Generator for campervan advice please

[Nice65]

We’re going to be between homes for about 3 months and looking to spend a fair bit of it in the camper. The van is a converted LWB ex-freight Fiat Ducato.

I don’t see being permanently parked on a proper site being a decent option due to the high season prices, so looking to keep our leisure battery topped up with a small and quiet generator. We can heat water using the gas bottle instead of using the electric immersion but it would be handy to have enough power generated to heat it if possible. Electrical needs are the tiny fridge, water pump, LED lighting, charging ports. There’s a 200w solar panel on the roof that is pretty inadequate but does supply a bit of power given time in the sun.

Anyone recommend anything, preferably inexpensive?

 

[Broch]

What wattage is the immersion heater?

 

[Van-Wild]

I think with portable generators the words 'inexpensive' and 'portable' together are nigh on impossible to find.......

Not sure if this fits your bill? I've never tried it myself but maybe it could help you?

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If you only need it as back up for hot water for a shower, a solar bag could be an option? I have one in my van and use it for washing down feet after being in the beach and I've also used it for a proper shower on a sunny day. It's a good back up. I chuck it out in the sun and a few hours later it's good to go.

My main shower in the van is this:

Hozelock 4140 4-in-1 Multi Use Portashower

Purchase the Hozelock 4140 4-in-1 Multi Use Portashower online and enjoy UK Nationwide delivery & amazing prices!

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2ltr of cold and 1ltr of hot (heated on the gas stove) and its perfect.....

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

 

[Broch]

The 800w Impax from Screwfix is exactly the generator I bought to run power tools away from mains and, if necessary, recharge my Makita chainsaw batteries. It works fine but, although quite quiet, it's not silent. If I'm running it for any period of time I tend to use a long extension lead.

Clearly, at 800w, it won't power a kettle (over 1kw; ours says 2.5 - 3kw!) or a normal immersion heater coil. Also, as an inverter generator, it won't run large motors even within the wattage rating. On the plus side, it claims to be OK to use with sensitive electronics and I've certainly had no problems with it.

 

[Nice65]

What wattage is the immersion heater?

Not sure, I’ll have a look. It’s pretty small, think it heats 10l with gas or electric.

Ah, Truma Rapide. 850-1300w. To be honest, electrically heated water isn’t huge on the list because the boiler is highly gas efficient. Fridge and lighting is, partly because the Sargent unit cuts power if the leisure battery gets much below 10.5v.

Truma Ultrastore BGE 10 Gas & Electric Caravan 10 Litre Water Heater Kit

The New Truma Ultrastore Gas & Electric Caravan Water Heater is sent on a Next Working Day delivery.

www.jacksonsleisure.com

 

[Robbi]

Honda EU22i 2200W Portable Suitcase Silent Inverter Petrol Generator

Get a great deal on the Honda EU22i generator here at Kelvin Power Tools! Oil & inspection included. FREE next working day delivery! Authorised dealer.

www.bing.com

These seem very good and has the Honda reliability

Or even...

Silent Inverter Generator Wolf 1200w Petrol 4 Stroke Portable Camping Power 5060367475250 | eBay

Wolf 11000N Petrol Powered Compactor with Wheels & Paving Pad. Wolf 52cc Petrol Earth Auger with 2 Extensions. This Wolf Inverter Generators are also complete with an automatic power overload cut off to protect the machine in the event of an overload.

www.bing.com

 

[Nice65]

Cheers mate, I’d love a Honda, and know it would probably be the most reliable thing ever, but they’re priced well out of my range.

Keeping under about £500 tops, the Wolf looks ok. I’ve no idea about generators really, I’m thinking pure sine wave is good, like regulation on a torch so no flickering or dimming but as the usage is going to be charging a leisure battery that then runs the rest of the electrics (bar the water heater) I’m not sure if pure sine wave is very important.

 

[grizzlyj]

Is it a compressor fridge running on 12v? Your solar hasn't been doing much recently over winter you mean? It should be as the days get longer and the sun gets higher though?
We had just over 200W of solar on the roof which provided a fairly large proportion of the leccy with diesel heating, compressor fridge and bits as you describe in the UK out of winter. I would think with 600W total and a second leisure battery to carry the solar output over less sunny days and to not discharge too much overnight that would work. Not to use it without paying attention to the battery levels though.
I have a 1KW Honda which is quiet on its lower setting, but when providing 1KW it gets noisier. You could get a cheap but bigger and even noisier genny to charge more quickly so it would be noisy but for less time?
Or is the van going to be driven? How does it charge the leisure battery? Have you got a B2B device?
Or buy another 100W panel with a lithium battery which should suck up whatever you give it at a much faster rate than lead acid will allow.

 

[Big Si]

Have a good look here.

PetePower Honda generator repairs

Honda generator repairs, service, parts, advice and lpg conversions 07856775398

petepowerblog.wordpress.com

Si

 

[Nice65]

Is it a compressor fridge running on 12v? Your solar hasn't been doing much recently over winter you mean? It should be as the days get longer and the sun gets higher though?
We had just over 200W of solar on the roof which provided a fairly large proportion of the leccy with diesel heating, compressor fridge and bits as you describe in the UK out of winter. I would think with 600W total and a second leisure battery to carry the solar output over less sunny days and to not discharge too much overnight that would work. Not to use it without paying attention to the battery levels though.
I have a 1KW Honda which is quiet on its lower setting, but when providing 1KW it gets noisier. You could get a cheap but bigger and even noisier genny to charge more quickly so it would be noisy but for less time?
Or is the van going to be driven? How does it charge the leisure battery? Have you got a B2B device?
Or buy another 100W panel with a lithium battery which should suck up whatever you give it at a much faster rate than lead acid will allow.

The van does charge the leisure on a split relay when driven and the engine starter battery is fully charged. I think.

Reason I’m not 100% sure it’s all working properly is we depleted the leisure over a couple of nights of running the diesel heater and other things and when we drove Devon to Somerset, it hadn’t picked up charge.

As it turned out, the starter battery was pretty knackered so possibly was unable to take a full charge and the split relay take over the leisure charging. I’m not sure though, but I’ve replaced the starter battery. Having the solar panel muddies the waters a bit because I can‘t isolate it so it’s always adding a bit of charge.

What I think I’m going to do is just buy something to plug into the van hookup that’s fairly cheap and quiet, and use the gas to warm water.

 

[grizzlyj]

Fully emptying the leisure battery will knacker it, so buying a genny to charge it may be the wrong place to start? Fully recharging a big lead acid takes hours, do you really want noise half the day every day?
200W solar is more than many VW sized van pro converters will fit, combined with a diesel heater and only one leisure battery they struggle without daily driving or hook up. You having 200W and adding a second leisure battery heading into summer should be a not bad set up.
A B2B will charge a second battery much more quickly than a split relay set up I believe? A newish (Euro 6?) van may need careful set up with specific types of B2B, older, one starter battery, not so much.
It may be all that you need though if you're driving, assuming batteries in good working order to start with.
For instance

Sterling BB1230 - B2B Charger 30 Amp - Full Installation Kit - SplitCharge.co.uk

Suitable for all vehicles including all new Mercedes Sprinter with BlueEFFICIENCY, Transit Custom’s & VW T5/T6 Bluemotion The B2Bs have become extremely popular as they fast charge batteries as you cruise along without the need for complex wiring, touching your alternator, voiding the...

www.splitcharge.co.uk

 

[Nice65]

Thing is, I’m not converting the van, that’s all done, I’m looking for a relatively quiet petrol generator to keep us topped up as if we we’re on hook up. The van is fine for touring and being driven about, not so fine for static use for 3 months. I’m just looking at a cheapish stop gap solution that I can get sorted in the next 3 weeks before we have to move our 10 years of accumulated stuff. It’s not that I wouldn’t like the van to be more eco efficient, it’s more I don’t have the time to research and fiddle with it.

When I say depleted the leisure battery, I mean run it to just over 10v. The Sargent unit prevents further discharge to prevent damage. We’d just use the generator for a few hours in the evenings while we’re using lights and tv. Without a bit of mucking about, there’s zero space for a second leisure batt.

I’m not 100% sure about the panel wattage, it’s not very big, and I think the guy who sold us the van said 200w. I only notice a rise in battery voltage if the sun’s out. But that’s neither here nor there, I know for a fact that not getting electrical hook-up after 2 or 3 days causes the lights, heater, fridge and water pump to stop working, that’s all I need sorted for now.

 

[Broch]

The Impax 800w unit at £190 will do all that just fine.

 

[Nice65]

@Broch There seem to be a few, maybe generic rebrands, in the same casing. I’ve seen a blue and a black too (Nassboard on Amazon). Reviews and spec seem to vary a bit, but I have to say, I like the price for our needs.

Hampshire Generators (great reputation, and lots of time for customers) isn’t too far from here, I’m going to trundle over in the van, start a few up. This may well involve me spending a bit more than intended, but a decent generator can’t be a bad thing to own.

Generators for Sale & Hire | Hampshire Generators

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Thank you, all, for your help with this. We do use the van for hols and a week or so away, but actually using it to live in with a couple of dogs is a different thing altogether. We need to stay local for work, and be able to keep clean and comfortable without the happy ‘roughing it’ of our usual adventures.

 

[Nice65]

Have a good look here.

PetePower Honda generator repairs

Honda generator repairs, service, parts, advice and lpg conversions 07856775398

petepowerblog.wordpress.com

Si

The Fred Dibnah of modern times! What a fantastic bloke, I’ve saved his blog to my bookmarks. Who else sets up a microphone and starts up loads of different generators just so we can gauge the sound?

We need people like him, and the couple at The Base Camp who are totally dedicated to their interest.

 

[Broch]

@Broch There seem to be a few, maybe generic rebrands, in the same casing. I’ve seen a blue and a black too (Nassboard on Amazon). Reviews and spec seem to vary a bit, but I have to say, I like the price for our needs.

Yeh, that seems to be a thing with the whole generator market. The B&D 5.5kw diesel generator I bought a couple of months back is made by Hyundai but from them it's more expensive than the B&D badged one!

 

[Nice65]

Yeh, that seems to be a thing with the whole generator market. The B&D 5.5kw diesel generator I bought a couple of months back is made by Hyundai but from them it's more expensive than the B&D badged one!

Same with knives and torches. There might be subtle changes, some affecting the quality to help with price reduction, but I guess once all the machining and production is set up for manufacture it’s an open market.

Had I the cash and requirement for a lifetime use generator I’d probably buy a refurb Honda from PetePower. As it is I think I’m already looking at going (typical!) over budget on either this, but still very open minded to cheaper and less powerful options like the Wolf Power and Impax.

Excel Power XL2000i Petrol Generator | Hampshire Generators

Excel Power XL2000i 1.8KW Petrol Inverter Generator perfect for leisure activities like camping or light professional work and small power tools

www.hampshiregenerators.co.uk

Or this, 5kg lighter and a bit quieter than the Excel.

Champion is a proven US brand, Excel is Hampshire Generators own UK built brand. Very few returns on both over a ten year period, 6 from Excel due to dodgy spark plugs but apparently they’re all still out there doing the power thing.

Champion 92001I Petrol Generator | The Mighty Atom

Champion 92001I 2200W The Mighty Atom Petrol Inverter Generator - The worlds lighest 2.2KW inverter generator Euro V Emission Standard engine

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They’re less than an hour away, might as well go and get my, ahem, wallet squeezed by a decent company.

 

[Nice65]

After much more reading and absorbing info, I paid out £380 for a secondhand Honda EU10i in truly lovely as new condition from a couple of ex-caravanners. Had to spend the entire afternoon driving up to N. London/Herts and back but home with a decent prize. I‘m very pleased with it, and the potential resale value should I move it on.

 

[Robbi]

Good catch

 

[Nice65]

Good catch

Cheers mate, I’m smitten and really happy with the security of the extra power source, even if I only use it for a few months. The bloke that sold it had taken the trouble to print out the manual, had the supplied tools, and the box he’d bound in Duck tape to protect it.

And he misses his dogs and asked me to send pics of our two. Kind of nice, genuine meeting and exchange, no BS.