Martyn22 Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Not sure my message went, looking for a petrol generator to keep batteries topped up when sun not enough for solar panel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 We saw some the other day, but can't remember whether it was in B&Q or Makro now Sorry PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Generators are not very popular on campsites because of the noise. If you want to use one when wild camping (freeloading according to some) then an lpg converted one would obviate the need to carry a petrol canister. Their are several on eBay and if you buy well you can always get your money back when you get fed up of the complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Martyn22 - 2015-04-04 1:28 PM Not sure my message went, looking for a petrol generator to keep batteries topped up when sun not enough for solar panel Be warned that you may have problems with a cheapo generator. The 12 volt output for charging batteries is generally rubbish and limited to a low wattage and using the 230 volt output to run a charger may not work with your charger. (The reason being that the output from a cheapo genny will most probably not be a true sine wave, which most modern battery chargers will require). OTOH if you get something decent such as a Honda suitcase genny you will be able to run a battery charger. Another thing to be wary of is that many generators do not have a true earth and have a floating earth so any RCD that you have probably won't work. There is a way around that and that is by N-E bonding but if you don't know what you are doing best to leave that to someone who does. Hope this doesn't sound scare mongering but electricity, from mains or a generator, can be lethal. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I have an LPG converted Honda EU20i, which is a lovely quiet generator and has a 12 v charging socket (rated at 8 maps) as well as two 240 volt sockets. I don't think generators are a very quick or efficient way of charging leisure batteries but then I only bought the 12 volts charging socket lead recently and I've only tried charging using the MH's EHU connection. I never got any noise complaints (these Honda generators ar really quiet) but it's stayed at home in the garage since I fitted solar panels, which seem to charge well enough to make the generator redundant, certainly when we've been in France in the summer. The solar panels seem to do quite well even on cloudy days too. Generators are expensive too, and heavy, so unless you really need one don't bother. If you decide to get one I suggest you do buy a good one, like the Honda, because they seem to hold their value relatively well. The cheaper generators, such as the Kipor, look similar but they are not as quiet, not as reliable and they don't hold their value. If you only want it for charging buy a smaller/lighter one; I only got the EU20i because I wanted to be able to run the microwave - but that wasn't worthwhile either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Generators are noisy things even the quiet ones !! we have never had a problem with our batteries even in dull weather the solar panel keeps the batteries topped up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige118 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Hiya a few years ago I always used a generator when I was caravan rallying I had a Honda ex650 it was faultless. If you can get a second hand one go for it. I later had a clarkes make from machine mart, what a mistake , it use to serge did the one day and totally burnt my power supply out in the van (megga money). If you go for the Honda 1.0 or 2.0 you won't go far wrong. Happy Days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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