LP Generator

[PSea]

Been thinking about power sources. My thoughts:

- I plan to leave home w/ the batteries fully charged via shore power. Hence I want a solid charger. I'm leaning towards Sterling Ultra. Fully programmable being the biggest factor. I don't expect to be on the road more than 4 weeks at a time.

- I plan to have solar. I prefer this be my main charging source. They are also great at topping off AGM batteries which is the stage that takes the longest for a full/healthy battery. AGM...because that's what the trailer comes with. I'll go with it until I'm ready for LiFePo. ps-Sterling handles LiFePo as well, so I don't need to get a new charger when that happens. LiFePo charge profiles are very different vs AGM.

The next step is what do I do when solar isn't cooperating (weather) and I need to get a good bulk charge (or complete charge) back into the batteries. A few options:

1. Truck w/ B2B charger. Don't like this idea for a few reasons:
- it creates additional load on my tow vehicle.
- for it to achieve the desired outcome, I'd have to run my truck for a considerable period of time. that means either a long road trip to the next destination or I start my TV and let it charge painfully slow. Sometimes I wonder if people using these actually check their output. Voltage drop can be a killer.
- unless I'm planning on connecting to the trailer's Anderson plug from the front of my TV (less cable), I would expect to need rather large gauge wiring, and I don't think the charger would ever truly get the batteries fully charged. Also, then what would I do when driving down the road? A second cable run to the rear of my TV? naaa. Neither strikes me as very efficient.
- I really consider this solution akin to solar, perhaps a bit better. If I was going to do anything, I'd probably just go w an ACR (simple/less expensive). Once the truck battery is fully charged, the ACR would allow a charge to go to the house bank.

2. Generator.
- noise. don't like noise. but running my truck isn't quiet either, (nor is it very efficient as a charger), and w/ some smart shopping there are some relatively quietER products out there.
- weight. not as concerned here as I want a relatively small generator.
- fuel. do i really want to deal w/ propane and gasoline reserves? naaaa. one's enough.

So I've arrived at the idea of a portable propane generator. I wouldn't need to lug around extra gasoline and I already have the propane tanks.


1. What's the downside (other than occasional generator maintenance)?

2. Any particular LP generator one would recommend?

3. Anyone doing something similar?

Thanks!

 

[old_CWO]

You can convert a Honda or Yamaha generator to run on LP. The kits I was looking at were dual fuel so they could still use gasoline when required.

The downside is the generator is now less portable as you have an external fuel tank.

If you are concerned about carrying extra liquid fuel, you might be pleasantly surprised at how long a little Honda will run on a full tank.

 

[PSea]

Dis u wind up making the conversion? What's your experience w it thus far?

 

[dreadlocks]

I'm converting my honda 2200 to LP & NG this summer, going to extend the gas line to the rear of the trailer and mount genset to the rear receiver hitch.. I really like my honda, its super quiet just charging batteries.. so quiet in fact I had to put a shore power status LED inside the trailer so I knew it was running and didnt just run out of gas or something..

NG is so it can power my furnace/swamp cooler at home as a backup power source for extended outages.. I wired up transfer switches and outlets last year, when I redo the back patio I'll run a gas line over there for BBQ/GenSet and hide another lock down plate under the grille.

I carry enough LP gas to heat me for week or more in winter, in summer thats just a bunch of weight I could be using to power AirCon/Battery Charger.. and since my tow vehicle is Diesel I dont like carrying all this fuel, which is just going to get worse if I get some 2 stroke dirt bikes and have to carry oil mix gas also..

Another nice thing is hooked up to my 30# LP tank I can turn on AirCon and leave dogs inside trailer for a day without worrying about it running out of fuel while we're gone.. Ive got a LP fuel gauge in trailer too.

 

[PSea]

great points. how much is the kit to convert the honda to LP/NG?

 

[dreadlocks]

~$200ish

Its not cheap but being able to use it as backup heating at home was kinda what made it justifiable.. we lost power in dead of winter a while back and it didnt take long for my poorly insulated 60's split level to shed all its heat.

Another thing I'm looking forward too is no spilt gas, looking for ethanol free gas out on the road, remembering to treat the gas when I get back, supposedly dont even need to choke it either when running off LP so anyone in the family could get it going once it was hooked up.. just turn on and pull starter.

With good solar I'm free from the genset entirely unless we want to run the airconditioner.. which having that option opens up alot of the south to us, we've been sticking to the cool latitudes for a decades.

 

[PSea]

I'm in the desert so I have to head north for cooler climates during the summer. My trailer won't have A/C, so not really worried about that. I'm going to add more solar and an MPPT controller and then analyze consumption/use. If I need faster charging, looks like an LP generator might be well suited. Do you need to do anything different with the generator when using LP at altitude?

 

[dreadlocks]

nothing needs to be done for altitude, might run a lil rich but LP burns cleaner than gas does so little chance of that being an issue.. it'll be a bit less fuel efficient due to this richness but oh well.. I dont like re-tuning for altitude with these things because then when I travel down to sea-level it'd be running lean and thats far worse than running rich.. I tuned my dual sport for altitude, but only because I was commuting on it and got sick of it backfiring excess fuel, never rode it out of state.

If your concerned about altitude fouling carry a spare spark plug, probably should anyhow.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Champion Power Equipment Inverter dual fuel generator.

 

[BritKLR]

KISS......A simple Honda 2000 (15 years old) generator and a gallon of gas will handle everything you can throw at it for a couple of weeks. I've had Kohler LP generators in two rigs that wouldn't start when cold. Multiple battery / inverter / solar setups that always left me wishing for more power and always needing some new super wiring/controller/batteries ($$$$) to improve my power needs (wifees blower dryer....) so in the end, I just set my quiet little red Honda outside, fire it up and walk away. It runs A/C, microwave (not at the same time), all systems, charges and sips fuel. Keep fresh fuel, plugs and synthetic oil in it and it'll run forever. Heck, if you need to sell it you'll get 100% of your money back....try selling your used batteries and solar and see how much you get..good luck with whichever system you go with!

 

[CampStewart]

KISS......A simple Honda 2000 (15 years old) generator and a gallon of gas will handle everything you can throw at it for a couple of weeks. I've had Kohler LP generators in two rigs that wouldn't start when cold. Multiple battery / inverter / solar setups that always left me wishing for more power and always needing some new super wiring/controller/batteries ($$$$) to improve my power needs (wifees blower dryer....) so in the end, I just set my quiet little red Honda outside, fire it up and walk away. It runs A/C, microwave (not at the same time), all systems, charges and sips fuel. Keep fresh fuel, plugs and synthetic oil in it and it'll run forever. Heck, if you need to sell it you'll get 100% of your money back....try selling your used batteries and solar and see how much you get..good luck with whichever system you go with!

If you want longer run time there are kits that allow you to run it off of any size boat gas tank. I cringe as to how much time that must be spent fiddling with complicated systems instead of enjoying the outdoors.

 

[dreadlocks]

Ive used a gallon a day at my Honda 2200 throwing whatever I wanted at it, wish I could go a couple weeks off a gallon of gas and no solar but thats just not happening.. @CampStewart funny because my perspective is different yet the goal is the same.. hooking up a quick disconnect pressure hose up to generator and using onboard fuel seems simpler and less fiddly than transporting an extra fuel tank securely, hooking up hoses and dealing with the fumes and spilt fuel.. I can fiddle with the ******** at home, under my shade-tree after work, its enjoying the outdoors IMO heh.

The LP Conversions still give full gas functionality and leave it basically the same with a LP fitting out the top.. If your already carrying LP tanks its just a hose you need to hookup and your off to the races, you can split it right off your tank and leave your house gas system alone.. you can disconnect and store the hose & regulator inside your sleeping area without even washing your hands.

 

[BritKLR]

A little clarification, the biggest use out of our Honda is the Overland/Expo events we attend through the year, in addition to our normal camping/exploring trips. Generally, when we get setup, we're land locked for the period of the event. This has been as long a 5 days. We have to be completely self sufficient. The Honda gets run in the morning for the coffee pot and getting ready for maybe a couple of hours. It's shut off during the day and then run for a couple of hours at sun set to top off the batteries, make dinner, listen to the radio, read, etc....I always make sure to turn it off long before the 9-10 pm curfew so people can sleep. A full tank of fuel to start and 1 gallon back up and I've never run out. Normally have 90% of a can left when we get home. Good luck!

 

[PSea]

Great input guys. Much appreciated. I think the LP advantages are worth the $200 conversion. This will be my path when/if a generator is needed. Probably will be a honda due to the minimal noise level that most comment about. It's worth the premium if it's quieter. I camp to get away from the masses and noise.

Now I'm off to replace tie rods, lower ball joint, lower control arm bushings, R&P bushings, add airbags and a 1" body lift.

....wish me luck! ;-)

 

[Model97]

KISS......A simple Honda 2000 (15 years old) generator and a gallon of gas will handle everything you can throw at it for a couple of weeks. I've had Kohler LP generators in two rigs that wouldn't start when cold. Multiple battery / inverter / solar setups that always left me wishing for more power and always needing some new super wiring/controller/batteries ($$$$) to improve my power needs (wifees blower dryer....) so in the end, I just set my quiet little red Honda outside, fire it up and walk away. It runs A/C, microwave (not at the same time), all systems, charges and sips fuel. Keep fresh fuel, plugs and synthetic oil in it and it'll run forever. Heck, if you need to sell it you'll get 100% of your money back....try selling your used batteries and solar and see how much you get..good luck with whichever system you go with!

Now you have me thinking. I'm in planning stages for my new little trailer, and I have solar panels and a couple batteries already that need to be figured out, but experience last summer camping out of my truck was that it was marginal for powering just a fridge (and it shouldn't be). I bought two 11# LP bottles for the camper and already have a yamaha 2K generator. Maybe that's the simpler route. I can still use the suitcase solar panel and will have an easy source of backup charge power. I really don't want to mess with a complex overall setup. It takes too much time. It should be 15 min from unhitch to beer.