Generator or Inverter?

[_skydiver_]

Ok, looking for a generator or do I want an inverter? I have a small TV in my newly purchased little guy and I also would be using my laptop and powering some small light and eventually a small AC solution. What do you guys recommend/use? I've been looking on eBay and have seen several ranging from $130 to over $1000. Do I want to get one that says it's an inverter or will most any generator be ok?

Thanks in advance,
BK

[asianflava]

What are you trying to do exactly? A generator is when there is no power available, you start up the gas engine and viola, electricity. An inverter basically changes DC to AC. If you have a battery in your trailer or car, you need one of these to watch the TV. Inverters (depending on size) can deplete a battery in no time which can leave you stranded (if you use your car battery).

Your best bet is to get a 12V portable DVD player. I got one for $89 at Wally World a while back, and it still works! It doesn't use as much power as a tube type TV. As for the laptop, you can get small inverters for them usually around $30

[TPMcGinty]

I think by inverter he means something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/4ohn57

[_skydiver_]

I think by inverter he means something like this:

http://tinyurl.com/4ohn57

Yes, that is what I was questioning. Is there a difference in something like that and one of the $300 units on eBay? Will something like this run an AC unit as well as a small TV/DVD and my laptop and a small light all at the same time? When I'm at the DZ, this kind of becomes my home away from home. I need it to be quiet enough to sleep while it's running, but powerful enough and clean enough to run my other items?

Thanks in advance!
BK

[mikeschn]

If you are eventually going to be using an AC, then you'll want to get the 2000 watt Honda. It can handle the starting surge of the AC. And the Honda 2000 will also recharge your battery at the same time. With the cheaper units, you'll have to furnish your own charger.

You're not camping at a campground are you? The noise would be a real menace there.

Mike...

[emiller]

My McCulluch has charging capabilty. It even came with the cable to plug into it.

[Sonetpro]

If you are going to run a laptop off a generater you need a inverter type. The power is much cleaner. The inverters are also much queiter. I have a Honda 2000I and it will run everything in the tear.
You cannot run a AC off an inverter. I tried.

[brian_bp]

If you are eventually going to be using an AC, then you'll want to get the 2000 watt Honda. It can handle the starting surge of the AC....

You're not camping at a campground are you? The noise would be a real menace there.

Mike...

I think that there are two distinct requirements here, and perhaps two solutions. Small devices which the battery could easily supply are best handled by an inverter, while the air conditioning will need a generator.

Running a generator just to power a small electronic device seems like a horrible idea. Yes, the generator can recharge the battery, but a good battery charge is a slow one, so it's not like you can run the generator for only a few minutes to charge the battery back up at 150 amps. Until the air conditioner is added, it's hard for me to see any good use for the generator.

And the Honda 2000 will also recharge your battery at the same time. With the cheaper units, you'll have to furnish your own charger.

The built-in 12V supply from a portable generator is almost universally dismissed as a very poor substitute for a proper charger. This is one feature I wouldn't bother with, ignoring it even if the chosen generator has it. The few amps of 12VDC available can be easily handled by a very small modern charger; you're already carrying around a whole gas-engined generation system - what's a little charger in addition?

Also, can the 12VDC and 120VAC outputs of these generators be used at the same time? If not, then the only way to recharge the battery while the generator is running anyway for the air conditioner would be a separate charger.


Now back to the root of the terminology problem:
I think that BK's assumption is that a generator is needed, and the only question is whether it is the type that internally (inside the generator set) uses an inverter to make the 120V AC from some other frequency and/or voltage, rather than the traditional generator design in which the generator makes the 120VAC directly. Honda and several others make the premium priced and very nice "inverter" designs (Honda models of this type end in "i"), everyone makes the traditional type (including Honda).

I would pay the extra for the "inverter" type, if only because I don't want to listen to the generator running at full speed all the time.

[_skydiver_]

Hey guys, thanks for all the reply's. I've seen several references to recharging batteries? Do generators or inverters have batteries in them? Right now my trailer does not have a battery of any kind. I just have one plug on the side of the trailer that is hooked into a power strip on the inside of the trailer.

[Alphacarina]

You cannot run a AC off an inverter. I tried.

Sure you can - It's just not very practical to do it with a small travel trailer

You would need a 2,000 watt inverter and then a BIG battery

If your A/C uses say 7.5 amps of 120VAC, then the inverter powering it will use about 75 amps at 12 volts DC to do the same job. Want it to run overnight? 8 hours at 75 amps per hour is about 600 amp hours. Since it's not good to discharge your battery bank below 50% or so, you'll need a 1200 AH battery bank. They make such things, but one would weigh over half a ton . . . . then you'd need to figure out how to recharge it. With a 50 amp charger, it would take you most of the 16 hours you have before it's nightime again

Don

[brian_bp]

...I've seen several references to recharging batteries? Do generators or inverters have batteries in them? Right now my trailer does not have a battery of any kind. I just have one plug on the side of the trailer that is hooked into a power strip on the inside of the trailer...

This gets back to that assumption that you need a generator. If you are willing to run the generator for every single second that you are using AC power, then there's no battery involved.

If, on the other hand, you power the little stuff (not the air conditioner) with an inverter, the inverter just converts power from a battery into the voltage and frequency you need, and you also need a battery to store the energy and supply power to the inverter. There's no free lunch, so at some point you must recharge the battery, from a generator, or from the tow vehicle (presumably while driving to the next campsite), or with a charger from some AC power source ("shore power", or at home before the next trip).

My travel trailer has a battery; I use a combination of charging at home before leaving, adding charge while driving, and occaisonally charging from shore power at a serviced campsite, so the battery has power to run stuff when I am camped without an outside power source. No generators in my camping world.

[_skydiver_]

Ok, so what is this then?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360081523543&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

Will that do both, will it run the small stuff as well as an AC unit? When I'm at the DZ, I don't mind letting it run while I'm using those items as most of the time I'm not even in the trailer and when I am, I want/need it cool and I want to watch TV or use my laptop. Does that item on eBay have a battery built in and it charges while the load it low or something?

Sorry for being so dense about this. Trying to learn though.

[Sonetpro]

You cannot run a AC off an inverter. I tried.

Sure you can - It's just not very practical to do it with a small travel trailer

You would need a 2,000 watt inverter and then a BIG battery

If your A/C uses say 7.5 amps of 120VAC, then the inverter powering it will use about 75 amps at 12 volts DC to do the same job. Want it to run overnight? 8 hours at 75 amps per hour is about 600 amp hours. Since it's not good to discharge your battery bank below 50% or so, you'll need a 1200 AH battery bank. They make such things, but one would weigh over half a ton . . . . then you'd need to figure out how to recharge it. With a 50 amp charger, it would take you most of the 16 hours you have before it's nightime again

Don

Yes you can do it and I have. But what you are missing is during that time your amperage will increase very much.
As voltage goes down amperage goes up. Yes it is possible but I did not want to run NCM into the trailer to handle the amps.

[Sonetpro]

Ok, so what is this then?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360081523543&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

Will that do both, will it run the small stuff as well as an AC unit? When I'm at the DZ, I don't mind letting it run while I'm using those items as most of the time I'm not even in the trailer and when I am, I want/need it cool and I want to watch TV or use my laptop. Does that item on eBay have a battery built in and it charges while the load it low or something?

Sorry for being so dense about this. Trying to learn though.

I would say that is probaly a chinese knock off. I have a Kipor 1000 that is also a chinese knock off. It was a great generator until I needed parts for it. It had a warranty but what good is a warranty unless there is a service center that will repair it. In my case the fuel petcock broke. It took me a year to find the $5 part.
During that year I bought a Honda and it is the main generator now. The Kipor is only used to run the fridge now in a power outage.

[_skydiver_]

Ok, so what is this then?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360081523543&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

Will that do both, will it run the small stuff as well as an AC unit? When I'm at the DZ, I don't mind letting it run while I'm using those items as most of the time I'm not even in the trailer and when I am, I want/need it cool and I want to watch TV or use my laptop. Does that item on eBay have a battery built in and it charges while the load it low or something?

Sorry for being so dense about this. Trying to learn though.

I would say that is probaly a chinese knock off. I have a Kipor 1000 that is also a chinese knock off. It was a great generator until I needed parts for it. It had a warranty but what good is a warranty unless there is a service center that will repair it. In my case the fuel petcock broke. It took me a year to find the $5 part.
During that year I bought a Honda and it is the main generator now. The Kipor is only used to run the fridge now in a power outage.

Would this run everything that I'm talking about? And be ok?
http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/a.aspx?page=modeldetail&section=P2GG&modelname=EU2000i&modelid=EU2000IAN