Steve Harper Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I have a Frankia 820 A class campervan with Truma Saphir comfort air conditioning. I wish to power this with a portable generator like the Honda EU20i. The A/C has a power consumption of 4.2A at 230V, but has a start up of 20A for 150ms. Does anyone know if the generator will be capable of running the aircon. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I'm not saying, in case you come and use it next to me! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Brian Kirby - 2010-02-28 3:43 PM I'm not saying, in case you come and use it next to me! :-D I wondered who would break silence first Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Tracker - 2010-02-28 3:49 PM Brian Kirby - 2010-02-28 3:43 PM I'm not saying, in case you come and use it next to me! :-D I wondered who would break silence first Brian! That would be the one running the genny :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 If you look at: http://ww1.honda.co.uk/power/generators/detail.html?code=EU20i this site gives the specification of the Honda EU20i I suggest that you ask Honda themselves, or possibly the company that you intend to buy the generator from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 funny I thought that when someone posted a question and required advice on a piece of equipment he would have recived just that, not the for and against brigade. Whilst everyone is entitled to their views I feel that some forums are degenerating into sounding boards rather than dealing with questions posed. If I wanted to know what people thought of using a piece of equipment I would ask for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Steve may be new to motorhoming who knows! He may not be aware that generator use is controversial? Steve, welcome!:-D Most of us dislike generators with a passion. Inconsiderate use disturbs others, and the piece of the countryside. There are low noise models available and you can even get some fitted under the van. they can also be fed from a gas tank or auxiliary petrol tank which is a lot more convenient. I have WAECO roof air that runs on 6 amp electricity, it is soft start and that is the problem...the initial current draw of a device. I would ask Truma they must be asked this regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 weldted - 2010-03-01 8:13 AM funny I thought that when someone posted a question and required advice on a piece of equipment he would have recived just that, not the for and against brigade. Whilst everyone is entitled to their views I feel that some forums are degenerating into sounding boards rather than dealing with questions posed. If I wanted to know what people thought of using a piece of equipment I would ask for it. Good to know that you have provided such sound advice then Ted isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsyTom Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Tracker - 2010-03-01 11:15 AMweldted - 2010-03-01 8:13 AMfunny I thought that when someone posted a question and required advice on a piece of equipment he would have recived just that, not the for and against brigade. Whilst everyone is entitled to their views I feel that some forums are degenerating into sounding boards rather than dealing with questions posed. If I wanted to know what people thought of using a piece of equipment I would ask for it.Good to know that you have provided such sound advice then Ted isn't it! Come on! That's incredibly unfair. Ted may not be able to offer technical advice and nor can I but it shouldn't stop him from giving his opinion about the fact that no one has yet offered to help Steve Harper and that most posts are simply having a dig at him for wanting to use a generator. I agree with Ted, it's a shame when someone comes with a genuine enquiry, receives no help and has his motives questioned. For all we know Steve Harper will be using his generator responsibly and it would be kind to give him the benefit of the doubt. You may not like generators but please remember the old adage that there are no right or wrong ways - just different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Fair enough - but we all just have to remember that there are different levels of humour too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 GypsyTom - 2010-03-01 12:00 PM Come on! That's incredibly unfair. Ted may not be able to offer technical advice and nor can I but it shouldn't stop him from giving his opinion about the fact that no one has yet offered to help Steve Harper and that most posts are simply having a dig at him for wanting to use a generator. But Michael (spospe) had already given the only logical answer on Sunday (28 Feb): ask Honda. No one on here can be guaranteed to be able to definitively, and safely, answer technical questions about matching two items from different manufacturers.All anyone could do is express opinions that may, or may not, prove correct. Steve's question implies he doesn't have the knowledge, so the safest option is surely to consult the oracle, not to rely on opinions from an anonymous stranger of unknown knowledge, or ability, on an internet forum.The opinions regarding use of generators are justified, because even the "quiet" ones make noise and smell. If one can hear it, it is an irritant, however quiet its owner may think it.Using one to run air-con implies long periods of use, it implies warm weather - when others like their windows open, and it implies use away from campsites - because the simpler option on sites is a mains hook up. In other words, use on aires etc, which is just where many go to escape the hurly-burly of sites, and most aires aren't large enough to distance the generator out of earshot."Responsible" would imply using one where it is so remote from others, whether they be in motorhomes, tents, caravans, houses, on footpaths, or in their gardens, that they cannot hear it - at all. Few motorhomers can reach such remote spots. Otherwise, they are, to me, an irritating nuisance, and I can see no point in facilitating their use! For this opinion, I offer no apology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 point proven!! Now for the info as requested. Based on my experience with my own Generator. I fitted a Telair 2500w lpg powered on-board unit fitting it where the two 13kg bottles lived having fitted a gas tank. I first fitted it to my previous motor home in Nov 2006 and transfered it to my present one in March 2008. It was fitted for the following reasons, we wild camp a lot mostly between mid Sept until early March, even with two spr 90w solar panels on tilt brackets to make the most of the sun being low in the sky at these times batteries will run low, short daylight hours less input more output for the batteries tv etc. AC unit as we have a dog with heart problems so we can run the ac when req. Pratical side, although the unit is fitted in a locker and has an extra silencer, the unit is lined with soundproofing as is the locker itself and is very quiet it still makes a noise. if running for just the batteries etc we run it either when everyone is up and about say between 0900/1100 or when the sun has first gone down say 1700/1900 we do not run it all of these times, try to park the van with the side the generator is in away from other vans, and if we need the air con we usually move away from other units. In the three + years we have had the genny we have only had one complaint at 10 am from a gentelman who came back to me after two days of rain and asked if I could charge his batteries so he could start his van. Downside cost (fitted it myself) £2200 actual hours run since new 187, uses around half a litre an hour lpg, weighs 60 kgs. The smaller the generator you have the harder it will have to work so may make more noise, this unit will run the truma unit fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I will say again for the record if I have a 2.5 kw generator and it runs my Truma saphir unit perfectly well how can it be according to others that no one on this site will be able to answer the question posed in the fact that the question was what generator will run this particular unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Not quite....The question was if a 1000 watt Honda EU20i could run the a/c :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 weldted - 2010-03-01 1:38 PM I will say again for the record if I have a 2.5 kw generator and it runs my Truma saphir unit perfectly well how can it be according to others that no one on this site will be able to answer the question posed in the fact that the question was what generator will run this particular unit. Because, Ted, the actual question was "I have a ....Truma Saphir comfort air conditioning. I wish to power this with a portable generator like the Honda EU20i. The A/C has a power consumption of 4.2A at 230V, but has a start up of 20A for 150ms." You have answered for a "Telair 2500w lpg powered on-board unit", not the above Honda. You may be right, but you just may be comparing apples with pears. That is precisely what I meant by my comment. Does your Telair unit share the same characteristics, and control logic as the Honda? If not, and with all due respect, far better to pass the query to Honda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Raindrop Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Welted, please dont take life so seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Sorry Judge but isn't th 2.0i a 2000 watt genny. OOps that will be me for the scaffold then. Think you'll find most good gennys. have a surge allowance. Take the best advce an ask Honda. John. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 teflon2 - 2010-03-01 8:29 PM Sorry Judge but isn't th 2.0i a 2000 watt genny. OOps that will be me for the scaffold then. Think you'll find most good gennys. have a surge allowance. Take the best advce an ask Honda. John. :-S Sir! I find your insolence astonishing!:-D But the truth is somewhere in the middle...1600 watts? http://www.justhonda.co.uk/pages/HondaEU20i.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Do those who run generators ever think how they affect other campers? It might be nice for a generator to power hairdryers and other such devices but they are a huge inconvenience for others. The families that use generators might have the ability to turn up their TVs to drown out the noise and shut their windows because they have air conditioning. But its the rest of us who have to put up with the consequences of their selfish actions. Late one night I did ask someone politely to turn off his generator and was told in no uncertain terms that he bought it and will use it and if I didn't like it I should b****r off. Generator users might wave two fingers at those of us who like to get away for a bit of peace and quiet but I hope at least that they have the good manners to use these things when they are alone in remote locations. If they must have all the elecrical devices known to man then why can't they use additional battery capacity and solar panels? Is it not possible to manage without air con and hairdryers for a few days? RV owners seem to be the biggest culprits. Whenever I see one camped I make sure I keep well away because as soon as it gets dark and you want to relax on goes the generator. The cheap 2 stroke generators are the worst as they are noisy and stink. This is all a bit tongue in cheek but I feel better for saying it. :-( My tin hat is on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Motorhomes use power. Generators produce power. Ergo, the two are complimentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Raindrop Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Generators are obviously here to stay. Site owners should have a generators only area, like some US sites do. Right down the bottom of the field out of sight and range. It would sort out totally all those for and against. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Yet another example of people who cannot resist crossing the I's and Dotting the T's. The question was like a Honda 20i, when I asked Honda they told me that the 20i, although a nice piece of kit may struggle to start the Saphir, but it is not for me to tell Steve that it may not run his unit. Should Honda inform him that is the case, he will at least have the information that someone can run a Truma Saphir using a Telair 2500g and given the size of his motorhome he can weigh up wether the £2200 cost of the unit, plus fitting, the 60kg weight against his payload and in three years the actual running of the genny is worth it, given in this case the van is mainly used abroad during the cooler months, and the user of this genny is considerate of how its use may effect others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Another alternative is to do like we've done and connect the air con to an inverter, via a normal 3 pin plug, connect the inverter to the vehicle battery and when you need it just start your vans' engine and with it running on tick over it provides enough power to keep the air con unit working and the noise levels down. We have used it in Spain in July when wildcamping and had no problems. We have the windows open during the day, then as the sun goes in shut them, plug in the air con and run the vans' engine on tickover for about 10 minutes to cool the inside of the van down, another 10 mins just before we go to bed and it's great. We've even done this on an aire in S. France and had envious looks from those wanting to use their aircon from a genny, but can't because, of course, they aren't allowed on aires in France. If we are on a site we just swap the aircon unit plug from the inverter to the 240V plug in the van and we can leave it on all day then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 As I do not wish to break any rules and as of yet have not used my genny on French aires due to when they are busy and vans are close together it would be unfair to create a problem, but in the winter this may be different. Could you tell me where you obtained this information and are there any other rules regarding French aires that I should be aware of. It would be nice for once if the answer to this question could be posted without the for and against T crossing I dotting brigade having there tuppence worth? This is a question from a Motorhomer who has a generator, is careful to use it with due regard for other people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 The Dometic 2.4 Kw TEC29 built in unit uses a Honda generator inside and will run the Truma Aircon. It does in our van and was the reason the original owner had it fitted. Personally I cannot stand the noise of the Aircon let alone the generator for any length of time. The genny gets used for a few minutes only when the wife needs to use the Microwave. I go round and apologise to any neighbours first. Hope you get the picture! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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