Travelling with Jenny

Viktor

Guest
At the risk of starting up the Generator v Solar debate, I have solar but am going to buy a generator for
backup purposes. I have a suitcase type Jenny in mind, (one of the supposed quieter type ones, and yes, I've
read there's no such thing as a quiet generator). My question is, those of you who carry one, are there much
petrol fumes noticable in the Camper/Motorhome when travelling due to movement etc?
 
This may sound an obvious answer, but it's true! It depends where you put it, how much fuel is in it etc...
 
Before I had Solar panels I used a genny. Not too bad as I carried it in an aluminum box on the motorbike rack. When running it, depending on the wind direction we could smell the fumes even though we had it a few yards away from the MH.
 
this might sound nutty ... but its a thought of the top of my head .... has anyone tried using a small wind generator windmill? I know someone who used one with a static for a while but that was on a blwy hill side - they moved it away from the van as to have it attached was too noisy
 
Thanks all. As I suspected then, similar level of fumes to carrying a 5litre plastic fuel can.
 
I carry a Kipor geni. When not in use there is a valve on the filler cap that closes the air breather to the fuel tank thus creating a sealed container. Unfortunately there is still the fuel in the carb and this will create some fumes. I have tried shaking the geni to try and get the residue out before storing in locker. I would say that I am unaware of any petrol smells unless I stick my nose really close to the geni and it is then the same a the main drive engine odours.
 
Get one that runs of LPG .

That way you don't have to smell the petrol fumes .



Steve
 
Used to carry a generator for work many years ago and you didn't smell any petrol from that when transporting it. Like the post said above, you can screw down the air vent in the top of the petrol cap to stop any vapor from that and I used to be able to turn off the fuel while the genny was still running so that you could empty the carb. This is the same as when I carry the outboard motor now. However, I'm not familiar enough with suitcase generators to know if you can still do this (turn of the fuel and run the carburetor dry).
 
I'll probably have to do more research on this. I had the Hyundai HY3000SEi 2.8kw model in mind (the one with the
remote control on/off) as I want a high kw output. Then it occurred to me to consider the fumes in the campervan maybe of
similar strength to a petrol can which are not only unpleasant but carcenogenic coming from the Jenny.

Gas is fine, but I was going to use a 5 or 10 litre metal Jerry which seals, but if the Jenny is sealable too as suggested by a
screw down air vent then the original idea is good. Thanks all.
 
what's a french bed ?

I have asked my french neighbours and they have never heard of it !
 
We have a small Honda generator and we take it with us if we are away for long weekends so that I can use my hairdryer. We have a Hymer B Class and the door is on my side (passenger) and we keep it in the door well next to me (the drop down bit for a step). It is ok when we are travelling, but I do sometimes get fumes when we have the seats swivelled and are relaxing. Husband never gets the smell as he sits in the drivers seat.

I would prefer somewhere else for it to go, but we cannot work out where at the moment as it needs to be kept upright due to the fuel in it.

Cheryl
 
Viktor said:
At the risk of starting up the Generator v Solar debate, I have solar but am going to buy a generator for
backup purposes. I have a suitcase type Jenny in mind, (one of the supposed quieter type ones, and yes, I've
read there's no such thing as a quiet generator). My question is, those of you who carry one, are there much
petrol fumes noticable in the Camper/Motorhome when travelling due to movement etc?
Click to expand...

I can't see any problem in carrying a Genny for a genuine emergency but in recent years a lot of wildcamping M/homers are using them as their general electrical supply, when there are passive alternatives, yep solar panels. These days you can buy 500Watts worth for the price of a "quiet" Generator.
If you must have mains powered demands, try a mains powered campsite. I've witnessed near punch ups and actual generator sabotage in recent times because of inconsiderate use of generators. I recommend a Honda, as a result of having had to endure the sonorous tones of many makes in my opinion they are the quietest, not only that but it shows that at least you've made a conscious effort to minimise the noise problem.
 
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avandriver said:
Get one that runs of LPG .

That way you don't have to smell the petrol fumes .

Steve
Click to expand...

The other alternative is to use ASPEN FUEL You can also use Aspen Fuel in a petrol stove rather than buying Coleman Fuel

We use Aspen 2T in all our chainsaws and brushcutters now. This is the fuel for 2 stroke engines. I find that no one suffers from headaches from fumes after a hard days cutting now. It's not cheap but it's worth it as far as I am concerned

Also, the fuel does not go "off" so you don't have to worry about draining fuel tanks down at the end of the season
 
That sounds like a good suggestion baloothebear.....the Hyunda is 4 stroke but if I go 2 stroke I'll consider that.....thanks.

ah...just visited the site and there is a 4 store version......excellent.....thanks thats likely most of my concerns solved towards
the fuel.
 
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Byronic said:
I can't see any problem in carrying a Genny for a genuine emergency but in recent years a lot of wildcamping M/homers are using them as their general electrical supply, when there are passive alternatives, yep solar panels. These days you can buy 500Watts worth for the price of a "quiet" Generator.
If you must have mains powered demands, try a mains powered campsite. I've witnessed near punch ups and actual generator sabotage in recent times because of inconsiderate use of generators. I recommend a Honda, as a result of having had to endure the sonorous tones of many makes in my opinion they are the quietest, not only that but it shows that at least you've made a conscious effort to minimise the noise problem.
Click to expand...

Acouple of things here. Firstly, inconsiderate use of generators is much the same as inconsiderate wild camping, leaving rubbish behind etc.... it just gets us ALL a bad name.

We rely heavily on our generator as it came with the van, is pretty quiet and if we were to have the money to buy solar panels, it is very debateable whether we would ever anywhere near recoup our money. HOWEVER, before we start our generator, we always make a point of going round everyone else around and saying if it annoys them at all, please let us know and we'll turn it off. We've not once had a problem using this approach. We are, however, very aware of any noise we make - generator produced or otherwise.
 
caspar said:
Acouple of things here. Firstly, inconsiderate use of generators is much the same as inconsiderate wild camping, leaving rubbish behind etc.... it just gets us ALL a bad name.

We rely heavily on our generator as it came with the van, is pretty quiet and if we were to have the money to buy solar panels, it is very debateable whether we would ever anywhere near recoup our money. HOWEVER, before we start our generator, we always make a point of going round everyone else around and saying if it annoys them at all, please let us know and we'll turn it off. We've not once had a problem using this approach. We are, however, very aware of any noise we make - generator produced or otherwise.
Click to expand...

I can't say which is best, generator or solar panels what I will say is that the generator option is the choice of some, and used often to the irritation of others.
It is unlikely anyone will ever recoup the cost of their solar panels. That's not the point, most buy them because they provide a convenient, more or less maintenance free power source, and they are a silent choice.
I'm sure most people when asked will say it's ok to use the generator, most are too polite to create a fuss(are we talking England here). I'd be surprised of a positive response abroad.
I can appreciate that not everyone has the cash for a solar power set-up. Well the easy answer is to park out of earshot of us holier than thou silent ones.
 
Are all gennys air cooled? can you extract some of the heat and make good use of it?

Personally, I'd rather go down the renewable energy route, solar panels, reduce the consumption of power etc rather than have to rely on a Genny to give all you need. Fuel's only going to go up in price, Gennys take up space, solar goes on the roof and forget about it.

You don't get angry with solar as there isn't a cord to break or fuel to run out.

I'd get a 12-12 charger to totally charge the leisure batts when driving.

And I hate the sound of them!!

Get them on the prom at the end of our road running a genny just to watch TV!!

Cheap ALDI/LIDL ones etc. are maddeningly noisy.
 
Byronic said:
It is unlikely anyone will ever recoup the cost of their solar panels. That's not the point, most buy them because they provide a convenient, more or less maintenance free power source, and they are a silent choice.
Click to expand...

I believe that you may recoup the cost of a solar panel installation ...

Leisure batteries are expensive items, and they will last much, much longer if they are only partly (rather than fully) discharged. And with the addition of an effective regulator the battery is likely to be better conditioned than the onboard charging unit.

Provided that the solar installation is appropriately specified to match the battery capacity, and the equipment is installed at a competitive price, and you keep the 'van for a suitably long time, I think you'll gain.

I have grave doubts about generator usage - they're not only noisy, but they're very expensive (the quiet ones anyway), and they're very heavy.

I wouldn't care to store a petrol powered generator within the vehicle under any circumstances. Petrol vapour is lethal!
 
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