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I'd like to purchase a generator I can run off one of my normal boat 13kg propane gas cylinders. Around 2KVA should be plenty. One of its tasks will be to power a grinder / sander for stripping paint, etc., so automatic load control would be good, ie. the engine speeds up when it's under load and drops back to idle on no load. Something nice and quiet would be good too! Do you have experience of any makes and models please? A good place to buy would also be really helpful. Cheers.

Hello, I have a Lugger generator (Model number: M673LD3.5) and it keeps tripping out (or appearing to) when i switch to generator input - there isn't a load on it at that point and the fuse is intact. Any ideas? Does it just need a service? Thank you for any help

THE owner of a canal boat was forced to leap into the cold water after the vessel went up in flames. And the dramatic incident on the Trent and Mersey Canal, off Newport Lane in Middleport, also resulted in the death of the man’s pet dog. Crews from Hanley and Sandyford were called out to the fire at 8.30am this morning. Incident commander Martin Hall, based at Sandyford, said the boat was well alight on arrival. He said: “It appears the fire was caused when the owner had been refilling an onboard generator. The fumes and petrol had created a fireball. “The owner was forced to jump into the water while the other occupant was able to get off onto the footpath. Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Man-jumped-canal-ball-canal-boat-Middlport-update/story-26026779-detail/story.html#ixzz3RldvzXH5 Generators are a popular topic on CWDF and the BSS often alerts owners to the risk from carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust fumes. But every so often people using generators on boats are involved in very serious fires. We have news of another sad event linked to the potential refilling of a generator. I know it will be heartbreaking for the owner to lose a pet dog, never mind their boat and belongings. At least we can be thankful that both occupants escaped. To help support our our advice to refuel (and run) portable generators ashore, the BSS has reminder stickers 'Refuel Ashore'. They are are available to stick on portable petrol tanks, spare fuel cans and portable generators. They are free, just email the BSS office directly (please don't use the PM service for this) using the email address below. And we can also provide copies of the Fire Kills / BSS booklet Fire Safety on Boats which is also available on our website www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe

Has anyone tried one of these portable generators. I can't find any reviews on them, so assume they must be quite new. Good price compared to lots of others though. http://thepowersite.co.uk/evopower-evo3000ei-2-8kw-electric-start-inverter-generator/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwhLCgBRCf0fPH043IlJwBEiQAf8P8U2GbnlZClthCZzpS4-XJc7F6hV8Jb0if8MXLgOn5MukaAnQR8P8HAQ

Hi. I have a honda 26i Generator and it will not run my new washing machine. so heres the sequence —honda 2.6i does not run my machine BUT it does run my neighbours larger machine - so not a load problem —my neighbours 2k unbranded noisy generator does run my Machine - so not a load problem both machines have digital inverter Motors any advice At all welcome their machine is no longer on the market so i cant buy one. many thanks in advance steve

Hello! When we got our boat 18 months ago, it had a very simple 12v system, and all I've done so far is modernise it slightly - a few more cigar lighter sockets, all LED lights etc. But we still don't have any kind of 240 power setup. We've got by so far with just 12v and that really fits most of our needs - charging phones, laptops and so forth. But the odd luxury here and there (blender, juicer, hoover) would not go amiss. We don't have any immediate plans to get an inverter (£ flow) but probably will someday. So in the immediate future the only times we'll be using 240 power is when we have landline hookup (very rare as we are CCers) or when we run the gennie. I only really envisage fitting one double socket in the kitchen area, but might also put one by the bed and in the living area (thinking about future users if we ever decide to sell). With all the above, what do I need to do in order to have this? I've had a look through the BSS website but couldn't quite understand what it all meant! Can I simply put a hookup socket on the outer cabin, run it to a socket in the engine room into which I'd plug in the battery charger, and a line running into the main cabin to a socket? Does there need to be a fusebox of some sort? Excuse my ignorance, as you can tell from above please assume no prior knowledge! Many thanks!

Hello everyone, I was hoping to start a discussion about power systems on a narrowboat. I've read both of Paul Smith's books about living aboard and the very informative Tim Davis articles about narrowboat electrics. What I don't know is what people down-on-the-ground actually *think* about different power strategies. At the moment we are trying to choose between two boats that we like and think are practical. We have lined up a remote semi-permanent mooring with no mains power (basically a friend-of-the-family is giving us a mooring at the bottom of his field) but for us, about 40% of the appeal of a boat is cruising, so we would like to do that as well. However, just "running the engine in the morning" doesn't really appeal to us (why not just move the boat? and also the farmer doesn't want too much of that) and isn't it true that you shouldn't do that with an older engine? So may I ask which boat the knowledgeable liveaboards living here would pick? (they are comparable in every other way.) I feel like Boat 1 is pretty appealing, but it doesn't have a generator. We've got some cash for buying new batteries - we just assume we'll need them - but man, those build-in generators sound freaking expensive! Boat 1 A Beta 43hp engine 240v landline (not very interested in this, but could be useful) Mastervolt 1200v inverter with a Sterling battery charger 3.5kva travel pack 300w solar panel with a control panel 1 starter and 3 leisure batteries Sterling battery management system Boat 2 ~60 year old Lister JP3 engine rebuilt 2002 (not sure if you should even run this just to power the batteries - isn't it bad with the older engines, or is that an old husband's tale?) 240v landline Waeco 2kw inverter, Sterling charger built-in Honda 2.2kw silent generator (PETROL) 1 starter and 2 leisure batteries Would y'all mind telling me which setup you prefer, or what you have on your boat?

Good day, Reading the instruction manual for the generator has me confused and an internet search has not cleared things up. I need some guidance please. The manual states to use a high "detergent" oil. OK, High detergent to me means that there are additives in the oil to keep any debris/particles in suspension in the oil so that the filter can clear them out. Only the generator doesn't have a filter in the oil system. So to me I should use a low/nil detergent oil to allow any debris to fall to the bottom of the crank case and be removed at the oil change. The manual at one point states to use 10W-30 for 0 degrees to +30, then in later pages gives 10W-40 for -5 degrees to + 20 degrees and 15W-40 for +20 degrees. My question is, what grade of oil should I be using for routine operation in our unpredictable summers? Should it be fully synthetic or a semi-synthetic or pure mineral oil? If my statement above, about the function of the "detergent" in oil is correct how do I choose an oil which is low or non-detergent? Thanks Dave R

I'm in the market for a generator. Some may remember I'm the proud owner of a nearly new / nearly knackered set of (4x110ah) batteries. Before I replace the batteries I feel that having a 240v feed to the Victron Inverter charger would be a good way of looking after them (both as a daily bulk charge and weekly extra absorbtion charge - see I'm learning!). I know that some of you like travel power but to me that is still using the engine, and I think the engine is too expensive to wear out just charging batteries. So, I believe the only affordable option would be a suitcase generator that runs on petrol. But, I'm not that keen on messing about with jerry cans, storing petrol, paying pump prices etc. Then I saw suitcase generators that come ready lpg'd! Bingo I'm thinking. I've only scratched the surface - one company that supplies all the favourite gennies (Honda, Hyundai etc) with the lpg gizmo hooked up already. But a quick google for lpg generators brings up a lot more besides. As far as I can tell, the gas works out cheaper, you don't have to store petrol, and lpg can be picked up off the passing fuel boat or many other convenient places. The large cylinder lasts quite(?) a while. Doubtless there will be plenty of detractors. I'm very interested to hear about affordable diesel generators, or anything else really (but lets leave solar and wind to another thread). I'm wanting to spend up to 1k. I await your thoughts, experiences and musings, gentlemen (and ladies!).

So I've got a Honda EX1000 charger and it bust my first 50amp charger, I've since had this replaced and it's literally done the same thing (part of the circuitry blows). I have no idea what's going on, I thought if there was too much power going to the charger the fuse was blown. Is this more of a charger issue or a generator issue?

Hey everyone, new to boating and still very dumb about it but trying to learn. The problem relates to the batteries, I have a solar panel and charger and the charger tells me the voltage of the batteries. When I charge them via the engine, the voltage can go up to 13 - 13.2 volts which says to me they are charged but it only takes an hour or two. I've been told I'm not charging them for long enough but if I leave it on charge for longer it generally stays the same voltage the whole time and when I turn the engine off, it goes to 12.9-12.7 which I'm aware is fully charged. An example today is my voltage was at 12.2 so I charged the batteries for 2 hours, the batteries were at 12.7 when I finished charging and they're back down to 12.2 again after only 2-3 hours even though I've only had LED lights running and 1 usb charger for a mobile. What I'm basically asking, which has been mentioned on my previous posts, are my batteries knackered or do I need to leave them charging for longer regardless of what my controller says? I've ordered a generator and battery gauge so hopefully that will give me more answers. Thanks! Oh also, I have 2 x 110amp leisure batteries.

I've been researching proper inbuilt marine diesel generators and have found the following brands to look at: Fischer Panda, Kohler, Mase, Paguro, posibly Farymann. And Whisper. Firstly - anything I've missed? Secondly, I was interested in something like a dometic, that bt use, if it could be workable. That brings me onto my third question - what are the requirements that allow a proper marine diesel genny to be fitted in the engine bay over rigging up a "normal" frame or suitcase diesel genny in such a way? Oh and one last thing - how do they cool? I think I read that the Whisper cooling can be plumbed into the calorifier but I might be wrong. I only have 44cm height on my side bits (counters?). So I was looking for something long and low - a lot of the stuff I've seen seems to be exactly the opposite. thanks guys

I want to buy one of these... http://www.justgenerators.co.uk/stephill-ssp2000-generator.html#.WfSSqDe1vnM but I'm wondering if it will give a well enough regulated output for most "sensitive" equipment. I can bolt this to the stern deck, run it off lpg and leave it all hooked up as the case is weatherproof as well as offering some noise reduction. Or would I do better with a kipor inverter generator or similar? Downside being it cannot be secured and will need setting up every day. The supply will pass through my Victron3000 but I don't think that does anything other than add power from the batteries if needed. Mostly it'll be going the other way ie charging but I would be running everything from a washing machine to laptop off it at one time or another.

Hey so I had a look at my genny yesterday and found that it is a 850W petrol frame type. My battery bank is 450AH and im thinking of getting a 50amp charger. Have I done my maths correct? 50 amp charger X 12v = 600W 850W *0.75 (3/4 load) = 637.5W

Hi, I'm a newbie so please be gentle. My recently purchased boat has a Victron Energy Phoenix Multiplus battery management system which automatically switches from shore power to Inverter, and manages battery charging for me. I also have solar panels integrated into this, topping up the leisure batteries. At the moment I am marina based, and just plug in the shore power and that's it. Next year I will be continuously cruising, so am looking at getting a Propane driven Honda EU20i suitcase generator to top up the leisure batteries on days when I am not cruising and the alternator isn't running. I'd rather do this than run the main engine just to charge . Is this simply a matter of taking the 240v output of this generator and feeding it into my shore power socket via a suitable cable, or is there more to it than that?

Having decided on lpg as the fuel source for a generator, and worked out what rating of generator I need, I'm keen to make a purchase. But I'm confused by the lpg gizmo itself. I can buy a genny already converted, with the lpg device either situated on the generator itself, or "on bottle." I'm unsure as to which would suit me best. I'd like to be able to keep the gas bottle in its locker and use some kind of connection point to hook the genny up with a hose nice and quick (so the genny can sit out on the tow path). My other alternative is to source a genny then add the lpg converter - but these seem to range from £40 up to a couple hundred, some with two main parts (a replacement carb?) some with just the diaphram shaped thing. Confusing. Am I correct in thinking that the generator could be stored inside the boat as there will be no fuel in it - or would a residue of lpg be trapped in the pipework, making it unsafe for that type of storage? I'd like to hear from anyone who has or knows about lpg generators and the associated gubbins. Thanks

Can anyone point me towards something to help me with an energy (or should that be power?) audit? Or is it just a question of writing everything down in a spreadsheet or whatever? I'm aware I'll need to take average power drawn for each appliance, over the length of time its running for. Also any stuff sitting quietly on standby etc. But if it's an item that would only be running while either the engine or a generator is supporting it, should that be counted? Thinking about it - it's surprising how many powered devices have crept aboard lately...

I'm going to be away from shore power when blacking my narrowboat and I'm thinking of getting the Hyundai P1 P2500i for hooking up to the boat to keep the batteries charged. https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F1WY2ZV/ Will this do the job of replacing shore power? Thanks!

Afternoon! Quick(ish) query. We are continuous cruisers with a 63ft narrowboat - no shore-power. We are planning to get a washer dryer, just to do a couple of washes every fortnight or so. We have an inverter (Mastervolt 12/2000 - power 2000w, max 4000w), battery bank, charge from engine type set up. The washer dryers we are looking at all have a power rating of around 2100 to 2200w. I just want to know whether the inverter could handle this machine (with the engine running of course)? We have a 3.2 genny but it is noisy and would rather not use it and also I see that there can be problems with washing machines not working from gennies cos of the sine wave blah blah (I know nothing about this). I know that they are thirsty on water etc etc and some people don't agree with having them if you are a cc without shore-power etc etc, but if we run it once a fortnight for maybe 4 or 5 hours can we do this using our present inverter whilst running the engine (either whilst cruising or stationary)? Does the 4000w maximum inverter spec mean that it can comfortably deal with a machine drawing 2200w?? Hope you can help! Mike