we intend to use sites that have no electric available &am considering a generator prompted by ALDI offer of a 2stoke unit @£49 but on checking found that small gennies can cost up to £400 can any one tell me what I should be looking for in a unit befor I buy?
portable generators
- Thread starter Tony_374293886
- Start date
Hello Tony,
Before you buy a generator carefully consider what you actually need it for. Most sites these days offer mains hook ups, which will usually provide up to 3kW of power. By comparison the typical caravan generator will only provide 750W (0.75kW) of power so it is not a complete alternative to the mains hook up.
Modern caravans offer many items of equipment that are duel fuelled. Fridges tend to have 3 way power (12V dc 230V ac & gas), Water heaters and space heaters, 2 way (230V ac & Gas). There are many 12V dc/230V ac televisions & VCRs' available.
So if mains power is not available there is usually a sensible alternative to resorting to a generator. Gas is usually used for cooking, and makes a very economic alternative for water heaters and space heating. Fridges are also much more efficient on gas than on generator power.
For other appliance where gas is not an alternative, there are other low cost solutions. For example a 120W inverter (converts 12V dc to 230 Vac) will provide power for computers, radios VCR etc. So a generator is not really essential.
From a social point of view, generators are noisy. Even the "silent" ones produce some noise. They are very inefficient at converting fuel to electrical power (about 6%) the fuel is very expensive.
Gas appliances on the other hand are very efficient. They must be at least 70% efficient before they are approved for sale, and virtually silent.
The gas will already be on board for cooking, so there is no additional weight to be accounted.
Consider using a second battery that can be charged in the back of your car whilst you are travelling, and swapping when necessary. Or use the accessory circuit in the 12S (grey) socket on the rear of your car.
Do you really need a generator?
Before you buy a generator carefully consider what you actually need it for. Most sites these days offer mains hook ups, which will usually provide up to 3kW of power. By comparison the typical caravan generator will only provide 750W (0.75kW) of power so it is not a complete alternative to the mains hook up.
Modern caravans offer many items of equipment that are duel fuelled. Fridges tend to have 3 way power (12V dc 230V ac & gas), Water heaters and space heaters, 2 way (230V ac & Gas). There are many 12V dc/230V ac televisions & VCRs' available.
So if mains power is not available there is usually a sensible alternative to resorting to a generator. Gas is usually used for cooking, and makes a very economic alternative for water heaters and space heating. Fridges are also much more efficient on gas than on generator power.
For other appliance where gas is not an alternative, there are other low cost solutions. For example a 120W inverter (converts 12V dc to 230 Vac) will provide power for computers, radios VCR etc. So a generator is not really essential.
From a social point of view, generators are noisy. Even the "silent" ones produce some noise. They are very inefficient at converting fuel to electrical power (about 6%) the fuel is very expensive.
Gas appliances on the other hand are very efficient. They must be at least 70% efficient before they are approved for sale, and virtually silent.
The gas will already be on board for cooking, so there is no additional weight to be accounted.
Consider using a second battery that can be charged in the back of your car whilst you are travelling, and swapping when necessary. Or use the accessory circuit in the 12S (grey) socket on the rear of your car.
Do you really need a generator?
Damian
Moderator
To answer the actual question posed, cheap generators are generally 2 stroke, and are noisy, smelly and require very regular maintainence to work well.
The other problem with cheap generators is the ouput is subject to the speed of the motor, and the load drawn, and is , or can be, very unstable, which can cause serious problems with delicate electronics used in todays caravans.
They can send a spike of higher voltage which is what causes the damage.
The type of generator you should be looking for is one with inverter technology built in, which gives a smoother sine wave, and regulated output. You will be looking at about
The other problem with cheap generators is the ouput is subject to the speed of the motor, and the load drawn, and is , or can be, very unstable, which can cause serious problems with delicate electronics used in todays caravans.
They can send a spike of higher voltage which is what causes the damage.
The type of generator you should be looking for is one with inverter technology built in, which gives a smoother sine wave, and regulated output. You will be looking at about
Hi Tony
Once again to answer the question - John L's response has been seen before a couple of times.
I always use CL's and do not like my choice to be restricted by the availabilty of a hook up. I really would not use a bargain bucket 2 stroke generator, the voltage is not controlled and can damage sensitive equipment e.g TV's, battery charger etc.
I invested in a Honda EU10, cost about
Once again to answer the question - John L's response has been seen before a couple of times.
I always use CL's and do not like my choice to be restricted by the availabilty of a hook up. I really would not use a bargain bucket 2 stroke generator, the voltage is not controlled and can damage sensitive equipment e.g TV's, battery charger etc.
I invested in a Honda EU10, cost about
Not al generators are noisy. Fuel cell generators are virtually silent. Here's one on the market:
http://www.transleisure.co.uk/product_details.asp?prod=258
http://www.transleisure.co.uk/product_details.asp?prod=258
hello john thanks for your reply.
we intended to use camping & caravan club D.A site for around a week at a time with no electric available. The idea was to use the battery to run the TV & ligts but to use the genny to charge the battery via a car type charger as we understand that a tv would drain a 85amp battery in no time . I amconcernd about others & the enviroment but do not know of any other solutions hence the question other solutions would be welcome
Tony D
we intended to use camping & caravan club D.A site for around a week at a time with no electric available. The idea was to use the battery to run the TV & ligts but to use the genny to charge the battery via a car type charger as we understand that a tv would drain a 85amp battery in no time . I amconcernd about others & the enviroment but do not know of any other solutions hence the question other solutions would be welcome
Tony D
This one crops up time and time again. Personnaly I have no beef with generators, providing the owner uses it intelligently and owns a decent one. The cheap gennys are cheap for a reason, enticing no doubt, but best avoided for caravanning. I agree with John L on several points, but would add that there are several ways to help your volts consumption. Trade in your old portable TV, buy an nice new LCD, save on both weight and power. Solar panels could be used, they don't produce much power, but over a day can top up a fategued battery. Keep bottled water on board for drinking. You can be sure of the quality of water and reduce your pumps on time. Bigger or second leisure battery and an inverter if you need 240v.
So there are other ways to help avoid the genny. But if it's still what you want, get the best you can afford, CL's are supposed to be relaxing, so even though I may not be bothered, someone might be.
So there are other ways to help avoid the genny. But if it's still what you want, get the best you can afford, CL's are supposed to be relaxing, so even though I may not be bothered, someone might be.
many thanks for all replys based on which I have decided to take a second battery as a spare
regards to all T D
regards to all T D
I know that this will be at odds to the other relies to this topic .I purchased one of those cheapo generators at a market some time ago.And have used on several occasions at steam rallies that we attend,its usualy used to power our colour tv, and on the odd time that we have been low on gas,its been used to boil kettles , and for an electric heater on a low setting.I would like to add that we do not cause offence to other campers as we are usualy to far away from them I also use this generator in my work as a manager on a large country estate.I also find it very ecomical for 2 stroke about 3 litres per day.
Tony
Like Damian I have a Kippor 2000ti generator which we bought primarily for use on rallies. Our owners club has strict rules about use of. Only between 1000 & 1800 hours. So we can watch a bit of telly and The Lady gets to dry her hair! It also charges the battery whilst on. I find that a couple of hours is sufficient and on rallies there are usually others running. As much as possible I move it away from the vans by the length of the cable anf I have never been disturbed even though there may be a few running. Some members have a solar panel [or even both!] but my thinking was that the generator could be used to power tools etc at home as well. I also take a spare battery just in case but have never had to use it and we have done up to 5 days using TV blown air etc etc. I find that we can still get at least 2 hours tv at night because the battery will recharge the day after.
Must confess if I was going on a cl I would be a bit more wary and ask neighbours if they objected before starting it - or only use it if they were all out.
If you do go for one then go for the inverter type as caravans adn electrical equipment nowadays has sensitive circuitry and the cheap ones may well cause surge and blow your equipment and you will not be covered by warranty.
Hope this helps
Like Damian I have a Kippor 2000ti generator which we bought primarily for use on rallies. Our owners club has strict rules about use of. Only between 1000 & 1800 hours. So we can watch a bit of telly and The Lady gets to dry her hair! It also charges the battery whilst on. I find that a couple of hours is sufficient and on rallies there are usually others running. As much as possible I move it away from the vans by the length of the cable anf I have never been disturbed even though there may be a few running. Some members have a solar panel [or even both!] but my thinking was that the generator could be used to power tools etc at home as well. I also take a spare battery just in case but have never had to use it and we have done up to 5 days using TV blown air etc etc. I find that we can still get at least 2 hours tv at night because the battery will recharge the day after.
Must confess if I was going on a cl I would be a bit more wary and ask neighbours if they objected before starting it - or only use it if they were all out.
If you do go for one then go for the inverter type as caravans adn electrical equipment nowadays has sensitive circuitry and the cheap ones may well cause surge and blow your equipment and you will not be covered by warranty.
Hope this helps
I understand the importance of good voltage regulation but as I only want to use a generator during the winter can I not use a cheaper than Honda Generator (such as the excellent Wolf 4-stroke model recommended by the mag) and plug in a surge controller between the generator and my caravan lead? Are there any qualified electronics experts out there who can answer this? During the summer I rely on a 36watt solar panel which more than covers my needs.
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