What Generator to Power a Caravan?

Submitted: Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:36
ThreadID: 76381 Views:4762 Replies:7 FollowUps:4
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I know most travellers carry a Honda EU20i Generator to power their van/camper trailer & campsite but are they that good. Will the unit successfully power a van with the TV,heating/air cond & two light onat the same time? Will it do this on economy mode or not? Charging a battery should the unit be on full throttle or economy? If you don;t recommend a Honda what else is there in the generator department? Memberrs views will be greatly appreciated.
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:45

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:45
Add up your total wattage of all items you want powered at the same time and you will have your answer , be aware that the honda eu20i is actually rated at only 1600w .
AnswerID: 406304

Reply By: Member - KC (TAS) - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:52

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 10:52
Hi Orejap, I have a Yammy 2.4 and when the power went out here
I had a full size house fridge and freezer, tv, some lights and the computer
all running at once. No problem. Don't know about the Honda's, sorry.
Good luck with it all.
AnswerID: 406307

Follow Up By: OREJAP - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 16:11

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 16:11
Problem with the Yammy it's 10KG heavier than the Honda. But yes it is stronger & will run more accessories even the Air Cond/heater up to 13,000BTU. I have a genny at the moment which is 3KVA but it's noisy. How do you quiten the rotten things?
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Follow Up By: Member - KC (TAS) - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 22:42

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 22:42
Hi, just to add to this, I read somewhere the other day that Yammy now have a 2.0 kva model out there now.
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Reply By: Notso - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 11:57

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 11:57
The Honda will run MOST Van Aircons.

It will also run your lights and TV, BUT.

Don't try to boil the jug or run the toaster or Microwave at the same time as the Aircon.

The best thing to do is to take the Van to the dealer and say "Show Me" how this will run the Van Aircon.
AnswerID: 406320

Reply By: Motherhen - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 15:19

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 15:19
We use our Honda on rare occasions to run the air con, but nothing else at the same time. It has 'tripped' a couple of times in very hot weather (they are known for not being able to run air cons above 45º although most of us don't travel in these temperatures. Maybe a light or two would make no difference.

At home we use it in power failures; sometimes in hot weather (it was over 40º when we lost power all day due to a bush fire. It has not trouble running the household fridges and freezers (one at a time) plus aquarium pumps radio and 2way and a lamp or two. This has been on economy, even when starting the fridges as they are rotated.

If you need more power than this, i suggest the 2.4 kva Yamaha, but it is a lot bigger and heavier to cart around.

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AnswerID: 406341

Reply By: pop2jocem - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:28

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:28
Hi OREJAP,

Went through this same exercise about a month ago. Our van has an Aircommand Wren I think is the model. I looked up the power requirements on their web site. 1560 watts max from memory, but I wanted to be sure so I borrowed the BIL's Honda 2i. which he said ran the air con in his 26' Jayco no problems. I tried it out on a day with about low 30's temps with no dramas. I also added a 300 watt jug element to the load and all OK. A mate with a 24' Jayco borrowed mine to try out on a trip to Esperance in summer, not sure of the temps but it would only run it for about 3 minutes before cutting out. It turns out his air con was a different brand, Coleman I think or something like that. I looked up the power requirements and from memory it had a maximum requirement of 1850 watts. I guess with his fridge and a few lights it pushed the Honda over its limit. He's not too happy because he didn't want to go to the bigger Yamaha because of size and extra weight if he could get away with it. I guess as others have suggested figure out your power requirements and ultimately try a genny to confirm before you buy. I don't think many people would mind shutting the air con down for a few minutes to run a microwave or boil a jug which we boil on the gas anyway.

Cheers Pop
AnswerID: 406357

Reply By: keviny6 - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:30

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:30
thing to remember when adding watts up -----one kva = 800 watts
AnswerID: 406358

Follow Up By: Member - Don M (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 at 08:28

Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 at 08:28
Not entirely true...

If the watts you are adding up are purely resistive, ie; incandescant lamps, kettles, toaster, water heater, then 1Kva=1W

If the load is inductive...A/C, fluorescent lamps then 1Kva =746w...(not 800w)
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FollowupID: 676176

Follow Up By: Dennis Ellery - Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 at 23:08

Sunday, Feb 28, 2010 at 23:08
Now you're nitpicking Don.
Nothing is 100% resistive or 100% inductive.
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Reply By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:43

Saturday, Feb 27, 2010 at 17:43
It is also inadviseable to charge a battery DIRECT from a Gennie.

It is far better to power a dedicated battery charger to charge the battery.




AnswerID: 406361

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