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Old 21-11-2008, 08:44   #16
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Other than minimal fuel costs(and storage), I can't see a down side to using the generator. Why does everyone spend so much $ on panels, mppts, etc. Is it just trendy or 'green' ? You need ALOT of solar and associated equip to get 200 Ah a day and far more room for it than a little generator takes up.

I suppose since I'm trying to charge in such a short time then I should get AGMs as my house bank, right?
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Old 21-11-2008, 08:46   #17
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Cheap generators often are not close to sine wave outputs which can cause problems for some equipment. The Honda is suppose to be pure sine wave and you can operate most electronic equipment directly from it.

I have a Honda 2000 but not on my boat. I use it a few times a month in my Real Estate work and as emergency power for storms. It works Great for Storms... since I bought it 3 years ago... we have not had Any Power Outages due to storms!!! It must be like caring an umbrella to prevent rain??

After this next few months in the Carib, I'll decide if I need more than the two 85 Watt Solar Panels and 3 D-4 Batteries to keep my modest power requirements in hand with out undue use of the engine. May add a Wind Generator or fall back to considering another Honda 2000 for the boat.

I just don't like keeping Gasoline on the boat... have a very limited amount for the outboard dink engine but typically a gallon or less that fits in a tight spot away from everything that may make it go boom.
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Old 21-11-2008, 09:09   #18
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[quote=Aquah0lic;225608]Other than minimal fuel costs(and storage), I can't see a down side to using the generator. Why does everyone spend so much $ on panels, mppts, etc. Is it just trendy or 'green' ? You need ALOT of solar and associated equip to get 200 Ah a day and far more room for it than a little generator takes up.

I suppose since I'm trying to charge in such a short time then I should get AGMs as my house bank, right?[/quote

I also have a KISS wind generator and looked into solar panels. Solar just cost too much, panels, controller and mounting hardware. I ended up with the Honda for the times when the wind generator can't keep up. As for fuel storage, I've already got dink gas, extra diesel, engine oil, ATF, outboard oil, so another jug isn't going going to kill me.
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Old 21-11-2008, 09:36   #19
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I believe that the cheap generators put out "dirty" power. Which means that they create electrical noise and interference with electronic equipment.
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Old 21-11-2008, 09:51   #20
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Hi

I am reading this post and I feel the urge to post this. I realized that most of the readers on this forum are "safety first" kind of people. For the other few, here is a little true story. On 24 April 2002, a small fishing vessel with 7 persons on board shut-down in the ice for the night. In order to provide heat to the vessel while the main engine was stopped, the crew used a small fifteen hundred watt heater fan powered off a small portable gas generator located in the fish hold. Two bulkheads were separating the fish hold from the accomodations. When one of the crew members awoke the next morning, he discovered two crew members unconscious and unresponsive. The vessel steamed back toward port. Medical personnel waiting on the wharf examined the two unconscious crew members and determined they were deceased. Two other crew members were treated at a local medical facility and released, while the remaining three were airlifted to a bigger medical facility. They all suffered from carbon monoxide poisonning.

The morale of the story: if you are using a portable generator on board a boat, always remember that CO is heavier than air and could easily find a way to the accomodation. You would be amazed to see how little of a hole CO needs to move from one area to another.

I apologize if I sound like a party pooper. I just talked to too many widows during my career.

Be careful and sail safe
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Old 21-11-2008, 10:07   #21
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Some have the wind, and solar so when they are away you are still getting charged, and if you do your math correctly. It will be rare you need the Honda. The Honda is convenient. I have one, and great for power tools.
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Old 21-11-2008, 10:22   #22
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Originally Posted by Aquah0lic View Post
Other than minimal fuel costs(and storage), I can't see a down side to using the generator. Why does everyone spend so much $ on panels, mppts, etc. Is it just trendy or 'green' ? You need ALOT of solar and associated equip to get 200 Ah a day and far more room for it than a little generator takes up.

I suppose since I'm trying to charge in such a short time then I should get AGMs as my house bank, right?
It depends on your cruising style and comfort needs. Everyone is different. But 200Ah per day is relatively high demand for a typical cruiser and you should carefully examine the efficiency of your electrical devices. There are probably many relatively inexpensive ways to reduce this (as long as you don't require heat or A/C). We had refrigeration, lights, computers, entertainment, hot water (for about 20 mins. per day), and a watermaker on something like 80-100 Ah. In the Bahamas/Caribbean where there’s plenty of sun and wind, solar and wind power can be used to more or less meet these needs even on a 34 foot monohull. If your needs are significantly more than this, then a power generator may well be the solution. The conventional solution is an expensive water cooled marine diesel generator, but a portable gas unit may serve your needs. However, few people run a portable every day and if you need 200Ah, you will be running it every day for ‘awhile’.

I don’t think for most cruisers it has anything to do with being green. It’s all about convenience and freedom. For some cruisers the daily routine includes shore trips for water, or maybe ice, or fuel, and running the engine or generator to charge batteries or make hot water. For others it rarely includes any of these things.
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Old 21-11-2008, 10:59   #23
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166 Ah ? What generator is that? I'm considering the iu 1000 or 2000 and leaning towards the smaller lighter one.
That would be the 2000

2000/12= 166 ( thats 100% not all usable I agree)

Im an excavation contractor..we use one to jump a Dump truck or piece of equipment buy running a 120 volt 225 amp boost charger off of it.

leave it on the batteries for 30 min and you can fire anything up...most of our equipment has 2 to 4 bat's in them too...and a few are 24 volt so have to go 15 min an each battrie separately

So if you really wanted to pork juice into a bank do it that way but you can cook your bats if your not careful..dont say I didnt warn you...

A good boost charger is about 250.00 but there big and bulky.
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Old 21-11-2008, 11:13   #24
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I apologize if I sound like a party pooper.
Your apologie is accepted. But the morale of the story should be never run an internal combustion engine in a confined area without proper exhaust venting.
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Old 21-11-2008, 11:30   #25
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I think this may correct a couple of false assumptions stated in prior posts:
Honda 2000i specs from their web site:
note current ratings for both AC and DC output
Model H2000i
Engine Honda GX100
Displacement 98.5cc
AC Output 120V 2000W max. (16.7A) 1600W rated
(13.3A)
Receptacles 20A 125V Duplex
DC Output 12V, 96W (8A)
Starting System Recoil
Fuel Tank Capacity 1.1 gal.
Run Time per Tankful 4hrs. @ rated load, 15 hrs. @ 1/4
load

also, these do not produce a pure sine wave.
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Old 21-11-2008, 12:12   #26
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I think this may correct a couple of false assumptions stated in prior posts:
Honda 2000i specs from their web site:
note current ratings for both AC and DC output
Model H2000i
Engine Honda GX100
Displacement 98.5cc
AC Output 120V 2000W max. (16.7A) 1600W rated
(13.3A)
Receptacles 20A 125V Duplex
DC Output 12V, 96W (8A)
Starting System Recoil
Fuel Tank Capacity 1.1 gal.
Run Time per Tankful 4hrs. @ rated load, 15 hrs. @ 1/4
load

also, these do not produce a pure sine wave.
Yep no argument...my back woods conversions technique is not calculated on internal 12v charging capacity of the 2000i's charging system..rather my way of calculating what I can expect a 120 volt charger to be able to push into a battrie bank when powered by one...Not very scientific I realize but it gets the job done.

In other words my 225 amp charger is not going to be able to put out 225 amps but only 166 running off the 2000i...minus all the heat and conversion losses and all the jazz which I chose to ignore.

There you have it backwoods engineering 101...
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Old 21-11-2008, 13:01   #27
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Deciding between the 1k & 2k Honda.
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Old 21-11-2008, 13:02   #28
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oops

Get the 2k for a couple of hundred bucks extra you get twice as much. After cruising a couple of months. The weight difference won't be noticed. Cruising usually build muscle.
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Old 21-11-2008, 13:31   #29
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Those Honda 12V gens look pretty slick, any idea of cossts
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Old 21-11-2008, 15:53   #30
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Those Honda 12V gens look pretty slick, any idea of cossts
one grand
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