Jump to content

Electrolux Travelpower.


Badger

Featured Posts

Hi, I am thinking of having fitted an Electrolux Travelpower unit. Can I ask a couple of questions to clarify my understanding.

 

1. Does it have an on/off fitted so that it only produces power when i need it.?

 

2. I take it that it saps a lot of power from the engine when it is turned on, therefore using more diesel.?

 

3. If switched on while cruising, can it power a battery charger to assist the engine alternator. Or would that harm the alternator somehow?.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Badger

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I am thinking of having fitted an Electrolux Travelpower unit. Can I ask a couple of questions to clarify my understanding.

 

1. Does it have an on/off fitted so that it only produces power when i need it.?

 

2. I take it that it saps a lot of power from the engine when it is turned on, therefore using more diesel.?

 

3. If switched on while cruising, can it power a battery charger to assist the engine alternator. Or would that harm the alternator somehow?.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Badger

 

1. Yes

 

2. Yes, but not so as you'll notice.

 

2. Yes. No harm to the alternator.

 

Edit to add I've got a Beta 43 with 5.5 KvA Travelpower, Victron Phoenix Combi 12/3000/120 and 120 Amp domestic alternator.

Edited by aread2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I am thinking of having fitted an Electrolux Travelpower unit. Can I ask a couple of questions to clarify my understanding.

 

1. Does it have an on/off fitted so that it only produces power when i need it.?

 

2. I take it that it saps a lot of power from the engine when it is turned on, therefore using more diesel.?

 

3. If switched on while cruising, can it power a battery charger to assist the engine alternator. Or would that harm the alternator somehow?.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Badger

 

1) Yes

2) I don't know but there can't be much in it

3) Yes no problem

Personally I'd rather have a quiet generator - you could get a Honda EU20i for about a third of the price of a travelpower.

Edited by blackrose
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1) Yes

2) I don't know but there can't be much in it

3) Yes no problem

Personally I'd rather have a quiet generator - you could get a Honda EU20i for about a third of the price of a travelpower.

 

Exactly. It depends on why you have a Travelpower in the first place.

 

On the Pro side you get 240 volts for large appliances and you don't have to worry about carrying petrol for a suitcase generator. On the Con side you have to run your main engine for charging. As we cook on 240 volts and the main engine is in an acoustic enclosure it's not an issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

 

I have a 3.5KW travel power on a 45hp Barrus.

 

I notice a drop in engine power when I turn the electric kettle on.

 

I have used a 80A mastervolt successfully with it to put more into the domestic batteries.

 

It is most useful running a Zanussi washer/dryer, while under way.

 

To save the batteries, I usually start the engine when I want to use the microwave.

 

A good piece of kit in my opinion.

 

Cheers

Edited by Philip Davies
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 3.5 travelpower on a 33hp barrus. I use a Mastervolt 12/80 charger which charges really well. I use very little power, no fridge or TV, and use LED lights. This means that I do not have to charge the batteries for more than 2 hours a week. This also allows me to use the washing machine. Definatly a top bit of kit. However if it breaks I dont know if I could afford to replace it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However if it breaks I dont know if I could afford to replace it.

This made me think. Useful bit of kit, wonder if I could make one. Let me see, alternator, rectifier, inverter. That gives me a frequency independant of engine speed and a nice regulated output and..... Oh hang on, I've already got all that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This made me think. Useful bit of kit, wonder if I could make one. Let me see, alternator, rectifier, inverter. That gives me a frequency independant of engine speed and a nice regulated output and..... Oh hang on, I've already got all that!

 

 

..... and the article in one of the mags recently, with a 10 HP pancake motor which could be turned into a 5 to 6kW generator with a big heap of traction batteries, so enabling an "all- electric boat" on demand, with 240 v a.c. for not that much more than a travelpower but with the bonus of silent travel and fuel and fumes saving when in locks, especially long flights, has got me interested... and can be fairly easily retro-fitted ... Of course its more expensive but has lots of extra kit to keep me involved, as well as offering the extra benefits... ( I admit I do like technology and "gadgets" )

 

Nick

 

:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This made me think. Useful bit of kit, wonder if I could make one. Let me see, alternator, rectifier, inverter. That gives me a frequency independant of engine speed and a nice regulated output and..... Oh hang on, I've already got all that!

 

Not quite, but almost. I've been pondering this myself now that the price of inverter type generators has plummeted.

 

The alternator required produces about 350 volts not the usual 14 volts. Can you rewind one to do this? Because the current is so much lower for the same power rating we can get a much higher power output from the same size alternator.

 

Then buy a Kipor (or whatever) inverter generator, rip the inverter out, and feed the output of the newly modifed engine alternator into it. Obviously it's not quite that straightforward but that's the general idea.

 

Gibbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The alternator required produces about 350 volts not the usual 14 volts. Can you rewind one to do this? Because the current is so much lower for the same power rating we can get a much higher power output from the same size alternator.

But presumably you'd have to worry much more about insulation when going from 14V to 350V? (Both against shorts and frying the operator.) Can you rewind to 14V alternator to 350V and still keep the voles in SirNibble?

 

MP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But presumably you'd have to worry much more about insulation when going from 14V to 350V? (Both against shorts and frying the operator.) Can you rewind to 14V alternator to 350V and still keep the voles in SirNibble?

 

Snib can do anything he wants with alternators. The ones used on the Travelpower look to me very much like a modified Bosch unit.

 

Gibbo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, I am thinking of having fitted an Electrolux Travelpower unit. Can I ask a couple of questions to clarify my understanding.

 

1. Does it have an on/off fitted so that it only produces power when i need it.?

 

2. I take it that it saps a lot of power from the engine when it is turned on, therefore using more diesel.?

 

3. If switched on while cruising, can it power a battery charger to assist the engine alternator. Or would that harm the alternator somehow?.

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Badger

 

:lol:

I have one and would not be without it.

 

1/ Yes

2/ Not noticeable

3/yes no probs

 

Also it has one huge advantage over suitcase gennies in that whilst u run it u get the power for washing machine etc etc and can still charge batteries at full wack from whatever your engine 12 volt alternators give. A typical suitcase gennie only gives about 8 amps dc charging.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also it has one huge advantage over suitcase gennies in that whilst u run it u get the power for washing machine etc etc and can still charge batteries at full wack from whatever your engine 12 volt alternators give. A typical suitcase gennie only gives about 8 amps dc charging.

You can run a battery charger from a suitcase generator! Nobody who's serious about battery charging would use the DC output of their generator. I can run my washing machine and charge the batteries at the same time from my generator.

 

The only advantage that a Travelpower has is not having to bring petrol on board.

The disadvantage of a Travelpower is that you have to run your engine which on some boats is a bit noisy and can produce unwanted vibration and resonance within the boat. The other disadvantage is that you're putting a lot of hours on an expensive engine as opposed to a relatively cheap generator.

Edited by blackrose
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But presumably you'd have to worry much more about insulation when going from 14V to 350V? (Both against shorts and frying the operator.) Can you rewind to 14V alternator to 350V and still keep the voles in SirNibble?

 

MP.

Oh my poor thumbs! Yes, I suppose so, and fit an appropriate transformer to deliver 14V to the field circuit which with a little adjustment should be suitable to regulate output voltage on the original reg too. I did once experimentally reconnect a stator in series zig-zag configuration and stuffed the resulting single phase output through a transformer to light a 240V lamp. It would be a most interesting project, if I had the time and facilities I could amuse myself for ages trying, but I don't, so I won't. Make a good magazine article tho' wouldn't it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can run a battery charger from a suitcase generator! Nobody who's serious about battery charging would use the DC output of their generator. I can run my washing machine and charge the batteries at the same time from my generator.

 

The only advantage that a Travelpower has is not having to bring petrol on board.

The disadvantage of a Travelpower is that you have to run your engine which on some boats is a bit noisy and can produce unwanted vibration and resonance within the boat. The other disadvantage is that you're putting a lot of hours on an expensive engine as opposed to a relatively cheap generator.

 

:lol: Hi

 

Ok some truth in that but everything in life costs money so my beta might only last 20 years instead of thirty but messing about outside humping a petrol gennie about in the winter or summer for that matter is not what I wish to do nor the wife !!, also how big a suitcase would u need to run the washing machine and tumble drier together and put 100 amps of charge into your batteries and indeed how much would the four stage charger be that could throw a 100 amps out ?

:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:lol: Hi

 

Ok some truth in that but everything in life costs money so my beta might only last 20 years instead of thirty but messing about outside humping a petrol gennie about in the winter or summer for that matter is not what I wish to do nor the wife !!, also how big a suitcase would u need to run the washing machine and tumble drier together and put 100 amps of charge into your batteries and indeed how much would the four stage charger be that could throw a 100 amps out ?

:lol:

 

Why hump the generator about? I don't. It sits chained & covered outside.

 

Yes I have to go outside to start it up but is that really such a great hardship? Anyone with a cruiser stern will have to go outside to start their engine too.

 

Is it really necessary to run a washing machine & tumble drier simultaneously?

 

A decent generator capable of running a small washing machine or drier (not both at the same time) + a 100 amp 3 (or 4?) stage battery charger will still cost a lot less than a Travelpower! I have a 40amp and a 30 amp charger (70 amp output in total) that I can either run together or just use one depending on what else I am running. They cost about £480 and if I wanted to add another 30amps (which I don't) it would all add up to about £710. (It's probably cheaper to buy a single 100amp charger.) Plus I paid a grand for the generator (Honda EU30is). A Honda EU20i costs about £850 brand new.

 

How much does a Travelpower cost?

Edited by blackrose
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How much does a Travelpower cost?

 

 

When I was at that decision point, and saw the Beta 43 came with a 175 A main and 45 A starter alternator ( = 220A total) I thought that would likely be enough for most applications, so spec'd a Victron 12/3000/120 combi. If the 175A alternator is not enough on its own, I can combine the output from the 45A as well, or even change the 45A for something a bit larger - maybe around 100 A.. Not had chance to test the system fully yet and see if it's needed... so thats the next step..

 

However when quoted around £4000 for a 3500W travel power and the incremental cost of the slightly larger alternator and maybe a Sterling box, I thought I'd prefer to not have the Electrolux and make the boxes I already had do a bit more work. I must say that the Sterling adverts at the time asking why a Travelpower was needed did sway me, although I havent got one of their boxes (yet)

 

Nick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was at that decision point, and saw the Beta 43 came with a 175 A main and 45 A starter alternator ( = 220A total) I thought that would likely be enough for most applications, so spec'd a Victron 12/3000/120 combi. If the 175A alternator is not enough on its own, I can combine the output from the 45A as well, or even change the 45A for something a bit larger - maybe around 100 A.. Not had chance to test the system fully yet and see if it's needed... so thats the next step..

 

However when quoted around £4000 for a 3500W travel power and the incremental cost of the slightly larger alternator and maybe a Sterling box, I thought I'd prefer to not have the Electrolux and make the boxes I already had do a bit more work. I must say that the Sterling adverts at the time asking why a Travelpower was needed did sway me, although I havent got one of their boxes (yet)

 

Nick

That sounds like one big mother of an alternator.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-travelpower. If someone gave me one I'd gladly fit it. The more bits of equipment and alternatives one has on a boat the better in my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That sounds like one big mother of an alternator.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-travelpower. If someone gave me one I'd gladly fit it. The more bits of equipment and alternatives one has on a boat the better in my opinion.

 

 

Yes - it does look pretty chunky, and the 45A one does look a little "weedy" - may look around for a slightly larger one to replace so that I have a decent back-up in case of problems with the main one....

 

Nick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why hump the generator about? I don't. It sits chained & covered outside.

 

Yes I have to go outside to start it up but is that really such a great hardship? Anyone with a cruiser stern will have to go outside to start their engine too.

 

Is it really necessary to run a washing machine & tumble drier simultaneously?

 

A decent generator capable of running a small washing machine or drier (not both at the same time) + a 100 amp 3 (or 4?) stage battery charger will still cost a lot less than a Travelpower! I have a 40amp and a 30 amp charger (70 amp output in total) that I can either run together or just use one depending on what else I am running. They cost about £480 and if I wanted to add another 30amps (which I don't) it would all add up to about £710. (It's probably cheaper to buy a single 100amp charger.) Plus I paid a grand for the generator (Honda EU30is). A Honda EU20i costs about £850 brand new.

 

How much does a Travelpower cost?

 

Ahhh :lol:

Got me there they are loadsa wonga but so are Rolls Royces.............the best option is I am afraid to say not usualy the cheapest :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhh :lol:

Got me there they are loadsa wonga but so are Rolls Royces.............the best option is I am afraid to say not usualy the cheapest :lol:

Yes, except that for many of us the Travelpower is not the best option.

My generator is much quieter than my engine, it doesn't vibrate the whole boat and I'm sure anyone who I moor up next to appreciates it too.

 

Anyway, if we're talking rolls royce we should be talking about a proper water-cooled, sound insulated inboard diesel generator like the Northern Lights 1500rpm 5kw job with remote control for about 5 grand. It requies some space to install but It shits all over your Travelpower and my generator!

Edited by blackrose
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a 3.5 travelpower on a 33hp barrus. I use a Mastervolt 12/80 charger which charges really well. I use very little power, no fridge or TV, and use LED lights. This means that I do not have to charge the batteries for more than 2 hours a week. This also allows me to use the washing machine. Definatly a top bit of kit. However if it breaks I dont know if I could afford to replace it.

Hi....thought I'd be a helpful guy and give you details of what to do if your travelpower breaks.

Mine is attached to a Beta 43 and has a hard life with powering tools, battery charger, washing machine and vacuum.

After 14 years the alternator was cooked, maybe because the big thick cable had 'had it' and blown the alternator ( I took it apart...cooked !!)

I took it to : Cox automotive- electrics at 10 Abeles Way, Holly Lane Industrial Estate, Atherstone, Warks. CV9 2QZ

Telephone : (01827) 712097 / 718484

They were amazingly helpful and it was returned rewound, painted a nice gray , the control unit was like new and was rebuilt. They also provided a new improved thick connection cable ( made up to length as I asked)...and guaranteed it for a year.

Total cost was £521.58 a lot I know....but nowhere near the price of a new unit.

I hope this is of use as its hard to find people to work on these.

Cheers.

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.