Petrol Generator or Solar Battery Charger?

[Ralph1Malph]

I have searched through some threads, all interesting but not giving me the exact advice I seek......

We will be camping over easter (Flanigans reserve trip) and I am debating whether to purchase a generator to recharge the fridge/lights battery or a solar panel.
There are advantages to each but I am after the opinion and experiences of the wider forum

As far as a generator goes, I am looking at a cheapie from china (poor), typically like the 1-3 kva jobbies on ebay. Similarly, for around half the coin, a 120-200 watt solar charger array.
I have a quite large and thirsty 12-24vDC Trailblazer fridge freezer and will have my disco battery and two others of similar capacity to run the lights and fridge etc.

Here's what I have so far:

Generator Ads:
240 vac appliances can be used and recharged eg torch batteries, nintendo DS (I know), mobile phones, fans heaters etc etc.
All weather, faster recharge of fridge batteries.
Disads:
Noisy and can annoy neighbors, restricted use times, petrol.

Solar charger Ads:
Quiet, continuous output,
Disads: Useless in rain or inclement weather, limited to DC stuff, no surge or quick charge option.

Whats the low down on the street?
The groups thoughts?

Ralph

[dogrock65]

We have both, as we wilderness camp for longer periods. Solar is giant except for a couple of days of cloud. We find we use the genny less and less.:D

[awabbit6]

We had a similar decision to make several years ago. In the end, we went solar.
Our reasons:

Solar can be used anywhere (generators are not permitted in many NPs)
Generators are heavy
Generators require maintenance and can give problems if not maintained
Solar panel don't require fuel, make noise or smelly fumes.
Once setup (I made a rig to mount the panels) solar requires little intervention
etc


Yes, cloudy/wet weather can be a problem but we have enough battery capacity to run our fridge for 4 days. It is not often that we choose to camp when there is 4 days of rain forecast!
If the trailer batteries get low, we throw the fridge (80L Waeco) in the car and run off the car battery to give the trailer system a chance to charge.

I was keen for a system that didn't create work when camping. We wanted to make just one purchase, so decided that a solar panel setup suited our needs best.

We aren't doing the Flanagan's trip but you are welcome to have a look at our setup.

[richard4u2]

myself i have a generator but for you just over easter , can you have a generator where you will be camping ? hire one and then you can make an informed decision as to weather that is the way you want to go and what size generator you really need. are you looking at a generator or a inverter two different things

[Blknight.aus]

if your going near the beach you can now purchase a 50w wind turbine thats easy enough to mount to a fishing rod holder in the car.

I know thats not one of the options so...

Of the 2 options I would reccomend the solar, it'll pay itself of a lot faster than a genny will, especially the first time you wind up needing the genny only to find that the carbies gunked, the fuel filters gummed, waters got in and corroded the plug, or it just wont output.

solars easy to diagnose and fault bypass in a pinch, 240vac gennies not so.

[zulu Delta 534]

I use both at times. I carry one 75watt solar panel and that generally keeps up with my Waeco fridge, phone charger, fluoro light and the occaisional TV session. There have been times when the solar cannot keep up, such as when you camp in shady treed areas and the access to sunlight is limited (read here; Flannagans) and then a generator can come in handy.
Don't fall for the salesman's pitch that you need a 2 or 3 kva generator to go camping with, a cheap little 800 or so will do the job admirably as far as bring batteries back up to scratch. (The big jobs are really only needed once you start to get real old and need air conditioning all day long in your caravan, and are running a full sized compressor fridge and freezer as well!)
Also remember, you have a pretty good battery charger fitted to your car, its called an alternator and usually a running car is more acceptable than a generator to your neighbours.
Generally in camp grounds generators are at the least frowned on, but in the freebies dotted around the country they are great.
They both have down sides and they both complement each other.
Its your choice.
Don't forget to take others' situations into consideration before starting up any generator.
Regards
Glen

[bee utey]

I have been camping with one 75W panel, and when a cloudy day ate my fridge battery it was time for a drive. Nowadays I have two 80W panels and enough cable to collect the sun. Ample for a 4 day Easter camp without moving the car.

I like the idea of the outback equipment chargers that are a Honda bruscutter motor and a 80 amp Bosch alternator. very portable and coupled to an inverter will run most appliances. I haven't needed one yet but it would make more sense to me than a monster 2kVA genny.

[Ralph1Malph]

Thanks for all the advice.
Looking at something like this:
220 Watt FOLDING SOLAR PANEL MONOCRYSTALLINE COMPLETE (eBay item 110669716715 end time 03-Apr-11 23:50:00 AEST) : Electronics (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/220-Watt-FOLDING-SOLAR-PANEL-MONOCRYSTALLINE-COMPLETE-/110669716715?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item19c46ddceb)

or
this:
120W FOLDING SOLAR PANEL KIT Camping Caravan Generator (eBay item 270727890669 end time 04-Apr-11 19:00:22 AEST) : Electronics (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/120W-FOLDING-SOLAR-PANEL-KIT-Camping-Caravan-Generator-/270727890669?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item3f08a3c6ed)

On face value, they look the goods.
Bearing in mind that the biggest user will be the fridge and tent lighting, most other appliances, like the radio torches and the like are either wind up or charge from the car. I'll have two (additional) 180 cca (from memory) car batteries so for 3 or 4 days, should be fine.

Ralph

[Blknight.aus]

dont forget , if you do happen to run up the genny have the decency to offer up a share of the power to those around you.

Normally when I fire up the 2.4KVA (which is an old clunker) to run my compressor or power tools for a spannering session I find I get a lot less complatesn when I let everyone around hang their battery charges off of the second 240v outlet from a power board.

[spudboy]

Ralph - be careful of the bargain priced panels from eBay, from little known and probably Chinese manufacturers.

From all my research, there are 3 or 4 clear leaders in solar manufacturing, such as Kyocera and Sharp and are made in Japan. They consistently come up with the best ratings when reviewed.

I got one of these 135W Kyocera panels (that were over $1200) on special from Planet Earth Solar at only $600 delivered to the door incl GST:

https://www.planetearthsolar.com.au/show_prod.php?class_id=spl&prod_id=KD135SX-1PU

The bloke who runs it is into Land Rovers too (Simon?? - can't remember) and he was a proper solar tech person.

I have coupled this with a CTEK S250D regulator which charges the batteries from both the Solar and the Alternator, giving the best of both worlds. It also acts as a battery isolator too.

We have a generator too (a little Honda 2Kva), but it is heavy and noisy and smelly. Brilliant if you need to run some power tools around the farm, but takes up too much space for camping.

Cheers
David

[harlie]

Personally – go solar. We have friends who have been trying to arrange a week away with us for a while and since the statement “we’re all set up, even got a Genie” I won’t go with them.

Solar requires no maintainence and if you encounter cloudy conditions you will be OK as long as you have big panels. As far as reliability – My Dad purchased a panel for camping in 1981, it’s still going – by our tests at about 90% of original output.

To add to spudboy’s comment. There are plenty of good products coming from the no-name sellers (Chinese), however what I found is that there is a lot of creative output ratings on some of these cheap units. If you’re going to go cheap then you need your eyes wide open – and that’s the same for generators too!!

To give an example. This listing
200-Watt-12vdc-MONOCRYSTALLINE-SOLAR-PANEL (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/200-Watt-12vdc-MONOCRYSTALLINE-SOLAR-PANEL_W0QQitemZ200587305466QQcategoryZ41981QQcmdZV iewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DDLSL %252BPSSI%252BSI%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BUA%252B UCK%26otn%3D20%26pmod%3D110669716715%252B110669716 715%26po%3D%26ps%3D63)
is advertised as a 200w 12v panel. Why does no-one else have a listing for a 200w 12v unit, everyone else 12v max is 130-140w above that they are 24v. I sent a Q asking for dimensions of this unit and received a message back stating that they “have many solar panels available for different applications. Call for details”. So they refused to give me anything in writing about this panel. Over the phone the details were provided (no Qs about application). Its 1200*810 and 12kg. Have a look around – that’s what most suppliers have listed as a 130/135 or 140W.

As a side note - The 175W panels on my roof (24V) are ~1530x810 and about 18kg each and they do produce 175w when cool. To qualify for Gov rebates these panels for home instalations are tested by gov body - unfortunately units sold outside regulated schemes aren't tested to any spec.

I found that this business (LHP Power) is also operating under a various other names, but they are easily recognised by their response to information requests. All of their panels are the same; they quote a 120W panel, that’s the same size/weight as others’ 80W. So my point is that the brand name panels are likely to output what they advertise – the really cheap ones won’t, so they might not be that cheap. For $599 LHP advertised a “240w folding solar kit”. Now these panels are the same size as others’ 80w panels, so if you go in with that sort of knowledge and that you are paying 599 for 160w kit with regulator, (short) lead, stands and carry bag then it’s still not a bad deal, but not as good as fist looks.

[Hoges]

dont forget , if you do happen to run up the genny have the decency to offer up a share of the power to those around you.

Normally when I fire up the 2.4KVA (which is an old clunker) to run my compressor or power tools for a spannering session I find I get a lot less complatesn when I let everyone around hang their battery charges off of the second 240v outlet from a power board.

You take a 240V compressor with you?:eek: I thought I was B.A.D. in what I took away for 'just in case' situations...obviously I need a bigger camper trailer...hmmm...like the Jayco base station ...fitted out with a fully equipped workshop :wasntme:;):twisted:

[86mud]

6 years ago I paid just over a grand for a 1kv generator. It has a 4 stroke Honda motor and is quiet... 20 metres away from camp. I will be bringing it to Flanagans at Easter as I don't trust my second battery at the moment only because my truck has not been used much lately. Hopefully the drive down to Flanagans will help fully charge the second battery.

I can't remember the size of the fuel tank in the generator, and from memory a full tank would last 6 - 8 hours. (running standard unleaded)

The generator has been on heaps of trips and never let me down. I always service it regularly including a new spark plug before each trip. I have never let it get damp/wet, but has been in a dust filled trailer on a couple of occassions.

I have considered solar, but at the moment, the generator serves me well - it's more robust

My 2 cents worth...

Cheers
Andrew

[Blknight.aus]

You take a 240V compressor with you?:eek: I thought I was B.A.D. in what I took away for 'just in case' situations...obviously I need a bigger camper trailer...hmmm...like the Jayco base station ...fitted out with a fully equipped workshop :wasntme:;):twisted:

usually If Im packing the heavy gear its because Im in support of an organised gathering or theres a specific requierment for it like a beach run or a track run where tyre pressures will be up and down heaps or a lot of repairs are expected.