Generators dumbed down?

[Kernewek]

I'm a bit new (and very reluctant) to this!

My husband and his father have a static caravan on a site with no electrical hookups. They have a minuscule solar panel for charging a battery (very ineffectively) for powering the ceiling lights.

I've been roped into spending a couple of weeks in the caravan over the summer and really need my laptop (ok, and my hair dryer)

What is the best way to go about this?

My father in law has got it into his head that a larger solar panel would do the job (I know a little bit about PVs in residential applications and I'm not sure how it'd work tbh)is it a viable option?

if not

What would be the best and cheapest petrol generator to buy? Could I charge the battery from it? - Would this provide a more 'even' source of power for my laptop or would it be best using an extension lead and circuit breaker and running it straight from the genni? How many items could I run at once?

Thank you so much for any advice you can give me.

 

[Ian_5074271]

Hi The best generator you can get for running a Lap Top is a Honda, they give a very smooth clean power output. The 1000watt size will run everything from lighting, TV and even a small hairdrier on the low setting. The 2000 watt version will run everything. Unfortunatley they are not cheap but you have to pay for the best.

regards Ian

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Kernewek,

In a touring caravan several contributors have found that a 60W PV is enough to replenish the 12V battery, but I'm not sure it would suffice for a static. With more dedicated and bigger rooms, more lighting will be used. And other appliances may be left on longer because there is more space for several people to be doing different things at the same time.

I'm inclined to think that a 120 to 200W PV would be necessary along with more storage capacity than a single 110Ah battery, possibly two.

You could then have an inverter, which is capable of producing 300W. This might be sufficient for the tongues and laptop for limited periods.

A generator gives you more freedom, but there are downsides to them. Despite what the literature may say there is no such thing as silent petrol generator. They all produce some noise. You have to provide fuel, so don't forget to take a spare petrol canister.

If you are using expensive electronics like a laptop, then you must only consider a generator with an inverter output. These react almost instantly to changes in the power demands and where as none inverter types can easily overrun and produce a voltage surge that might damage connected appliances. A 1kW model should meet the needs you have described above

There are propriety makes of such generators and they are sold as camping generators, but they are rather expensive, alternatively there are other similar makes sold online, which use very similar technology but are considerably cheaper.

The key words to look out for are 'Inverter output'

Most of these generators also offer 12V output for charging batteries