why generators are bad battery chargers

[pugslyyy]

Haha, I have to call bull**** on this.

While I am not so ubergeek to know for sure,
I think your enriched uranium alone would be worthless unless it were formed into a battery.
Something along the lines of a betavoltaic maybe ??
Maybe uranium paired with a dissimilar metal and electrolyte work as a regular wetcell battery.

I dont expect you have children do you ??

I think he means one of these.

 

[peneumbra]

Yes, exactly! Only I use the mobile model...

 

[228B]

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Hee.

 

[calicamper]

This is what I'm learning. I plan on using this very technique, but, say, once per week if boondocking for several weeks at a time. I will be using a solar charging system I've just finished building as the sole charge source for the rest of the week. The system is in a camp trailer and consists of a 100W (+100W for days of full cloud cover) PV array/charge controller/8AWG stranded copper/100Ah Group 31 Sears/Odyssey AGM combination, but I've installed an EnerSys/Odyssey (120V input) OMAX-50A-1B (that's a solid 50 amps for the bulk phase!) charger initially as a backup charging source, powered by my trailer's 120V shore input. Now I simply need to replace the Honda 1000i with a 2000W inverter generator and then I'll have it made in the shade. (with the panels in the sun! on 30', 10AWG extensions).
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This thread was pretty funny until it was trolled. Thanks for the great humor.

With my experience on our sailboat and some sailboat cruising I've done, along with my small solar power system for our very simple power needs on our tent trailer. I'm really curious what your using or running where you need a 2000w inverter? The only folks I know that run those have a industrial sewing machine on their cruising boat and do sail repairs and awning work as they cruise around the world to generate funds. We run two group 31's on the boat and that is a fairly typical set up for most average sized charter boats which typically have a fridge running at night. Most charter boats do not have solar set up given your transiting to a new location every day or two which case running the diesel tops off the house batteries etc.

Camping I wonder what folks are running to need much beyond the typical ARB fridge which burns what between 1-3 amps per hour which even in a cloudy situation a 100w panel will be able to handle if its a good unit. The ocean racing sailboats we typically have a higher power load and no engine use or very little engine use for several thousands of miles which case solar and today many are using a menthol fuel cell system to charge batteries up. Auto pilot running 24/7 along with navigation gear and running lights at night demand far more power than the typical ARB fridge and general camping power needs. And the small race boats typically don't carry more than two group 31's for their needs.

Really curious to see what sort of power use folks are actually seeing when on extended camping trips.

Three days on the CA coast and not being overly cautious about our power use we used about 20amps total and didn't have full sun till 1-2pm and only for about 2-3 hours max full sun before the coastal fog had rolled back in. Our two little 10watt panels had us at full charge by 3pm every day granted we were only burning about 8-9amps each night. If I had the typical fridge a 75ah battery and a good quality 80watt solar panel would pretty much handle our needs easily.

 

[228B]

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With my experience on our sailboat and some sailboat cruising I've done, along with my small solar power system for our very simple power needs on our tent trailer. I'm really curious what your using or running where you need a 2000w inverter?

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Now I simply need to replace the Honda 1000i with a 2000W inverter generator...

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I need a generator with more Wheaties than the Honda 1000i, to operate my shore-powered EnerSys OMAX 50-amp charger in a backup role to my solar setup for a small camp trailer using an Engel MT-45.
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Now, I'd also like to use a toaster, but that's not in the cards because then I'd need at least two 100Ah batteries and a 2000W inverter... and some 1/0 cable, etc, and so on and so forth.

 

[228B]

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If I had the typical fridge a 75ah battery and a good quality 80watt solar panel would pretty much handle our needs easily.

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The voice of experience speaks... for your needs. When I started this little project of mine a couple of years ago, it was when ignorance was bliss: I wanted an Engel fridge, and a pretty serious battery to run it for a few days, then I would charge that battery with a small generator and the lower-amp charger I had at that time.
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Now, however, I've been made aware of too much info for my own good, and the can of worms has been opened. It's what is in the middle of that giant snowball rolling down that hill in my backyard... I have a slight tendency for overkill. Too, I wanted to have room to spare as far as the battery goes so I could run a few tungsten incandescent 12V auto bulbs because, again, at the time, there seemed to be no "warm-white" color temperature LED lighting and I didn't like the existing LED offerings. I would like to have something in the neighborhood of a 300-400 watt inverter, also. Right now, a 90-watt inverter the size of a beer can charges my laptop and cellphone.
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Thanks for your post, though. I found it interesting, especially for what's being used as 12V power sources in efficient sailboats. It all applies. Thanks again.

 

[calicamper]

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The voice of experience speaks... for your needs. When I started this little project of mine a couple of years ago, it was when ignorance was bliss: I wanted an Engel fridge, and a pretty serious battery to run it for a few days, then I would charge that battery with a small generator and the lower-amp charger I had at that time.
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Now, however, I've been made aware of too much info for my own good, and the can of worms has been opened. It's what is in the middle of that giant snowball rolling down that hill in my backyard... I have a slight tendency for overkill. Too, I wanted to have room to spare as far as the battery goes so I could run a few tungsten incandescent 12V auto bulbs because, again, at the time, there seemed to be no "warm-white" color temperature LED lighting and I didn't like the existing LED offerings. I would like to have something in the neighborhood of a 300-400 watt inverter, also. Right now, a 90-watt inverter the size of a beer can charges my laptop and cellphone.
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Thanks for your post, though. I found it interesting, especially for what's being used as 12V power sources in efficient sailboats. It all applies. Thanks again.

All modern racing sailboats are running one or two laptops 24/7 with weather routing software and most are using communication gear that take a fair bit of juice also. SSB radio will light you up if you grab the antenna while its transmitting LOL. Inverters are not very efficient and your typical very small inverter easily handles laptops which nearly all of them are ironically 12volt appliances.

I can understand if your watching foot ball on flat screen TV's while camping where generators and big power needs are needed or AC units etc. But I rarely ever see anyone in Expedition Portal forums being that sort of camper where the house and house appliances get hauled along camping.

I'm just curious given I find this stuff really interesting and curious what sort of power use people really have on their various types of camping trips.

 

[228B]

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Hahaha... I can assure you I'm not a flatscreen-TV-camping-generator-running-24-7 kinda camper, besides, that would require I wear a flatbill cap. I like peace and quiet. I also have a few antique/vintage Coleman white-gas lanterns and stoves I use for lighting and cooking. In fact, I can't stand generator noise (but I love motorsports!). I only wish to have a generator to serve in a backup role powering this mighty little 50-amp charger should the need arise. (I also think it good practice to zap this Odyssey/DieHardPlatinum Group 31 with some amps from time to time...)
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I have a Morningstar MSC meterbus-to-serial adapter on the way and have just d/l'd the MS View software in order to alter the charge voltage setpoints in this little SunSaver MPPT 15L I have. I purchased that particular charge controller before! I was introduced to my new hero, HandyBob S.hearer. If starting again, I'd avail myself of the Bogart Engineering Trimetric battery meter (still a good idea to add to my existing system) and their new solar charge controller.
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I'm just curious given I find this stuff really interesting and curious what sort of power use people really have on their various types of camping trips

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My sentiments, exactly.