HONDA EU10i <span class="highlight">Generator</span>, any one got one for camping

Wilko.
My understanding is that they do have a shut off valve, is incorporated in the on/off switch.
I saw a "how to" site somewhere which showed pics of one being dismantled. I was trying to find info. on adjusting the valve clearance.
Mine is very much overdue (3yrs., and 6 oil changes). But we dont have any Honda service in the area only a small motor bloke who had never done one but thought he could work it out somehow..yeah!
furph

Hi Furph,

You could be right, would be good to know the info on the valve clearance.

Cheers Wilko

WHY ?

Consideration of others, that's why.

The statement was "dont use it after the sun goes down " , Consideration of others only comes into play if you are stupid enough to camp where others may complain , but really there is NO valid reason for the statement 'dont use it after the sun goes down'.

A true story on generators , .... A few yrs back we and a mate of mine decided to go to a council run c/park nth just [40klm] nth of Bundaberg , 4 adults 5 kids ,2 adjoining campsites on the river , 2 c/trailers ,1 Pajero[petrol] 1 80 series diesel ,, was told prior to booking and arrival that being a council owned park definitly no gen sets on SITE . OK no problem , I 've got solar + battery capacity that will last for the duration running my 80lt Waeco+ 15lt Engle[gotta have dedicated beer fridge] + lights ect , ,,, mate has old [yellow lid]39lt Engle + dual batt system + my old 3way Chescold running on gas ,,,
Day 1 after setting up camp mates batts are showing 11.2 volts , not good in any shape or form , his alternator in the paj has died.
Day 2 8am , mate produces his GMC gen from the depths of the c/trailer + 250mtrs of 240v lead , takes gen out of council owned park and digs hole for modified exhaust , genset is a minimum of 200metres from nearest campsite , only sound is that of kids playing and waves breaking at the river bar which is less than 1klm away ....

Now the whole point of this story is that a complaint was made to the managers of the park about 'generator noise' and the subsequent outcome , my mate and his family were asked by management to shut down the generator [leaving them with no way to recharge their batts] or leave the park , the A---e who complained about generator noise had run and consequently did run his old Nissan diesel patrol every morning from 5am to 10 am and then again from 4pm to 9pm every day , sitting there rattling away noisily ,,,
dont ever come to me and complain about my gen set , your blood may flow.

Ac/t, great story, thanks, but I think you have answered your own question. Generators are useful tools, but use common sense (and consideration) in their application.
Final comment.

The Yamaha 1000EI will run upto a 40amp battery charger in eco throttle setting ,

Yes, there's a world of difference between trying to charge a battery from the 12v outlet on a genny, and running a 'proper charger form the 240v outlet. Apart from the low amps, the 12v tapping is not controlled/regulated in the way a 3 stage battery charger is.
I am aware of the Honda motor/Bosch alternator setup, and the ability to pull up a battery in no time, but the noise compared to a small Yammy/Honda generator must be a major factor off-farm

The term that springs to mind here is "reundancy" (whatever that means in this context?). But, my point here is that a generator has more options as to how it can be used than a simple, noisy Christie's Battery Charger.

I was on a trip to Cape York in 2004 with a couple of mates. One bloke's camper trailer decided it didn't like corrogations and needed some urgent attention, including the use of the angle grinder to cut through some bolts and also to cut some flate steel to be welded.

Out came the little 4" grinder and job was completed with the aid of some battery-powered welding. We had a couple of 3stage chargers between us too.

I have a Yamaha e10 too and it's a ripper. Much more reliable than the sun (for solar panels) on a bad day.

Solar would be nice too, but the gennie just does it all!!

I only take mine away with me on longer trips (not weekend jaunts when i know the batteries will be okay without being charged up). And, when I do use the gennie, I ensure I have the damn thing off by dusk. I also make a habit of asking anybody else in the vicinity if they have anything they'd like to run off my gennie. This sort of gets them on-side....even if they weren't too keen on having the gennie running (from about 2pm to 7pm maximum usually). I also ensure the set is placed in a spot that is likely to cause the least amount of disturbance to us or anybody else.

I can relate a funny story too. We had been on the road for several days (bush camping), when we reached Longreach and decided it would time to go to a c/van park for the night to freshen-up etc.

There were no powered sites left that weren't booked. The boss put us on an unpowered site right next to a powered site, yet to be occupied. He told us we could not run our gennies. My mate who was travelling with us, really needed the power to keep a couple of ailing batteries charged and his fridges cold. When we parked up, we found the unoccupied powered site. My mate went over to the office and asked if we could use the power until the people arrived who had booked that site; even saying he was willing to pay the difference between the powered and unpowered site.... NO!!!!

Just as aside, the people never turned up anyway and the site remained empty all night.....hahahaha....the c/van park bloke lost out there i guess (unless he got full payment before-hand).

Anyway, just the other side of this unoccupied powered site, was a huge Winnebago Motor Home with every bell and whistle you could imagine. Washing machine, and a huge air condtioner on the roof just to name 2.

The air conditioner was running all night and made enough racket that my mate was able to 'get away with' running his little Honda 1kva, hidden under the back mudflap of his 4x4 until 10pm. Nobody walking past our site could even HEAR the gennie over the noise of that blasted air conditioner. The moral of the story? Dunno for sure, but these little inverter gennies are damned quiet!!

LOL.. One way to get a private camp I guess.

I guess that's why we only use it when camped on private property or in isolated spots. Don't bother anyone else and they don't bother us.

A 1Kva honda at the end of a 25m lead behind a large tree running during the daytime is just about inaudible. We use it for Battery charge at a static camp and to run a laptop. Everything else is battery power and after sundown it is tranquility!

Horses for courses.

Cheers
Muddy

Nutfarmer

I agree with you on this. If it is only about recharging a battery it would be easy to drive off somewhere and do the charging it at a distance from others and have no noise hassles. A powered alternator type such as made by Christie Engineering and ABR Sidewinder would have the advantage over a 240 volt generator and multi stage battery charger for this sort of use. A lot cheaper and quicker in recharging as well. Use of the charger in this scenario would be occasional and brief.

The generator advocates, by and large, seem to make more regular use of the generator. It seems to be more integrated into their equipment and because they have it, they can power angle grinders etc.

I think it is a just another variation on the travel light or heavy schools of thought. You can set up quite well either way. As an advocate of the go lighter approach I would favour the powered alternator type for camping BUT we have frequent long blackouts where I live, especially in spring, and a generator would be useful for both camping and blackouts.

Swings and roundabouts.

Flynnie

All good and well to just up stumps and go for a drive to recharge your batteries........ UNLESS you have a camper trailer.

Sure, I could hook the cable up from the back of my large, loud Chev V8 diesel engine, to the camper trailer socket and run the engine for a few hours to charge the camper trailer's batteries....but who wants to listen to that growl for that long. At least the gennie is quiet and more fuel efficient.

As said elsewhere, it's horses for courses. We too go camping to get away from it all, but still like to have a good fridge that works in high ambient temps. That rules out a 3 way fridge (in my opinion) and if I wanted to run my 2 Engels for a week at a time without charging the batteries, I'd need to have multiple batteries (IE: HEAVY), which then buggars up your idea of travelling light.

Like Muddy said, only use the gennie when it will not upset other campers. If, by chance, there are other campers close by who aren't part of your group/club, then why not seek their permission/consent (just as a courtesy). If they are head-strong about the use of gennies and refuse your offer to utilise the power supplied by the gennie, then I guess you are at an impass....you either need to go without the battery top up, or fire-up the big Chev V8 (they'll soon be begging you to start up the quiet gennie alternative), or move on somewhere else, or get the boxing gloves out, (or the shotty!!!).

In the 5 years I have owned my gennie I have never started it when camped near people we didn't know. When i did need to start it up, the first thing i did was to ask if anybody needed some juice pumped into anything they have. Invariably, if I need to replenish my batteries, then those around us have been in the same position and are grateful for the offer.

I fail to see why this has to be a major issue. Could I be so bold as to ask whether those folks who are so adamantly against gennies come from cities? It's just a theory i have (and I could well be wrong)....but city folk seem to take just about anything that a neighbour does, which they wouldn't do themselves, as a personal affront; something to get fired up about.

I'm just a good-ol' country boy and nothing gets up my nose too much. If I had somebody camping near me and doing something that I found offensive (eg: loud music or heavy drinking with swearing etc), I would exercise my demorcratic right to pack-up and POQ. Why can't everybody else do the same???

Roachie

Roachie, You can run your Chev V8 diesel any time in my camp the rumble would put me to sleep, if it stoped id wake up. Then im used to sleeping with large diesels. Cheers Daryl

hahahaha...yeh, I'm the same mate, can't get enough of the grumble.

But it's an aquired taste that many do not share!! hehehe

Roachie

I live in a small village of about 200 people. Just back form the Friday night pub session catching up with the locals. Had a long talk with one of the blokes about the technical problems of photographing evening rodeos.

The locals are mainly graziers, shearers and farm hands. Me I work in town. Mainly they travel light and use swags. I have learnt a lot from them.

It must be a quite Friday night or something.

Flynnie

Nutfarmer , you've obviously have never camped on a beach or in the dunnes 3 or 4 back from the ocean , if you can hear a 1kva Honda or Yamaha over the sound of the lapping waves your hearing must be that acute that you can hear a sheep fart in NewZealand. LOL

Well this has been an interesting discussion about the pros and cons of using generators while camping. I have to acknowledge there are some places where you can run them without interfering with others. I started using one with a cpap breething machine many years ago and tried the "asking those around if it was OK" even with 200 feet of power lead and putting it in a hollow or behind a big red gum. Some packed up and left others reluctantly said OK. This is in a restricted camping area in a NSW remote park.

I now run a 12v breething machine and leave the geny home. I also camp on the banks of the Murray over easter and good spots are like high value realestate. Even some of my friends tend to bring genys and 1000 watt lights. Besides the noise the fumes get me when the wind changes. So yes I hate genys while camping and say so. I am not agaisnt them in principal in the right place having just bought 2 units to overcome the frequent power outages at home.

I guesss that is what is good about a forum. We have all said our piece, and all have some valid points for their style of camping.

The main thing is we get out there and enjoy the big outdoors.