Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Merry Christmas When wild camping in Scotland next year we would like to have a bit more DC to extend the "wild" bits of the trip. A 2kw Honda Generator seems to be about £900 but is foolproof (?) I guess, i had heard about self-generating batteries but know very little about them. Can anyone point me in the right direction and has anyone got one or a Honda generator instead?? Many thanks for all replies (these ideas might be better than solar panels I think) Unhooked Ned :-D B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njw Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I use a honda 2kw generator but mine runs off gas ,i use mine to run lap top, games consoles ,charging etc,had it about 2 years now comes in really handy when wild camping,and running only on gas do not have to carry extra fuel about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Ah, see what you mean. I haven't seen one that runs off gas, only petrol and like the idea of only needing one fuel type. Do you have a model number for it? Many thanks Ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Sorry Neil Found it , it is the same E20i and has a gas conversion. Seems to be about £920 plus VAT - wow! Wonder if anyone will come back on the fancy fuel cell option? and what the costs are there? Broke Ned :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Clive knows more about it, try a search. http://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/product_list.aspx?prod=Efoy+Fuel+Cells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hi Ned We have a demoted Honda 10i but now use the Efoy 1600. Silence at last, Leave it on auto and forget. Just enjoy the peaceful surroundings and not the geny. Economy wise I'm still on our first container (10ltr) Having been to France couple of weeks ago and the central heating running constant,along with other trips, I'm impressed in fact extremely impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Thanks Colin and Den, yes that's the clever battery thing. My goodness, pretty impressive but not cheap. Good report on their performance though, thanks for that, maybe have to save pennies now. Best Yuletide Ned (lol) (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Ned should want to hear or not as the case may be, we should be at the Shepton show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Ned , We bought ours at the show and we are not sorry a Honda EU2i 2kw. We paid £900 they are about £850 on the web . again just to say if this is what you are thinking of we have had no problems runs really quietly . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Thanks Michele Yes about half the price of an EFOY cell, I suppose it's a case of you takes your money and takes your choice. Wonder what Cornish Fred does, he probably has some agricultural answer involving Aunite Gladys or half a pint of clotted...... (lol) Electric Ned :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hi, I have been reading the past threads that have covered the EFOY and from all of the reports its appears that most people who have used them have hardly used any of the fuel that they purchased, While i am sure these items are efficient it does however raise a question as to the necessity, as from some of the reports on how little fuel has been consumed it may indicate that there has hardly been any use for item. The reason i raise this question is that I purchased a generator 3 years ago and i have only used it once, all we do if we are staying for more than a day or so is run the main engine for a while as that charges the batteries quiet adequately and again we haven't had to do that very often either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 The Honda genys are quiet i agree unless your parked next to one like at the shows with loads running from early till late and then there not quiet. We tend to move to a quieter spot. Ive also noticed on the French Aires they are not so welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Clive has been testing an Efoy fuel cell for a while now, he also knows a fair bit about solar panels as well so hopefully he will 'pop' up at some point, if not why not PM him. The one you need is 'Clive', not 'CliveH' by the way. If you are travelling around each day though, and your power consumption isn't massive, you should find that you are absolutely fine on your normal battery anyway - the other option is to fit a second leisure battery so that you have double your initial power anyway. Much cheaper solution and you don't then have to carry a heavy generator around and mess about setting it up, fueling it etc. The solar panel and leisure battey would provide totally 'free' power, whereas with the genny you'd have to power it is some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hi there, It is without doubt that you will get more electrical power for your pound with a engine driven generator than anything else. A 2 KW generator will provide enough power to run a microwave oven or a camping kettle no problem. It will also charge your batteries (using the vans built in charger) if you run it long enough. I had a engine driven generator. Honda make the quietest stand alone generators although there is a small Italian built in job that will charge batteries and is claimed to be slightly quieter. But its still noise although the decibels are down a little. But it also depends on your desire for tranquility for yourself and also your neighbors. We used our generator once , just to show off so that people around knew we had a generator. But half an hour was enough for me as its gentle but persistent purr drove me up the wall. I sold the generator and bought an 80 watt solar panel. This would always be my first choice, as much solar "real estate" as I could muster on the top of the van. Its totally quiet and once the pain of the initial outlay has been got over totally free. But its for CHARGING BATTERIES. We found that during the summer months that our 80 watt panel could maintain our batteries in a charged state. We do not have a diesel or use blown air heating so our electrical loads are mainly lighting, TV and running the laptop via a small inverter. The other quite expensive alternative or supplement if you wish to the solar panel is the FUEL CELL from EFOY. This is a small briefcase sized unit which is significantly lighter than a generator which consumes Methanol and charges your batteries. Its a chemical system and the only noise is that similar to a fish tank pump because its probably a fish tank pump that circulates the various fluids around the unit in order to make it work. It cannot be heard outside the vehicle and only my Mrs can hear it while laying in bed. The exhaust is carbon dioxide and water vapor out of a small quarter inch bore plastic pipe. The unit I have on trial has been with me for nearly a year and its been faultless. It charges at just over 5 amperes. To put this in perspective it will fully charge a fully flat 110 ampere hour battery every day. I believe my years report should be in the Feb MMM, but no promises. The down side is its cost. With the falling value of the pound this 5.4 amps will cost you near three thousand pounds. Initially when offered one for trial I said "NO thank" as the solar panel was adequate for us, however the winterish months and lack of sunshine have made me appreciate the sure supply of the EFOY. So if you want the ultimate and also tranquility its 1 A BIG battery bank 2 A BIG solar array 3 The EFOY 1600 4 A chunky inverter big enough to power your microwave. This is the planned arrangement for our next van. Hope that helps A compilation of previously published articles on EFOY can be downloaded here http://www.motts.dsl.pipex.com/FUEL%20CELL%20COMPILATION.pdf Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Well i fully agree with Clive. We have 200amps of batts, 1000w inverter, 100w solar panel and the Efoy1600. The panel did very little this year and using the MH year round more than a panel is req of site. We now do not need to skimp on tv. lights, heating, sky +internet. All take power by the bucket load but next morning we have fully charged batteries. All this and no disturbance to our fellow campers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 i can go away for a couple of months in winter and not use hook up or sites. 500Ah of batteries, 150W solar, Sterling battery to battery charger & 1Kw Honda generator. the generator is only used to run washing machine & spin dryer on laundry days. i take a 5 litre can of petrol and still have some left after 2 months. don't forget that solar panels need light not sunshine. so if you stay anywhere with street/site lighting the solar panels are charging your batteries at night as well. i could probably do the laundry off the batteries but having the generator i like to run it every couple of weeks. when not away i run the lawn strimmer off the generator at home just to give it a run. being a technical numpty i have to believe those who tell me engines don't like being unused for long spells. i don't often stay more than 2 nights in one place but sometimes i only move a mile or two before finding another wildcamping spot. i use a lot of power & haven't run out yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Well thank you all for this input, it seems there is variety of options and an escalating level of cost too. Not upsetting neighbours is very important, but less of an issue when in the wild. All of the options (except a gas powered Honda Gen) will need someone to fit it for me and it seems that whenever a dealership is involved you are paying for heartache and a headache. So it would appeal to be able to DIY a solution. I've never had such poor experiences like those relating to Motorhomes and I could write a book in just the last four months since we started with this hobby. Thanks all for your welcome ideas and time Chuffed Ned :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 ned, it depends how often you move, your engine alternator is also a gener ator, we have 2 110 amp batts, plus a inverter,we usually drive every 2/3 days and have never had a problem alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Ned Swift - 2008-12-28 1:40 PM Thanks Michele Yes about half the price of an EFOY cell, I suppose it's a case of you takes your money and takes your choice. Wonder what Cornish Fred does, he probably has some agricultural answer involving Aunite Gladys or half a pint of clotted...... (lol) Electric Ned :-> Rhoddas dear :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smifee Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 hi ned i know what you mean about shoddy workmanship from dealers. experience has taught me to find an expert for whatever i need doing. i don't care how far i have to travel because those i choose nearly always get it right first time. i travel to yorkshire to autogas 2000 at thirsk for refillable gas bottles, to Vanbitz at Taunton for anything involving electrikery, to Avonbridge at Fordingbridge for bodywork & habitation service ( i think yearly is too often and have it done every 3 years ) luckily there's a local garage Auto Assistance, Chandler's Ford for servicing & Botley Commercials for MOT. i park my van on our drive and it's alongside a street lamp. the solar panels charge my batteries so well at anytime of the year that even when i have hookup at home in the winter, for a fan heater, i turn the mains charger off. my experts always give me the options that i have & make their recommendations. i don't always go along with them though. when having my current van fitted with it's goodies Eddie at Vanbitz recommended a fuel cell for battery charging. i chose not to have it because of the fuel not being readily available. i note that he now doesn't recommend them. i use a lot of power particularly at weekends in the football season. i can watch 10 hours of football on TV some weekends. Sky+, computer, bread maker, toaster, vacuum cleaner, expresso coffee machine and i don't stint on the heating. it gets cold in those southern hills in Italy & Portugal in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 smifee said ...... "don't forget that solar panels need light not sunshine. so if you stay anywhere with street/site lighting the solar panels are charging your batteries at night as well" Whilst this is true, the amperage obtained will be minute and frankly not worth considering for serious charging. I have never seen as much as 100m/a. Much depends on the type of lighting used and the usual sodium (yellow) street lights are more or less useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 The most cost effective source of 12v power is simply add another battery or two or replace older lower power (maybe 60 or 85 ah) ones with new high power (110 or more ah). But it all depends how long you want to stay without running the engine or moving on. We find that 2 x 110 ah batteries will last a long weekend OK (Fri to Mon) but it does depend on your usage as things like diesel heating, compressor fridges, large TV on for long periods, lots of lights on for long periods will all sap the available power. If extra batteries do not solve the power hunger than think about the next move and I would favour solar panels as a good fit and forget option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooty10 Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 For me it is solar all the way. However quiet generators are said to be they always make some noise. I even think that the shows we attend should have a seperate area for people using generators so they can drive each other crazy and polute their own space. I know I am a grumpy sod and my mates laugh at my thoughts on this subject but I am sure I am not alone. Sooty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I think you need to consider amongst everything else the time of year you generally camp and where. If its in the winter say southern europe then a solar panel alone may not solve the problem. Clive as usual is dead right, get the biggest battery stack you can fit in and if you don't think you will get enough sunshine get a generator rather than a solar panel. I'm looking at fitting a third leisure battery. I know wild campers who have two decent batteries, an 80w panel and a generator and boy are they relaxed. There is no doubt that having a generator running annoys some people but it generally doesn't bother me. I doubt that fuel cells are cost effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Cost Effective ! Ha Ha Ha What is "Cost Effective" about owning a motorhome? Its easy, If you want a generator, a solar panel or an Efoy just use the same justification you used to purchase the motorhome in the first place. Roll on end of March when hopefully we will get the new toy and then be totally skint! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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