Author Topic: portable 240 generator  (Read 4054 times)

diverphil

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portable 240 generator
« on: February 23 2020, 09:59 »
hi, does anyone out there use a portable Genny (suitcase type),if so what type, rating and how are you finding it to work. noise being one of my main concerns , cost being the other.
my thoughts are to get one around 2kw max 1.6kw continuous 240v to plug into the shore power socket on the boat, to be able to use a microwave and heat the water (not at same time) and re-charge battery's etc. when no shore power available.
ime thinking of this as at the moment the shore power has failed due to the storms were having and I need to get on with jobs on the boat and not sure when the power will be back on. also that it would be a useful back up to have if for some reason I managed to flatten the Eng. battery or the alternator failed.
thanks
phil

Symphony

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #1 on: February 23 2020, 13:18 »
There are really only two types that meet that requirement. The Honda at over £1000 or the many copies at around half the price. They are really only suitable for occasional use on the boat at anchor or moored up. They have significant downsides - noisy (cheap copies usually noisier!), use petrol and have to be operated in the open air. They are an inefficient way of producing 240v for heavy usage, although many find them useful for occasional use such as running power tools and appliances when laid up. Whether it is worth the hassle (heavy, bulky, need to carry petrol) when cruising is really a personal choice. Some, such as long term liveaboards who want to be more self sufficient clearly do even if their neighbours in a quiet anchorage might not agree.

Many think it better to spend the money on enhancing their 12v systems with larger battery capacity and alternative charging methods such as solar, fitting an inverter  and accept that they can't use 240v for heavy use unless on shorepower. With a properly set up system there is no reason why you should ever have a flat engine start battery, and you can further reduce the already tiny possibility by wiring the system so that you can use the house bank for engine start in an emergency. Having both banks flattened in normal use is serious mismanagement.

In the situation you describe where you are only going to use the generator when moored to a pontoon without electricity then there is some sense in having a generator for power tools, using a kettle or microwave while on board. This is what many of our club members did before electricity was installed on the pontoons. the generator was kept on the pontoon while it was running and no petrol (or even the generator) stored aboard. In this case one of the cheap copies is probably the better choice.

diverphil

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #2 on: February 23 2020, 14:37 »
thanks for the input, its looking like my assumptions are correct.its either ouch on the pocket or ouch on the ears :-\. the use would be as you described, power tools or charging battery's whilst no power available, then when we start going places to use occasionally when anchored.
we would have petrol on the boat anyway for use in the outboard.
there are a set of jump leads on the boat (I keep finding things when were down there) 
looking at various sites for camping etc senci sc2000i look to do the job at around £500 and around the same db as Honda, although db rating can be misleading, pitch matters as well when it comes to noise annoyance.

dgmultimedia

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #3 on: February 23 2020, 17:02 »
]https://www.generators-direct.co.uk/camping-and-caravan/hyundai-hy2000si-digital-inverter-suitcase-generator?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4sjyBRC5ARIsAEHsELGEg-830ZUnGwsrbZuHTufF8Iv6kT4gqpzFkMp9ST_qDdJQD3feNzEaAl5yEALw_wcB[url][/url]

The Hyundai one is pretty good for occasional use - a friend has one and as it is an "Inverter" type in ECO mode the engine speed lowers when the load is low thus reducing the constant noise...

diverphil

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #4 on: February 23 2020, 17:15 »
 :), that's one of the types I was looking at ,similar specs to senci

Jeff Jones

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #5 on: February 23 2020, 19:47 »
I have a Honda 2kw genny as a backup, bought it from machinemart in UK for same sort of money as the Hyundai. I sit it on the transom step and tie it off with a rope, it plugs into shore power socket. Works really well as its a invertor generator.

Symphony

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #6 on: February 23 2020, 23:44 »
The Honda EU 22i is nearly £1200 from Machine Mart - and other suppliers. There are many like the Hyundai under different brand names for around £500.

Jeff Jones

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #7 on: February 25 2020, 21:15 »
Symphony, sorry for the bad steer on price, just looked it up and price has jumped up like mad. I got mine about 18months ago so expected the price to be similar now..as to what I paid.

Symphony

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #8 on: February 26 2020, 15:45 »
That's Ok I was surprised how expensive they were since last time I looked, and how big the differential was with the clones.

diverphil

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #9 on: February 28 2020, 19:48 »
for the amount of use its going to get then £500 squid clone it is then...thanks for all your input..phil

Craig

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #10 on: April 02 2020, 04:01 »
Just some thoughts on the size of generator required.

I'm not sure about your boat but my Bav 38 ( 2009) has a battery charger that charges the battery bank at a maximum of 40 amps. ( ie. 480 watts approx). I think this is standard but others on this forum may correct this for other models.

Therefore bigger generators will not do anything that a small petrol generator will do if you need to plug the generator into the shore power inlet on the boat.

If you have a microwave on board then you will probably need a 1500w or preferably a 2000 w inverter. I don't know the exact power factor of a microwave but mine appears to be about 1.5. So, if I set the microwave on 800 watts, I am actually drawing about 1500 watts from the batteries. Even with a 420amp/hour batteries installed this is not good unless I have the engine going or I am on shore power. I can happily use the microwave with my generator operating.

Given that the maximum draw from a generator will be 480 watts to charge the batteries, I have a small, noisy 1000w ( 1kva) petrol generator.

I have also changed the heater element in the water heater from the standard 2000 watts to a 500 watt element.

I can charge my batteries and heat my water at the same time and easily use my microwave.

The only time I have ever used the generator was while I was at anchor for long periods of time. ( rarely).

Think about your usage before buying a generator. I notice that B & Q have cheap petrol models for a fraction of the price mentioned in the other posts above.

Craig
"Shirley Valentine"
Gold Coast
Australia

diverphil

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Re: portable 240 generator
« Reply #11 on: April 03 2020, 07:55 »
Update..I went for the Hyundai 2000 si. It will power the charger and microwave at the same time.but cuts out if i put the kettle on with them all together. I didn't expect it to cope with that draw and was just seeing how far I could push it. It's fairly quiet ..I asked a liveaboard about 20mtrs away if the noise was bothering him and he said ,what genny I hadn't noticed one running.
It runs for around 6 hrs on a fill up. General use.
 And enough power to do what I need.
Sorted😀.