Generator for caravan

[Thelma65]

hi there - hope you can help?

im starting to go on some rallies this year and im new to rallies so i was looking for some advice on how long i should expect to get out of my battery useage in terms of hours?

we have a 2006 eccles emerald and it runs of gas/elec/batt

but i have enetered into a 5 day rally in may and im not sure if my battery will last that long or should i be looking at getting a genny? and if so will the cheaper £100 gennys do a good job?

any help would be appreciated from any experienced ralliers out there!

 

[Damian]

carl, if you must use a generator make sure it is a 4 stroke with inverter technology built in.

The

 

[Dave_374330759]

The main thing about cheap generators, apart from the erratic supply, is the noise and the smell. Any generator is goimng to be noisy and a bit smelly but two-stroke are far far worse. The Honda 4-stroke inverter units are by far the best and quietest, but they are expensive. You'd also have to take into account the views of the happy rallyers around you, if they are running gennys all well and good, if you are the only one then you might not get an invite again. See if you'd be happy for the bloke next to you to be running one for several hours a day (think of what a lawnmower sounds like for several hours at a stretch)

 

[JTQ]

With prudent use of your battery 5 days off power in May is wholly realistic for a decent condition battery. So leave the TV at home and dont use any car type radio.

If such stringent limitations are a non starter then the easiest "back-up" is to carry a spare battery, but sort out before hand a hassle free way to change over supplies and to carry it safely.

The

 

[lairdAl_374474951]

Hi carl,

We rally quite a lot with the c&cc & also use their THS (temporary holiday sites)

We use two battery's one for the van elec's (110AH) & a seperate (85AH) battery for the TV(run via inverter).

Used conservatively each day, the TV lasts for about 19/21 hrs.

We generally use the tv at night for three or four hrs (we are not telly addicts!)Our generator is a 4 stroke Medusa 1000W (cost approx

 

[JTQ]

With prudent use of your battery 5 days off power in May is wholly realistic for a decent condition battery. So leave the TV at home and dont use any car type radio.

If such stringent limitations are a non starter then the easiest "back-up" is to carry a spare battery, but sort out before hand a hassle free way to change over supplies and to carry it safely.

The

 

[JTQ]

Hi carl,

We rally quite a lot with the c&cc & also use their THS (temporary holiday sites)

We use two battery's one for the van elec's (110AH) & a seperate (85AH) battery for the TV(run via inverter).

Used conservatively each day, the TV lasts for about 19/21 hrs.

We generally use the tv at night for three or four hrs (we are not telly addicts!)Our generator is a 4 stroke Medusa 1000W (cost approx

 

[lairdAl_374474951]

Hi JTQ!

First,I must correct my original post.The decibel level for my specific genny is 72db(as per manufacturers hand book) and not 93db as stated.I apologise for the error.

If you apply the Inverse Square Law,sound intensity reduces over distance and the db reading will be less ie:72db at 7 metres will be 58db according to the maths.For comparision,conversational noise levels average about 65db.

On rally meets,pitches should conform to regulations as set out by the respective clubs.

There should be 9 metres from hitch to hitch or 7 metres from van wall to van wall. The distance between walls cannot be less than 6 metres(legal requirement for fire etc.).So, at that distance,the noise from my genny would be less than a conversation!.

Laird Al

 

[Gafferbill]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Petrol-Generator-Brand-New-KIPOR-IG-1000-SILENT-MODEL_W0QQitemZ380196647207QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_BOI_Industrial_Tools_Generators_ET?hash=item58857c7127

 

[Gafferbill]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Petrol-Generator-Brand-New-KIPOR-IG-1000-SILENT-MODEL_W0QQitemZ380196647207QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_BOI_Industrial_Tools_Generators_ET?hash=item58857c7127

Copy and paste into browser...... they are super quiet and safe!

 

[Parksy]

Here's a Link to the item

 

[Gafferbill]

.....I don,t like to make it too easy!

Hope you don,t want a share of my commission ;-)

 

[Thelma65]

many thnaks for all your help guys really appreciated

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Carl,

Generators have their place and if there really is no alternative then so be it, but often there are viable alternatives.

Obviously a 12v battery has a limited amount of power, so it helpful to be prudent with usage. Things like, ensuring un-needed lights are turned off, the heater fan either turned off or used at lower speeds, and the minimal use of tv's and radios.

Lights are often use the most power because that are switched on fro long periods in the evenings, Switching to LED based lights could make a significant saving.

I have used a second battery which is charged up in the car when you are out and about. This can be swapped as required, or I have considered making up a dedicated lead to connect the caravan to the spare battery.

I am involved in various music festivals, and power is more often than not provided by generators, and despite them being professional sets as used by the BBC and other broadcast companies, they still produce some noise. Usually the food concessions have their own generators and even though they are similar to the Honda super quite generators the noise is distinctive and always there in the background.

In the hustle and bussle of a festival the noise can be over looked but if it were a quiet holiday site, it would become obtrusive. - so when on holiday I avoid them if at all possible.

JTQ is correct. Sound levels are described using decibels. Strictly a decibel is method of describing the value of one sound compared to another in other words a ratio. A logarithmic scale is used as linear scale is impractical to encompass the limits of hearing and to provide a practical incremental scale. For this reason a sound described as 60dB is twice as loud as one described as 54dB

There are some standards that define how sound pressure levels can be measured, and turned into a definitive set of level measurements (dBm), but even that is not as far as you have to go. The human ear doesn't hear all sounds of the same intensity with the same sensitivity. Which is why different measurement scales of dB's are used to mimic our hearing response. (dB(A) & dB(C))

But there are several other factors that affect how a sound is perceived, The frequency or pitch of the sound is important as the human ear is more sensitive to some frequencies than others, and is the sound constant (hiss) or is it cyclical (the purr of an engine or other regular low frequencies) or sporadic such as the impact of a hammer, is it direct or reflected point or line source.

So a simple number of db's does not provide a comprehensive description of the sound a generator produces, or the annoyance factor it may have to different people.

I strongly recommend that you try to avoid a generator unless there really is no other option.

 

[Thelma65]

Hello Carl,

Generators have their place and if there really is no alternative then so be it, but often there are viable alternatives.

Obviously a 12v battery has a limited amount of power, so it helpful to be prudent with usage. Things like, ensuring un-needed lights are turned off, the heater fan either turned off or used at lower speeds, and the minimal use of tv's and radios.

Lights are often use the most power because that are switched on fro long periods in the evenings, Switching to LED based lights could make a significant saving.

I have used a second battery which is charged up in the car when you are out and about. This can be swapped as required, or I have considered making up a dedicated lead to connect the caravan to the spare battery.

I am involved in various music festivals, and power is more often than not provided by generators, and despite them being professional sets as used by the BBC and other broadcast companies, they still produce some noise. Usually the food concessions have their own generators and even though they are similar to the Honda super quite generators the noise is distinctive and always there in the background.

In the hustle and bussle of a festival the noise can be over looked but if it were a quiet holiday site, it would become obtrusive. - so when on holiday I avoid them if at all possible.

JTQ is correct. Sound levels are described using decibels. Strictly a decibel is method of describing the value of one sound compared to another in other words a ratio. A logarithmic scale is used as linear scale is impractical to encompass the limits of hearing and to provide a practical incremental scale. For this reason a sound described as 60dB is twice as loud as one described as 54dB

There are some standards that define how sound pressure levels can be measured, and turned into a definitive set of level measurements (dBm), but even that is not as far as you have to go. The human ear doesn't hear all sounds of the same intensity with the same sensitivity. Which is why different measurement scales of dB's are used to mimic our hearing response. (dB(A) & dB(C))

But there are several other factors that affect how a sound is perceived, The frequency or pitch of the sound is important as the human ear is more sensitive to some frequencies than others, and is the sound constant (hiss) or is it cyclical (the purr of an engine or other regular low frequencies) or sporadic such as the impact of a hammer, is it direct or reflected point or line source.

So a simple number of db's does not provide a comprehensive description of the sound a generator produces, or the annoyance factor it may have to different people.

I strongly recommend that you try to avoid a generator unless there really is no other option.

i value your opinion and i think you make some good points

many thanks for this

i think i would like to try the 2nd battery option but the connection change might need me to think up a clever solution?>

 

[Gafferbill]

...if you are going for a second battery then it is best to use a completely sealed gel type.

Other types can spill corrosive acid if overturned during transportation and they can give off an explosive gas.

These characteristics also render them unsuitable for use in the living area of a caravan or the passenger compartment of a car.