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Post Info TOPIC: Generator V Solar.
DUSTYRHODES


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Generator V Solar.
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We are new at this caravaning thing and as with anything new there's always lots of people wanting to offer advice, tell you what you need, tell you what you don't need etc.

Problem is... some of them don't have the experience to be telling you anything.

We'll sort it out as we go, but the one thing that is causing me grief is the power supply.

Firstly let me tell you all, WE ARE NOT MILLIONAIRES but do intend to get out and use this little OFF ROADER out in the bush, it's a big step up from camping.

Ok, what we have is a new 1500 w 'PROJECTA' 100ah, 12v system wired through an Anderson plug to the to the tow vehicle and to 240 for charging as well.. So we have 12v and 240v. Pretty standard I would presume.

Along with plenty of Gas for cooking and to run the fridge, the occasional Caravan park to use some 240v,  I'm thinking I will still need a reasonable Generator to top up the battery system when necessary. Yes ?

Do I need a modern inverter type generator to do this, or is an old style 2.0 or 3.0 kva generator good enough. (our local cash converters has a very clean Honda 3.0 kva going cheap which would run everything as well as a portable Air cond that we already had).

Surely I don't need an inverted generator, because we have the PROJECTA. After all an inverter is just a Transformer, isn't it ?, for use with 12v items if required. Or does it serve another purpose. ?

We are having 12v plugs fitted to the van. At this stage there are none because it didn't have the system before we bought it and the Dealer didn't fit any. ? What was the point ?

Anyway......... Is 100ah enough for a couple of days in a 'GREEN' Park, to run some lights at night, possibly a radio/CD or TV/DVD player, or do we need more.

How much charge can a std vehicle Alternator produce, that is, if I double up to another 100ah battery making 200ah total,  will the car charge it with no probs.

THEN THERE'S SOLAR PANELS.....

the only issue I have is how well do they work in Winter, overcast days, or partly cloudy or under a tree. Do you then need more battery back up for extended stays in the bush. Where a generator will run day or night,  rain or shine, to charge your system.

Please help, or I will be in trouble when the bride comes home from work. A place unfortunately where there are plenty of 'experts'

All help appreciated, DR.

 

Oh.....    Can we use the 12v plugs while we are hooked up to the 240v for charging, as in a caravan park or on the generator. thanks DR.

 



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Karl Marx.."the masses are the asses" Groucho Marx.. "I never knew my brother Karl"
Jaahn


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Hi,
Well if you are looking for experts this is the place !

My quick comment is this. The inverter to give 240v from 12v is a power hog. It can use all the power in a battery in quick time. Use sensibly. Or re-reading your post I am not sure if you have a 12 to 240v inverter or a 240v to 12v battery charger ??

The difference between the "new inverter" type generators and the older types is just weight and noise. The weight may be ok if you can avoid lugging it around, but the noise may be a nuisance to you and also to other campers. If the background noise is very low in the bush the generator can sound a bit loud and is a constant drone.

I use solar panels and no generator !! Read all the previous post on these subjects here, it's all been asked before ! But start trying your system out at home, should be OK :)
Jaahn



-- Edited by Jaahn on Wednesday 7th of January 2015 02:24:38 PM

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DUSTYRHODES


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Thanks Jaahn,

No we don't have an inverter, just a 12v 'Smart system' which can be charged through the car or 240v.
When I asked the dealer, "do we need an inverter" he said NO. ?

Or is it actually a 240v - 12v 'inverter'.

When our local Auto electrician comes back from holidays I'll go in and get him to explain it all, the Dealer didn't do a very good job.

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Karl Marx.."the masses are the asses" Groucho Marx.. "I never knew my brother Karl"
Peter_n_Margaret


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Sadly, it is unlikely that your auto electrician will be able to give good advise, but he should be able to tell you what you have.
There are many places and times that using a generator will not be appropriate, whereas solar will work any time, anywhere, just not as well in poor conditions or shade.
Your battery should be adequate for your applications at the moment.

Solar has never been cheaper than it is now. Sooner, or later you will install it.
When you do, buy the biggest and best quality solar controller you can afford because it is very likely that you will add more solar over time.

Cheers,
Peter


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OKA196, 4x4 'C' Class, DIY, self contained motorhome. 960W of solar, 400Ah of AGMs, 310L water, 280L fuel. https://www.oka4wd.com/forum/members-vehicles-public/569-oka196-xt-motorhome
 

 
Jaahn


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DUSTYRHODES wrote:

Thanks Jaahn,

No we don't have an inverter, just a 12v 'Smart system' which can be charged through the car or 240v.
When I asked the dealer, "do we need an inverter" he said NO. ?

Or is it actually a 240v - 12v 'inverter'.

When our local Auto electrician comes back from holidays I'll go in and get him to explain it all, the Dealer didn't do a very good job.

 Hi dustyrhodes,

Well looking again at what you said and Googling it seems you may have a Projecta inverter/charger. Perhaps your expert may confirm this, or exactly what it is. If we know what it is we can be more helpful. These units will charge the battery when connected to 240v power and also at other times give 240v power when the 12v battery will supply the power. So my comment above about 12 to 240 inverters stand. {PS the term inverter has been blurred and merged with transformer etc ! }

So when you are plugged into 240v power the battery will be charged at max of 18 amps by the look of the specs I found. If you leave it plugged in then you would be able to run some 12v outlets in the van to power your tv, dvds, lights etc and the unit can supply the power directly without the battery being discharged. Note,  Good wiring lessens the wastage of 12v power found in a poor system.cry

You can run all that you mentioned for some days on that battery alone if you are careful. LED lights save lots of power over the old filament globes. Get say 5 times the battery life with them. Modern TVs etc are heaps better too so check the watts or current draw on them before you buy, go for less hmm . 

The car alternator is a powerful charger too. Perhaps 70 to 100 + amps depending on what it is fitted to. Probably an overkill to think about a second alternator for that setup, even with another battery. Just ensure that you are getting the second battery properly charged fully to the correct voltage and the voltage is not lost in the connections to it from the tow vehicle. I cannot say if the Projector does this properly or not without knowing what it is. However there are other units to fit that will ensure the second battery get fully charged when the tow engine runs. Just more money no 

Cheers Jaahnconfuse

PS Read this thread "Installed solar panels do they really work?"

A Google gave this ?? Projecta 1500W Pure Sine Wave Inverter / Charger Specifications: (I have cut it down a bit)

  • Input Voltage: 12V DC
  • Output Voltage: 220 - 240V AC
  • Output Fequency: 50 ± 3Hz
  • Continuous Power Output: 1500W
  • Peak Output Power: 3000W
  • Output Waveform: Pure Sine Wave
  • No Load Current: <1A
  • Charging Current: 12V/18A±1A
  • Absorption Charge: 14.4V±0.2V
  • Floating Charge: 13.8V±0.2V



-- Edited by Jaahn on Wednesday 7th of January 2015 06:40:37 PM



-- Edited by Jaahn on Wednesday 7th of January 2015 07:53:01 PM

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Treecrest14


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Hi
I'm not an expert, but my experience has guided me towards solar as the Generator noise does annoy those around you and they are quite heavy when watching your van/tug weight. You can't rely solely on recharging your batteries from your vehicle as you would need to be driving most days - I like to setup camp and do day trips to the local sights..

I've put my solar panel on my cvan roof and also have a portable one with which I chase the sun duirng the day -if I need to. Ensure you use LED lights & gas for the fridge - that will save draining power out of your battery. You will find most solar panels will generate reduced power on overcast days. We just spent 2.5 weeks at a free camping site with no power issues.

BTW - I do have an inverter so that I can enjoy a cappacino in the morning or run the microwave if I want to.

Gln

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Glen

 

A diesel Nissan Pathfinder towing a Coromal Element 542.
Aus-Kiwi


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Solar doesn't need fuel.. Just needs some storage for overnight..

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