<span class="highlight">Generator</span> or Solar

Tim,

I started with a Honda Generator, it's compact and you can barely hear it purr away and it takes about an hour or two to top-up my deep cycle via a 3 stage charger. We always camp away from people so noise is not an issue.

Couple of years later I got a 80w panel and took them both on a trip....it was raining/overcast the entire Fraser trip.

I was very happy I had the gennie as backup.

I would go solar and seperate the panels into 2 X 60w items (redundancy).

Your already have a generator in the cars alternator which you can run at cost of more fuel only when solar does'nt make it (more redundancy).

Good to have a fast idle setup on car so it can charge more efficently though.

I have a 140W solar panel permanently mounted to ‘The Landy’ feeding into a Redarc BMS, running 1 x 105AMP AGM, and a standard cranking battery. Since installing the panel I have not switched the fridge off and find it charges very quickly.

You might like to have a look at Solar Steve’s website as Steve has included a calculator for assessing requirements. I purchased my panel from Steve, service was exceptional and I found Steve very helpful.

Solar Steve

Cheers, The Landy

I have the Honda 20i Generator, I also have a microwave in our van and aircon. The Honda is very quiet, and I find it great for my purpose. I went through the same exercise, for the power output of the Honda the solar was not going to be able to supply.

Looking at what you are running is all low current devices, you don’t have the microwave or the aircon, you also said you will be staying in National parks which will not allow generators. Also when you will be travelling your batteries will be charging. I would look at the solar option in your case as they will keep your batteries topped up when you’re not on the move.

Note: If you are looking at upgrading down the track the generator could be a good option.

Have a great holiday

As per an earlier reply - your power consumption on the items mentioned is very low. I have a generator and solar and have never had to use the generator to top up my batteries (but never had extended periods of no sun).

I'd also go solar first (make sure you get a mppt controller - it is much more efficient) only because there is no restriction (noise). A good 120w solar setup will be getting towards the price of a 1kW generator and it is in someways easier to pack and store (both have their pros and cons).

I assume that by Redarc you mean a simple isolator.

220Ah is plenty for the items you are running for a week - we had 70Ah and even after a few days (of similar consumption to you) the batteries coped perfectly.

I also worry about the panels getting nicked (get a thin braided steel safety line and lock it - will apparently help with insurance claims) - but buy good quality anyway (and about 120w and the MPPT instead of a normal controller) and use them any time you are in camp and the sun is shining to keep your batteries topped. Also if you are in camp during the day and using electricity, your solar panels will provide most of what you need.

The car alternator is pretty efficient and if you make sure you have decent sized wiring to your trailer it will recharge your batteries nicely when driving.

It would be worth getting a multimeter / voltmenter (you can use a Jaycar cheapo) and checking the battery voltage regularly (do a search for info as to what voltage level = state of charge) to keep an eye on the batteries and you'll eventually get a feel for how often you need to haul out the solar panels. It is better to keep the batteries topped up rather than really dicharging them as it takes longer to charge from a deep discharge and does the batteries no favours.

No question about it - SOLAR -

Generators are noisy , need fuel and are not allowed in a lot of N.P.s across Oz ..

For your particular setup a 120 watt kit with MPPT controller and a security cable should do the trick !!

Cheers

Steve

you only need to beef your alternator up and add a quick charge system, like Rotronics... they are apparently capable of taking a 100ah battery upto 80% charge in 15 minutes...

What size is the Ctek ?

The 2x 110ah batteries - are they wet cell and do you have specs on them ?

What is your budget ?

You have listed a very approximate 30ah per day usage and this can easily be replaced with fast idle of the car or a decent solar panel 100W min. - (sun / shade permitting)

Regards

Derek

Hi Tim
Another vote for solar!

we started on an around Oz trip in March (and not even half way round).
Our camper wasnt wired up with any power, so we used battery led lights to start with but we had planned on spending most of the time in powered sites anyway.
However coming down the coast of WA we discovered most of the best camp spots were not in caravan parks and mostly free without any power. We decided on a 160w folding panel and a 90ah calcium battery. the amount of free camping we have done already has more than paid for itself.
I got alot of advice from the gurus on here about which solarpanels and which controllers to get. (thank you batterypower, solarsteve and Derek)
We have very similar usage to you.
our phone, gps, camera chargers are all 12v, 12 led lighting, our 17" tv\dvd player is 12v, laptop has 12v charger. we also use a small 300w inverter to run a pedestal fan on hot days when there is plenty of sun and also a 240v handheld blender for drinks.
We love the solar panels. Downside is obviously the need for sun, but as someone else has stated the cars alternator is great backup.
We contemplated a genny but our car is diesel which meant another type of fuel, plus the cost, the weight and the bulky storage required were enough to persude us against it- also the restrictions on use in nat parks etc..
We chain ours up to our drawbar, we also drilled 2 holes which align together through the aluminium frame where they meet in the middle when folded out, we put a long shank padlock through there to stop it being folded up. Being large, heavy-ish and awkward to carry especially when it cant be folded up plus the deterrent of a chain would keep most opportunistic theives at bay.

But- i have seen some great gennies ut there like the honda eu20i (i think) quiet as and runs aircons etc in vans. if we ever get a caravan we may get a genny but for a camper trailer, which is what i gather you have, Solar is fantastic.

Happy travels
Doey

I would put the money towards a Honda 2. An excellent solar panel will cost you about $10 per watt...so you are up for $1200!! Honda 2 which will do everything you want will cost $1800 including 4 yrs warranty. Here is a scenario, aux battery flat in vehicle also start battery flat....no one around & everything dead in vehicle. Answer start up genny within a couple of hours vehicle can be started....try that in the rain with a solar panel!!

I am another vote for solar. I have mine mounted on the roof of my canopy so they are "on" all the time. The inside of my canopy doesn't get too hot being out in the sun all day so the fridge doesn't run excessively. The panels may help to insulate it a bit.

When I first installed solar it was more expensive than a good generator but panels and regulators have got a lot cheaper. If you go solar make sure you size it correctly otherwise you will be disappointed. You need to get through a few cloudy days without letting the batteries get too flat.

Regards,
Bob

Plenty of folding 80w solar panels about for a bit over $300 on Ebay...got ours from there and it works like a charm , does the job it was designed to do...some people will say they are no good ... and say you should pay more....

Thanks everyone for use of your knowledge and opinions,. This has made life a little easyier to make a more informed decision.
Thanks once again, happy camping.
Tim