Generator Placement

[pbahlin]

I'm sticking my toe in the water regarding generators. The decision to go full solar, full generator, or something in between is weighing on me as it is all tied up with your lifestyle on the road (which I'm not yet, so unsure of what that will be), your need for toys, and your need to not go broke implementing your fantasy.

What I'm thinking is that the best thing to do is to ease into this thing slowly, leaving myself a way out as I learn what works for me. My Big Sky came generator 'ready' with half of the forward storage sectioned off for an Onan 5.5KW propane generator. It also came with a pathetic house battery and no inverter.

In order to not break the bank but still provide us with some dry camping capability, I would like to get a Honda 2000, beef up the house battery system, and get an inverter. The Honda would be used primarily to charge the 'house', allowing me to run silent most of the time. My goal would be to get 2-3 days of off grid capability. If I need to make major changes, I'm guessing that the Honda is easily sold, the batteries get reused in any upgrade, and the inverter stays no matter what. If I decide to go solar or go for a bigger generator the only skin in the game is the Honda.

But! There's always a but isn't there?

I'm not sure if it's safe to run the Honda in the provided compartment. This was intended for a propane genset. The bottom of the compartment is exposed to the outside and the box is metal lined. What bother's me is what happens to exhaust and what happens to gasoline vapors coming from the tank vent.

Has anybody put a Honda in that compartment? Are you still alive? Do you still have your hearing intact?

[jwedell]

I'll give you an idea of the system we use. We camp a lot at the beach with no electric and had designed the unit for such. We have 2 - 135 watt solar panels on the roof connected to a digital regulator. That feeds 4 trojan T105 6 volt golf cart batteries. I use the battery watering system from Camping World to keep the batteries full of water. I connected the batteries through a disconnect switch to a 1800 watt inverter. The inverter is connected to a small sub panel and supplies power to the 3 televisions, Bedroom outlets, living room outlets, and microwave. I can only use the microwave when everything else is off but it works. I usually run 2 televisions until late, a 20 inch box fan and a CPAP machine all night. In the morning the batteries are about half way down. By the end of the next sunny day the batteries are fully charged. I also have a 2K honda for days when the sun is not out or when I need a little more charging. I very rarely use the generator. I also bought a second 2K Honda to run in parallel for the AC. Sorry for being long winded but this system has been very good to us for the last three years. Hope this helps (what I have saved in gasoline more than paid for the solar panels) - John

[camper4]

I would not run the honda in the front box provided for the Onan.

[pbahlin]

Camper4:

Would you care to share your thinking?

[illapah]

Camper4 is probably thinking of carbon monoxide getting inside your rig if you run it inside the enclosure. I would think this myself. I have 2 of the Honda 2K generators and run them outside on the ground.

[camper4]

My thinking was that the Honda is designed to operate in the open. Not in an enclosed place. Even with the door open, that space is not designed to have generator exhaust poured into it or the gas fumes, from the gas tank, vented into it.
The Onan exhaust exits out the bottom through a muffler, spark suppressor, and exhaust pipe. It also has cooling drawn and blown out the bottom. The "prep" space is designed for a Onan or similar genset.
Hope that helps with my thoughts.
Good luck with your decisions.

[firetrucker]

You can vent the Honda exhaust the same way the Onan is vented. The Onan can produce carbon monoxide also, so some of the exhaust problems are the same. The Onan, as I learned at Quartzsite last week, uses quite a bit of propane, upwards of a gallon an hour.

One or two Hondas, mounted on a pull out tray, or with the exhaust properly vented, run through a transfer switch, with four 100 Ah AGM (sealed) batteries that (compared to golf cart batteries) are smaller and require no venting, plus a 1750-2000 watt inveter, will provide you a respectable boondocking capability that you can add solar to when you are ready. And the gas tank is vented only when the cap is turned on. When the engine is running, it pulls a vacuum on the tank, so there are no external gas vapors. This also allows you to use an external tank, which can be outside the rig, for longer operating periods.

Bob

[pbahlin]

Thanks for the info on how the Onan is incorporated into the 'box'. I sort of figured it to be more closely designed for that application than the Honda. Still, the Honda can be had for way less money and with adequate power if you don't want air.

What are the trade offs you all have found with keeping the Honda in some kind of semi permanent mount in the pickup? I'm looking for a way to use it without lugging it around all the time or worrying about it getting 'legs' when left unattended.

[ARJ]

Speaking of honda exhaust, has anyone tried connecting an extension exhaust pipe to their honda using high temp RTV.

I used high temp RTV on the exhaust of my old truck so I know it works and the exhaust from the honda is not nearly as hot as the exhaust from my old beefed up 454 was.

[Jolu]

Here is something like firetrucker is referring to. There is not a problem with exhaust or overheating. The bay door does need to be left open while running the Honda 2000i. This Honda is in a generator prep bay. So it is in a sealed compartment.


Honda in Bay

Honda on Slide