Electrical Generator recomendations

[Dino]

Hi,
I just bought a 2004 expanda and want to buy a generator to take it down the river camping. It has a microwave, refridgerative aircon, small fridge, tv and I will need to charge phones too. What does everyone recommend for a reliable not too expensive generator? I have no experience with them.
Andrew

 

[Drover]

If your off grid camping then most rely on solar to charge batteries for 12v TV, lights, charging phones, things like microwaves and AC can be run via a 12v invertor but that requires a decent upgrade and a big bag of dollars.....

Lots carry Gennies as a backup to charge batteries after days of no sun, an Invertor genny is a must so you don't fry circuit boards and at least 2 kva, I carry a Honda EU2 while it will run my AC its never used for that, washing machine at times or to provide power for a multi stage battery charger, some AC's though (even same model) will need a bigger genny.................... If you used a genny as your main source of power in camp you would not be popular at all...... Fridge runs on gas, stove on gas, TV on 12v, phones can charge via a USB hub from van batteries.....

But having said all that, Honda and Yamaha make good reliable units in the 2 - 2.5 kva range, price is up there but the chance of frying your circuit boards is minimal compared to some very cheap jobs around....

 

[jazzeddie1234]

I had a $200 1kw gentrax or something for a few years and it was great for charging batteries and small. I have a honda 2.2kw now. I swore I would never use it to run the aircon - then we had a few 40' days...

A few things I learnt: A 2+kw is much more flexible than 1kw but it's bigger and heavier. Noise is everything so get as quiet as you can afford. Make it easy to get to (mine is on a slide out) because moving/lifting gets to be a pain real quick. The first mod I would ever do to a gen is a remote off switch - getting it out, starting, running the lead is all part of the set-up but I hate having to 'I just need to pop out to stop the gen and let it cool down before eating...'

In my opinion there are several hot competitors for quiet but not expensive like a honda. Some even use a honda engine. But they do need to be compared side by side as noise level can be difficult to judge.

 

[Dino]

Thanks for the help. I think I might invest in a solar panel and a better battery first and wait until next summer before I get a generator.

 

[Drover]

Do a lot of research on a van set up, you don't need to go super expensive, wander around the threads on here they have some good advice but you may have to trawl thru an overload of detail ........... Set ups can become overly complicated and expensive but need not be and remember the salseman is after a sale, your $$$.

If just for the weekend or so camp away from the rat race , replacing the van battery with a120a AGM and having a 150w minimum portable solar panel should cover the weekend enough so you won't be wasting time on making things work... An anderson plug fitted outside for the panel to plug into and a direct cable to battery is all that needed, even using the often junky regulator they come with will suffice until you get up to speed with what you really need for your style of camping............. you won't have a microwave or coffee machine though.
Far better to work out what you need in the way of camping gear once you have a few outings otherwise you can waste a heck of a lot of money on stuff you will later leave at home, all because what someone says is a must need, really isn't in your situation.

Here's some light reading on solar stuff ...................

A Guide to Using 12Volt Solar Panels and Regulators in Australia

Solar Panels are subject to higher temperatures in Australia than Europe & North America. So how does this affect the operation of our Panels & Regulators?

12voltblog.com.au

Solar Myths for Caravans and Motorhomes - GoRV

Solar for caravans and motorhomes is surrounded by mythology. Let's bust some solar myths.

www.gorv.com.au