hymer1942 Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 Has anyone got one of these generators fitted, I would like to know how much, how good etc. Thanks
Den Posted September 23, 2008 Posted September 23, 2008 Don't know of the EG20. I've got the efoy 1600. Clever bit of kit. No downside. Can demo to anyone interested.(maybe 1 downside ..... the cost, but shopping around money can be saved IE several hundred pounds).
hymer1942 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Posted September 25, 2008 Thanks for that I am considering EFOY, not to much more than the EG 20 but where does one buy the fuel for it, and is it expensive pro rata.
Derek Uzzell Posted September 25, 2008 Posted September 25, 2008 hymer1942: SELF ENERGY EG20 is powered by LPG, so (unlike the EFOY product) there will be no potential problems obtaining fuel. The following link provides an overview and the likely costs involved. http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/shopuk/self_energy.htm I have seen the unit and read an article about it in a French motorhome magazine that covered fitting, performance, etc. but I've no practical experience of how effective it is and I don't know anyone who has one. It's an expensive way to keep a motorhome's batteries charged in my view, but if you've got loadsamoney and like toys, then that may not be an issue. Apparently Truma is developing a 'fuel cell' on the EFOY lines but powered by LPG. This is said to produce 240W (presumably at 12V), so won't be an EFOY competitor in terms of output, but might be an alternative to the EG20. However, few details are yet available and there is no indication of the price or when it might reach the production stage.
hymer1942 Posted September 25, 2008 Author Posted September 25, 2008 Thanks for that, not yet decided if it will be EG or EFOY but it will be one of them. Barrie
Derek Uzzell Posted September 25, 2008 Posted September 25, 2008 Barrie has mentioned to me that, in my earlier posting, I've implied that the output of an EFOY fuel-cell is greater than that of a Self Energy EG20 (or the forthcoming Truma product), whereas he understood the opposite to be true. Barrie's correct and I was wrong: EFOY fuel-cells have a relatively low power output and even the top-of-the-range 1600 model only provides 12V/65W maximum. Serves me right for not bothering to check...
Tomo3090 Posted September 26, 2008 Posted September 26, 2008 I looked into these options a couple of months ago. The "upsides to the EG 20 is that it has better output power wise and it is powered by LPG as opposed to Methanol. The downsides are that is it much noisier, about the same volume as a small gennie and you need a gas tank fitting to your van for the LPG supply, (if that is a downside!). The EG 20 is attached under your van and connected direct to the LPG tank and your van. It is fairly self maintaining apart from an oil change, depending on use, about once a year(ish)! They are about 2-3 grand fitted, about the same as an efoy. There is a company in Birmingham that fits them, but I have lost their details. We never bothered with either in the end because we looked again at our power needs and we have decided we can function for 4-5 days on our 2 110 amp leisure batteries. It has helped with our van having low ampage LED lighting as standard.
hymer1942 Posted September 28, 2008 Author Posted September 28, 2008 Thanks for all the info. Still have not found anyone who has an EG 20 but still hopeful.
Derek Uzzell Posted September 28, 2008 Posted September 28, 2008 hymer1942: You might try contacting the person on the MotorHomeFacts who said he had an EG-20 fitted. See: http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-32989.html Worth reading too, perhaps, for anyone who is interested in the EFOY product.
Tomo3090 Posted September 29, 2008 Posted September 29, 2008 Hi, just had an e-mail from Voller about their LPG fuel cells and they go on sale later in 2008 and cost TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS EACH! So form an orderly queue and don't push!!
Guest JudgeMental Posted September 29, 2008 Posted September 29, 2008 Surely a compact generator with an LPG fuelled conversion kit will give you 230v at a fraction of the prices quoted above, or am I missing something.......
hymer1942 Posted September 29, 2008 Author Posted September 29, 2008 The self energy EG 20 is about £2200 fitted
hymer1942 Posted October 19, 2008 Author Posted October 19, 2008 But still not found anyone who has had one fitted.
Guest Tracker Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 Have you considered just fitting extra 12v batteries and an inverter or two?
Rayjsj Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 JudgeMental - 2008-09-29 4:13 PM Surely a compact generator with an LPG fuelled conversion kit will give you 230v at a fraction of the prices quoted above, or am I missing something....... I'm with you on this one Judge, American RV's have been 'Power Independant' for Years, (albeit Noisy while they are at it) I think we are in danger of Re-Inventing the 'wheel' here. A well soundproofed INBOARD generator is what we are talking about, isn't the Eefoy fueled with Hydorogen though ? so that it is 'Non Polluting'. LPG is hardly Non polluting, but cleaner than Diesel. They (these Generators by another name) just seem very,very Expensive for what they do. or are we both missing something.....?? :D :D
hymer1942 Posted October 19, 2008 Author Posted October 19, 2008 Space is a problem, I have a 650 S class Hymer, with no apparent space underneath, beeny boxes down both sides which will not accomadate a Honda, but across the back is a full length space with only the water tank but access to this is tight. I do have a 2kw inverter thats why I want topped up batteries 2 x 110 all the time, to top this very little roof space for Solar.
Den Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 Regarding the efoy 1600. We recently spent 3 days at the Le Bourget and being cold in the evenings the heating was on for several hours as well as the tv and lights. It fired up automatically as the batteries dropped to 91% and virtually silently. No one outside would have known. In the 3 days and a few hours of the Efoy running our 10 ltr container dropped by about 1 inch. Should you like to see it running send a personal email to arrange a convenient time. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.
hymer1942 Posted October 19, 2008 Author Posted October 19, 2008 Thank you for the kind offer, have considered the Efoy, but was hoping to not have to worry about carrying fuel [ petrol/ methonol ] with the eg 20 running on gas, but i may have to go for one if I dont find a better solution.
Clive Posted October 19, 2008 Posted October 19, 2008 I can confirm Den,s experience. We have had one for a year now and have only used 3/4 of a 5 litre can in all that time. We also have an 80 watt solar panel which keeps up with our demands during the summer, the EFOY comes into play Autumn and winter. Its one of those things that we have "just in case we need it" but it does mean we now use 12 volt electrics without thinking about the consequences. No worries. Re Voller Emerald. I understand that the CEO Mr Stephen Voller resigned a couple of months back and that the firm are looking for a purchaser. It is said to be currently under the leadership of the chief technology officer Dr Robin Francis. C.
hymer1942 Posted October 20, 2008 Author Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks for that Clive, so if you were going away for say 3 months "winter" how much fuel would you think would be required. Barrie.
Clive Posted October 20, 2008 Posted October 20, 2008 Dunno Barrie, It very much depends on your camper, your lifestyle and how much you do with hookup. If you can tell me the size of your leisure battery and how many days you can last on one charge then I can give you a good approximation. However download this document below from my web site and have a read, lots of data in there that should enable you to answer your own question. C. http://www.motts.dsl.pipex.com/FUEL%20CELL%20COMPILATION.pdf
hymer1942 Posted October 21, 2008 Author Posted October 21, 2008 No you are not missing anything, that is why I am trying to find someone who has got a eg 20, compact they are, and space is my problem. With the 650 S Class hymer there is no space underneath, both sides are filled with beeny boxes, heatersx3, gas locker etc. hope this explains my problem.
hymer1942 Posted October 21, 2008 Author Posted October 21, 2008 Another thought, how many amps in a typicle English dull day could I expxct to get from a 130 solar panel. Say 7 hours of daylight, anyone know?????
Clive Posted October 21, 2008 Posted October 21, 2008 On a good day with it mounted flat on the roof maybe 30 ampere hours?
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