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Hi puzzling my way around the generator forum researching to make an informed purchase. I want to have it as back up. I’ve got plenty of battery power and 160w of solar panels. But wilding in murky Germany I needed to find hook-ups every 4/5 days.
I imagine using it - 240v into the van’s hook-up socket at sociable hours to charge my batteries. For this I imagine a pretty basic machine. Don’t need pure sine wave inverters or 12volt take offs do I?
Why then do I have to choose between the open frame noisy, cheap, builder’s type and the expensive suitcase type with all the extras? Is there not a compromise?
One “extra” I would like though is LPG powered through the BBQ point. Any recommendations please?
Also @ 2kv are we talking a couple or a handfull or more hours to bump up batteries by say 100Ah?
Dick
______________________________________________________________ Powys, Paradwys Cymru
"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools." Douglas Bader CBE
Hello Dick. I had a Honda EU10i, it's around 1kw which is sufficient to drive an on board battery charger. There is no point in running a bigger generator than you need so unless you want to run a power hungry domestic appliance of some sort I think 1kw is enough. I converted my Honda to run on gas from the BBQ point. It's a simple job.
The Honda is expensive but people say good things about Kipor generators, they are a Honda copy I understand and I assume they can be converted to run on gas, Alan.
For a convertor kit giving the option of running with LPG from your BBQ point, we can recommend the following as satisfied customers, no other connection:
we actually bought our Honda Eu 2.0i from them a few years since with the kit already fitted. Last time I worked it out, it was actually cheaper using petrol (may not be the case with current prices!) but the unit does run a bit quieter and virtually smoke-free on lpg from our BBQ point. I'd imagine if you're converted to Gaslow or even using the larger Calor cylinders, the cost comparison may be more favourable.
Sorry, I can't help with battery charging times etc - our main use is when stopped in laybys or remote areas to use the microwave, leccy kettle or whatever. Otherwise, have only ever used it for fairly short periods on CL's a few times when we were the only occupants, have never tried using it on a club site as we are invariably on hook-up (and wouldn't want to risk becoming outcasts from civilised society!).
It lives in a back-box on our rear bike carrier, it has been reassuring to carry it whilst travelling in some of this year's bad weather, with a couple of spare containers of petrol stowed aboard, just in case we'd got stuck anywhere.
Hope that satisfies any genny-cops who may be reading . . .
______________________________________________________________ cheers
Roger
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I´m not really as paranoid as everyone thinks I am
I imagine using it - 240v into the van’s hook-up socket at sociable hours to charge my batteries. For this I imagine a pretty basic machine. Don’t need pure sine wave inverters or 12volt take offs do I?
Dick
Yes, I think you do. If you plug into the EHU point, the generator will be feeding straight into the Schaudt Electroblock charger on your Hymer. This is the most efficient way to re-charge, but the EBL is sensitive to power surges, and expensive to repair if you "blow" it. You may have protection via a Schaudt surge protector if you have retro-fitted one, but even so, I would not want to risk my EBL with a cheap non-sinewave genny.
I too have a Honda EU10i which is ample for the task and allows you to run about 500W in addition to the charger.
Regarding the LPG query, conversion kits can be obtained, but be aware that Honda will not honour their 5 year warranty if the genny has been run on LPG.
Regarding your final question, so long as the generator is big enough to drive the EBL (around 500w / 0.5Kv or more) the time taken to re-charge will not change. it is the EBL that governs this, so it will take as long as it does on mains hook-up.
Max charging current of the EBL is 18 amps but this falls as the battery is re-charged. So to get 100 Ah back in will take somewhere between 6 and 12 hours I would think - more if they are Gel batteries rather than wet lead-acid as these take longer to charge.
Honda 10i or Kipor ~1kW equivalent I'd say according to price/ quality preference. Inverter technology or not depends on how fussy is your built-in charger.
Regarding charging times, to maximise battery life the charging current should not exceed a fifth of the capacity (45A for 220Ah). This also means that for fully depleted batteries it will take ~7 hours to fully charge. (How much current your charger is putting into your batteries at any point depends mostly on how depleted they are due simply to Ohms Law). For 220Ah batteries at the 50% point, yes that means a couple of hours WILL put in around 90Ah IF your charger is 45A. (I have a 50A Victron mains charger for my 220Ah batteries).
The main point is that to get maximum oomph into your batteries in the shortest time with a genny then ensure your mains charger has a sufficient output and wait until the batteries are low. Otherwise the noise will be annoying you or your camping neighbours for less Ah than you think.
A genny bigger than 1kW is only needed for high-power high- duration applications, such as large aircon, or for charging LARGE battery banks of ~440+Ah.
Thanks all, I’ve learnt a lot, and saved money. The “extras” are to stop me frying my electrics, and I don’t need anything bigger than 1Kv for battery charging provided I am not using it to drive big stuff as well. Also able to estimate charging time with research into what I’ve got already in the way of charger.
Dick
______________________________________________________________ Powys, Paradwys Cymru
"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools." Douglas Bader CBE
Hello Dick. I had a Honda EU10i, it's around 1kw which is sufficient to drive an on board battery charger. There is no point in running a bigger generator than you need so unless you want to run a power hungry domestic appliance of some sort I think 1kw is enough. I converted my Honda to run on gas from the BBQ point. It's a simple job.
The Honda is expensive but people say good things about Kipor generators, they are a Honda copy I understand and I assume they can be converted to run on gas, Alan.
Alan I have the 10i and as I understand tho not done it yet that you can connect the Honda's 12v output direct to your batteries to charge them?
Chris
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