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Portable Generator Options


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7 minutes ago, RufusR said:

If you want 800 watts form 3 panels the Perlight are good also I have seen some Panasonic super slim ht’s I think they were at 295 watts each , Great panels if you need slim think about 650mm wide but longish and a bit pricey . Look at a frame swivel mounts they will do the trick for you . Midsummer mounts look immensely complicated , similar is Better 

Talking of Panasonic I did look at this seller the other day who offer 'free installation'.  They haven't replied to my enquiry.  https://loryanmr.com/advice.html

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Plus any installer seller who says “ do install panels flat , it won’t make any difference “ is an idiot and clearly is not aiming at live aboards. 

See my post about own interests not yours .

Double the output on mine by tilting them , 30 % more min on any boat . You need that power I the winter months on the cut . 

 

Also nothing is for free , see price of panels lol

 

 

 

Edited by RufusR
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2 minutes ago, RufusR said:

Plus any installer seller who says “ do install panels flat , it won’t make any difference “ is an idiot and clearly is not aiming at live aboards. 

See my post about own interests not yours .

Double the output on mine by tilting them , 30 % more min on any boat . You need that power I the winter months on the cut . 

 

Also nothing is for free , see price of panels lol

 

 

 

100% with you on all that. 

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Getting back to the generator, my other concern is storing it and the petrol.  I think the only safe place I have room for it would be on the well deck.  There is a cratch cover and a sturdy metal ring welded to a locker I could use to secure it.  The well deck has three metal lockers sadly without padlock rings and the middle one has the bowthruster battery, which I guess is a potential source of ignition?  The gas locker is on the stern deck and the bedroom is at the bow end.  The two smaller lockers in the cratch could hold a petrol can or two if they were made secure.  Is there other stuff I need to consider about this? 

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Just now, RufusR said:

Get one with a lpg conversion . Solves all and much cheaper to run 

I had considered that having watched Jono's vid on the subject.  His findings at the time were that petrol was cheaper per KWH and that must be the case right now, at least.  It has pros and cons I think... there is gas on the boat already (two 13kg) but I'd be a bit nervous about having a gas line going out onto the towpath.  Not sure why, exactly, I just would. 

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18 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Getting back to the generator, my other concern is storing it and the petrol.  I think the only safe place I have room for it would be on the well deck.  There is a cratch cover and a sturdy metal ring welded to a locker I could use to secure it.  The well deck has three metal lockers sadly without padlock rings and the middle one has the bowthruster battery, which I guess is a potential source of ignition?  The gas locker is on the stern deck and the bedroom is at the bow end.  The two smaller lockers in the cratch could hold a petrol can or two if they were made secure.  Is there other stuff I need to consider about this? 

When not in use the generator and petrol cans should be stored in a locker which meets the BSS requirements for a gas locker - fireproof and fitted with a drain at the lowest point so any petrol vapour is discharged safely overboard. When in use the generator must be placed where there is no chance of fumes getting to the interior of the boat. That means not in the well deck, not anywhere near open doors or windows, not on the roof. For most boats the only safe place is on the bank away from the boat.  And get a big chain and padlock to secure It, or someone will have it away.

Edited by David Mack
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10 minutes ago, David Mack said:

When not in use the generator and petrol cans should be stored in a locker which meets the BSS requirements for a gas locker - fireproof and fitted with a drain at the lowest point so any petrol vapour is discharged safely overboard. When in use the generator must be placed where there is no chance of fumes getting to the interior of the boat. That means not in the well deck, not anywhere near open doors or windows, not on the roof. For most boats the only safe place is on the bank away from the boat.  And get a big chain and padlock to secure It, or someone will have it away.

 

@The Gravy Boater - please read this /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\  again.

 

 

And this :

 

 

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe/generator-safety/

 

There are three critical risks linked to using generators that boaters must know about and manage if they are to keep themselves and other people safe from being poisoned, being electrocuted and avoiding fire.

 

These are the core points that should never be forgotten.

  • Never install a portable generator permanently or make unauthorised modifications that are not supported by the manufacturer, or proprietary component supplier.
  • Never run generators on the boat, or on the bank near to doors, vents, windows and hatches. If you can smell exhaust fumes in the boat, it could mean the cabin is also filling with deadly carbon monoxide.
  • Never refuel any generator anywhere aboard the boat; take it to the bank and ensure you are a safe distance from other boats and potential sources of ignition.
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5 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Honda, end of. 

Correct!

 

Four more have appeared in the past few months on our moorings for the daily battery charge; 18 boats, half of which are residential.

In Stone we think of nothing else,

I had a EU10i for 15 years (!) and now and replaced it with another.

 

James

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3 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 OP needs at least a 2000 VA genny unless he can reduce the charger power - some let you do this some don't, but a 1000i won't run a 70A charger into flat batteries.

 

I know @Alan de Enfield spotted this because of the generators he suggested, but I don't know if @The Gravy Boater picked upon it.

Mu EU10i will "just" run my 60A charger. I have to set the genny on full power to get it to start charging at 60A then, once it's got going, I can flick the switch to adaptive power. As you say, it wont run a 70A charger.

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Ok, but one of the new ones is a Honda EU2.2i.  The man next to him has had a EU20i for some years.

A Honda will cost at least twice as much as the opposition but will last umteen times as long, start on half a pull every time and ARE the quietest.

As the man said, Honda, end of.

 

James

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9 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

I wanted to use the front of the boat for storage boxes but maybe I just need to put one of the three panels at the front.

You could also have panel-sized storage boxes with panels mounted on top. 

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I have a Kipor EG770. Only weighs 10KG and does up to 4 hours on a litre of fuel, depending on load. I chain it to one of the supports for the handrail at the rear of the cruiser deck when it's in use, which is just 3 or 4 months in the winter. Otherwise I completely drain it down, including the carb, and store it under my bed. I run it on the towpath next to my boat. Petrol comes from my motorbike via a syphon tube.

 

My view is that if you're just going to use a genny for battery charging you don't need a 2000w version. I don't know what battery charger you have but on many of them you can 'dial down' the ampage e.g. make a 40a version 20a. Certainly the instruction book for my Sterling suggests this can be done. The vast majority of your running time with a genny will be putting less than 20amps into the charger. So, there may be a relatively short time when the 20a could have been 30a or more if you'd bought a bigger genny but offset that against the lower weight and lower running costs of a smaller genny...  

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9 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

@The Gravy Boater - please read this /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\  again.

 

 

And this :

 

 

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe/generator-safety/

 

There are three critical risks linked to using generators that boaters must know about and manage if they are to keep themselves and other people safe from being poisoned, being electrocuted and avoiding fire.

 

These are the core points that should never be forgotten.

  • Never install a portable generator permanently or make unauthorised modifications that are not supported by the manufacturer, or proprietary component supplier.
  • Never run generators on the boat, or on the bank near to doors, vents, windows and hatches. If you can smell exhaust fumes in the boat, it could mean the cabin is also filling with deadly carbon monoxide.
  • Never refuel any generator anywhere aboard the boat; take it to the bank and ensure you are a safe distance from other boats and potential sources of ignition.

 

Another point is storage of petrol and the generator itself (unless completely drained of fuel).

 

Never store petrol or the generator in the engine space (or above the engine space where fumes may enter it) or in the cabin. Storage should be in a dedicated locker with a vent for fume drainage overboard. 

Edited by blackrose
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11 hours ago, sueb said:

Are you sure you need a generator? If you are cruising a lot you may not need one. We CCd for 25 years with no solar power and had no need for a generator. We found them to be noisy things that can only be used between 8am - 8pm

 

But in your 25 years you found that noisy polluting diesel boat engines that can also only be used between 8am - 8pm were ok? My Honda is quieter than most boat engines including my own. 

Edited by blackrose
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45 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Another point is storage of petrol and the generator itself (unless completely drained of fuel).

 

Never store petrol or the generator in the engine space (or above the engine space where fumes may enter it) or in the cabin. Storage should be in a dedicated locker with a vent for fume drainage overboard. 

 

Exactly - hopefully the OP opened the link, where he would have seen :

 

Stowage of generators that have integral fuel tanks containing petrol and spare fuel cans

  • in a self-draining, vapour-tight and fire-resistant locker, or
  • on open deck, but never over or near deck boards where, if leak occurs, dripping petrol or stray vapours could find their way through into the boat’s interior.
  • Petrol cans and spare fuel containers should be stored away from any source of ignition, ideally in dedicated drained lockers, where any escaping petrol fuel and/or vapours will flow overboard and dissipate safely.
  • Take care to protect petrol containers; any that are subject to impacts, dropped or generally treated roughly could start leaking.
  • Don’t store tools, anchors, mooring pins or other items in the same locker that could cause sparks, damage the petrol containers or block the drains.
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12 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

I bought that same generator second hand but only used once or twice.  The second time I used it, it died.  I took it to Machine Mart who were pretty useless and declared it unrepairable.  My advice - avoid.

 

I now have Kipor and it's excellent.

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2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

But in your 25 years you found that noisy polluting diesel boat engines that can also only be used between 8am - 8pm were ok? My Honda is quieter than most boat engines including my own. 

My Kipor is far quieter than my engine when heard from within my boat.  It's kinda noisy outside when close to it, but the sound doesn't seem to carry.  The noise and vibration from a boat engine carries long distances through water to other boats.  My generator is only run on the bank so I expect other boaters can barely hear it.  From end of Feb to end of Oct, I only run it once a week anyway, to run my washing machine and do my vacuum cleaning.  Those are the only high drain appliances I have and I'd rather not strain my batteries.

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Some great advice here and interesting opinion. Just a small thing to think about - if you're absolutely certain that you will only use your generator for charging the batteries, by all means get one that will suit that application but generators are really useful things for running appliances that require more power capacity than your inverter may be able to dish out. I went for the Kipor IG2600 because while my inverter is fine for general use, I couldn't run a toaster/microwave/large powertool off it and while I don't have a toaster or microwave (and no plans to do so either), I do have a few large powertools that I can now run. There are plenty of other applications for a larger generator that you may not immediately think of but down the line may think "I wish I'd got the bigger one".

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1 hour ago, NB Caelmiri said:

Some great advice here and interesting opinion. Just a small thing to think about - if you're absolutely certain that you will only use your generator for charging the batteries, by all means get one that will suit that application but generators are really useful things for running appliances that require more power capacity than your inverter may be able to dish out. I went for the Kipor IG2600 because while my inverter is fine for general use, I couldn't run a toaster/microwave/large powertool off it and while I don't have a toaster or microwave (and no plans to do so either), I do have a few large powertools that I can now run. There are plenty of other applications for a larger generator that you may not immediately think of but down the line may think "I wish I'd got the bigger one".

I have the IG2600 but they've sadly stopped making it.  My washing machine requires a continuous 1950w for parts of the cycle so I needed one with a continuous output above that.  Most 2000w or 2200w generators don't produce that much.  All the other choices I looked at, including Honda, would have been a step up to a 3000w genny which is too heavy for me to lift and has wheels so is a bigger thing to be able to store properly.  The Kipor IG2600 was the perfect thing for me.  I don't know what I'd get if I needed to replace it.

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4 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

The Kipor IG2600 was the perfect thing for me.  I don't know what I'd get if I needed to replace it.

You can daisy-chain 2 x 2000w (1600 w continuous) Kipor together. Just use one on the 'normal' jobs and daisy chain them for the washing machine.

Its a lot easier to lift a 2kw than a 3kw.

 

 

Screenshot (184).png

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59 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

You can daisy-chain 2 x 2000w (1600 w continuous) Kipor together. Just use one on the 'normal' jobs and daisy chain them for the washing machine.

Its a lot easier to lift a 2kw than a 3kw.

 

Interesting - why would you want 440V?

((daisy chain to me means joining in series....)

 

 

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

You can daisy-chain 2 x 2000w (1600 w continuous) Kipor together. Just use one on the 'normal' jobs and daisy chain them for the washing machine.

Its a lot easier to lift a 2kw than a 3kw.

 

 

Screenshot (184).png

 

interesting. I didn't know that.  Downsides would be cost and storage space.

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