Generators

[Benji]

Hi

Does anyopne have experience of portable generators when on site with regards to the noise level.Looking at the Honda brands they claim there models are very low in noise.

We are considering purchasing an air con unit for our tourer and the starting current for the a/c is around 14 amps for .15 secs then drops off to 2.9 amps. The problem is that we will be touring on the continent where the supply on sites is very low

Appreciate any feedback.

Russell

 

[Paul_374358508]

I have an airconditioner on my caravan, I am in France at the moment, and the supply current is 6 or 10 amps, depending on your needs. Although I do not know what the starting current in on my airconditioning unit, I have not has any problems with electrical tripping. Also the old RV next to me is on a 6 amp circuit, and has no problem. Are you sure of the starting current required?

Good Luck. Paul

 

[Benji]

I have an airconditioner on my caravan, I am in France at the moment, and the supply current is 6 or 10 amps, depending on your needs. Although I do not know what the starting current in on my airconditioning unit, I have not has any problems with electrical tripping. Also the old RV next to me is on a 6 amp circuit, and has no problem. Are you sure of the starting current required?

Good Luck. Paul

Thanks Paul, the data I mentioned was from the dealer i.e the starting current. Think I will just go ahead and see what happens, thanks for your feedback

Russell

 

[Gareth111278]

I think with genorators you get what you pay for.

One thing thats a 'must' is to check that the unit provides a stable voltage. Those quiet Hondas do. cheaper ones don't.

If the voltage isn't stablized it can put out 'spikes' that can damage electronic stuff like TVs DVDs etc.

Hope thats useful

Gareth

 

[Benji]

I think with genorators you get what you pay for.

One thing thats a 'must' is to check that the unit provides a stable voltage. Those quiet Hondas do. cheaper ones don't.

If the voltage isn't stablized it can put out 'spikes' that can damage electronic stuff like TVs DVDs etc.

Hope thats useful

Gareth

Gareth

Yes that is very helpful thanks.

Regards

Russell

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Russell,

Generators have thier time and place, but in the context of general caravanning, I recommend they should used only where there is no viable alternative.

Even though there are some top brands that do run comparitievly quietly, they do produce noise,and for some people the constant background drone on what should be pleasnt quiet site can be very annoying.

They dont come cheap! They are expensive to buy, they do need periodic serviceing and the normal road fuel is very expensive. And they are hoplessly inefficeint.

IF you do go for one, look for the type with an 'Inverter' output. These control thier output voltage much better and should protect your sensitive electronics.

 

[graham8408]

if you look around and see no-one with a genny,just ask if its ok with them for you to use it.then if thet do complain later you can say you asked them first/...

 

[Reg]

A few years ago in spain we were near a german in motorhome running a genny to run his air con while they sat OUTSIDE.......... it wasn't nice!!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Graham,
I can't agree with your assumption that seeking prior approval negates your duty to be socially responsibly.
Perhaps the sound of your generator is noisier than the other caravanner expected, or you may run it at times when it may be more socially acceptable to have it turned off.
I know that some sites ban generators, or set a curfew on thier use.

By all means ask you neighbours, but also suggest they let you know if it becomes a problem for them.

 

[JTQ]

We have had someone with a roof mounted A/C unit come onto the adjacent pitch. They left it on all day, every day whilst they were out.
A/C running from a EHU is very very unneighbourly. But it clears all the adjacent pitches for you.

 

[xtrailman]

Just pull the plug when there out.

 

[forestgump]

be awear off spikes when running .

 

[joeby]

i wouldnt run a generator because of the cost of fuel , but as for noise , some sites are quiet but most are noisy as well , grass cutting is far worse and barking dogs worse still , and a lot of sites are near farms with tractors running up and down , so i cant see a generator being too intrusive

 

[ChrisUK]

We struggle each year saying 8 weeks off the grid in Scotland and I would consider a quiet generator to top up the batteries. My wife however is dead against. Any one know of a supplier who will actually demonstate how quiet these Hondas are - in the midlands.
We rely on a second battery charged in the boot, then and inverter + battery charger to charge the van battery. Bit of a faf and with our modern van even with no tv and only using LEDs we only get about 4 days on a 113AHr battery.
I would not like a neighbour who was running a generator for long periods to keep an AC going.

 

[Parksy]

We struggle each year saying 8 weeks off the grid in Scotland and I would consider a quiet generator to top up the batteries. My wife however is dead against. Any one know of a supplier who will actually demonstate how quiet these Hondas are - in the midlands.
We rely on a second battery charged in the boot, then and inverter + battery charger to charge the van battery. Bit of a faf and with our modern van even with no tv and only using LEDs we only get about 4 days on a 113AHr battery.
I would not like a neighbour who was running a generator for long periods to keep an AC going.

Have you considered solar power?
It's not much good in the darker months between October and April but otherwise it can be a quiet, green and viable alternative to a generator.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Chris,

Bearing in mind that you say you have LED lights and don’t use a television, I am a little surprised that your battery only lasts about 4 days.

Traditionally although conventional lights are typically only each rated at about 1A (12W) they tend to be used for long periods of time, so they can be a substantial drain on a battery, but swapping to LED’s you are likely to only be using about 0.1A or a tenth of a conventional bulb or tube.

Surprisingly the items that use a lot of current (e.g. water pumps) often aren’t used for long, so the they don’t use very much battery capacity.

However there are other items in most caravans that can and will use modest amounts of power over long periods, and it may be worth looking at their usage
The fan on the heating system will use about 1.5A when running at full speed,

Less so than the heating fan, your gas powered water heater will also use some power, so perhaps only turning it on half an hour before you need the hot water, and off again afterwards will save some power.

In some cases the radio can use modest amounts of power even when apparently turned off. This is used to keep the station memory active. A portable radio with its own batteries may be an alternative solution and you could then completely disconnect the internal radio.

The other problem I can foresee is the way you are trying to recharge your caravan’s internal battery. The system you are using has several in efficiencies, which means your caravan battery is unlikely to be properly recharged. For various inefficiencies in inverters, chargers, and the ability of a battery to retain power used to charge it, you will be doing very well if you get anything close to 40% of the cars battery energy transferred to the caravan battery.

With the above in mind, your systems is not giving you the best performance.

May I suggest that rather than trying to recharge the caravan battery through the inverter, actually swap the batteries between car and caravan, perhaps every two days.

Parkseys suggestion of solar panels may also be an alternative – and silent. You would need at least a 60W panel.

As for generators, ask your local dealer to demonstrate. If they want a sale they should oblige, but don’t expect silence, they do produce noise.

 

[ChrisUK]

I have measured the current drain at the battery and produced a spead sheet of daily / weekly usage. And all apears normal. We don't need the LED lights till well gone 9 in the summer in Scotland but we still struggle. I suppose I cannot eliminate internal battery leakage, you can not measure it and it has been this way from new.
I would like to go solar, but our van is very limited on payload to put one on the roof, and a free standing one would be a liability where we camp on the Loch side with the wind. I realise that at least 40Watts would be required and they are not so small.
I have tried the battery swopping routine, but bearing in mine the aux battery in the boot has to be well bolted down, it is time consuming and also heavy to do.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Chris,
There is another possibility, and that would be not have the battery in the caravan at all, and simply rely on the battery in the boot of the car by using high capacity cables (like light weight jump leads) to make the connection -Perhaps not very practical, but it keeps the battery better charged, and increases the available pay load in the caravan.

I would only consider a generator as a last resort, They are quite expensive to buy, the can be annoying to some people, and from an efficeiency point of view, they are dreadfully inefficient at converting fuel to usable electic power.

If you are really dedicated, then you might consider a fuel cell generator, which are available but are very expensive. Hopefully they will come down in price over the next few years.

 

[Dustydog]

John
You must have seen the King's Speech. You're stammering again.

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[ProfJohnL]

Thanks Dusty for you observation.

As this is off topic I will repost in the website Topic area to see I any one else suffers with the same problem or if any one has a straight forward solution.

Cheers,

PS Do you remember the Navy Lark on the radio? In addition to playing CPO Pertwee, John Pertwee also played many other characters inc. Comander Whetherby Head of intelegence - He suffered with exceive stammering - perhaps I will change my nickname