Honda Generator owners
Submitted: Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 10:52
ThreadID:
108440
Views:
2712
Replies:
4
FollowUps:
11
This Thread has been Archived
Member - Brian
Morning all ,
just wondered how Honda generators owners find/found the length of the 12v chord from the genny to the battery that needs charging . Tried connecting
mine up to where the battery was situated in the van , just about had to put the genny in the doorway of the van and all because of the short power chord they supply .
No i didnt have access to 240 power which i would normally plug into the outside of the van and run my charger chord from inside power point to the battery .
Thoughts please ?
Reply By: Athol W1 - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:11
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:11
Brian
It is far better and safer to use the 240v supply from the generator to the van, and subsequently to 240v charger that is in the van, to recharge the batteries in your van. This then gives a controlled charge to the batteries and allows the use of the econo throttle control operation of the generator (instead of the full throttle operation that is required with the 12v to battery charging system that is not voltage controlled).
The use of the unregulated 12v supply from the generator for any purpose should be a last resort measure only.
Regards
Athol
AnswerID:
534783
Follow Up By: Member - Brian - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:45
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:45
Thanks for your reply Athol , appreciate your comments but almost certain the built in battery charger in the Honda genny is controlled with all the various stages of charging ??
FollowupID:
818543
Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:54
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:54
don't waste your time with the generator's battery charger...they are a trickle charger and achieve little over time when compared to a 240v charger.
far better to use a 240 v charger plugged into the generator and use this to charge your batteries...either using the 'van one if there is one installed or purchase a stand alone one...either way your run time will be a fraction of the trickle charge......if you need to purchase one then get a decent one that is auto and wont
cook you batteries when charging unattended.
FollowupID:
818545
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:57
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 11:57
Brian is right, the 12 v output on the Honda is only 12v flat and is not designed to charge batteries, it's more designed as a power supply.
We have 5 EU20’s with oldest being 7 years old, they are used day in and day out and have never missed a beat...... Only thing we have ever needed to fix was one rubber foot.
FollowupID:
818546
Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 14:06
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 14:06
Brian, the following is from the Honda Owner's Manual and confirms what others have said regarding using the Honda 12V output to charge batteries. It can be done but it has the risk of overcharging if not carefully supervised and with the correct knowledge.
Honda 12v
AnswerID:
534787
Follow Up By: John and Regina M - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 16:50
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 16:50
Aha, yes, the manual.
That bundle of scrap paper ne'er to be read by an owner til all other options have been exhausted.
FollowupID:
818555
Follow Up By: Member - Brian - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 18:19
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 18:19
Thanks Allan ,
i stand corrected !
FollowupID:
818561
Reply By: pop2jocem - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 14:11
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 14:11
Brian,
Maybe it's because I just woke up from my Poppy nap so please forgive me If I am not interpreting your meaning correctly.
Now I was of the opinion that the 12v outlet on the Honda gennys was mostly to provide a power source, and a small one at that, rather than charging batteries, so I went and had another read of the handbook. Honda say that the 12v outlet can be used for battery charging.
Apart from that you say you would normally use a 240v supply to charge your batteries so I am assuming your van has an on board battery charger like
mine and most others with house batteries.
So why not start your genny and plug the 240v into the van and charge that way?
They do supply 12v and 240v.
Cheers
Pop
AnswerID:
534788
Follow Up By: olcoolone - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 16:39
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 16:39
Yes correct......
FollowupID:
818552
Follow Up By: Member - Brian - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 18:24
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 18:24
And thank you Pop , the separate charger that i do have is not very big although it has stages , i will have to invest in a bigger charger , so thanks mate . There are no smart comments from you
FollowupID:
818563
Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 19:24
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 19:24
Brian
If my memory serves me correctly, I recall the spec stating 8amps @ 12v. Now I have never used my 12v outlet, let alone checked the actual voltage. If it is indeed 12.0v, that is not much good for charging 12v batteries. And 8 amps is also not much chop either for a large-ish battery.
If you have a multi-stage 240v charger, it would have to be fairly small not to deliver, at least initially,
well in excess of 8amps on the bulk cycle.
Do you use the 240v charger at the moment when you have access to 240v main power? If so and it chargers successfully, you will get the same result from the Honda 240v
Cheers
Andrew
FollowupID:
818567
Follow Up By: Member - Brian - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 20:49
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 20:49
Thanks Andrew , i appreciate your thoughtfull comments , i'm not sure but think the little charger i have is only 4 amp but will
check , pretty sure a bigger one is needed
FollowupID:
818579
Follow Up By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 21:20
Sunday, Jun 22, 2014 at 21:20
Brian, if it is only 4 amp and the battery something like 75 a/h or more, you should find that a 15 amp multi stage Ctek would do the job OK. IMHO a 4 amp is a trickle charger that would struggle in a van, particularly if there is a current draw on the battery such as a small compressor fridge (Waeco, Engel, etc) plus lights.
Cheers
Andrew
FollowupID:
818580
Follow Up By: Member - Brian - Monday, Jun 23, 2014 at 13:26
Monday, Jun 23, 2014 at 13:26
Thanks for your input Andrew & Jen , Travis , just checked on my little charger ( Projecta/Procharge ), it is only a 4 amp charger and suitable only for lead/acid batteries which would mean i couldnt use it to charge an AGM battery ??
In hindsight ( wonderful thing ) i should have bought the 20 amp one in the first place but didnt realise at the time , although this little 4 amp charger can still be handy , the money which wasnt all that cheap could have been spent better !!
FollowupID:
818612
Reply By: Travis22 - Monday, Jun 23, 2014 at 12:04
Monday, Jun 23, 2014 at 12:04
I have tested our honda generators 12V output and the results were terrible.
Basically the only way it comes close to the specified output is at full RPM. At full RPM I measured around 6-7A.
On Eco mode, the generator put out 1-2A.
And as already mentioned, the output is unregulated. I use a 15A Ctek charger with the generator normally, I learnt the hard way how bad the onboard 12V supply is when I deliberately left the Ctek at
home and planned to just just the geni on it's own to top up our aux battery one weekend.
4hrs of running at full RPM right in the middle of
camp... Never again!!
Travis.
AnswerID:
534858