Running 12v from a generator

[gary3029]

Have a two bank 110 leisure batteries and a engine start battery. When I am not on the boat a wind generator keeps them topped up. Now due to circumstances I find I need to use the boat as a base so I can see my daughter, as I live elsewhere. When i visit at weekends and school holidays I basically live on the boat and visit my daughter. Weekends have not really proved a problem with power supply. I mainly run my diesel heater, which at this time of year is vital, and my lights.
The problem has arisen this week, because after 5 days batteries were very low, heater would not start and it was not much fun being on the boat. There was very little wind so batteries have not charged. Have actually had to cut my visit short and return home.

Having bought a cheap Chinese generator which failed, I bought a Honda 10iu. I have used this to charge the batteries to great effect. What I want to know is: is it possible to run my heater and lights direct from the genny so that I will have full batteries for later in the evening and during the night for the heater? Didn't know if I could disconnect the terminals from the battery and connect these to the 12v outlet on the genny?

 

[VicS]

No, the DC facility is for battery charging only

RTFM as they say .... specifically page 31 ...... Honda EU10i Manual

 

[LadyInBed]

Didn't know if I could disconnect the terminals from the battery and connect these to the 12v outlet on the genny?

As Vic says, no, but why would you want to. Float charging is a far better option as it helps to smooth the supply.
With a generator, it also gives you further options:
12v o/p to charge one bank and 240v charger to charge the other bank.
Mains (< 1 kW) lighting, fan heater or dehumidifier come to mind.

 

[FWB]

VicS.....

If I bought one of these, could I plug its AC outlet into the boat's shorepower inlet and thus charge the batteries via the boat's charger? ie Would it be just like plugging in shorepower but with a 1Kw limit? I have RT(F)M.

 

[LadyInBed]

VicS.....

not Vic, but the answer is yes, that's what I do.

 

[FWB]

Thanks!

 

[Heckler]

Have a two bank 110 leisure batteries and a engine start battery. When I am not on the boat a wind generator keeps them topped up. Now due to circumstances I find I need to use the boat as a base so I can see my daughter, as I live elsewhere. When i visit at weekends and school holidays I basically live on the boat and visit my daughter. Weekends have not really proved a problem with power supply. I mainly run my diesel heater, which at this time of year is vital, and my lights.
The problem has arisen this week, because after 5 days batteries were very low, heater would not start and it was not much fun being on the boat. There was very little wind so batteries have not charged. Have actually had to cut my visit short and return home.

Having bought a cheap Chinese generator which failed, I bought a Honda 10iu. I have used this to charge the batteries to great effect. What I want to know is: is it possible to run my heater and lights direct from the genny so that I will have full batteries for later in the evening and during the night for the heater? Didn't know if I could disconnect the terminals from the battery and connect these to the 12v outlet on the genny?

As others have said, and what I do. Make up a connector to join your shore power lead to the genny, on mine it is a 16 amp plug (blue euro, as I call them) to a std household square 3 pin plug. Make sure that your mains switch to the calorifier is switched off! Plug everything together, start the genny, you should now have mains power to your battery charger, this will charge your batteries, they are also designed to take the load if you have 12v things switched on. So, my Bene, SDMO 900 watts genny chundering away, tele running off the mains, mains 60 watt light on, 15 amp charger putting some in to the batteries, so fridge on, eber on etc etc.
Thats the way to do it!
Stu
PS and you dont have to read the fekkin manual either!

 

[tjc]

Stu

I am looking at getting one of thsese genny things - can you run your calorifier from it as that's what swmbo wants when we are away from the marina

Tony

 

[BGW]

Stu

I am looking at getting one of thsese genny things - can you run your calorifier from it as that's what swmbo wants when we are away from the marina

Tony

If the generator is of sufficient power, yes.
You need to check the rating of your immersion heater, and make sure you buy a generator capable of supplying that much power continuously.

 

[cimo]

As others have said, and what I do. Make up a connector to join your shore power lead to the genny, on mine it is a 16 amp plug (blue euro, as I call them) to a std household square 3 pin plug.

you mean 16amp socket to 3 pin plug stu? it's the safer method.

 

[Stu Jackson]

General rule of thumb for Honda generators:

1000 watt will do for charging batteries

2000 watt is required to heat the hot water and run the battery charger - generally the heater elements are 1500 watts

(for 120 V USA alternating current)

 

[Heckler]

Stu

I am looking at getting one of thsese genny things - can you run your calorifier from it as that's what swmbo wants when we are away from the marina

Tony

Tony
Have alook at your calorifier on the end and see what the wattage is, mine is 1200 and too much for my little genny. I was talking to a deale rlast weekend and he reckons that most boats have 750 watts and mine would run one of those. To be sure you need a 2 kw genny, Hondas are quite dear but quiet and reliable, Kipor more noisy and not so reliable, SDMOs are French, use Kohler (German) engines in the small one like mine and Honda engines in the bigger ones, they are a lot cheaper than Hondas and just as reliable, invertor technology as well.
Stu

 

[Heckler]

you mean 16amp socket to 3 pin plug stu? it's the safer method.

Correct, wrong description
Stu

 

[Heckler]

Stu

I am looking at getting one of thsese genny things - can you run your calorifier from it as that's what swmbo wants when we are away from the marina

Tony

Tony
this looks about right, http://www.screwfix.com/prods/36694/Power-Tools/Generators/SDMO-Booster-2000-1700W-Generator
Stu

 

[Goldie]

Tony
Have alook at your calorifier on the end and see what the wattage is, mine is 1200 and too much for my little genny. I was talking to a deale rlast weekend and he reckons that most boats have 750 watts and mine would run one of those. To be sure you need a 2 kw genny, Stu

I swapped my 1200W heater element for a 750W one which is a stock item (Cleghorn Waring I think) specifically to run with a 1KW generator. It wasn't particularly expensive (about £60 a couple of years ago) and works a treat.

 

[gary3029]

Yes I did RTFM thankyou and the page you quoted but that does not mean because the manual says one thing there are not other ways around it. From the answers it would appear what I was asking was not so stupid.
Thankyou Skipper Stu for thinking beyound the manual!

 

[VicS]

Yes I did RTFM thankyou and the page you quoted but that does not mean because the manual says one thing there are not other ways around it. From the answers it would appear what I was asking was not so stupid.

You asked a straight forward question to which not only was the answer NO but was answered in the manual on page 31.

You asked if it was possible to run your heater and lights direct from the generator

The answer is nO. It says no in the manual. The answer remains No.

You did not ask for suggestions of other ways of doing things nor did you even hint that you had a mains/or shorepower charger
Just the Honda and a wind generator.

Be wary of one statement, namely that your battery charger is designed to supply load simultaneously with battery charging. Some are specifically designed to do that ... others by implication may not be so designed.
The statement was made without as far as I can see of any knowledge of the type of charger you have. Odds are that it will be OK but just because Skipper Stu's is does not necessarily mean yours is. I know he does not advocate consulting the manuals but I think it wise.
Just don't want you to come come complaining that your load has damaged the charger or that some stage in a multi-stage charging regime has damaged some sensitive electronic circuits in a piece of equipment

FWIW some generators have a 12 volt output that is suitable for running 12v equipment but not for battery charging.

I wouldnt mind betting that yours would support some load simultaneously with battery charging but the manual does not say it will so could not suggest it.

 

[Ubergeekian]

You asked a straight forward question to which not only was the answer NO but was answered in the manual on page 31.

You asked if it was possible to run your heater and lights direct from the generator

The answer is nO. It says no in the manual. The answer remains No.

To be fair, it doesn't actually say "no" to - or even address - that question on the DC output page (p31) in the manual. What it says is The DC receptacle may be used for charging 12 volt automotive-type batteries only.

That's ambiguous: it may equally be a warning either only to use the DC output for battery charging or only to charge 12V batteries or only to charge automotive-type batteries.

Page 48 is, however, rather clearer: Only for charging 12 V automotive batteries. 12 V, 8 A. It would be far more sensible if they called it "Battery output" or "Charging output".

 

[VicS]

It would be far more sensible if they called it "Battery output" or "Charging output".

That would help!

The reasons that it should not be used for anything other than battery charging is that it is totally unregulated and a rectified output from what is more likely to be series of pulses than a sine wave. Just like the charging output from a small outboard engine.
If lightly loaded the volts could be quite high and I know to my cost what damage an outboard charging circuit can do to a sensitive bit of electronics if it is run with no battery connected!

Quite clearly what I suggested earlier about using it to simultaneously charge the battery and supply a load is in fact correct.

In the light of learning that for sure that I can change my original answer to :

"No, but you can run your lights and heater while the generator is also charging the battery."

 

[gary3029]

Thankyou, it took a long time to get to a simple answer. People ask questions on here because they don't know the answer and to one person it is maybe very simple to another it is not. To basically answer No...RTFM might be correct, but it is not very helpful and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. To then come back and say I didn't ask the question in the right way so you didn't answer it in the right way is almost being too pedantic.
I asked for advice not sarcasm, all you needed to do right at the start is ask me to make clear what I wanted or did I know what I wanted. Comments like RTFM are not helpful and really let this site down, because however knowledgeable we are we cannot know everything.