Hi all. I need some advice. I intend to buy a newer motorhome in the near future, and have a Dometic or similar roof mounted air con unit fitted. I will probably go for the mid size one.
The thing is, that I intend to tour Europe for extended periods and expect to wild camp from time to time.
My question is this, what size suitcase generator should I go for? Will the smaller (Honda eu10i) be sufficient, or ought I go for something bigger. And before people start going on at me about me being inconsiderate having a generator PLEASE don't! This is just to use when wild camping and no EHU is available!!!
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I guess the answer is how much power you will use with AC and other devices, how many hours a day you will have genny on to re-charge, how many batteries and what size you are using and if you will be moving around regularly and re-charging from engine.
You may not have all the numbers at this stage but should be able to do some estimates.
You will not be able to use the aircon off batteries at night it would quickly drain them and if you are thinking of the aires system other campers there would not want a genny running for any length of time of an evening. You would be able to use aircon while on the move though as your engine is producing enough to operate it, and cool the motorhome.
As a general guide, you need to read the information label on the air conditioning unit and identify exactly how many watts the appliance is. As an example, if it states 1,000 watts then you actually need a generator which is bigger than a eu10i (1,000 watt generator) to power it. I have a Honda EX650 suitcase generator which produces 650 watts maximum output but it won't run my low voltage 750 watt electric kettle because the generator is under powered so I would need at least the eu10i generator minimum to power it. If the label states anything between 1200 to 1800 watts then you would need the Honda suitcase 2,000 watt generator which although is the ultimate portable power they are quite expensive to buy new.
Thanks Chatterdog. Don't think that I would be looking to run A/C overnight, just perhaps for 30 mins after sunset to take the temp down, or through the day on and off if sat inside.
Didn't know that I could run it whilst driving, so that is useful info, Thanks.
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Thanks Tango55. Thats what I was thinking. I reckon that I want enough "umph" in reserve so that I am not pushing the genny too hard. That way I guess that the noise goes up and the consumption goes down!
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I'm not sure how motorhome aircon works, if its similar to normal aircon, you may need a quite a heft genny to get it going.
I had a small freezer, only 33W, my 750W genny couldnt get the compressor started though.
Id find the make/model of the aircon and contact the manufactures to see what size genny would be required.
the honda ones are VERY quiet, a few market traders round me use them , you can barely hear them.
Clarke (machine mart) make a similar type of thing, not quite as quiet as the honda ones, but still pretty good.
Just be a little bit careful with the output figures quoted for generators. For example (figures from Honda web site), the 20i has a MAX output of 2KW, but a RATED output of 1.6KW. Take the rated figure as the one that the genny can comfortably provide continuously, with short peaks up to the max. So if your a/c unit requires much more than 1.6KW, it's a big hike from the 20i to the 26i - weight alone rises from 21Kg to 54 Kg and the cost - you're now looking at £2k.
But I have had another thought. Bearing in mind that I know very little about motor homes, but won't the vehicle come with a/c anyway, like the climate control in my car. So all you need to do is run the vehicle's engine for a while.
Hi Del, yes the vehicle will have cab air con, which will serve to make the cab and possibly the living area cool. The bedroom would not benefit from this, and the generator will produce less noise when running than the engine would I suppose.
Interesting thought though, thanks.
Glyn
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Topic: Air Con & Generator
