Stephill 2kva Generator battery chargeing.

[billy2]

I have just bought a 2 kva suitcase generator mainly for winter use.I would be the first to moan if someone left a generator running for any lengh of time but we are finding the cls we are useing are mostly empty this time of year so we are on our own.What i need to know is what is the best way to use it for battery chargeing ie direct from the 12 volt with leads and clips or from 240 volt useing the caravan charger bearing in mind if we are alone about 2 hours per day just to keep battery topped up.I use a solar panel summer time and this is usualy fine even for 2 weeks but with shorter days and more demand on the 12 volt it struggels after a few days .Any help would be apreciated.

 

[Scouser1]

I plug mine directly into the van 240 v socket. I do this, as I'm a believer in a myth that if you charge a battery in a car still connected, it can blow doides in the alternator (no doubt our electrical whizzes will refute this!) However, myths apart, there are a couple of advantages to plugging it in;-

1.you can run your telly

2. Microwave.

3. Hairdryer.

and anything else needing 240 volts.

I also usually turn on the water heater to give the genny something to bite on (visions of an engine clogging up with crud if left running light for long periods)

Norman

 

[Sproket]

The technical wizards will be along with all the pros & cons soon enough 😱)

Sproket

 

[Scouser1]

The technical wizards will be along with all the pros & cons soon enough 😱)

Sproket

I know- I've been bitten before by them!

 

[Chrisbee]

Scouser has the right idea. Prolonged light running will cause the piston to glaze.

 

[JTQ]

Whether its sensible/wise to plug your generator directly into your vans 240Volt system depends on two important but inter related features:

How electrically "clean" your generator is.

and How tolerant your caravans electronic controller/charger is to "un-clean" power supplies.

If you have an unsophisticated controller its not likely to be a problem even with a cheap generator.

However if you have a van with a modern "smart" charger and voltage regulating controller you are at high risk of doing many hundreds of

 

[JTQ]

Whether its sensible/wise to plug your generator directly into your vans 240Volt system depends on two important but inter related features:

How electrically "clean" your generator is.

and How tolerant your caravans electronic controller/charger is to "un-clean" power supplies.

If you have an unsophisticated controller its not likely to be a problem even with a cheap generator.

However if you have a van with a modern "smart" charger and voltage regulating controller you are at high risk of doing many hundreds of

 

[billy2]

Hi JQT

Think you must be looking at something else this is a suitcase generatore 2000 kv honda gx100 engine same as Honda eu 20i with inverter and sinewave for computers etc same as the Honda but assembled in UK.Thanks for all your very quick replys i will try plugging into the 240volt inlet and see how well that charges.

 

[billy2]

I plug mine directly into the van 240 v socket. I do this, as I'm a believer in a myth that if you charge a battery in a car still connected, it can blow doides in the alternator (no doubt our electrical whizzes will refute this!) However, myths apart, there are a couple of advantages to plugging it in;-

1.you can run your telly

2. Microwave.

3. Hairdryer.

and anything else needing 240 volts.

I also usually turn on the water heater to give the genny something to bite on (visions of an engine clogging up with crud if left running light for long periods)

Norman

What is this piston glazeing Scouser and can you avoid it by makeing them work hard?

 

[Scouser1]

Whether its sensible/wise to plug your generator directly into your vans 240Volt system depends on two important but inter related features:

How electrically "clean" your generator is.

and How tolerant your caravans electronic controller/charger is to "un-clean" power supplies.

If you have an unsophisticated controller its not likely to be a problem even with a cheap generator.

However if you have a van with a modern "smart" charger and voltage regulating controller you are at high risk of doing many hundreds of

 

[Allen774]

I have the Kipor which is a copy of the Honda but a quarter of the price,I plug it straight into the caravan to charge the battery for a couple of hours with other items such as the laptop and mobile phone.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I seem to recall that most of these portable generators I have seen that have an additional 12V dc output are limited to about 8A.

Therefore if all you are doing is charging a battery from the genies 12V output, then you do not need a 2kVA generator, and 1kVA or less will do just as well.