restricted . keep searching and asking questions ,its the only way.you could try google.
Click to expand...
covers 2 pumps and one or 2 low wattr bulbs via

now dat's what I call useful info....I use one circa 86 watt super for similar siuze amp hr battery. usage is mainly 1.2 low watt bulbs thru 150w inverter. same sp4ecs for Waeco small compessor )self-adjusting).works well even on dyll days. Waeco proclaims itself to be 39 WATTS!
 
Canalsman said:
I don't think that's necessarily true.

As I see it, it works like this.

The amount of battery capacity you need depends on how much power you intend to draw, and the output power of the panels.

If you match the charging ability to more or less to equate to what you intend to draw from the batteries, that's a good starting point.

The batteries in effect become a reservoir.
Click to expand...

This is true. Assuming that your panels are working at peak efficiency (clear sky, panels facing the sun) and you've done all the calculations correctly... and of course you can't have 1 amp for 100 hrs from a 100 amp/hr battery. ..
 
One point people seem to disregard when considering the cost in buying a generator is the ongoing cost of fuel, once you include this then solar panels seem more cost effective. For years I considered getting one on the vans I had, got one of the 13 watt portable ones from Maplins but found it not much use. At the best it would just about get the max 1 amp but you had to keep moving it to face the sun.
On our current van was thinking about getting one fitted after we got the van, by mistake the dealer fitted one :eek: think it's about 85 watt, so got it for free :D. After seeing how it performs wouldn't hesitate in having one or even two fitted on another van. It performs well & even works when it's cloudy or raining. Most I've seen on the gauge on a sunny day is 5.5 amps.
As to what size you need & the battery capacity it is a very personal thing. It's all down to what power you use. Halogen spot lights can consume a lot so switch to LED's, charge things such as phones, laptops etc. in the daytime when your panel is producing most. We watch TV through freeview or a suitcase satellite dish but also have a freeview box with a hard disk to watch stuff we recorded. Often though we don't bother too much with TV unless there is something we want to watch.

Other point QUIET generator :rolleyes: unless you spend a fortune there isn't one. Number of times I've been parked by somebody with a quiet generator (even expensive ones) & they are annoying. Often the people using them are unaware, probably because they are running something that covers over the background noise of their genny. :mad:
 
Quite agree on the noise issue but still unconvinced on power needs.
Although I'm not planning on running more than a small TV with a single interior light for company.
I may like to use my laptop and that (I know) won't hold a charge,

However the general concensus here is seemingly luddite, so generators at any cost are a no no.
What I plan to do now is
Fit the grey plug so I can benefit from an already installed charging system,
Buy another leisure battery.
Then look at prices for a couple of 80W panels over the winter.
Two questions though.
Do LB's need to be same capacity alongside on another in order to charge/discharge correctly connected in parrallel,
And when I hook up a panel system,
How is damage prevented during 'normal' home charge or site hook-up.

(Or do I simply isolate unplug it)
 
hi, bit lost here as grey plug is for caravans . are you in a camper or towing a van. .there is much debate about batteries for leisure use i use wet truck batteries , of various sizes , from 200amp hour and 100aph. run them positive to pos neg to neg . leave them connected just about all time yto solar. to charge from eng bat, run a cable to the first leisure bat from the pos of eng bat to pos of leisure . have a earth cable from one of leisure bats to earth.you could then control the charge or isolate with a big red switch. you must not forget. my truck is 24v so i use a 24 to 12v chargesystem . expensive perhaps but only way i know. i never use ehu. never use sites and free/wild camp all winter from nov to may. in spain ,portugal and maroc. suffer sometimes if not in maroc as its not always that sunny. i turn the fridge off at night then. (it is 110watt 240v).i do have ehu facility to one plug socket . could be used to plug in a charger if needed but as i never have ehu waste of time. during the summer i just about always have full leisure bats unless as this summer its not so good . you will find that most solar panels over 50wt have diodes to to stop damage. but you can put another big red switch in line to protect or usefull for working on system. fuses etc to protect etc. i personally dont like the zig type units and having worked in the camper ind, find them all of poor quality and expensive. simple switches and a brain work much better. cheers alan.
 
My bad, I should have made it a bit clearer,
I have a nissan navara with a demountable camper I hook on.
So it has both sets of plugs fitted.
This far I've only mostly used sites,
So their EHU runs what I need,
Next year I'd (like) to visit the highlands and in the interest of keeping my options open, I'm exploring the power situation.

There is a zig under the sink and I'm hoping its as well made as the RV
But was unsure where an outside power source might lintegrate.

Presumably when suns out the panels are switched/plugged onto LB,
And removed at dusk

Cheers

Richard
 
hi ,you can get me on 07971962361. i used to have a couple of suntrekker demounts so we can talk the same language. cheers alan.
 
Solar Panels are great when i full time they will be the first on our list of mods,however dont be put off by the green brigade,an expensive generator will also be my choice.I suppose it just depends on how much leccy you would be using at the moment we use our van for weekenders and a week or twos holiday at a time,dont miss the telly to be honest and we dont have either a genny or solar panels.
 
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