generators

Submitted: Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:48
ThreadID: 67022 Views:5166 Replies:13 FollowUps:11
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hi everyone, i need some help in buying a generator. i would like to run a 80lt waeco fridge, a laptop, approx 2 lights and approx 3 mobile chargers for 2 weeks. getting fuel is not a problem. i have been reading all the specs for different kinds and to be honest i have NO idea what i am looking for. i would like a quiet one but i don't want to pay to much, something reasonable (even second-hand would be ok for the right one). also could anyone tell me in simple terms what else i would need. i have always found this site to be the best place to come to for advice! cheers, lovell21.
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Reply By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:55

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:55
Honda EU20i




AnswerID: 355212

Follow Up By: Member - Warfer (VIC) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:56

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:56
x2
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Follow Up By: Isuzumu - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:56

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:56
Now don't forget to tell him to buy the most expensive boys hehehehe.
I have a SF 2000 Chinese blue one, goes great $356 E-Bay mate has a SF 1000 brought for $220 another blue one on E-Bay.
So lovell 21 depends on how much you want to spend and don't be afraid to go the cheaper one these Honda guys won't bite to bad hahahaha
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Follow Up By: new boy - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 22:24

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 22:24
Yesterday went to the Perth caravan Show Honda EU2i was $1,699 included was a cover ,security chain and a trolley best price I,ve heard of
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Follow Up By: Member - Warfer (VIC) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 22:39

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 22:39
**I have a SF 2000 Chinese blue one, goes great $356 E-Bay mate has a SF 1000 brought for $220 another blue one on E-Bay. **

But dont they clang/bang/breathe fire and fart like a Chinese Dragon at a Chinese New Year Festival or is that a myth ! lol



Cheers
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Reply By: Member - Rick P (NT) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:58

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 20:58
Well you came to the right place. The Honda EU10 is regarded as the one of the best on the market. You have pure 50hz of power the same as you get at home, which is a must for your laptop. You will also get about 8hrs out of your 2.4ltr tank of fuel.
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Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:04

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:04
The 20 however gives nearly twice the capacity and is no noisier It is however more expensive.
A secondhand 20 would be pereferable to a 10.
Remember there are lots of places they are not allowed and even more where they are simply not liked.
If price is a factor I saw some Yamahas cheap at Watsons at Pt Maquarie last week.



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Follow Up By: Member - Rick P (NT) - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:45

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:45
Yep the EU20 might have twice the power but it's also heavier, bigger and uses a lot more fuel and at this stage you don't need anything bigger to run what you have, we have run 5 fridges a freezer and a couple of battery charges with 50 metres of extension cords to all the camps. granted you won't get your 8 hours at that rate. Still it's your choice as long as it's a HONDA EU.
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Follow Up By: lovell21 - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:57

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:57
thanks everyone, like i said best website ever!
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Reply By: DIO - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:04

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:04
I imagine that you are already aware of the problems generators can cause when used in proximity to other campers. I trust you will be well away from others who head into the bush to enjoy the quietness of nature and not the continual humming of an engine - somewhere in the background. Good luck with whatever you choose, enjoy your trip.
AnswerID: 355217

Follow Up By: lovell21 - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:56

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 21:56
hi, yes i am aware of the problems, but as i am camping at the Murray i don't think anyone will hear it over the speedboats going up and down day and night (yes at night). and we always find a hollow or the like to put it in. thanks.
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Reply By: Member - Smiley Bill - Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 23:12

Friday, Mar 20, 2009 at 23:12
Hi lovell21,

Stick to the name brands eg Honda, Yamaha etc. Modern electronic equipment doesn't like the frequency (Hz) supplied by the cheaper generators and you risk your gear not running properly or damage.

Simple conversions for you:-

- the number in the model designation is a rough indication of out-
put eg EU10 is about 1000 watts.

- 1000 w. equals 1 Kw. or 1KVA.

- "VA" is volt-amps, KVA is Kilo volt-amps (volts x Amps)

- 2400 w. at 240 V. is 10 Amps.

- Add up the total wattage of what you want to run off your
generator then add at least 20%. It is not a straight conversion,
appliances will always pull more current than the total wattage
you calculate.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Regards, SB.
AnswerID: 355240

Reply By: Member - Fred B (NT) - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 00:07

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 00:07
I have had several gensets over the years, all different brands, but the best has been the Honda EU20. It is quiet and runs to the load on it, not flat out all the time as most sets do.
Fred B
VKS 737: Mobile/Selcall 1334

Lifetime Member
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AnswerID: 355247

Reply By: ross - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 00:59

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 00:59
One more generator opinion wont hurt, LOL

I like the Yamaha efs1000 but I was at the Perth Caravan and Camping show today and there were some very quiet Chinese gennys operating.
But they may not have sounded so quiet in a tranquil camping area.

If you are patient ,you will get a top quality ,hardly uised Yamaha/Honda at a good price in the classifieds.

You cant beat them for easy starts,low fuel consumption and low dB

AnswerID: 355250

Follow Up By: Member - Graham H (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 17:43

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 17:43
The main thing to consider when buying a gennie is not the price but how pure is the output of the sine wave power.

If its rat bleep it will cost you more in stuffed equipment than the difference in cost of buying a well known more expensive model,

Computersand motors dont usually like rough power so buy a good one and be safe.
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Reply By: ross - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:00

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:00
Hondas are red ,
yammys are blue
Kipors and Scorpions,
run like poo
AnswerID: 355251

Reply By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:17

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:17
Yamaha is the best bang for the buck.
I have a Honda 30i and it is "heavy" and expensive.
I had a 20i b4 that and will never buy a Honda again.
The Yamahas are a much better product in my book.
My choice is the 2400is and I already have a box on my
slide-on camper for it. We use the Honda on our property when power fails (like tonight for example) .
In your case a 1kva is enough and the Yamaha is lots cheaper and still as good as the Honda
just my 2c
good luck
gmd
AnswerID: 355253

Follow Up By: hazo - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 12:34

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 12:34
I'll second that!
I have had the Honda eu2i and now have the Yamaha 2400i.
Yes its heavier,and slightly bigger physically, but IMO far superior to the Honda. Slower running rpms, for same load, bigger capacity, petrol cock,and cheaper to buy service and repair!
Bear in mind that your requirements may change and buying smaller is not always the ideal way to go.
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Reply By: muzzgit - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:51

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 01:51
I'll second that. I have a Honda 10i but a mate of mine bought a Yamaha 1000 at about the same time. They will both easily run what you want.

The yammy runs a bit longer on a tank of fuel and has a fuel on/off tap so the carby is not full of fuel for long periods.

Cheers,

Muzz
AnswerID: 355254

Reply By: MEMBER - Darian (SA) - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 12:31

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 12:31
One plan might be a thumper style portable battery (that charges in the car while you are mobile) plus a modest sized genny - you can run everything off the thumper initially - fridge, chargers, lights and the puta (via a dedicated puta transformer)...... then when the battery is down a bit you can run it up again with the genny - that way, the genny won't be on all the time - my guess is (as an example) a Yamaha EF1000iS and a thumper would be no dearer than a quality 2k generator.... the thumper could stay put and when you move the genny around, it won't be a heavy one. Just a thought.
AnswerID: 355309

Follow Up By: Maîneÿ [wa] - Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 13:31

Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 at 13:31
If your going to spend in the vicinity of $1,500 on a generator, consider what has been said above, in National parks you can't use a generator, in close proximity to other campers you will be nicely asked to turn it off, or risk it stopping with dirt in the fuel tank etc if it annoys other campers.

Get a Chinese one if it's NOT going to get a lot of use or even better look into the many benefits of a "quality" solar system :-))

Mainey . . .
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Reply By: Road Runner - Sunday, Mar 22, 2009 at 00:56

Sunday, Mar 22, 2009 at 00:56
You didn't mention if you intended to use the generator to run power direct or charge a battery. The few items you have would probably cope with around a 100 AH battery and use a generator to keep it charged. You would only need to run the generator a few hours per day with a decent battery charger connected.

I looked at 2KVA and 1KVA some time back and settled on the 1KVA Yamaha as it was lighter and smaller than the 2KVA models. If you are running airconditioning then go for 2KVA minimum.

I'm powering similar equipment to yourself and if I need to, I run the generator for an hour or two each day to charge the batteries through a 25A smart charger.
AnswerID: 355404

Reply By: Axel [ the real one ] - Sunday, Mar 22, 2009 at 10:22

Sunday, Mar 22, 2009 at 10:22
Another + for the Yamaha 1kva , 2/300$ cheaper than the Honda 1kva , slightly quieter , less fuel for same use x hrs run ,, unless your c/trailer has aircon 1 kva is ample ,, usefull round home if/when power outages , will NOT run a full household of white goods but will run fridge/freezer + tv and lights.
AnswerID: 355422

Reply By: garryk - Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 22:08

Thursday, Apr 16, 2009 at 22:08
G'day
Can anyone tell me what prices the 1 kva Yamahas or Hondas were going for at recent shows ; or at this weekends Sydney show .
I am thinking of buying one and trying to decide whether to act now or wait for Brisbane caravan show in June

Garry
AnswerID: 359893

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