Generators

[wponder]

I just got the Champion 3500 and we have used it for about a month. It's great so far. I thought I really wanted propane but it's more of a convenience... sort of than anything. In less than a month I switched to running it on gas. We get more power from it that way and its just easier to deal with. It will run the AC on Gas but not propane. Got it vs. 2 Honda's based on cost, watts, dual fuel and weight. I love it but hope to not need it once we figure our solar plan out.

[Fred L]

After several months and a lot of reviews, reading and others experiences, I just bought the Honda 2000i, probably due to the price of $899 and free shipping which is the lowest price I have seen yet.
I looked at the Honda 2800 industrial to be certain and while it is an inverter type, noise level at full load was 69db and at 1/4 load 61db. Quite loud compared to all the other inverters I looked at.
Was very close to buying the Yamaha 2400, but it was $350 more than the Honda. One feature the Honda 2000 has that I liked was the ability to add a remote extended run tank (although not supported by Honda itself) but with only positive reviews from those who have made the conversion.
By just adding a 3 gal gas can/tank, I can get approx. 32 hours continuous run-time on 1/4 load. Main use will be fall camping, where the propane will be dedicated to the furnace, stove and hot water. But with a soft start, should be able to run my 13,500btu A/C in the summer. I get that I will be limited to only a few things at at time, but it is camping after all

[bbandeddie]

I'm going to throw this out there. I've been wondering about this a lot lately. Especially after looking at Roadtrek's ecotrek b vans before buying our Airstream. Has anyone tried putting a pigtail off their TV battery with a quick connect like an Anderson plug and then just using the TV as a generator? Seems to me, you could plug the TV output into a Solar controller or just direct to the battery, though you'd have to self-manage the the charge time, I expect.
Note, this is a thought experiment. Perhaps I'm missing something obvious, but if this is feasible it's a heck of a lot cheaper over time to run the TV than buying and maintaining and feeding a separate genie.

[DannyClark]

Originally Posted by bbandeddie

I'm going to throw this out there. I've been wondering about this a lot lately. Especially after looking at Roadtrek's ecotrek b vans before buying our Airstream. Has anyone tried putting a pigtail off their TV battery with a quick connect like an Anderson plug and then just using the TV as a generator? Seems to me, you could plug the TV output into a Solar controller or just direct to the battery, though you'd have to self-manage the the charge time, I expect.
Note, this is a thought experiment. Perhaps I'm missing something obvious, but if this is feasible it's a heck of a lot cheaper over time to run the TV than buying and maintaining and feeding a separate genie.

I’m full-timing at an RV park where a windstorm wiped our power out Monday night. I noted multiple people doing this with their Umbilical cord plugged in. Just idleing their trucks I assume to support their furnaces. My lithium’s worked perfectly and I have a Champion but didn’t need it. My only concern doing this regularly would be running the TV out of fuel accidentally, and the wear and tear in the motor/coolant system etc. I assume this is a terribly inneficient way to generate a few watts of power. Not to mention the environmental consequences. In a pinch though I thought it clever. Even saw one party using a car hooked to jumpers trying to get through the storm.

[bbandeddie]

Originally Posted by DannyClark

I’m full-timing at an RV park where a windstorm wiped our power out Monday night. I noted multiple people doing this with their Umbilical cord plugged in. Just idleing their trucks I assume to support their furnaces. My lithium’s worked perfectly and I have a Champion but didn’t need it. My only concern doing this regularly would be running the TV out of fuel accidentally, and the wear and tear in the motor/coolant system etc. I assume this is a terribly inneficient way to generate a few watts of power. Not to mention the environmental consequences. In a pinch though I thought it clever. Even saw one party using a car hooked to jumpers trying to get through the storm.

I think using the umbilical cord would be extremely inefficient and nearly pointless as the wire sizing is grossly inadequate for high rate charging. The pigtail I'm describing would function just like jumper cables. As for environmental? Our little generators are terrible. They may not burn a lot of gas per hour, but they spew everything as there are no emissions controls on them. Wear and tear, sure, that would happen, but my supposition is that the added maintenance on the vehicle would be far less than the cost of buying and maintaining the genie. That's why I'm asking, to see if anyone has done this.

[trumpetguy]

Amps per hour. Why not just connect jumper cables from the alternator to the batteries and keep an eye on them. There must be a charger on the market that would do the monitoring and manage the charging modes. Meant to say 100 amps per hour.

[bbandeddie]

Yes. That was my question really. This should work well and and simply but I never anyone discussing it as an option. Instead we all carry around heavy generators and gas - even a Honda 2000 and 20l Gerry can are 80lbs.
My idea is that a solar charge controller would be idea to control the output to the battery.

[Bill M.]

Airstream is selling an inverter that produces 110 from the TV. It is being marketed as an emergency power supply for times when the power is down. That would probably charge the batteries much quicker than the 12 volt through the hitch plug. I think it is about $600. If you do not use it much it probably has some advantages over carrying a generator.

[Fred L]

But the Honda is 3 hp and burns a pint of gas per hour.
Not sure what a standard 380hp pickup would burn, plus wear on the engine.

Certainly a good solution for an emergency though.

[bbandeddie]

And then this, with an appropriately selected group of search terms, came up on top on Duck Duck Go:
http://www.damouth.org/RVStuff/TrCharge.shtml
An old (2001) article on setting up his TV to charge the trailer (in his case, he does so while driving.)

[rodsterinfl]

I have been a strong proponent of the Yamaha 2400isHC as it is designed for motor usage though it has its limits with higher capacity AC units I am told. Perhaps a micro-air would do wonders with it as well. The nice thing about the 2400isHC is that it has the larger motor from a more capable unit in the line, is direct-drive- no belts, and, if you choose to run it with gas, has a pet cock and fuel gauge.

That said, some have been going with more recent offerings of other brands for less. I would look at them as well. Either way, I would highly recommend propane as a fuel source. That way, you eliminate the major cause of issues with generators- gummed up carbs in the world of ethanol gas.

[Fred L]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

in the world of ethanol gas.

Recently returned from a 2400 mile trip and part of the planning was to find gas stations that sell ethanol free gas. Was surprised to find as many as I did, but made it a point to stop and fill the cans each time. I bit too expensive for the truck though

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Airstream is selling an inverter that produces 110 from the TV. It is being marketed as an emergency power supply for times when the power is down. That would probably charge the batteries much quicker than the 12 volt through the hitch plug. I think it is about $600. If you do not use it much it probably has some advantages over carrying a generator.

Well, that’s basically going from 12VDC to 110Vac then back to 12VDC to charge the AS batteries. Very inefficient. Every time you go through a conversion there’s a good bit of loss....and you’d still have to run the TV or risk draining your starting battery. As stated elsewhere direct jumper cables from TV battery to AS battery make more sense and cost less than $600.