'Suitcase' generators - how useful and how quiet?

[gtmoore]

\'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I am currently in a marina berth with full time 240V supply and have a Sterling 20A charger for keeping the batteries topped up. This is very convenient for running things such as a fan heater or the kettle. I am looking to move marinas and if the new mooring/berth didn't have power I was thinking about the possibility of plugging one of these small 'suitcase' generators into my shorepower for a couple of hours now and again to power the charger and perhaps a few onboard bits and pieces. Honda seem to do a couple at 1Kw and 2Kw outputs and Kawasaki do a 1.4Kw at a very reasonable price.

Now I don't want to upset my potential new neighbours with a noisey and smokey generator sitting on the pontoon so just how quiet are these types and would they be suitable for my requirements? Is this the done thing if power isn't available?

Thanks for any advice

Gavin

 

[harvey]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I have the Honda 1kw version and it is v quiet and excellent. You're unlikely to upset your neighbours but 1 kw won't heat a kettle! In fact, while it's not enough power for any sort of heater it's great for recharging batteries, power tools and so on.
John

 

[seaesta]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I went from a marina to a mooring a couple of years ago and have not really missed the electricity. I have a Robin generator but have only ever taken it on-board during winter lay up to do bigger jobs. I suggest you get a solar panel to keep the batteries charged and that will probably be all you need. Running even a "quiet" generator would not be worth the loss of peaceful ambiance when on Board. Also I would not want to be sloshing petrol around the place - or even keeping it on board and a gene is a real burglar magnet.

Dont buy one until you have been on the mooring long enough to be sure you need it.

 

[Strathglass]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I have and use a Honda 1Kw generator (old open style) when working on boats away from power.

It is handy, it works well but it is just not powerful enough. I need to use power tools which are around 600 watt. For example. I am limited to a 125mm circular saw, I cannot use a 1/2" router. It's even worse when I have lights on.

If you are going to buy a generator and wish to do more than charge the batteries look carefully at all your intended uses and ensure it is powerfull enough.

Iain

 

[Guest]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I am a Kawasaki Generator dealer, don’t go for anything smaller than the GA1400, it is not as quiet as the smaller ones but it will still run a small immersion heater and microwave, It’s the largest size that can be got on and off the boat single handed and uses the usual marina connection.

Even that size may not run your battery charger, you will get a much better charge using the 12 volt 8 amp connections on the generator.

 

[jonlaw]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I have a Honda EX 7. Its extremely quiet and one of my best purchases (even though quite expensive). Means you can run a power tool anywhere.
Buy one, but make sure you size it for your needs. You can visit your nearest dealer and listen to it run, then make up your own mind.

Regards

John

p.s Mine is 2 years old - they're cheaper now !!

 

[BrendanS]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

Gavin,
sorry to hijack your post on a non boaty but related issue.

I live in an area subject to fairly frequent power cuts, sometimes for several days, and after several years of enchantment with candles and camping cookers, the novelty has worn off.

What sort of generator would I require to run a fridge/freezer, a microwave or kettle, and one or two light bulbs at the same time.

Thanks,

Brendan

 

[jonlaw]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

Brendan, You have to look at what you want to supply, microwave up to 1000W, two 100W bulbs, fridge - I dont know, freezer i dont know, but if you bought a 2000W gen, left the freezer off until you went to bed, im sure it would suffice, and when the wife wants to dry her hair, turn everything else off and let her do it in the dark !

p.s To connect a gen to your mains would involve your electricity board and lots of money, but you could just have it somewhere convenient and attach your appliances with a long lead, the gen would need to be properly earthed for safe use.

 

[BrendanS]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I wouldn't consider a mains installation that involved the electricity board, it's not worth the expense and hassle for the return. (For the same reason I've ruled out having a mains gas supply put in for 45,000 pounds! You can buy a lot of electricity for that)

One person I know locally plugs his generator into the ring circuit via a long cable into a standard wall socket, and runs appliances off the ring, rather than plug them in via extension cords (generator outside house). Is this sensible, or a no-no? If I did this, I'd use an RCD.

 

[Strathglass]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

I know someone very close to me who may do this after switching off the mains and unpluging the fridge and freezer.
A 1Kw gene will run lights, TV, computer and the pump for the multifuel central heating.

Not so bad this year but usually several power cuts per year up here. This year it has been the water supply or more correctly the street plumbing.

Iain

 

[BrendanS]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

Is this a case of turning off the mains switch at the main fuse box? I wouldn't have thought of that, and if that is the case, makes sense.

I have several fuse boxes, do I turn all of them off, apart from the one controls the ring that the generator would be plugged into?

Is it possible to buy generators that would power a fridge/freezer at the same time as the other appliances, or would it be more cost effective to run the fridge/freezer overnight, and use the microwave and others during the day?

Complete novice at anything electrical asking questions as you can tell

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

As a 'bodge job' you can plug into the ring mains with 1 or 2 plugs (if getting up near 13 amps). You will need to switch off at the main circuit breaker, so you dont get any nasty side effects when the mains is restored. (Generators have center tap earth).
This setup won't give you any lights though, as the lighting (and normally the upstairs 13 amp circuit) are seperate rings.

This sort of setup I would class as desperate measures!

 

[BrendanS]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

Err! Centre tap earth? Can you explain the consequences of a 'bodge job'

After sometimes having to endure five days of no heating apart from log fire, no cooking facilities etc, I suppose you could term me as desperate, and looking for measures that would make life a little easier.

I can't really complain, most of the local residents are in similar cirumstances, and are a great deal older than me. Do my best to supply them with hot water for tea/coffee in thermos flasks, but would be nice to be able to heat up meals for them etc. as well as keeping the contents of the freezer

The blitz syndrome soon clicks in though, and it's a great deal of fun usually!

 

[Strathglass]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

A single fuse box. So switch it off, but all the outputs are still connected together all through their fuses and the ring main is connected to the other circuits through it's fuses.

My generator is floating output but main switch in fuse box is double pole.

I would be reluctant to sugest what to do in an instalation with several fuse boxes without seeing it.

You can look at the rating plate on your freezer to see the power it would require, then add at least 30%.

Iain

 

[Strathglass]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

Brendon sent you a PM

 

[jleaworthy]

Re: \'Suitcase\' generators - how useful and how quiet?

If you are to use a generator for your house electrics you must isolate them from the mains. On a single consumer unit (fuse/circuit breaker box) this means knocking off the main switch usually at the right hand end. If more than one consumer unit try to find a single circuit breaker further back in the mains supply which will cut off all the consumer units at the same time. If you are going to feed generator output into a ring main by plugging in a 13 amp plug be aware that you will be using that plug in a "non-approved" (ie dangerous) way as its contacts will be live when the generator is running whether or not it is plugged into a socket.
When buying a generator recently the best buy I found was a 2.8 kVA (about 2.2kw) powered by a Honda GX160 engine at about £320 inc vat from www.generators.co.uk. Big enough to power oil or gas central heating plus freezer plus a couple of lights plus telly. Using microwave might mean knocking off freezer temporarily.

 

[gtmoore]

Thanks for the advice

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm obviously going to have to give some hard though as to my requirements before jumping in.

Cheers

Gavin

 

[snowleopard]

OUCH!!!

plugging the generator into a wall socket means that you have a live male plug, i.e. the bare pins are at 240v and if anyone accidentally touches them they will be FRIED! Just because it's a generator and not the mains doesn't make it any safer, people have been killed by a small inverter.

 

[stubate]

fitting a genny to house

i am in the same position, frequent power cuts etc.
got MANWEB the local util co to fit a main breaker coming in (old house, used to go straight to consumer unit) they did this FOC. was then in a position to switch off the mains coming in. At first thought that i would have to fit a fail safe either or breaker to feed to mains or to gennie. but was advised by manweb man that wasnt necessary as long as i could isolate incoming.
next bought a s/hand 4.5 kva honda, put htis in garage and fitted blue "euro" as i call them socket to supply in garage. i had put in a big feed to the garage previously with this in mind.
when mains goes off, switch off incoming, put big sign on!!!, start genny in garage and plug into blue socket, switch on power at genny. back feeds to the house and consequently all of the ring mains etc. it handles all the house but grunts a bit if i use micro wave or ring on electric stove !!
i later converted it to run on propane, a 13kg lasted 36hrs in the last power outage, felt very smug sitting there with all my neigbours in black!!
have also got a 1.2 kva honda (primitive, rope start, noisy exhaust, heavy) which i bought and it is ok for emergency, am selling £100 + delivery or you collect
stu

 

[BrendanS]

Re: OUCH!!!

No children around that would cause safety issues, and I'm aware enough of the consequences not to touch them, so this shouldn't be a problem.