Portable generator solutions

[dreadlocks]

one of the big selling points for me on a Honda GenSet was being able to use it for backup power for home furnace.. plan is to build a little box w/locking plate on back patio to store it in when not camping, mostly to keep snow from burying it.. could insulate it put a heating pad or bulb in there w/a thermo plug, what temp does NG become hard to get going? I never really thought cold temps would be an issue til Alloy mentioned LP issues in cold.. guess whatever I do I should get some testing in before I actually need it.. suppose I should try some extreme cold starts and see how hard it is to get this engine going.. guess I could always store it in the garage, its attached and dont get that cold but I was shooting for somethign I could get going in few mins half asleep and w/out a way to make coffee.

 

[67cj5]

I'm looking at using 240Vac.

I assume the non-USA models of Honda and Yamaha are that way even in quiet & little inverter types.

Ideally the ones that sync up in parallel to get 4kW output. Likely will convert to propane.

Any feedback, pro/cons, suggestions?

I got one of these, they are made by a German Company and has Twin 240v outlets plus a 12v/8Ah Charger,

Böhmer-AG Camo Petrol Inverter Generator W4500i, 1.9KW, Ultra Low Noise - UK Plugs : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Great prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

They also do a bigger version,

Böhmer-AG Camo Petrol Inverter Key Start Generator W5500i, 3.0Kw, Ultra Low Noise - UK Plugs : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Shop Böhmer-AG Camo Petrol Inverter Key Start Generator W5500i, 3.0Kw, Ultra Low Noise - UK Plugs. Free delivery on eligible orders of £20 or more.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[alia176]

I have a 19' Rockwood Eco Pro. I'd like to get a generator for camping off the grid. I want to run the A/C so solar is out as a solution.

Thank you!

These guys have been running Forest air solution on their overlanding rig for the last three years strictly on solar. It's worth watching this informative video

 

[john61ct]

is there a written summary, kW panels Ah bank?

 

[BritKLR]

I have and still use every season a 18 year old Honda 2000 that I purchased new in 2002. Run it on synthetic oil, change every season and replace the plug. Drain the fuel from the carb at the end of the season. I‘ve swapped the factory roof A/C on every truck camper/rig with a Coleman Polar Cub so the Honda can start and run them. Used it during power outages at our mountain house. Use it to run power tools on building site. Runs all the electric at OE events. Runs the wife’s blow dryer, electric skillet, jack hammer and charges strangers phones, etc..... Just absolutely bulletproof.

 

[Buddha.]

is there a written summary, kW panels Ah bank?

From the video description:
"We have a ForestAir 8000 BTU Mini-Split AC that we power with solar power via our 8 Rooftop mounted solar panels. That power heads to our Lithium Battery Bank for just a moment and is promptly used by our 1800w Inverter to make the 110 volts needed for the AC Unit."

1400w of solar on roof.
"CALB brand batteries 8x180 ah wired in 2 parallel 4 series"

What is that, 720ah?

 

[john61ct]

yes does not include those details, plus many more that would be relevant to determining if this is realistic or not

 

[WSS]

If you have the inverter type of gen and the right model, you can hook two together with a combiner. I know Honda and Generac make the kits to combine wattage from their gens.

 

[dreadlocks]

Yeah the companion Honda model I bought can output full 30A if I pair it up w/another Honda, if I needed more output I could find a regular Honda genset to pair it with used alot easier.. and since I wanted to run AirCon off it I figured over-rating the plug would be better than under-rating it.. I dont need a bunch of outputs or 12VDC charger, it plugs into just one thing and thats it.. after a few years no regrets, it starts easy and is very reliable.. expect my kids could inherit it if I keep up on the maintenance.. honda gensets are buy once, cry once kinda deal.

My buddy I sold my old camper van to scored a old honda genset from a pawn shop for $150.. new spark plug, oil and fuel and it was purring like a kitten, we looked it up and it was made in mid 70's.

 

[WSS]

360Ah. Two 180Ah paralleld is 360Ah.
From there, does not matter how many more pairs are added in series. Amp hours remains the same.

I have run up against this before using 6v batts. I thought I had a bunch more ah's than I did. So, I have 8) 45ah 12v batts. I need to run in series to generate 24v for my panels, how many ahs will I have? 360ah or 180ah? I'm not "getting" it while I do know it is true. Can you explain?

 

[john61ct]

In series ups V, Ah remains the same.

Paralleling, V remains, Ah increases.

 

[WSS]

Is it possible to run 24v panels through a MPPT and have it kick down to 12v so I may use the amp hours properly? Or is the amp hours just a number and the power is still there to be used? I have a hard time getting around the fact that each battery has a "amount of power" to output no matter what. Is it like 20amp at 120v is the same as 10amp 240v?

SORRY OP to hijack!

 

[john61ct]

Is it possible to run 24v panels through a MPPT and have it kick down to 12v so I may use the amp hours properly? Or is the amp hours just a number and the power is still there to be used? I have a hard time getting around the fact that each battery has a "amount of power" to output no matter what. Is it like 20amp at 120v is the same as 10amp 240v?

SORRY OP to hijack!

That is the whole point of MPPT, buck conversion is always included.

Ideally panels are at least 40Voc to give the algorithm room to hunt for the best voltage.

Going from "12V" panels up to say a 48V bank is more specialized

 

[WSS]

Thanks guys for the explanation! This will make it much easier to configure my next project it is/has been in the works for a while.

I ditched the 6v deep cylce FLA batts for lifpo4 45ah batts:

 

[dreadlocks]

Running Solar panels in a series for higher voltage also results in less cabling losses on long runs.. it can make a huge difference for portable panels on the end of a 50-100ft pair of wires, as long as you put the MPPT charger close to the batteries.

It also will reach a charge voltage (Batt+5v) much quicker w/less light, 12V panels wont output anything really til its fully lighted and can get 18v.. house panels running at 50-80v will hit ~18v from just diffuse ambient light and start feeding your bank, aughtough it'll be just a small percentage of full output it can be enough to keep the batteries from discharging further for a few hours before the panels get lit up.